A mixed bag of weather this morning starting off with bright clear blue skies and sunshine with the fog hanging low in the valleys with a light ESE>2 at 3 degrees. Within 30 minutes of arrival the fog bank started creeping in until lights out by 0845 hrs though the sun was always showing through and, although there was no horizontal vision, I could always see the blue sky above.
Not a sign of vis mig movement but a late Wheatear on the Flat Moor was a surprise whilst around 30 Goldfinch were feeding on the south bank.
A single Buzzard was up along with 2 Raven and 4 LBB gulls >SE but otherwise poor, given the ideal conditions for Pinks moving with the clear blue skies and fog below.
My first of the autumn with 14 Redwing over Foxhill Park p.m. >SW.
Two days of fog to look forward to now with Tues/Wed showing a light SE and a capful of fog.
On a brighter note, below is some slightly enhanced photos of yesterdays snouty nosed gull with the deformed bill which is now believed to be Caspian gull. Thanks yet again to MC for his feedback.
I saw the snouty look on this gull but did'nt take it any further until it was brought to my attention by M.C.
Gull shows very sloping forehead and long bill, though being deformed this is hard to determine.
It has a white head and underside with a streaked collar on the neck plus the wing pattern is lighter than Herring. The centres on the secondaries show what looks to be black rather than brown but hard to tell on the photo. Underwings look plain white but in shadow. Single white mirror on P10.
BS