Leeshaw, back down to earth.

 

                                    As good as it got, camera wise, LBB on tower.

A cold, windy morning at Leeshaw with full cloud on a SW>3 at 12 degrees and clear visibility.

       After a good run at Leeshaw recently, this morning brought me back down to earth with a very quiet morning by Leeshaws standards.

      Still a high count of geese in the big fields, all carefully scoped through for an odd Brent, Barnacle or White Front , but not to be. Plenty Swallows present along with a few Sand and House Martins but no small migrants other than a few Mipits.

    Only the usual resident Cormorant left on the water with yesterdays group obviously being movers which is a relief for this site as the anglers have a shooting permit to keep numbers down.

    Gulls were poor with about 40 Black Headed and 6 LBBs present and no return of yesterdays Yellow Legged Herring whilst 2 female Goosander were on the water, the 3 Oystercatchers still remaining and a single Kestrel overhead, otherwise just the usual species.

    After talking to BV at the reservoir amount Swifts now being absent I had 2 over Oxenhope on the way home and 2 over Halifax this afternoon.

     Not looking good for tomorrow with a light SW, plenty sun and a rise in temperature, not something that I would order.

BS

   

Another prize for Leeshaw, Yellow Legged Herring Gull.

 

                                Yellow Legged Herring Gull,  michahellis

                            Record count of 9 Cormorant moving through

                                    LBB over the water

Another morning of acceptable reservoir weather with 80% cloud bringing early heavy showers on a moderate W>4 gusting 5 at a cool 13 degrees.

     On a run at the moment at Leeshaw reservoir with a Yellow Legged Herring gull this morning as well as a record count of 9 Cormorant present which is very unusual for this site. Neither of these two sightings hung about too long with the gull leaving the north shore during a particularly heavy rain shower and the Cormorants slowly heading off >E.

     Just when I though that the House and Sand Martins had gone from the area, several were present this morning among the many Swallows, but no Curlew sightings today.

     Not as many Black Headed gulls through this morning but all checked carefully for Terns, which is how I picked up yesterdays Great White Egret, and just 9 LBBs on the shore.

    The goose field held around 150 mixed Greylags and Canadas whilst most of the Mallard are now in eclipse. The usual 3 Oystercatchers were still on the shore as well as 2 Heron, with just a single female Goosander on the water.

     Since ditching Fly Flatts due to high water levels and several foggy mornings, Leeshaw has provided well during June and July with special birds :- 

Arctic Tern

Common Tern

2 YL Herring gull

Barn Owl

Cuckoo

2 Barnacle Geese

2 Little Egret

1 Gt White Egret

Whinchat

Stonechat

2 Wheatear

plus a host of supporting species.

Tomorrow promises a part cloudy morning on a light sou'wester then deteriorating to rain p.m.

BS

      

A stonker for Leeshaw, Great White Egret.

 

                                    Star prize, Great White Egret

                                    Single Curlew >NE

                                    3 Oystercatchers present

                                    Around 100 Lapwing present.

My favourite weather conditions at Leeshaw this morning with full cloud, drizzle showers and light rain on a moderate SW>4 at 14 degrees.

    Very quiet on the small migrants in the brisk wind with just a few Meadow Pipits and 2 Willow Warblers present with several Swallows over the water but the House and Sand Martins seem to have moved on.

    A decent gull count with over 100 Black Headed on the shore as well as 12 LBB and a single Common gull . Still a single Curlew present along with 3 Oystercatchers and around 100 Lapwing.

   Otherwise just 4 Goosander, 2 Cormorant and the usual species.

   With 5 minutes to go to knocking off time things were getting desperate for a decent bird when a very white looking gull was coming head on towards me but very high and distant. As it got within range I could see it was an Egret, but expecting Little Egret, until I got it in the scope and was gobsmacked to find Great White Egret. I snapped some distant record shots then waited for it to come to the reservoir but unfortunately it turned from coming in from the NE and disappeared out to the SE.

    The last Great White I got at Leeshaw was 2/11/2023, with 2 Little Egrets last month and this. A great bird to get in this area. A quick stop off at Leeming reservoir on the way home to make sure it had'nt come down at that location.

    A bit brighter day tomorrow with a moderate westerly increasing in strength from mid morning.

BS

Back to the birds, Leeshaw.

 

                                            7 female Goosander >NW

                                            Curlews moving through

                                The front bird looked Whimbrel-ish but bill long.

                                            Gulls on the north shore

A good start to the morning at Leeshaw with full cloud, hazy, and dead calm, with thick fog down in the Aire valley bottom with a temp of 15 degrees. By 0900 hrs things deteriorated when the sun broke through and the temperature began to rise putting the birds it settling down mode.

       As I was parking up I got a surprise of 7 female Goosander leaving the water and heading off >E. I jumped out of the car and grabbed the camera and luckily they did a high circuit leaving >NW, giving me chance for a couple of shots. The long staying female Goosander stayed on the water.

      Curlews were again on the move when 3 dropped into the goose field before heading off >W, whilst around 50 Lapwing were very mobile.

    A lower count of small passerines today with 4 Willow Warblers plus the usual Mipits and Goldfinch along with a few Linnets.

   Gulls were using the north shore with 38 Black Headed and 9 LBBs with several of both species moving through >W.

    Otherwise down to the usual Heron, Cormorant and geese etc plus the 3 hirundine species.

Tomorrow mornings weather could go either way with a forecast of fog until midday on a light sou'westerly. It depends whether the fog is on the tops or low lying like this morning.

BS

Back to Fly Flatts

 

                                    Juv Wheatear

                                    Adult male Wheatear

                                    Moulting into autumn plumage

                                    1 of 4 Common Sandpipers

Decent weather for Fly Flatts after a poor very sunny start the clouds came over on a light N>3 at 13 degrees but feeling cooler in the breeze. Good visibility.

       Hard work this morning finding the birds after a few days at Leeshaw with wall to wall birds then back to a very quiet Fly Flatts with the water slowly receding and the east peninsular just starting to show.

    Only 4 waders present with 4 Common Sandpipers on the newly exposed peninsular which is usually the area that attracts Sanderling anytime now. Very quiet on small migrants with just a handful of Meadow Pipits, a single Grey Wagtail and 2 Wheatear whilst the only birds in the sky were a single Swallow, one LBB gull and a juv Peregrine.

    All the 5 Greylag families have fledged and left now apart from one lonely gosling that is healthy enough but still waiting to fledge so it can go and join the rest of the geese, presumably in fields at Cold Edge.  Several Canadas have also gone with around 300 left, some not yet fledged.

    The problem at the moment with Fly Flatts is it's very quiet compared to Leeshaw but needs to be watched at this time of year as it has the biggest chance of picking up waders, whereas Leeshaw has the best chance of gulls and Terns so I'm a bit split between the two.

Several Willow Warblers moving through Foxhill Park this afternoon, seen whilst dog walking.

     More of the same weather tomorrow with a light sou'westerly.

BS

    

Another dabble at Leeshaw reservoir.

 

                                            4 female Goosander present

                                                1 of 4 Willow Warblers

                                            Curlews moving >SW

                                            LBBs on the water

                                            Mipits and Reed Bunting

                                            SW corner

                                            Single Herring gull

                                                LBB

                                                Canadas in to land

                                            Curlews >SW

                                            Still 3 Oystercatcher

A pleasant enough morning at Leeshaw  with full dark cloud and drizzle showers on a light SW>3 at 10 degrees. Dense fog on the tops, early morn.

       Very much the same as yesterday with the addition of 4 female Goosander on the water and 5 Curlew heading >SW with one dropping into the field briefly.

     Still alive with passerines around the banking hedges with 4 Willow Warbler, several Reed Bunting, Linnets, Goldfinches and Meadow Pipits, whilst a good move of gulls was underway with a continuous flow of LBBs and Black Headed all >W throughout the watch but very few dropping down. Just the one Herring gull over but a few in distant fields.

     Same sort of weather for tomorrow but a slightly stronger westerly which could swing around to the north.

BS

More migrants, Leeshaw Reservoir.

 

                                    Whitethroat

                                    Reed Bunting

                                    Linnets

                                    Willow Warbler

                                    2 distant Wheatear

                                    NW corner

Another decent weather morning at Leeshaw with 60% cloud and some sunshine on a moderate WSW>4 easing slightly as the watch went on. A temp of 14 degrees but feeling colder in the wind.

     A  very active early morn with a good show of small migrants moving through with Willow Warbler, Reed Bunting, Whitethroat, Goldfinch, Linnet and Meadow Pipit along with the unusual sighting here of 2 Wheatear, both males and not yet in autumn plumage, but both keeping at a scope-able distance.

       The 3 Oystercatchers and single Curlew are still hanging on with Lapwing numbers slowly decreasing and another day with nothing of note on the water.

      Plenty gulls around but with several fields now fresh mown they are spoilt for choice so mostly keeping very distant or mobile. Several Black Headed were settled on the NW corner but LBBs tended to keep moving through >W, some just stopping briefly on the water.

     Otherwise it was down to the usual species, whilst on the way home there was a good count of big gulls in the field opposite the Denholme Gate pet shop but no time to stop and check them through.

Migrants

3 Willow Warbler

2 Wheatear

8 Reed Bunting

2 Whitethroat

sev Linnet

sev Meadow Pipit

sev Goldfinch,  partial resident birds.

A similar forecast for tomorrow with some cloud and a light SW.

BS