Leeshaw gulls and Mixenden wildfowl.

 

LEESHAW                          1 of the partially white Greylags

                                               All white Greylag, these birds bred at TMR

                                          Herring gulls moving in

                                          No shortage of gulls here

MIXENDEN                                      1 of 2 male Goldeneye

                                               2 pair Goldeneye present

                                       1 Teal      2 Wigeon

                                     Way out in the middle as always.

                                             distant Wigeon and Teal

     2 RN Parakeets opposite the school, taken at mega distance from the reservoir bank 

A grizzly, drizzly morning at Leeshaw reservoir with fog on the tops but clear at Leeshaw with constant drizzle on a W>4 at 7 degrees.

                                          A single Wigeon was seen briefly on the water before it disappeared to the west end of the water and out of sight whilst about 300 mixed geese were present in the fields.

                                         An abundance of gulls this morning with swarms of small gulls and a good count of Herring and LBB though no white winged.

                                        A brighter, dry mid afternoon and the water at Mixenden was buzzing with 2 pair of Goldeneye as well as 2 Wigeon and a single Teal though all out in the centre of the water with no chance of decent pics. A moorhen was skulking under the waterside trees and 8 Mallard were on the water. Around 100 small gulls along with 2 adult and 5 first winter Herrings were present plus a Cormorant.

                  A scan in the distance, from the south bank, of trees opposite the school turned up 2 Ring Necked Parakeets with a small group of Starlings.

                  Good to bump into NK along the very sloppy west bank where he had been having a bad day until he arrived at Mixy with birds at last so he went away with a smile on his face.

Leeshaw

c 400 small gulls

62 Herring

13 LBB

6 Mipits

1 Wigeon

c 300 Canada and Greylag

+ usual sp.

Mixenden

2 pr Goldeneye

2 Wigeon

1 Teal

8 Mallard

1 Moorhen

7 Herring gull

c 100 small gull

several Coal tits

1 Cormorant

2 RN Parakeet

BS

Bring on the gulls.

 

Foxhill, Queensbury                        Common gull

                                         Showing winter head streaking

                                              Black Headed gull

                                        BHG still showing partial summer hood.

                                                     Common

OXENHOPE RESERVOIR   Red Grouse.  Sitting it out with season nearing end.

                                                  Gull roost time,  Common

                                                               Herrings

                                         Here they come

                                     around 1500 Herrings

                                            Lapwing flock

      Note the Herrings all come in with legs trailing due to mud from the fields.

                                           Muddy feet and bill

                                                                   2 Raven

                                       Ingleborough in the distant haze

                                         Piling in

                                                     Skies full of gulls

                                   Standing room only. One small section of the water

A treacherous drive on icy roads up to Fly Flatts this morning was all in vain with another near bird less session. Conditions were perfect for fly overs with clear bright skies and sunshine on a light NW>3. The temperature was reading 1 degree with shot ice on the top road and all the puddles around the reservoir frozen over.

                   A 2 hour session, including walking the west bank to the NW corner, scanning the water and moor plus sky watching produced 3 Canada geese, 1 Red grouse and a Kestrel by 0930 hrs. At 1000 hrs full excitement when a LBB gull flew over, bird of the morning and with that it was tackle up and forget it.

   Ironically, as I arrived home there were 32 Common gull and 16 BH gulls in Foxhill park where I should have stayed and saved my time and petrol.

     Meanwhile late afternoon, 2 miles over the ridge from Fly Flatts, Oxenhope reservoir had around 10,000 gulls on the water and still piling in as I left in flocks of 50 to 100. What an amazing sight the winter gull roost is with a continuous stream of gulls coming in from the fields to the NE,E and SE all settling on the water looking like a covering of snow.

      No chance of a careful check through of the birds on the water with the bright sky to the west throwing everything into silhouette but standing on Windy Corner the gulls were flying in overhead becoming overpowering trying to keep up with them.

       A pair of Goldeneye were on the water as well as 3 Teal and a few Mallard whilst 2 Raven cronked past in the distance to the north of me.

        A flock of Lapwings flew a circuit before landing on the Shay below Soil Hill.

Oxenhope Reservoir

1 pr Goldeneye

3 Teal

17 Mallard

78 Lapwing

2 Raven

c 1500 Herring gull

c 8000 mixed Common and BH gull

c 100 LBB gull

+ usual sp.

BS