Luckily for us hill dwellers we were way above the clouds today with dense fog below, especially to the east where the fog was covering the Aire Valley throughout the day.
Fly Flatts was spring like with a light SW>2 at 4 degrees with clear blue skies and sunshine other than a bank of fog along the western ridge.
Despite the excellent conditions birds were once again at a minimum with just 2 Stonechat,
2 Crows on the seed and 3 Red Grouse whilst the only birds in the air were 8 Fieldfare >N.
The skies looked perfect for Geese but not to be.
A mid afternoon visit to Ogden was an improvement on my mornings birding with around 150 small gulls present as well as 1 ad LBB, 3 ad Herring and a 2cy Herring. The Black Headed gull with blue ring 2R 49 that I had regular over June and July this year was again present on the gantry. I think this is a bird from the Cumbrian BH gull survey at Killington reservoir but will have to double check through my notes.
Passerines were in short supply with very few Chaffinch and Tits etc plus no sign of Siskin or Redpoll though they all may have been in the sun on the east bank which I never ventured onto.
As I arrived home at 1500 hrs the fog piled in and is now as thick as pig muck and looking like it is here to stay judging by tomorrows forecast of a very calm easterly which continues for the rest of the week. There is ice and possibly snow forecast over the next few days but Queensbury gritters are out tonight so no chance of that as the gritters only turn out in decent,mild weather.
It could be a case of man the paint brush tomorrow !
BS