A full day of dense fog up here on the tops with visibility down to 20 yards part of the time and even very misty and dark in town this p.m. Looking at the forecast for the near future it looks like it will be into the New Year before any serious birding can be done, up on the tops especially, with plenty cloud and rain drifting our way.
If anywhere, up my way, I think Ogden is the most likely place to produce, over the rest of this month and through January with a good chance of wildfowl dropping in. Last December produced good counts of Wigeon and Teal whilst January 2022 produced a 2 CY Iceland gull with regular counts of up to 400 gulls on the water. Goldeneye, Goosander and Whooper are also likely though Whoopers usually stop off at local waters in March on their return journey, by which time I,ll hopefully be counting waders at Fly Flatts.
In the woods the Siskin and Redpoll flocks are increasing with, as mentioned by MC, a good chance of a Mealy and a more distant chance of an Arctic Redpoll, though these feeding flocks tend to stick to the Alders in the deepest and darkest part of the wood and very high up due to regular disturbance.
Goldcrests are starting to increase in numbers on both the west bank and around 'passerine alley' on the east bank, something else to search through in hopes of Firecrest.
A moderate northerly for tomorrow will hopefully move the fog, with just odd light showers forecast but the car,s in for MOT early morning so I,ll be wandering around Halifax for a couple of hours counting Waxwing !!!
BS