Below the wind, Ogden

 

                                    Smart Common gull

                                        Gulls on the west bank

                                    7 Herring gulls present

                                    Around 50 LBBs

                                    Herring gull with juv

                                    Regurgitation for its young one. 

                                    Nice to have a wader, Common Sandpiper.

                                Long staying Gt Crested Grebe.

                                    Sparrowhawk over the prob.

A strong W>5 blowing with a mix of rain and drizzle showers and full cloud at 13 degrees.

      Down then to Ogden which, other than the prom, it was out of the wind with full cloud and a few light showers. 

   A low count of gulls this morning with around 50 LBB, 7 Herring, 3 Common and several Black Headed. After a lot of scanning around the edges a Common Sandpiper came into view busily feeding along the waters edge, one of the very few wader species usually found briefly at Ogden. Having said that, the second wader that usually shows at Ogden turned up later in the day found by NK, see Nigels blog.

    Otherwise, things were the same with Canada geese, Gt Crested Grebe, 2 female Tufted and the usual Mallards etc. Walking back across the prom a Sparrowhawk was high overhead before stooping down into trees in the sluice gate area.

     After overnight rain, tomorrow should be dry and cloudy but still a strong NW wind at 14 degrees.

BS

    

    

Migrant clear out., Fly Flatts.

 

                                Few LBBs north shore

                                    Plenty muddy shore exposed

                                    2 Common Sandpiper in with the gulls

                                    LBBs >SW

A misty start after overnight fog but soon clearing to leave full cloud and damping slightly in the light S>2 at14 degrees. Some sun by 0930 hrs.

   First off was a check of the single tree and bushes in the compound to see if the fog had held yesterdays fall of migrants down but this morning it was just the opposite with a full clear out just leaving a single Wheatear, 3 Stonechat and several Linnets and Mipits.

     The Sedge Warbler had moved on so I was lucky to find it yesterday, though not a rare bird in its own habitat area, it was a mega for me, being a first at Fly Flatts and so far will go down as my bird of the year.

    With not much doing at the sound end, other than around 20, home bred, juvenile Pied Wagtails, I took the long walk along the west bank to the NW corner and scoped the entire north and east bank and exposed shore. This amounted to very little with just 15 LBB and 22 Black Headed gulls present and 2 Common Sandpiper well hidden on an island. Otherwise just the usual Canada and Greylag plus the family of 5 juv and 1 adult female Tufted were back on the water.

    Overhead, several LBB gulls were heading >SW  whilst 2 Kestrel, a single Raven and several Swallows, but only 4 Swift were present.

    A moderate sou'wester for tomorrow being mostly cloudy with a 50% chance of showers at 13 degrees rising to 17 degrees.

BS

Poor for Waders, good for passerines. Fly Flatts.

 

                                A site first for me, Sedge Warbler.

                                    Stonechats and Sedge

                                Sedge Warbler

                                     1 of 6 Stonechat

                                    Single Wheatear

                          Looking across to the north shore from the peninsular.

                                    North shore Canadas

                                                Stonechat

A breezy morning at Fly Flatts with an E>3 at 16 degrees and hazy visibility in low cloud and some sunshine.

    After a walk the full length of the west bank yesterday and failing to find any waders, todays trek took me the length of the cobbled east bank to the peninsular, still failing to find any waders. Plenty LBB and Black Headed gulls were on the north shore whilst geese numbers are slowly going down with around 100 Canada and 30 Greylag with just a few Canadas yet to fledge. All yesterdays Tufted ducks have now flown, probably to Cold Edge Dams. Nothing in the air other than a single Swift>S and 4 Lapwing>N.

    Just as depression was setting in I got back into the compound to find several small passerines flitting around in the SE corner but all very mobile in and out of the single small tree and around the fence line.

   At least 6 Stonechat, 4 Reed Bunting, 3 Willow Warbler, a single Chiffchaff and Wheatear, whilst star prize went to a single Sedge Warbler, a site first for me here and saviour of the morning.

     Showing a foggy start to the morning with a light easterly slowly turning round to the south west with 80% chance of rain after midday. Starting temp 14 degrees and peaking at 22 degrees.

BS

     

Fly Flatts hits a lull.

 

                                    LBBs and Tufted, north shore

                                    As good as it got, 2 Common Sandpiper

Too sunny and too calm this morning at Fly Flatts with full sun in a cloudless sky on a very light NW>1 at 15 degrees. Clouding over by 0945 hrs.

    An extremely quiet morning with very little to report, the only waders were a quick sighting of 2 Common Sandpiper flying over the water, even though I walked the full length of the west bank and scoped all the north and east muddy shore. Several LBB and Black Headed gulls were on the north bank along with the family of 6 Tufted duck plus another 7 fledged Tufted duck which flew in from the direction of Cold Edge Dams.

    A couple of juv Stonechat were below the west bank but no sign of the Whinchat I had previously in the bracken area. The islands and SE corner just held around 10 juv Pied Wagtails whilst the sky remained empty with no Swallows or Swifts today.

    This time last year I had Greenshank, Green Sandpiper, Sanderling, Dunlin and Ringed Plover !

A bright sunny day given for tomorrow with a very light easterly with a starting temp of 14 degrees peaking at 25 degrees with a good chance of early morning hill fog. Not the sort of forecast I want for Fly Flatts.

 BS

Nowt special, Ogden

 

                                    East Bank

                                Single female Tufted

                                    Several juv Swallows

                                Heron being harassed by LBB gulls

                                    West bank LBBs

                                    Not seen this here before

                                    5 Common gull present

                                    1 of 7 Herring gull

                                    2 CY LBB still retaining pink legs.

                                    Herrings on the water

A mainly cloudy morning with odd breaks of sunshine and occasional short rain showers on a light W>3 at 14 degrees.

    A very quiet morning with a poor gull count of 30 LBB, 7 Herring,5 Common and around 40 Black Headed gulls. A single female Tufted duck on the water as well as the usual Gt Crested Grebe and 10 Canada geese.

    Several juv Swallows over the water whilst the best of the bunch was a brief sighting of a male Blackcap in the car park.

  A dry morning tomorrow with a mix of cloud and sunshine starting at 11 degrees and peaking at21 degrees. The very light wind is all over the shop, starting off from the west then south west with a chance of swinging around to the east and south east.

BS