With heavy rain and dense fog throughout the day birding had to go on hold with just 3 very wet dog walks and a count of 23 Common gull in Foxhill Park.
A disappointing end to the month but hopefully October will bring better weather and better birds, although both weather and bird wise it has nothing to beat. September brought 19 mornings of hill fog which seriously disrupted any chance of a good vis mig count this year with the bulk of the summer birds gone and the wintering birds already arriving.
Not a single wader at Fly Flatts throughout September even though the amount of shore is the best it has been for several years. Still glimmer of hope for an October wader though I'm not holding my breath.
Attention now will be focused on the water with hopes of Fly Flatts, Leeshaw, Mixenden and Ogden providing wildfowl with chances of Wigeon, Shoveler, Teal, Goldeneye, Scaup and Pintail, with divers possible nearer the end of the month.
Overhead its a matter of hoping to salvage some vis mig, which is weather dependent , with Redwing, Fieldfare and Whooper Swan imminent. Gull numbers should also start to increase.
A real down to earth experience for NK arriving home today to these conditions after his birding adventures abroad. Welcome back to West Yorkshire Nigel !!!
Looking drier and cloudy for morning on a moderate to strong northerly giving visibility at moderate.
BS