Dodging the fog.

 

LEESHAW                                Plenty of Herring gulls

                                             Skies full of small gulls

                                          2nd winter Herring

                                                    ad Herrings

                                                          LBBs

                                                2nd winter Herring

                                             Mallard

                                                   4 Herrings + 1 LBB

                                                 Gulls galore

                                           Herring

RINGBY                         Common gulls with Lapwings

                                    several Mipits over wintering

                                                  Lapwing flock at 43

Dense fog on the tops this morning as forecast but Leeshaw was bright and sunny on a light W>3 at 4 degrees with frost in the fields.

                                          Gulls were out in force today with swarms of small gulls plus a good count of Herrings and Lesser Black Backed along with a quick sighting of 1 Yellow Legged Herring gull as it left the water at the west end but at scopeable distance.

                                           Plenty Greylags and Canadas but no newcomer species amongst them.

It looked like good skies for Pinks and Swans but nothing doing in those lines.

                                              Back to Ringby Top again this afternoon with much the same as previous visits. The distant skies were very hazy with plenty fog waiting to come in during the night on the very light SE.2 forecast.

                             The Lapwing flock was again present whilst at least 15 Magpies were in the end north field along with 4 Herring gull, a few Mipits and 7 Pied Wagtail.

On the walk back down the north track 4 Blackbirds were feeding in a berry bush.

Leeshaw

1 YL Herring gull

c1000 small gulls

71 Herring gull

43 LBB gull

410 Greylag geese

74 Canada geese

+ usual sp.

Ringby Top

43 Lapwing

5 Herring gull

7 Pied Wagtail

9 Mipits

2 Dunnock

17 Magpie

4 Blackbird

+ usual sp.

BS

Fly Flatts hits an all time low and remembering the Soil Hill Snow Buntings.

 Another disappointing visit to Fly Flatts this morning producing 2 Canada geese, 2 Carrion Crow and a few Red Grouse after 2 hours of walking the west bank, scanning the water and sky watching , whatever has happened to this venue?

                                      On a brighter note, with Dan B reporting 2 brief sightings of Snow Bunting on Soil Hill in the last few days Ive put together a reminder of the Snow Bunts that used to be on the hill regular from November to March each winter. The photos are mostly from the winter of 2012/2013/2014.

                                                 4 of 9 together on one day

                                     digging in the snow

                 counts of 5, 6 and 7 were regular

                                           relaxing in the sun.

  A special bird.  A rarity of the Icelandic race 'insulae' 

   The nominate Snow Bunts being 'nivalis' breeding in Scandinavia and Greenland.

All photos taken with a Canon 7d Mk1 with a Canon 100-400 i.s. Mk1 in the days before Big Bertha.

BS

Same theme as yesterday, Leeshaw a.m. Ringby Top p.m.

 

LEESHAW                 A mix of gulls on the water

                                            Here comes the Greylags

RINGBY TOP.                        several Meadow Pipits

                                             Lapwing flock

                                                    Pied Wagtail

                                                                Lapwings

                                          Most of the small gulls were Common

                                      Bright skies to the west

                                                 Goldfinch taking the tree buds.

 A strong SW>5 blew at Leeshaw this morning with very dark skies making very hard work of birding with everything thrown into silhouette though the temperature was up from yesterday at 9 degrees.

                                A good count of gulls on and around the water but very active in the strong wind moving around from field to field then back on the water.

                         Part of the goose flock arrived in from the direction of Upper Marsh and landed on the water before moving off to a nearby field with still no sign of the Pinks and no Wigeon present today.

                        Odd to see one of the local Dippers fly low across the length of the water whilst a single Teal dropped in and disappeared into the conduit.

                         Back up onto the summit of Ringby Top late afternoon with the wind turned and decreased from this morning to a S>4 with cloud but a bright strip of sunlit sky on the west horizon.

                         Much quieter than yesterday with very few gulls, 90% of these being Common along with a flock of 32 Lapwing in the corvid field often flying around but resettling.

                        Plenty Meadow Pipits flushed as I walked through the long grass in the Snow Bunting/Shorelark field but no specials today.

                         Back down at the bottom of the track 14 Goldfinch were in a tree nibbling the buds as unfortunately the feeders were empty.

Leeshaw

273 Greylag 

81 Canada

49 Herring

26 LBB

c 800 Small gulls

1 Teal

2 Cormorant

6 Stock Dove

1 Dipper

Ringby Top

10 Mipit

1 Stonechat

1 Pied Wagtail

32 Lapwing

1 Herring gull

c 100 Small gull, 90% Common

14 Goldfinch near feeders + Chaffinch and House Sparrows.

BS