A very wet and dark morning at Leeshaw Reservoir with heavy rain throughout and dark full cloud on a light SE>2 at 3 degrees. By 1000 hrs, as I was tackling up, the mist started to roll in with dense fog by the time I got back to Queensbury.
As I was approaching Oxenhope I spotted something white in a single tree and a quick emergency stop found it to be a Barn Owl. A second bird was seen at Leeshaw and possibly a third up on the moor.
Its amazing that years ago, when I started birding, if you wanted to see a Barn Owl you had to head east beyond York where you started picking them up. Now they are the most common owl ahead of Tawny, SEO and LEO.
Very few gulls at Leeshaw today with just 2 Herring and a few small gulls on the water along with a single Teal and the usual Mallards. A group of 8 Siskin flew over whilst a male Stonechat was on a distant wall, but doubtlessly the highlight of the morning was a flock of around 100 Fieldfare moving around the fields to the south of the reservoir.
Otherwise it was down to at least 18 Pheasant in the farm field and 2 Cormorant on the tower along with the usual species.
On the way back, a few small gulls are starting to use the Dog and Gun field which will hopefully build up in the new year when this field has produced both Yellow Legged Herring and Caspian.
Raggalds Flood held 18 Canadas, 4 Mallard and the usual small gulls.
So far tomorrow, the forecast is a dry start with a light south wind then another wet afternoon.
BS