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