Mixed fortunes, Fly Flatts.

 A bright sunny start which was short lived to turn to full cloud on a cold SE>4 gusting 5 at 10 degrees. By 0945 mist was rolling in with heavy horizontal drizzle.

     A couple of decent birds this morning and some movement but everything was distant so constant use of the scope.

   Another cream crown Marsh Harrier was low over the west moor by Tatty Pie Hill slowly heading >SW and briefly stopping to hover,  whilst a juv Peregrine and 2 Kestrels were on the north shore.

   The second good bird was a single Whinchat in with 4 Stonechat working their way on a distant wire fence on the Flat Moor. Just 2 Wheatear on the south shore but Fly Flatts keeping up its annual trend of no September waders.

    Very little sky movement with a few Meadow Pipits and Swallows.

A mix of sunshine, cloud and showers for tomorrow on a strong SW at 10 degrees.

Vis Mig

42 Mipits..........................>S

3 Swallow........................>S

1 cc Marsh Harrier..........>SW

sev Mipits.......................blogging

2 Wheatear.....................blogging

1 Whinchat....................blogging

Present

4 Stonechat

11 Canada geese

15 LBB gull

7 BH gull

2 Kestrel

1 juv Peregrine

BS

A lively Fly Flatts

 

                                    juv Grey Partridge.

                                        juv Kestrel

                                        Willow Warbler

                                    Several Goldfinch

                                    Greenland or Intergrade Wheatear

                                    8 primary tips

A bright clear morning at Fly Flatts with 20% cloud, blue sky and sunshine on a cool SSE>2 turning S>3 at 10 degrees.

   A good start off with 16 juv Grey Partridge and 3 adults on the track down to the water along with 1 Red Legged Partridge, probably avoiding the guns from over the east ridge.

  Alive with small passerines around the shore and in the bushes along with some sky movement whilst 23 LBB and 16 Black Headed gulls were on the shore. One of 5 Wheatear stood out as a Greenland on the south shore.

Vis Mig

8 Alba Wagtail.......................>SE

56 Mipits...............................>S

18 LBB gull..........................>SE

9 Swallow.............................>S

4 Wheatear...........................Blogging

1 Greenland Wheatear..........Blogging

2 Pied Wagtail......................Blogging

c 100 Mipits........................Blogging

5 Chiffchaff........................>Blogging

1 Willow Warbler...............>Blogging

Other

16 Grey Partridge

1 Raven

2 Kestrel

c30 Goldfinch

2 Stonechat

16 Black Headed gull

23 LBB gull

4 Canada geese

A mix of showers and sunshine for morning on a moderate SSE at 10 degrees.

BS

Much the same, Fly Flatts

 

                                    Several LBB gulls present

                                    Loads of Mipits,  3 Wheatear

                                    Plenty blogging Mipits

                                        Kestrel preening

A decent morning, weather -wise, after a misty hazy, start soon to clear leaving 50% cloud and sunshine on a light SW>3 at a cool 10 degrees.

     Very much the same as yesterdays visit though a better count of gulls with 53 LBB , 2 Herring and 14 Black Headed on the north shore before heading off >SE. The water held 6 Canadas whilst 3 Wheatear and a Pied Wagtail were on the shore along with around 100 Meadow Pipits.

    Nothing moving skyward other than 4 Swallows and a single House Martin >S with 2 Kestrel over the Flat Moor.

   More of the same weather tomorrow with cloud and sunshine at 10 degrees but the wind shifting to a light SE.

BS

    

Slogging away at Fly Flatts

 

                                    Bit windy for the boats

                                Shallow water

                                   Fly Flatts version of the R.N.L.I.

Warm, wet and windy at Fly Flatts this morn with a SE>3 gusting 4 at 14 degrees with full cloud and light rain showers.

    A good early morning move of Meadow Pipits which dried up by 0830 hrs but a large count blogging around the shores. Several LBB gulls were heading >SE whilst 12 were on the north shore along with 

9 Black Headed. A few Swallows headed >S.

    The water held 10 Canada and 3 Greylag geese but only 1 Wheatear this morning and no Stonechat.

A Buzzard was very high over the west moor and 2 Kestrel were present. No reports of Pink Footed Geese yet, even though the light cloudy sky was perfect for them, any day now.

 

Vis Mig

137 Mipits..............................>S

82 LBB gull...........................>SE

10 Swallows..........................>S

1 Wheatear............................Blogging

c 150 Mipits..........................Blogging

Present

12 LBB gull

9 BH gull

10 Canada geese

3 Greylag geese

1 Buzzard

2 Kestrel

c 50 Goldfinch

Looking good for morning with sunshine and cloud on a light SW at 10 degrees. 

BS

   

Another day, another visit to Fly Flatts.

 

                                    Gulls on the north shore

                                        7 Stonechat present

                                    Swarm of Goldfinch.

Perfect conditions this morning at Fly Flatts with full light cloud cover on a SE >2 at 12 degrees and excellent visibility.

    Having said that, things were exceptionally quiet with nothing moving skyward apart from 

12 Swallows >SE. A low count of gulls on the north shore with 49 LBB, 4 Herring and 6 Black Headed whilst the water held just a single Greylag goose.

    The liveliest spot was around the lagoon area with 7 Stonechat and around 50 Goldfinch, very mobile around the thistle tops, whilst 3 Wheatear were on the distant south shoreline. A single Raven in the air along with 3 Kestrel. 

   Boating day today so the compound was left unchecked with too much disturbance.

Cloudy sunshine for morning on a moderate SE at 14 degrees. Possible rain showers after midday.

BS

Fly Flatts

 

                                        Few gulls on the shore.

Yet another low cloud start to the morning then clearing to 60% cloud with some sun on a moderate 

WSW>3-4 bringing some light showers at 12 degrees.

      The majority of yesterdays small passerines had moved on this morning just leaving 2 Wheatear, 

2 Stonechat and several Meadow Pipits still blogging.

  A low count of gulls today with 15 LBB, 5 Herring and 2 Black Headed on the north shore whilst 10 LBB gulls headed high >SE. The only other movers were 12 Swallows >SW whilst a Raven was over the quarry.

    The rest of the time was spent sky watching with my goose head on though I'm still about a week premature to my first Pink Footed goose sighting in previous years.

   Cloudy sunshine for morning on a light SE with a chance of poor visibility.

BS

    

September kicks off at last, Fly Flatts.

 

                                    5 Wheatear present

                                Star turn, Cream Crown Marsh Harrier.

                                    Mobbed by crow.

                                        LBBs on the shore

                                Several LBBs heading >SE

                                    Willow Warblers and Chiffchaffs arriving

                                        Juv Stonechat

                                    Good arrival of passerines.

                                    Willow Warbler

Another misty start to the morning with a low cloud base and poor visibility slowly lifting to give full low cloud on a light WSW>3 decreasing 2 with light rain showers at 14 degrees.

    A good start off to the morning as I was tackling up with, what I thought was a Buzzard appearing through the mist, being mobbed by a Crow. I grabbed the camera and got some hazy shots as it headed >S over the Flat Moor whilst thinking it was unusual for a Buzzard so early and in a different area to the usual resident Buzzards. What a shock to look at the photos to reveal a Cream Crown Marsh Harrier. Good job I did'nt dismiss it as a Buzzard.

   A walk along the west bank revealed very little other than 18 LBB, 3 Herring and 6 Black Headed gulls on the shore and nothing on the water though it was evident that there was a migration move on with LBB gulls heading >SE as well as Mipits moving >S along with swarms of Mipits blogging and some ground-hopping all around the shores, also a few Swallows >S.

     On seeing this it was a dash back to the compound to check the bushes for migrants which paid dividends with Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff, Reed Bunting, Wren, Stonechat and Wheatear in the bushes and around the fencing. At last a taste of September.

    Looking decent for tomorrow with cloudy sunshine on a light WSW at 10 degrees with chance of an odd shower.

Vis Mig.

1 CC Marsh Harrier......................>S

38 LBB.........................................>SE

42 Meadow Pipits........................>S

11 Swallow..................................>S

Present

3 Herring gull

18 LBB gull

6 BH gull

c150 Meadow Pipit

2 Chiffchaff

4 Willow Warbler

7 Stonechat

5 Wheatear

9 Reed Bunting

30 Goldfinch

1 Grey Wagtail

4 Wren

1 Kestrel

BS