Poor start to October, Fly Flatts.

 

                                    Never get better conditions than this.

                                Floating jetty on dry land

                                    Acres of muddy shore

                                    Inlet from the lagoon.

                               Water usually up to the rocks in the foreground.

                                    Mist clouds above.

A morning of near full cloud with just a few breaks of blue. Mist clouds moved through overhead but not affecting horizontal vision. A moderate SW>4 at 10 degrees.

   A low expectancy attempt for a last minute wader at Fly Flatts soon went belly up with superb shore conditions but not a wader of any description, which was expected for this site in autumn. Spring is wader time at Fly Flatts but even that belly flopped this year with the best being Ruff and Whimbrel along with Little Ringed Plover which is a very rare species for this site. Ringed Plover failed to attempt to breed and left early whilst the best I could do for Dunlin was 8 for one day whereas I,ve had 40+ in previous years, the worst year on record for me for all species at Fly Flatts.

   This morning just turned up 80+ LBB gulls on the distant north shore, 4 Canada geese, 2 Goldfinch and a Reed Bunting as well as a trickle of Meadow Pipits overhead.

   Sunshine and showers forecast for tomorrow throughout the day on a moderate to strong SW.

BS

    

     

Another soaking at Ogden.

 

                                    Single Tufted

                                Little and Large, Mallard and Little Grebe.

                                    2 of 5 Cormorant

                                    West Bank

                                    East Bank

                                    The always hungry juv LBB.

 A very wet start to the morning with torrential rain and black as night followed by light rain and drizzle before drying up around 0915 hrs on a light SW>2 at 15 degrees and fog on the tops.

    A bit of a lull going on at Ogden today after a good few days birding with just a single Tufted on the water as well as the long staying Little Grebe and 5 Cormorant. 

    Around 200 gulls with a better count of Black Headed, upping the stakes on a Med gull, but nothing as yet. The Tit flock was still around passerine alley but the Goldfinches had moved through whilst the winter Chaffinch flock is up to around 30 birds at the moment waiting, for their favourite waterside weeds to ripen.

    A dry bright day for tomorrow with cloudy sunshine on a light SW at 10 degrees.

BS

A misty, wet Ogden

 

                                    Dark, misty and wet at Ogden.

                                    Dense fog above

                                    Fog rolling in by 1000 hrs.

                                Short of 100 gulls

                                Plenty Commons but only 2 Black Headed.

                                    Few Herring

                                    4 Teal remaining

                                    Usual female Goosander

                                

                                        2 Tufted present

A very dark wet morning at Ogden with a mix of rain and drizzle with full mist clouds and fog above on a light E>2 at 10 degrees. By 0945 hrs the fog started dropping then lights out by 1000 hrs as I was leaving.

    Nothing to get the adrenaline flowing this morning but still 4 Teal on the water along with Little Grebe, 2 Tufted and the long staying female Goosander. The Wigeon from yesterday had moved on with no continuation of yesterdays big move of this species.

    Gull numbers were down with less than 100 and surprisingly only 2 Black Headed present among the LBB and Commons along with 5 Herring.

     All the action this morning was along passerine alley with a Tit flock of Great, Blue, Coal and Long Tailed moving through the Willows along with at least 2 Siskin, whilst a flock of around 40 Goldfinch were flying over the tree tops.

  A wet cloudy morning forecast for tomorrow improving after midday on a light south turning south west at a warm 17 degrees.

BS

    

    

Another autumnal arrival for Ogden.

 

                                    New in, 1 pr Wigeon

                                    6 Cormorant present

                                    Around 80 LBB

                                    Army chopper

A bright cool morning at Ogden with full sun on a light W>2 at 8 degrees.

   Another autumn arrival this morning with a pair of Wigeon whilst 8 Teal were still present but sticking to the north end out in the centre of the water.

    Around the usual 150 gulls present, all carefully checked through but nothing untoward among them. whilst 6 Cormorant were fishing continuous throughout the watch. Other than quite a few gulls very high up in the air, but going in no special direction, the sky remained quiet.

  Forecast for tomorrow showing a cloudy wet day with mist and fog on a moderate easterly at 10 degrees.

BS

   

Sunshine and showers, Ogden

 

                                        9 Teal present

                                    Single Tufted

                                    Low count of gulls

                                    5 Heron together, high and >SW

                                        Gt Spotted Woodpecker.

A cold morning at Ogden with early full cloud and showers improving to breaks of sunshine on a light SE>3 at 10 degrees.

   A count of 9 Teal this morning as well as 1 female Goosander, 1 Little Grebe and a female Tufted as well as the usual Cormorants and Mallards. A low count of gulls with around 100 mixed, split between the east and west bank.

   Pied and Grey Wagtails were on the shoreline whilst a Gt Spotted Woodpecker landed briefly on the promenade telegraph pole.

   The highlight of the morning was a group of 5 Heron, very high over the water, soaring and slowly heading >SW.

   A bright dry sunny day forecast for tomorrow with some cloud after midday on a light SW at 8 degrees early morn.

BS