Up above the clouds. Fly Flatts.

 

                                    A cloudy Calderdale from Perseverance Road.

                                From Fly Flatts

                                    6 Common Sandpiper present.

                                    8 Redshank

                                    2 pair of breeding Pied Wagtails

                                    Single Oystercatcher

                                    Low count of Mipits this year

                                    2 Pair Reed Bunting

                                    14 Wheatear

Luckily for me, the overnight fog dropped into the valleys by 0500 hrs blanking out the Aire valley to the east and Calderdale to the west. Thick fog as I drove through Mixenden but Fly Flatts had full clear blue skies and sunshine on a very light SE>2 at 3 degrees.

     A few more arrivals of Common Sandpiper with at least 6 present along with 8 Redshank and just a single Oystercatcher with Dunlin imminent in the next few days.

   Still plenty Wheatear with at least 14 around the southern end of the water whilst 2 pair of Reed Bunting were around the lagoon area. The only sky movement this morning was several Swallows >NE.

  At last, in the morning the wind is very light and from the west with a bright sunny day with some milky skies making it slightly hazy at a start temp of 8 degrees. Bad news is, the light wind is back from the east on Sunday.

BS

   

A wader lull at Fly Flatts

 

                                    Still plenty Wheatear present

                                    Greylag numbers are rising here

                                        1 of 3 Stonechat

                                    More NHS cut backs !

A misty start at Fly Flatts with a low cloud base below the tops of the turbines but clearing by 0830 hrs to leave partial cloud and some sunshine on an icy E>2 at 3 degrees.

     Waders are at a standstill at the moment at this site with just 1 Snipe and 7 Redshank plus the usual Curlews and Lapwings with no sign of the Common Sandpipers, even scoping the far north shore and peninsular.

    Still a good count of  Wheatear with at least 11 at the south end and 6 in the Withens Top farm field.

A group of 14 LBB gulls headed high and >SW whilst several Swallows were skimming over the water before eventually heading off >N. A pair of Reed Buntings were by the lagoon as well as 2 male and 1 female Stonechat.

   Several Swallows over Foxhill Park this p.m. as the temperature soared up to 13 degrees.

With Ogden Lane closed for a month from the 27th April they have decided to rub salt into the wounds by closing Cold Edge Road, Wainstall to Oxenhope, cutting off Fly Flatts, from the 27th April for 1 week plus long delays with road works around Oxenhope making Leeshaw difficult so thats my 3 main birding venues gone down the plug hole. Hopefully there will be access to the sailing club ???

A very light SE for morning with cloudy sunshine starting off  with a low of 2 degrees and another threat of early morning fog.

BS

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