Another dabble at Leeshaw

 

                                    Little Owl reappeared from its wintering area

                                    Still 7 Oystercatchers present

                                    Buzzard mobbed with Crows

                                    1 of 2 male Goosander

                                    Mixed Starling and Lapwing

                                  Lapwing flock

                                    Single ad LBB gull

                                Very few and far between this winter so far.

Early morn at Leeshaw with a moderate SW>4 with part cloud and some sunshine at 2 degrees.

               The stronger wind livened the birds up considerably with large mobile flocks of Lapwing, Starling, and Fieldfare but a poor count of small gulls and only the one big gull, being an adult Lesser Black Backed briefly on the water.

            Still a count of 7 Oystercatchers but only a single distant Curlew which are slow arriving this year. By this time last year I was up to 25 then up to 58 arriving early March.

            The resident Little Owl was back in its usual spring position after, as always, disappearing for the winter to a nearby, more sheltered area whilst just 3 raptors were present today with Buzzard, Peregrine and Kestrel. 

1 Buzzard

1 Peregrine

1 Kestrel

1 Little Owl

c 50 Fieldfare

c 100 Lapwing

c 50 Black Headed and Common gull mixed

1 ad Lesser Black Backed gull

1 Cormorant

2 m Goosander

1 Curlew

7 Oystercatcher

+ usual sp.

BS