Leeshaw Reservoir and an afternoon twitch.

 

                                                       Dipper down in the beck

                                       Usual Cormorants around

                                          2 fighting over large trout.

                                       Ended up with an LBB snatching it.

                                  This time there was no Heron around to pinch it as before

                                      Several small gulls and Crows showing interest though.

A better morning at Leeshaw with a mix of sunshine and drizzle showers though still blustery on a SW.4 at 9 degrees.

                    Much livelier today with plenty BH and Common gulls around in the fields where the muck spreading was taking place at my last visit, but only 2 adult LBB, one of which was enjoying a trout for breakfast kindly provided by 2 Cormorant.

                  A careful check through the gulls for Med failed to come up with anything but good to find the Dipper returned to the beck along with 2 Pied Wagtails   The big field held 23 Canadas, 9 Stock Doves, 12 Mallard and around 50 Goldfinch.

                 Early afternoon was a dash to Thornton after a text and photo from MP of a 1cy Bar Tailed Godwit in one of the gull fields. Unfortunately the bird had moved on when I arrived after it had been constantly harassed with the gulls but plenty gulls to search through but all BH and Commons with no big gulls or Meds at the moment. A field nearby held several Pheasants and Red Legged Partridge whilst a large flock of around 80 Goldfinch were very mobile.

                  My last Barwit sightings were, Fly Flatts..2/5/2011 and TMR..3/11/2012 so I,m well overdue for one. Thanks for the shout Mark.

BS

                     

                                           

                    

Non birding day.

 Far too wet and windy this morning to be productive on the tops so took advantage of the weather to get one of the dogs bathed and cut then crack on with the decorating.

                           A very wet dog walk early morn found 18 Common gull in Foxhill park whilst 4 Redwing came up out of Queensbury station where they tend to roost and feed down in the Hawthorn bushes along with Fieldfare when they arrive. I remember the day when Yellowhammer, Redstart and Lesser Whitethroat were common down there but those days are long gone.

                      Another gusty SW wind for tomorrow but looking dryer.

BS

Leeshaw Reservoir/Ogden.

 

LEESHAW                         Just two 2cy Herring gulls present + small gulls.

A wild morning with once again lots of clag to the west and bright skies to the east. Leeshaw was just missing the fast moving scud clouds blown across by a moderate SW>4 gusting 5 at 10 degrees.

                  A very poor show of gulls today with just 26 Black Headed, 3 Commons and 2 2cy Herring with nothing on the water and near empty skies. The usual Little Owl was present along with about 20 Goldfinch and a single Snipe. 

                  There was some good news, the farmer is muck spreading the surrounding fields with some foul smelling stuff so hopefully it will bring the gulls in.

                  Ogden p.m. was also very short of gulls with a handful of LBBs and a few small gulls with nothing unusual among them.

                 A small group of around 30 mixed Redpoll and Siskin were present in the usual Alders but only seen as they kept flitting across the tree tops. Once they had dropped into the tops of the trees they became invisible among the leaves. These birds could be the start of the wintering flock or migrants passing through.

                Another good sign is the winter Chaffinch flock starting to build, feeding on their favourite weeds on the banking. As long as the water keeps low there,s a good chance of Brambling in with them as there was the last time the water was low over the winter in Feb 2017 when at least 30 Brambling were in with good numbers of Chaffinch, all roosting in the car park trees.

BS

A bit livelier, Fly Flatts. (permit only)

 

FLY FLATTS                            1 of 7 Stonechat

                                              Several Goldfinch

                                                        1 of  Tufted duck

                                                     Several gulls in the NW corner

                                         Unusual to get Common gulls here.

                                                   4 Greylag on the Flat Moor.

                                                        Stonechat

OGDEN                          Low count of gulls, Tufted in the foreground

                                         2cy Herring gull

                                        ad Herring in moult

                                               2 cy Herring

Low mist clouds to the west with early low cloud at Fly Flatts on a light SW>2 at 9 degrees.

                    A much livelier morning than yesterday with Canada, Mallard, Tufted and gulls on the water whilst LBBs, BHGs and 2 Commons were on the north shore.

                Several small passerines around with Stonechat, Mipit and Goldfinch whilst a Buzzard flew low over the west moor.

                 As always, in October, vis mig seems to come to an end at Fly Flatts with good movement Aug/ Sept but come October movers seem to follow a more easterly track over the ridge from me apart from wildfowl and some Woodpigs at the end of the season. Winter thrushes usually manage to miss me altogether.

            A gull check at Ogden for the 5th afternoon running still failed to produce anything among the low numbers of gulls present. The only thing of note today was the Kingfisher is back in its wintering area in the sluice gate and a single Swallow skimmed low over the water >S.

FLY FLATTS

4 Greylag

8 Canadas

26 Mallard

4 Tufted

1 Buzzard

1 Kestrel

7 Stonechat

10 Mipits

c40 Goldfinch

23 LBB gull

2 Common gull

18 BH gull

BS

Fly Flatts a.m. (permit only)

 Good conditions early morn at Fly Flatts with a light W>2 increasing W>3 with broken cloud and sunshine at 9 degrees but a thick band of clag to the west along the horizon.

                                          I suppose that with the law of averages, that every so often you are bound to get an unbelievably quiet session which is what happened this morning with absolutely nothing in the air.

                                        Movement could be seen but well to the east of me in the brighter sky but nothing over my air space. A walk and scope of all the shoreline revealed nothing other that 3 Canadas and 4 LBB gulls whilst 4 BH  and 2 Herring were on the water as well as the one remaining Tufted duck.

                                      Small passerines were down to 3 Mipits and a few Goldfinch. My expectation of Pinks, Whoopers and Snow Bunting,which are now in the area, were soon dashed but its all just part of birding and tomorrows another day so I,ll just K,B,O, until things improve.

BS 

Leeshaw Reservoir

 

                                                Little Owl in its usual spot.

                                  My 14th Yellow Legged Herring gull of the year so far.

                                           LBB,  LH            Yellow Legged, RH

                                                       adult

                                      Checking this 1cy out for YL

                                          Poor plumage shot at distance across the water.

                                         LBB pulling trout from the water

                                           Just when it was ready to tuck in....

                                                a Heron stole its prize

A morning of sunshine and showers at Leeshaw Reservoir on a moderate W>4 at 9 degrees.

                                 A first visit for some time to this winter venue and disappointing to see the water so low down that only about 30% of it is visible due to the steep banks. Very few gulls present this morning with about 40 small gulls, 2 LBBs and a stonking Yellow Legged Herring gull,michahellis. The 1cy gull 

that came in and left with it is to be checked out for another YL though plumage detail is poor due to the distance of the image.

                                 No sign of vis mig this morning with near empty skies and quiet on and around the water with a single Teal and the usual Cormorants plus 4 Mistle Thrush and a small group of 12 Linnet.

                              It was unusual to see a LBB gull pull a large trout from the water and try to drag it up the steep bank. Every time it got it part way up the fish wriggled and slid back down into the water. After about 15 minutes struggle the gull finally managed to get it into a better position, only for a Heron to come and take over its breakfast.

BS