Leeshaw a.m./ Mixenden twitch for NKs wildfowl, p.m.

LEESHAW                          Mist in the valleys

                                                1 of 7 Goosander 4m 3f

                                                26 Lapwing

                                            Snow on the moor

                                    Mist creeping cross the water.

                                            1 CY  Herring

                                                1 of 2 Dipper

                                                Displaying

                                                Fog passing through.

MIXENDEN                            4m 1f  long awaited Wigeon

                                    Keeping distance as always.

                                            Gulls on the east bank

                                Intermedius LBB LH, LBB  Int. Centre.   LBB Graellsii  RH

                                        LBB Intermedius                        LBB Graellsii

A pleasant morning to be on the tops with dense fog sticking to the lower valleys with just slight mist clouds moving through. A light SW>2 with full cloud at 3 degrees. A lot of the snow has shifted with the roads clear and access to the reservoir although Fly Flatts would have still be off limits this morning.

     A busy morning at Leeshaw with a pair of Dippers displaying down in the beck along with a single Grey Wagtail and Kingfisher briefly in the same area.

    Greylags, Canadas and Mallards were on the water along with 4m and 3f Goosander plus a Cormorant. A flock of 26 Lapwing were moving field to field as well as a group of mixed Starling and Fieldfare.

    Nothing exciting gull-wise with around 150 small gulls but only 3 Herring, all being 1 CY birds.

 Just arrived back from a shopping trip early afternoon when a call from NK telling me of 5 Wigeon on Mixenden reservoir so with Wigeon being so scarce this winter I threw the dogs in the car and off we went.

    As I arrived 10 minutes later Nigel was just leaving so a quick word then off up the banking to see 4m and 1f Wigeon at the far end of the water. A good count of gulls were on the east bank and some on the water with 18 Herring and 5 LBBs along with around 100 small gulls. Two of the LBBs were extremely black mantled looking good for intermedius  whilst the other 3 were graellsii, slate grey.

    No time to check the west bank today but I presumed that Nigel had walked through that way.

Thanks for the call Nigel.

Looking like a grey but dry day tomorrow and dependent on where the fog lies as the wind it to be very light.

BS