Another downer day.

 With dense fog and very heavy drizzle all day on a light NE it was another dip day.

    Just to remind myself that there are birds out there, or rather, have been, here's just a few of the specials from this year so far.

                            Black Tailed Godwit, Fly Flatts

                                    Bar Tailed Godwit, Leeshaw

                                    Ruff, Fly Flatts

                                Wood Sandpiper, Fly Flatts

                                Little Egrets, Fly Flatts

                                    Great White Egret, Harold Park

                                    Pochard, Park Dam

                                Whooper Swans, various sites.

                                Pintail, Redcar Tarn and TMR

                                    Shoveler, Redcar Tarn and Wibsey Park

                                4 Scaup, Elland Gravel Pits.

                                    Turnstone, Fly Flatts

                                    Red Kite, several sites

                                Marsh Harrier, 1 of 2 Fly Flatts

                                    Long eared Owl, Various sites.

                                Black Swan, Horton Bank Top, found by NK.

                                Black Redstart, Soil Hill. 1 of 2 found by DJS.

                                    Whinchat, 1 of 2, Fly Flatts

                                Grasshopper Warbler, Fly Flatts

                                Yellow Legged Herring gull, Ogden

  

                                    Pink Footed Geese, several sightings

                                    Red Necked Grebe, Leeshaw.

Supposedly cloudy sunshine for morning on a light NE, which could bring fog, with temp down to 3 degrees.

BS

Abandon ship.

 With constant heavy rain and mist on a strong NE>6 I took advantage of the weather and spent most of the day bathing and grooming the dogs apart from a few very wet dog walks over Foxhill.

     The park, this morning held 34 Common and 12 Black Headed gulls with several Blackbirds around the boundary bushes, but all British type.

    The weather doesn't look much better for tomorrow with a day of probable rain and still the strong NE wind at 7 degrees.

BS

Ogden Reservoir

 

                                    Few Herring and LBB

                                     2 Tufted 

A part decent morning with sunshine and part cloud on a moderate WSW>3 at 7 degrees.

   With the water well up now and most of the shoreline weeds under water the majority of ducks have moved on with just 2 Teal and 2 Tufted found as well as a much lower count of Mallard. A small group of 10 Canadas were at the north end whilst around 40 small gulls, 6 Herring and 4 LBB were present.

    I caught up with a decent sized Tit flock with the 4 common Tit species as well as Goldcrest and Treecreeper but a constant procession of  public walking round kept moving them on, until finally they disappeared, not to be found again.

     Nothing in the Alders, which should be producing Siskin and Redpoll by now, plus the Chaffinch flock seem to have gone also.

    Looking grim for tomorrow with a day of heavy rain forecast on a strong north easterly wind at 6 degrees.

BS

   

Back to Leeshaw reservoir

 

                                    Muddy fields attracting geese

                                    Mallards

                                    Gulls

                                    Meadow Pipits

                                    and Pied Wagtails

                                    Plenty gulls

                                    53 Herring on the water

                                        Herrings on the gantry.

Another very dark full cloud morning but remaining dry on a light SSW>3 at a mild 10 degrees.

    A lively morning both on the water and in the flooded fields. The top field held 68 Canada geese, several Mallard, 14 Meadow Pipit, 2 Pied Wagtail and a single Chaffinch, as well as the usual Pheasants and Grey Partridge etc.

   A good count of gulls this morning with around 100 small gulls along with 53 Herring and 14 LBB gull. Only 1 Greylag on the water as well as a single Cormorant.

   Several large squadrons of migrating Starlings heading in their usual migration direction of >NW.

First Waxwings have now arrived in the country.

    Another cloudy morning forecast with breaks of sunshine on a moderate westerly at 10 degrees, with light rain and fog arriving around midday.

BS

A very dark, very wet Leeshaw Reservoir

 

                                    Plenty gulls to scope through

A very wet morning at Leeshaw with dark clouds and early heavy rain easing off as the morning went on, with a light SSW>3 at 7 degrees.

    Despite the weather, there was plenty to keep the interest flowing, though not camera weather.

Gulls kept the job going with around 200 small gulls to sift through in hopes of a Med gull, but only 6 Herring and 3 LBB. 

    Nothing on the water other than 17 Mallard, 2 Teal, 1 Greylag and a single Cormorant whilst a Buzzard landed briefly on a telegraph pole but was immediately seen off by BH gulls. A Stonechat was on a distant wall along with 3 Meadow Pipits, and around 30 Goldfinch were working their way through the thistle tops.

     No sign of the Red Necked Grebe that has kept being reported around the area since late October. Possibly the same bird that was present earlier this year through January and February.

     Showing another cloudy morning on a light SW at 10 degrees with chance of rain after midday.

BS

    

   

A wasted morning, Fly Flatts/ Mixenden.

 

                                    Only thing in the air at Fly Flatts

                                Distant Whooper with Canadas, Mixenden

A moderate SW>3 with early low cloud followed by broken cloud and sunshine at 9 degrees.

   A make or break visit to Fly Flatts was as expected, completely dead, with just 2 Crows and a helicopter in 1 hours trekking about. Fly Flatts used to be a decent autumn/winter venue but over the last few years has only shone between the end of February to the end of August, mainly with waders .

    By 0900 hrs it was apparent than I was going to draw a blank so a stop off at Mixenden on the way back. No access with the dogs here as the skummies have not got to knocking the walls down again yet so just a scan from the south gate.

    Around 40 small gulls on the water along with 20 Canadas and the long staying juv Whooper Swan but otherwise quiet.

    Showing some heavy rain for morning on a moderate southerly at 7 degrees.

BS

Chipping away at Ogden.

 

                                    1 of 3 Cormorant

                                        Down to 6 Teal

                                    A sickly Red Legged Partridge?

                                    Several Bullfinch

A bright and dry morning at Ogden with sunshine and 40% cloud on a light SW>2 at 9 degrees.

     Woodpigeons were the attraction of the morning with a constant move >SW with flocks of over 200 plus. The birds kept piling over from first light till 0915 hrs with an estimated guess of over 3000.

     Much quieter on the water after a full circuit with just 6 Teal found and no Tufted. The usual Goosander was still present along with 3 Cormorants plus the Mallards.

    The west bank trees did better with Treecreeper, Goldcrest and the 4 common tit species. Bullfinch were feeding in the Alders with 7 present plus around another 6 in the car park area. The Red Legged Partridge was still in the weeds and looking like it has a health problem, possibly a shotgun wound from the nearby shoot, or it would have been away by now ?

     Looking like cloudy sunshine for morning on a light SW at 8 degrees, deteriorating after midday with chance of rain.

BS