WEST YORKSHIRE BIRDING

BRIAN SUMNER.
WELCOME TO ( WEST YORKSHIRE BIRDING )
KEEPING BIRDING LOCAL.

BLOG UPDATED DAILY AROUND 1900 hrs.

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NOTE !!
No sightings of Roe Deer, Fox, Hare or Badger will be mentioned on this blog throughout the year and links will be removed from other blogs giving the whereabouts of these mammals due to the rising influx of poaching, long dogging and lamping by sick individuals.
BS




Monday, May 11, 2026

Fly Flatts, Much of a muchness.

 

                                    5 Common Sandpiper








                                    1 Oystercatcher
                                    Redshank way out on he peninsular
                                    4 Wheatear




                                    2 Herring gulls on the Wainstalls football pitch.

A bitter morning at Fly Flatts with a biting NE>4 at 2 degrees and never getting above 3 degrees. Near full cloud with odd breaks of sunshine.
    Fly Flatts is stuck in a bit of a lull at the moment with plenty to see, wader wise, but no new species arriving. Plenty Redshank, Common Sandpiper, Dunlin and Oystercatcher coming and going as well as Curlew and Lapwing with just a couple of Wheatear present.
     Pied Wagtail, Reed Bunting and Stonechat are busy feeding young and there are a good number of Greylag and Canada goslings present.
   Only sky movement was a few Herring gulls >SE and plenty Swallows skimming the water.
A good report this morning as I arrived home, from Cameron, our next door neighbour, who had a male and female Ring Ouzel on the track between Fleet Lane and Old Guy road, Queensbury as he walked his dogs. The pair were on the track in front of him before flitting into the field not far from the cricket pitch. I had a check there just after midday but nothing to be found other than plenty Linnets and Swallows.
    A windy day tomorrow with a moderate westerly at 6 degrees with cloudy sunshine and chance of rain at midday.
BS
     

Sunday, May 10, 2026

An icy cold Fly Flatts

 

                                       5 Wheatear present

                                Usual Stonechats


                                    and Reed Buntings
                                    LBB and Herring gulls >SE
                                    2 Dunlin



                                    4 Common Sandpiper

An icy cold NE>4 at 3 degrees with 50% cloud and sunshine.
    The waders were mainly staying bunkered down on the peninsular this morning out of the cold wind with just 4 Oystercatchers different from yesterday as well as a Snipe heading for the Flat Moor.
   A steady flow of Swifts all morning >SE as well as a few LBB and Herring gull in the same direction.
Only 5 Wheatear remaining that I could find whilst the usual Reed Buntings, Pied Wagtails and Stonechat were all busy carrying food. 
    Spotted Redshank, Ruff and Sanderling are due at any time if they are to visit me this year.
A wet start to the morning tomorrow brightening as the morning goes with a cold Northerly wind at 4 degrees.
BS

Saturday, May 9, 2026

Up among the waders, Fly Flatts

 

                                    A misty start



                                    Buzzard in the mist

                                        Usual Common Sandpipers


                                    Oystercatchers
                                    Dunlins



                                    A fall of at least 11 Wheatear

                                    100 year old driftwood


A misty start to the morning with a few fog banks moving through but soon clearing and the sun trying to break through the cloud. A light NE>3 at 8 degrees.
    Still sticking with the usual waders but a new wave of Wheatear had arrived with at least 11 along the west bank but no sign of Whinchat in the annual hotspot, and no sound of Cuckoo from the Dean Head valley as yet.
   A single Buzzard was working the moor whilst 2 Red Legged Partridge were on the entrance track along with 3 Stonechat whilst several Swallows and Swifts were overhead.
  A brighter day promised for tomorrow remaining dry on a moderate NE, kicking off at 3 degrees.
BS
   

Friday, May 8, 2026

Wader morning, Fly Flatts

 

                                    1 pair Tufted duck

                                    6 Wheatear



                                2 birds, not a mirror image



                                    Several Common Sandpipers





                                    Redshanks


                                    and Dunlins




A decent morning at Fly Flatts with full light cloud on a light S>3 at 8 degrees with broken cloud and sunshine by 0930 hrs.
   Apologies for yesterdays missing blog, which is now below tonight's. Once again I got watching a lifeboat launch on live web cam and then forgot to publish the blog which was ready and waiting.
     A pleasing wader morning with several Redshank, Common Sandpiper and Dunlin but no sign of yesterdays Ringed and Little Ringed Plovers. A Snipe was up drumming, a rare species for this site over the last couple of years.
   At least 6 Wheatear were present, a couple of which looked good for Greenland, whilst a pair of Tufted duck were on the lagoon before moving off onto the reservoir. Otherwise down to the usual species with now 5 adult white Greylags.
    Once again, the forecast for tomorrow is 50% chance of rain, though they have said that for the last 2 days with nothing developing. A light NE wind is forecast at 8 degrees.
BS