Fly Flatts, and an unwanted visitor.

                                    Plenty shore exposed now.

                                2 of 4 Tufted ducklings
 

                                    Usual common Sandpipers

                                    Single Wheatear

                                    Plenty Goldfinch.

                                    Unwanted visitor, Peregrine

                                    Came over water at high speed

                                    Juvenile, streaked breast, some brown in wings.

                                    Went away with empty talons.

A pleasantly cool morning at Fly Flatts with full cloud on a light ENE>2 at 12 degrees. By 0845 hrs the sun was trying to break through but luckily failed going back to full cloud.

    A steady but pleasing morning with no new waders as yet so just down to the pair of breeding Common Sandpipers and 5 juv Lapwing on the shore. Several LBB and Herring gulls >NE with a few LBB and Black Headed gulls on the water.

   The female Tufted was near the west bank with her 4 young who were once again constantly diving and are growing well.

     Plenty Swallows and Swifts over the water  but only one juv Wheatear seen this morning. The very pale phase Buzzard that frequents up here flew over Tattie Pie Hill landing on a rock in the bracken, its very white head and breast standing out as I scoped it but way out of camera range.

   Just as I was tackling up at knocking off time I saw a falcon approaching from the west which looked wrong for Kestrel. A quick grab of the camera and shot 30 photos off in the 3 seconds it took to go passed over the centre of the water before disappearing over the wind turbines.

    Looking through the viewfinder my thoughts were Peregrine or Hobby but thanks to the killer fast auto focus of the Canon 7d Mk2 I got the pics that I wanted of a juvenile Peregrine with a well streaked breast but very little brown in the wings showing mostly grey so not a very young bird.

   Peregrine is always a good bird to see but not one I want at Fly Flatts with waders around. This bird was probably attracted by the flocks of Goldfinch and Linnets around as well as the Swallows and Swifts.

     A similar forecast for tomorrow with part cloud and sunshine on a light NE starting off at 12 degrees and peaking at 19.

BS

   

    

The heat is on, Fly Flatts.

                                    1 Female Tufted with 4 ducklings
                                     

                                    Water getting shallow now

                                    Islands appearing

                                    2 of 4 juv Golden Plover.

                                    Very aggressive.

                                    2 Common Sandpiper

                                        4 Wheatear present

A misty start to the morning at Fly Flatts with visibility just across the water on a light SE>1 at 13 degrees. By 0900 hrs the sky was blue with sun and the dreaded heat getting up.

   Golden Plover were up to 4 juveniles on the shore being very aggressive towards each other whilst 2 Common Sandpipers were still keeping everything away from their well hidden chicks.

    Up to 4 Wheatear present and around 50 Goldfinch on the thistle tops. A single female Tufted duck was on the water with 4 small ducklings all constantly diving whilst several BH and LBB gulls were at the north end. Nothing skyward other than loads of Swallows and Swifts and a single Kestrel.

   A little cloudier tomorrow with cloudy sunshine on a light NE starting off at 12 degrees and getting to 21.

BS

     

Ogden Produces.

 

                                    Black Headed gulls on the east bank

                                Good count of LBBs, mainly on the water.

                                Gt Crested Grebe out in the fog.

                                    Cormorant over >SE

                                Single drake Common Scoter

                                Excuse photos, out in the middle in heavy mist

Dense fog on the tops this morning so down to Ogden which was very misty with visibility just across the water. A dead calm start then a very light NE>1 at 12 degrees.

    A surprise when I arrived and peered into the mist with an amazing amount of Mallards and gulls out on the water with a high count of non resident Mallards present which slowly drifted away as the morning went on.

    With that amount of ducks I started to go through them, as best I could in the mist, with expectations of something special. First surprise found was a Great Crested Grebe and then secondly a drake Common Scoter in among the Mallards. 

   After a full check of the Mallards, which failed to produce anything else, other than 4 Tufted, I went through the gulls, being about 70 LBB, 40 Black Headed and 5 Herring gull. The Yellow Legged Herring gull was not present though NK had this bird later in the day.

     A Cormorant flew over in the mist heading >SE just before I left where the Grebe and Scoter were sleeping in the middle of the water. I moan about the fog but today it did me a favour sending me to Ogden rather than Fly Flatts.

   Showing full sun tomorrow on a very light NE with a starting temp of 12 degrees and getting up to 24 degrees p.m. A good possibility of early morning fog again.

BS