Fly Flatts blanked out with fog again this morning so headed to Leeshaw where conditions were very dark but decent visibility with 80% cloud on a light NE>3 at 3 degrees.
An active morning at Leeshaw though nothing out of the ordinary but plenty to keep me alert. Gulls were the main contenders with around 300 Black Headed in the newly manured fields, all carefully scoped through for Meds but not to be found....as yet !
Surprisingly only 2 Herring present and 15 Commons with no LBBs at all.
No wildfowl on the water other than a few Canadas and Greylags whilst the surrounding fields were alive with large flocks of Jackdaw, Starling and Woodpigs with 12 Mistle Thrush and 3 Fieldfare in a distant field. A Dunnock was by the overflow and 2 Kestrels in the air.
A check on Ogden mid p.m. found very few small gulls and no Herring or LBB. A single female Teal was on the water then near the west bank but no sign of NKs 2 male Teal which would have no doubt been there skulking under the edges.
Small passerines were poor with a very small Tit flock and no sign of Siskin/Redpoll or the Chaffinch flock, which I,m hoping has,nt moved on. Around 12 Goldcrests were giving a very active display but in the darkest part of the waterside trees hence the poor sample of photos which had to be taken at a slow shutter speed and high ISO to get some light into the camera, hence the un-sharp, grainy
images. Must be due for a Firecrest anytime now.
BS