With snow covered roads early morning I settled for another stroll around Ogden in bright clear skies and sunshine on a moderate NW>4 at minus 1 degree. Overnight snow had left the track around the water covered but the freezing temperatures had frozen the mud making it better walking and saved me washing the dogs legs afterwards. Luckily Chris and his quad bike were not on Christmas tree duty.
An amazing number of gulls were piling overhead from a breaking roost all heading >NE with an estimated count of over 3000. Around 500 gulls dropped down onto the water before moving off again, the majority of these being Commons. Just 2 Herring on the water, an adult and a 1cy.
All the overhead post roost gulls were again coming from the SSW direction.
Disappointing again on wildfowl with just a single drake Teal on the water plus the usual Mallards whilst a Kingfisher was across the water on an overhanging branch at the north end but its bright colour stood out in the sun from my position on the west bank.
Coal Tits were the main contender on the west bank with a flock of around 10, with just a few Great and Blue plus a single Goldcrest along with several Blackbird and Robins.
Another sudden stop on the drive home when I saw a bright image in a pine tree. Thinking it was a Barn Owl I grabbed the camera to find it was a Buzzard looking very pale in the bright sun.
Mid afternoon and a quick check on Mixenden with gull in mind found very few present with around 80 small gulls, and here, the same as Ogden, 80% were Commons along with just 2 Herring.
A Grey Wagtail was on the banking as well as 2 Mistle Thrush whilst a Moorhen was tucked under the west bank. Having given up on the gulls I walked the west bank ,with Redpoll and Siskin the target birds, and after a lot of searching through the Alders I came across a flock of 17 Redpoll but no Siskin present. Among the group was whats nicknamed as a Goldpoll with a gold crown instead of red. This is said to be a genetic cause, ( mutation), and birds with this marking are usually 1st winter females.
So a good days birding plus a few Redwings and Thrushes in the Pellon Lane area of Halifax during a midday shopping spree but nothing in the way of berries now and looking like another Waxwing free winter.
Looks like another good weather day for tomorrow.
BS