Saturday 10 March 2012

Leeshaw,Leeming and Ogden Reservoirs

Saturday 10th March a.m
 A dull start to the day with occasional showers,a strong wind but mild at 9°C, off we went
heading for Leeshaw Reservoir near Oxenhope.The birds we were hoping to see were Curlew
& Oystercatcher the later we saw on our way past Leeming Reservoir. There was a pair on top
of the roadside wall we stopped the car to try and get a snap but they flew off, but still good to see
my first two Oystercatcher of the year. On we went to Leeshaw and on the Reservoir here were
five Shelduck, I've not seen these locally before, there was also ten Greylag in the grass at the side
of the water, no sign of Curlew yet.There were a couple of pairs of Lapwings displaying and a Pied
Wagtail.There were 20 BH Gulls in a nearby field.
  With thick fog on the tops of the hills we headed back to Leeming Reservoir to see if the
Oystercatcher were still about but they were not there. Other birds we saw were a few Mallards,
Pied Wagtail and a male Pheasant.
  Our next stop was Ogden Reservoir where we saw Robins,Great Tits,Chaffinch,Mallards and
Canadas.There was a Cormorant in its usual position on top of a float in the water and for the
first time at Ogden we saw 3 male and 3 female Goosander.We decided to try our luck on Back
Lane to see if we could spot any Crossbills but all we saw was a noisy Greenfinch.We carried on
along the track seeing Crows,Magpies and a couple of Lapwings displaying in the distance.We also
saw a flock of small birds in the distance but they were too far away to ID, the path took us out
on to the open moorland giving a good view of the Reservoir. We took a path which led us back
down to the car park,a good long walk and some good birds seen this morning.
Shelduck 1

Shelduck 2

Greylag

Pheasant at Leeming

Robin

Cormorant with Canadas in the background

Goosanders

Greenfinch

View of Ogden Reservoir from moor

Shelduck at Leeshaw Reservoir
   

2 comments:

  1. It would be a welcome miracle if Shelduck were to put in a splash down at Ogden for a change. You had a very good day by any standard.

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  2. Shelducks a cracking bird to find, nice one. A good days birding.

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