Another near miss with the fog. Fly Flatts

 

                                6 Common Sandpiper

                                    2 Red Legged Partridge

Once again the overnight fog lifted just before kick off leaving Fly Flatts slightly misty with a low cloud base but soon clearing to leave broken cloud and sunshine on an icy cold E>5-6 easing slightly as the morning went on with a temp of 3 degrees.

    Common Sandpipers were the bird of the morning with 6 showing but all very mobile around the shoreline. Otherwise waders were still in a lull with the usual Redshanks etc and still no sign of Dunlin.

     Wheatear numbers were down to 7 with 4 Reed Bunting and the usual Mipits whilst in the air, 2 Raven, 1 LBB gull, 2 Buzzard and several Swallows >N.

    On the way up there a Short Eared Owl was seen at distance and on the way back 2 Red Legged Partridge were showing well.

   Another day of the same tomorrow with a light easterly at 3 degrees, starting off cloudy then a bright day and another threat of  early morning fog.

BS

Still missing the fog, Fly Flatts.

 

                                    2 pair Tufted duck on the lagoon.

                                    16 Wheatear counted

                                    4 Oystercatchers

                                    4 Common Sandpiper

                                    More white Greylags on the way.

Luckily for me the overnight thick fog amazingly cleared by 0600 hrs to leave Fly Flatts with a low cloud base which quickly cleared to leave broken cloud and sunshine on a bitterly cold ENE>3-4 at 4 degrees.

   The moderate easterly wind livened things up bringing quiet a few gulls through with 6 Herring and 13 LBB >SE whilst 4 Black Headed gulls gave me a heart stopping moment, thinking Terns, as they came in at the far north end with 2 of them attempting to land on the floating buoys. Eventually they headed off high and >SW.

    Once again, alive with Wheatear, a couple of which I fancied as Greenland, with a conservative count of 16 birds along the south and south quarter of the west bank. 

    Sand Martin and Swallows were moving >NE into the wind with 4 Sand Martin and around 12 Swallows, this is my best ever spring for Sand Martin at this site as in previous years I have struggled to get them before the Autumn vig mig.

    A lull in waders with just the usual Common Sandpipers, Redshanks, Oystercatchers, Curlews and Lapwings and no chance of listening for Cuckoo this morning in the strong wind. 

   More signs of scum fever up there with a car trashed on the top road and one of the farmers large steel gates stolen from down the entrance track.

     Another fine sunny day tomorrow on a moderate NNE starting at 3 degrees but again a threat of fog overnight into early morn.

BS

So far so good weather-wise. Fly Flatts.

 

                                    Another good count of Wheatear

                                    At least 1 Greenland, rear bird.

                                    A real bruiser of a bird

                                    4 Herring gull >SE

                                    One of the white Greylags with goslings.

                                    Several Redshank

                                    4 Common Sandpier.

                                Adventurous Common Sandpiper.

                                    Common Sand and Mipit

                                    A good year for Curlew

Luckily this morning the wind still hadn't turned to the east with a light SW>2 with broken cloud but the sun failing to get through. A cool temperature at 4 degrees but good visibility.

    Wheatears were again the bird of the morning with a count of at least 15, one of which stood out as a Greenland being a larger and brighter bird with possibly a second Greenland but at distance on the Robin Rocks.

   Plenty wader activity with Redshank, Common Sandpiper and Oystercatcher but still awaiting Dunlin. Very little sky movement with 4 Herring gull >SE and a single LBB gull, otherwise just Curlew, Lapwing , Raven and Kestrel in the sky.

    One of the white Greylags which was born and reared at this site last year has just produced goslings of its own with a standard coloured Greylag. Otherwise the morning was down to the usual species.

   Next expected birds at this site are, Dunlin, Whinchat and Cuckoo and hopefully Dotterel in the Nolstar field although I've given up hope now as the last sightings at Nolstar was 1st and 2nd May 2017 and the one I found on Soil Hill was 27th April 2008 though the habitat up there is ideal at the moment.

A dry day for tomorrow with cloudy sunshine on a moderate easterly kicking off at 4 degrees. The bugbear being a good chance of fog on the tops early morn.

BS

A winter wind at Fly Flatts

 

                                    5 Oystercatchers moving through

                                    1 of 3 Common Snadpiper

                                    Greylag goslings

                                    Minimum of  14 Wheatear

A clear morning with blue skies and full sun but an icy NW 4-5 at 3 degrees.

  As expected, no sign of yesterdays Little Ringed Plover or the Ringed Plover with 3 Common Sandpipers, 5 Redshank and a pair of Oystercatchers whilst 5 noisy Oystercatchers came through fast and low, continuing >NE.

    At least 14 Wheatear were present on the west bank and Robin Rocks but, as always with new arrivals at this site, very timid and flighty. Otherwise, things were keeping down out of the cold wind with most of the waders under the shelter of the far north shore.

    Very little in the sky with 2 LBB gulls, 1 Buzzard and a Raven being mobbed by Curlews. Apart from that it was just down to the usual species.

   Anything could happen weather wise this coming week with the wind turning from west to east early morn tomorrow and sticking to an easterly for the rest of the week with poor visibility and chance of showers. I may just make Fly Flatts in the morning before the wind gets round to the east then the rest of the week its looks like I could be catching up on Ogden with Fly Flatts probably fogged off.

BS

A Fly Flatts rarity, L.R.P.

 

                                    9 Wheatear present

                                    1 pr Stonechat

                                    3 Common Sandpiper

                                    4 Ringed Plover

                                Icing on the cake, Little Ringed Plover

                                    A mega for this site.

A morning of sunshine and showers with constant light rain and drizzle showers coming across from the west with short periods of sunshine on a moderate WSW> 4-5 at 6 degrees.

   New arrivals on the wader front this morning with 4 Ringed Plover and a real unusual treat with a Little Ringed Plover, a very difficult bird to spot at this site, my last sighting being 3 years since.

Also, 8 Redshank were showing as well as several Curlew and the usual Lapwings.

    A lively morning skyward with 3 Kestrel >NE and 5 Buzzard in the air together very high and distant over the Nab, also >NE. A single resident Buzzard was over the western moor. A few gulls on the move with 9 LBB and 3  Herring all >SW whilst a Raven was over the quarry.

    The pair of Stonechat were still by the lagoon along with a count of at least 9 Wheatear. Strangely, this year, Greylags are outnumbering Canadas and the first 9 Greylag goslings are out on the water.

    What I expected to be a poor morning turned out to be the best for some while.

 Looking good for tomorrow with cloudy sunshine on a light NW at 3 degrees.

BS