Another bash at Fly Flatts

                    A brighter moment over Dean Head reservoir

                                     NW corner

                                       Rough water

             Water right over the east banking

                         1 of 3 distant Buzzards way out to the west

  The old wooden pier now being dismantled and to be replaced
with a floating jetty which could be beneficial to waders.

1500 hrs and back to Fly Flatts to try get a second look at yesterdays Teal type duck which I was,nt happy about but today it had moved on so it matters not now.
                                                     The SW>6 -7 was again blasting over the water with black clouds and light rain showers with very brief brighter intervals.
The water was very rough and very quiet today with yesterdays small Teal type duck and the Canadas gone just leaving the usual Mallards to brave the waves.
                                                    A single female Stonechat was down near the feeding station along with a male Blackbird which I seem to get regular down by the stream now.
                                                   Amazingly 3 Buzzards were up in the windy wet conditions putting a damper on the myth that raptors dont fly in the rain. The birds were up for around 15 minutes well to the west of the western ridge before drifting off towards Hebden Bridge. Otherwise plenty Red Grouse but nothing more , surely we,ve got to get some Pinkies and Whoopers over shortly although the peak of Whoopers will be March.
BS.

Fly Flatts

                                        Distant Buzzard

            Did,nt stay up long in the strong winds.

         Canadas returning to the water.

 The small odd looking duck I saw then lost can only be
  Teal going by the size of it.

                                                    Mega distance away.

                      Getting that , run up to spring feeling

                                           Water full and overflowing.

                                   Touch of brightness at last.

1500 hrs and finally got to Fly Flatts after an absence of 10 days due to snow, ice, gales and fog.
                                                        A dullish start but then brightening with even a sunset showing although the wind on the west bank was almost gale force SW>6 gusting 7. First job was to get 2 bags of Nyger seed down after any remains of previous seed had been washed away by now.
                                                                         The area was looking livelier with a taste of pre spring in the air with Canadas returning to the water and a Buzzard up briefly well over the moor but not staying up long in the strong winds.
Whilst counting the Mallards, some on the peninsula and others under the north banking, a small duck showed briefly at the north end near to the Mallards but by the time I,d taken a few very distant shots it disappeared from view. A bit odd looking from the sketchy photos but by the size and bill shape I can only put it down as Teal. The resident Kestrel was up throughout.
                                                    Good to bump into DJS up there in the bleakness as I was leaving.

12 Canadas
28 Mallard
1 Teal
1 Kestrel
1 Buzzard.
Several Red Grouse
1pr Stonechat
BS

Leeshaw Reservoir

                                         Lesser Black Backed gull

             Jackdaws enjoying the newly muck spreaded fields.

                                          1st year Cormorants

                                          Up to 15 Herring gulls

                                       Kestrel on a distant wall

                                   1st winter Herrings

  Very poor grainy photos due to high ISO reading
    and low shutter speed in bad light.

                                                        Ad Herring

With the snow and ice almost finally gone we,ve just the upland fog to get rid of now.
1445 hrs and Fly Flatts was completely fogged off so down the hill to Leeshaw where conditions were dull and drizzly with odd patches of bright skies on a strong SW > 5 gusting 6.
                                                             Gulls were in good numbers but with no shoreline at all now they were confined to the fields surrounding the water whilst others settled on the gantry before moving off towards the Oxenhope roost. Mainly BHGs and Commons with only 3 LBBs although 15 Herring gulls were present. Plenty winter thrushes about and a good count of 25 Mistle thrush on wires. Still no signs of a Trans Pennine Pinky movement.

15 Herring gull
3 LBB
c 250 small gulls
100 + Jackdaws
25 Mistle Thrush
c100 Mixed Redwing/ Fieldfare.
1 Kestrel
8 Mallard
4 Meadow Pipits
BS
                                                     

Another day Another soaking. Ogden

                                                  Robin

            Not like me to take bird feeder photos but getting desperate
                  and Nuthatches are so tempting.

1500 hrs and still no reasonable access to Fly Flatts plus lack of time so another visit to Ogden was in order knowing that DJS had covered Mixenden.
A showery day but the snow going well with just the ice to clear now still making most of the side roads treacherous.
                           I arrived at the promenade just the same time as a pounding sleet storm with horizontal sleet and rain blowing across the water on a WNW >5, lovely. A check of the water found around 50 small gulls ,75 % being Black Headed with just the one big gull, an adult Herring in amongst them. The sluice gate area just held 1 Grey Wagtail with around 30 Jackdaws in the trees by the Lodge house.
                          At least 4 Siskin were in the Alders on the west bank but no signs of the Redpolls and far too dark to attempt photos. Otherwise it was down to a few Robins, Wrens and Blackbirds whilst a Nuthatch was timidly using the feeders despite the rain.
                          Good to have a photographic chat with AT in the car park who had just done Mixenden and Ogden and threatened me not to find anything on the water when he had left which I didnt.
BS

Back to Ogden p.m.

With all venues up here in the gods either snowed or fogged off it was back to Ogden at 1445 hrs to check the lie of the land, or in this case the water. The snow had now turned to rain and was coming down very heavily and freezing as it landed, the car looked like an ice carving when I got back to the car park. Walking was treacherous whilst the car park was like glass but hopefully this next week things will get back to normal with temperatures set to rise.
                                                              A good scan of the water, or as good as I could do in the conditions, found the Shelduck to have moved on leaving around 100 small gulls , the majority of these , surprisingly, being Commons. Otherwise just the usual sp. around the feeders then a dash back to the car after getting a real good drenching but with the talk of Whoopers moving its always worth a check.
BS

Ogden a.m.

   Ogdens Shelduck still present in the mist

                            Keeping its distance out on the water

   Moved further to the north end in the murk

  A skein of geese over high got me going but only Canadas.

0800 hrs and first light, if you could call it that, with dense fog up here on the tops and light snow flurries getting heavy mid morning.
                                                   Down the hill to Ogden was just enough to get below the cloud base but even then it was dull light and murky with mist below the tree tops. Snow was falling steadily but this soon passed over half way through the watch.
                                                   JLs Shelduck was still present from yesterday but keeping near the centre of the water then later towards the north end. The Dipper was down in the sluice gate area as well as a Grey Wagtail but no sign of the Kingfisher this year yet.
The east bank track is mud bound, for the dogs anyway, due to the hair brained scheme of driving up and down on a quad bike with trailer for the sake of Christmas trees and it looks like the west bank is next in line to get the same.
                                            The west bank Alders were quiet apart from 2 mobile Redpolls and at least 3 Goldcrests but I was unable to locate the Tit flock in that area.
Whilst I was looking up at the Alders a small skein of 10 geese flew over high and >NW but a couple of quick snaps revealed Canadas.
                                             1030 hrs and back home where the snow is piling down thick and fast putting doubt on the tea time birding session but we,ll have to wait and see.
BS

Redcar Tarn

                       Plenty birds to check through

                                   1st winter Herring

                                     2nd winter Lesser Black Backed

                                        Coot butting into the photo

                                  Adult winter Herring

                          2nd winter LBB

                                             Adult Herring

                                         Adult LBB

                                         Black Headed getting summer hood

                                        2nd winter Herring

                                            Drake Tufted

1445 hrs and over to Redcar Tarn, Keighley to try to get away from the deep snow of Queensbury so the dogs could get a decent walk instead of them having to fight their way through snow up to their neck.
      The sunshine was left behind as I climbed out of Keighley to find the Tarn in poor light but only a light covering of snow with the water half frozen over.
                                                                           As always, the area was alive with gulls around the tarn and surrounding fields with little time to check through them. Wildfowl was poor with the usuals with nothing exotic amongst them whilst the surrounding hedges held several winter thrushes as well as Chaffinch and Blackbirds.
                                            Golden Plover flocks were over the distant fields which held around 200 gulls. Cullingworth fields held around 1000 big gulls on the way back but again no time to stop and sift through them.

On the tarn :-
8 Herring gull
17 LBB gull
200 mixed Commons and Black Headeds
7 Tufted
150 + Mallard
21 Canada geese
8 Greylag
Coots and Moorhens
Sev Fieldfare , Redwing, Blackbirds and Chaffinch
c 50 Golden Plover, distant.
2 Sparrowhawks
3 Kestrel.
BS