Another day of fog. Leeshaw/Lower Laithe.

 

LEESHAW                Plenty geese to check through.

                                Stream in flood

LOWER LAITHE

                                    Several LBBs

                                    LBB and Common

                                    Single Herring with leg problem

                                Herring, bad right leg/foot

And so it continues with another day of thick fog on the tops. Leeshaw was as yesterday, weather-wise,

with light mist and very dark and wet with early rain turning to drizzle on a light NE>2 at 5 degrees.

           A good count of geese in the big field before moving off to the Upper Marsh fields with around 180 Canada and 100 Greylag but nothing special among them.

        Over 200 mixed Common and Black Headed but only a single LBB. Otherwise just the usual Mallards etc and no sign of yesterdays Little Grebe.

      On then to the Sladen valley and Lower Laithe Reservoir with several LBBs out on the gantry and water, along with a single Herring and several Common and Black Headed.

      A juv Gt Crested Grebe was out on the water as well as 2 Cormorant and the usual geese and Mallard.

     November is usually renown for being the foggiest month of the year up on the tops but after Sept/Oct it can only get better ?

BS

        

Keeping below the fog, Leeshaw Reservoir.

 

                            Distant Kingfisher down by the deck

                                Autumnal looking scene, Leeshaw

                                Fog up on the moor.

                                Misty reservoir

                            Site first for me, Little Grebe.

Another horror morning with dense fog on the tops so over to Leeshaw which was just below the cloud base but dark and misty on a NE>2 at 5 degrees and light drizzle throughout. Certainly not a photographic morning.

        A lively watch, despite the weather with around 150 Black Headed gulls, all checked for Meds, with just 8 LBBs and 2 Herring gull, both 1CY, along with about 30 Commons.

        The water held the usual Canadas and Greylags as well as 7 Mallard and a site first for me with a Little Grebe working the edges in the reed corner. A single Lapwing was on the far shore.

       A Kingfisher was way down in the beck area along with a Grey Wagtail but no Dipper today.

   A depressing looking forecast for the foreseeable future with several days of fog and rain. Queensbury has,nt seen daylight for days.

BS

     

Fly Flatts still providing the fog !

                            Drake Common Scoter

                            Out of range by the north shore.

                                     Sticking out in the mist and drizzle.

Bright and sunny as I left the village this morning until I ran into a large bank of fog at Fly Flatts with visibility over the water below the low cloud base. Light drizzle on a SW>3 at 5 degrees. Clear but cloudy by 0915 hrs.

     What was probably the same male Common Scoter was still on the water working the same area at the north end, diving constantly, well out of range in the conditions even at 672mm. A group of 12 Mallard were on the water as well as 14 Canadas.

     A flock of 48 Fieldfare headed >SW over the moor as the sky cleared with another 50+ in the Nolstar fields. Just 4 Meadow Pipits and 2 Reed Bunting in the migrant bushes whilst 10 Herring gull headed >NE over the Nab.

BS

   

 

Fog, Its a mean old scene./ A new toy added to the camera gear.

                                    1.4 Tele Converter.

Dense fog every bit of the day up here in the gods courtesy of a light E>1 at 7 degrees. Hopefully the stronger sou'westerly will move the fog for morning but I,m not holding my breath.

     One good report today from Queensbury birder Mark Murray, with a single Brambling on his garden feeders along with Chaffinch, Greenfinch and a Nuthatch. Marks garden is the one that got the unforgettable Firecrest a few years ago.

      I,ve added a new piece of kit to my camera gear today, now that my 600mm is no more. Its the Canon 1.4 tele converter 3 which, fitted to my Canon 300mm lens will take the focal length to 420mm plus my Canon 7d mk2 is a 1.6 crop factor camera which takes me out to 672mm. The converter loses you one stop of light which can be overcome with iso, plus its slightly slower on the auto focus but the 7d is mega fast so it shouldnt be a problem. The Mk3 converter is suppose to be far superior to its predecessors' 1 and 2 which hopefully it is as its now 5 times the price that I paid for my first Mk1.

     As you would have seen from my recent Common Scoter photos, 300mm is not enough magnification for the distances I am working at Fly Flatts so I,m hoping this puts things right.

    All I need now is the fog to clear and a few good birds.

BS 

 

Ogden in the fog

 

                                Grey Wagtail in the murky overflow.

                          Passing time with the Black Headeds

A drop down to Ogden hoping for some clearer views but the fog just as thick with rain showers on a light E>1 at 7 degrees. No visibility over the water beyond 20 yds out.

           Luckily a few gulls were present to keep me occupied with a single Herring and LBB along with a few Commons out in the fog whilst Black Headed were mobile on and off the gantry giving me something to photograph. 

      A check through the Mallards found nothing unusual, must be due for a Mandarin shortly, whilst a male Goosander showed briefly through the fog and a Grey Wagtail was in the overflow.

    More fog promised for tomorrow then a glimmer of hope for Sunday when the wind shifts to the south for a day before back to SE. Roll on winter.

BS.

Birding, what birding ?

 

                            A live web cam look at the east coast. Filey

                                Rough sea on the cobbled landing

                                High tide Withernsea.

                                    Whitby harbour, dark and wet

                                        Rough at Redcar.

Fog and heavy rain up here on the tops as per usual with the fog sticking throughout the day due to the light E>2 and high temp of 6 degrees. More rain and a light easterly once again tomorrow is bound to mean more fog.

         A look on the RNLI live web cams was interesting to watch the high tide breaking over the sea walls and watching Turnstones, Sanderling and a large number of Oystercatchers in Whitby harbour at low tide as well as the shore at Redcar. It may be a bit sad but better than watching the tele, something I never do, or staring out of the window at the fog. All these cameras are situated on or near the RNLI lifeboat stations which is my main interest when the lifeboats launch.

    Hopefully I,ll get back to Fly Flatts before the spring by which time the fog should have gone.

BS