Local Reservoirs

I had a drive around the Oxenhope reservoirs this morning calling at Leeshaw, Ponden, Lower Laithe and Leeming.

The rain that was forecast duly arrived and made keeping spectacles, bins, camera and me dry, a tad difficult.

10:20 Leeshaw

Not too wet to start but I had to shelter in the car a while at one point.

Just 2 Cormorant on the water, when I arrived but a few Black Headed and Lesser Black-backed gulls came and went.

A Heron was on the far bank.

3 Curlew > w and another was calling nearby.

A Pheasant called and then a Little Owl called and I managed to get a picture of the Little Owl before it disappeared.

C12 Canada Geese and 2 Greylag Geese on the water – would have been lots elsewhere no doubt.

During a wet spell, a large raptor was being mobbed by a Lesser Black-backed Gull as it went W very low to the ground over the moor.

Could have been a Buzzard or even a Long Eared Owl but it was too distant and too gloomy to get an ID.

11:15 Ponden

10 Black Headed Gull , 2 Grey Wagtail, Oystercatcher (calling), 4 Moorhen, Great Crested Grebe – not seen one in a while, 2 Kestrel.

Lower Laithe

A whistle stop at Lower Laithe.

20 Lapwing, Black Headed Gulls, Oystercatcher, Cormorant.

A little “black dot” at the very far end of the Res!

Upper Marsh

Just below the entranced to Drop Farm.

There were 98 Lapwing in the fields here and a Chiffchaff or Willow Warbler was in the trees along with another UNID which I believe to be a Juv. Goldfinch. 

The bushes/small trees on the left,coming down hill from Drop Farm, look like an interesting place?

There were many birds flitting about, they may just have been Chaffinch, but maybe not. 

However another bout of heavy rain and a couple of Van men passing me at 70 MPH put paid to any loitering I was thinking about doing!

12:05 Leeming

It was persisting it down here.

A young hero was jumping off the valve tower into the Res. noisily egged on by some very wet team mates. A couple fishermen were braving the rain also.

Just some Mallard and not a lot else – unusual for Leeming to be so bereft of birds.

C40 Swallows were zooming about the tree tops feeding in the poor conditions.

40 Swallow is a really good count for me!!

Leeshaw:

Ponden:

Moorhen I think (no way is it a common scoter!!)

Spot the Wren

Lower Laithe:

I took photos of all the gulls on the Valve Tower but couldn't find a Med Gull

Upper Marsh:

The Haworth Tour Bus

Not sure what this is - Juv. Goldfinch is my guess.

Leeming: