A good end to the month, Leeshaw.

 

                                    Stormy sky sunrise.

                                1st Curlew back, scope-able distance.

                                        Plenty gulls to sort through

                                    Pink Footed goose,  RH bird.

                                    In with white spotted Greylag.

A fast deteriorating morning with clouds rolling over by 0815 hrs and the wind increasing to SW>5 but remaining dry at a frosty 2 degrees.

      A very active morning with around 300 small gulls, 32 Herring and 11 LBBs, mostly on the water but several congregating in distant fields. The gulls did me a favour as while I was scoping through one group in a field above the distant farm I picked up a single Curlew, the first back this year and just a week early. This is the first local January Curlew that I,ve got on record other than a single bird that over- wintered at Leeshaw in 2014.

      Lapwings are also starting to check out the fields with 4 present whilst a large flock of mixed Fieldfare, Redwing and Starling were very mobile, moving field to field in the strengthening wind.

     A female Goosander, Cormorant and Mallards were on the water and then joined by a group of around 200 Greylags along with the white spotted job and a Pink Footed goose.

     The Dog and Gun field held 5 Herring and 20+ small gulls whilst the Raggalds Flood produced 6 Mallard, 7 Lapwing, 4 adult LBBs and 15 small gulls.

    A half decent morning tomorrow with part cloud and a light westerly.

BS

Bright and breezy Fly Flatts

 

                                1 of 4 distant Barn Owls

                                    Oyk looks here to stay.

A bright dry morning after a couple of early light showers which cleared by 0815 hrs leaving some sun with 60% cloud on a light cool NW>3 at 3 degrees.

      A good start off with 4 separate Barn Owls spread out across the moor but all at distance covering a wide range. A steady flow of Herring gulls >E but well to the south of me and only scope-able, possibly over Halifax.

   Canada numbers are up to around 40 now and some already in the breeding area fields and moor whilst around 30 Mallards were in the NE corner.

   A couple of Reed Buntings were present along with a Stonechat but no signs of over-wintering Meadow Pipits this year so far, even though a few were present at the back end of December.

  The Oystercatcher seems well settled and will probably stay now, presumably one of the birds that bred here last year.

   Other than that, just a few Red Grouse, 2 Raven and the usual corvids. Another day to go and then we,re on to the start of the interesting months.... says he, hopefully!!

     Gale force SW winds and rain by late morning tomorrow. Luckily the lighter mornings allow an earlier start now.

BS

The 3 Ls, Leeshaw, Lower Laithe, Leeming.

 

LEEMING                    Shelduck

                                    Flying a circuit with Mallards

                                    Yellow Legged Herring Gull.

A terrible morning with dense fog and heavy rain throughout the day on the tops with Leeshaw just below the cloud base but very dark and continuous rain on a light NE>2 at 6 degrees. 

     One of those mornings where you think, do I really want to go out in this, but the dogs wanted walking and if you don,t go, you don,t know, plus its this type of weather that can produce the best birds, which happened this morning.

     Leeshaw was poor in the conditions with around 150 BH gulls but very hard to check through in the heavy rain and all the birds facing north, away from me, but nothing that stood out as a Med. Only 2 Herring gulls so they were easily checked.

    A good count of Canada and Greylag geese in the big field along with 6 Stock Dove and a mass of Jackdaws and Starlings. Just Mallards and a single Cormorant on the water.

    On then to Lower Laithe where the job hit rock bottom with just 6 Black Headed gulls on the water plus a few Mallard.

     Disillusioned I set off back but pulled into Leeming reservoir as a last resort to try save the morning.

The rain was coming down in stair-rods but as I was already drenched and the dogs looked like a pair of wet map clarts ( Queensbury word for dish cloths), my mother used to say "I,m just going to map the kitchen floor". Anyway, back on with the dripping waterproofs and dog coats and a short walk to the reservoir for a quick check of the water. 

     First surprise was an adult Yellow Legged Herring gull on the tower rail, which was the only gull present, other than 3 Black Headed. My first thoughts were Caspian with the long bill but I think this is just a deformity looking at the curvature of the bill. This was quickly followed by a second surprise, a Shelduck on the water. The Shelduck was at distance near the top end of the reservoir but as I got through the gate a Heron spooked the Mallards which took off, as well as the Shelduck, which did a circuit over the water landing up at the south end. With time running out, plus a very muddy path for the dogs I left it be, pleased that the morning had now changed from bad to good.

A few Tufted were on the water as well as a single drake Goosander. 

     Looks a better day tomorrow, dry on a light NW.

BS

Back to Fly Flatts.

 

                              A good start to the morning,  'The Dyke' at sunrise.

                                        2 Ring Necked Parakeets

                                    Single Oystercatcher

                                    Barn owl quartering the fields

Another decent morning with 60% cloud and some sunshine on a milder S>4 at 4 degrees.

   On the way through Mixenden I managed to pick up two of the elusive Ring Necked Parakeets which have evaded me for quite some time.

    Fly Flatts was passable this morning with the Oystercatcher still present as well as a single Barn Owl and Buzzard along with 2 Raven over the quarry.

   A male Stonechat was on the wire fence over on the Flat Moor along with a couple of Red Grouse whilst 23 Fieldfare headed high and >NE.

   Nothing exciting on the water other than a building number of Canada geese and Mallards, plus 3 Greylag over low towards Cold Edge Dams.

    Talking of Cold Edge, the top dam, Haigh Cote, is either leaking again or being drained and at a low level with a mass of muddy shoreline showing which, this morning, was full of gulls. This is going to be a wader hotspot in the coming months if the situation does,nt change.

    Wet tomorrow on a light NE so a good chance of fog.

BS

     

Light at the end of the tunnel, Fly Flatts.

 

                                Canadas pairing up

                                    Displaying

                                    and mating

                                    1st returning Oystercatcher

A decent weather morning with a cool SW>4 at 3 degrees with full cloud but good visibility.

      A touch of things to come this morning with the Canada geese very vocal, pairing up, displaying and mating, which livens the place up with the sound of spring.

    A surprise to find the first returning Oystercatcher, two weeks earlier than last years first returner on the 9th Feb. Curlew next then Ringed Plover, if things go to plan, then a few weeks wait for Redshank and Dunlin.

   Very little else present other than a Kestrel, Raven and Barn Owl plus the usual species.

I put the heading,' light at the end of the tunnel' but my old garage manager, who was a real doom and gloom merchant, used to say, " If you see light at the end of the tunnel it will be a train coming". Another of his many sayings was " every silver lining has a cloud".

   About the same forecast for tomorrow with the wind turning south.

BS

Fly Flatts at last.

 

                                    Hardy Stonechat

                                    Distant Barn Owl

                                    Choppy seas

A wild morning at Fly Flatts with the wind increasing all the while to a near gale force W>7 with 90 % cloud and a touch of sunshine at 2 degrees.

      Too windy to be productive this morning but nice to get back up there, this being only my 3rd visit this month due to the weather of one form or another.

    Just enough to keep me interested which is good for this time of year until the second week of February when I get the first Curlew, Oystercatcher and Ringed Plover back.

     Canada geese numbers are already building in their breeding area with around 28 present this morning along with 23 Mallard, the latter being harassed by a Sparrowhawk.

    A single, hardy Stonechat was near the compound along with 4 Reed Bunting and a Blackbird whilst a Barn Owl flew low, at distance, disappearing over the moor.

    Only sky movement, in the strong wind, was 12 Herring gull high and >NE.

Very few gulls present again at Mixenden now that the ice has gone and too much disturbance for them on the banking.

   There should still be some Pink Footed Geese to be seen overhead though several returning birds this winter seem to have taken the east and west coastal routes. Its been a very poor winter this year for this species with none of the usual massive skeins over that we used to see.

    Tomorrows weather looks reasonable with a cloudy day on a light sou'westerly. That,s as long as the fog keeps away.

BS.