A clear calm Ogden Fly Flatts from Soil Hill. Chance of waders on Soil Hill summit. White Greylags leaving Ogden Thought they were Whoopers at first. 3 male, 1 female Tufted duck. 4 Herring gulls present.A bright sunny morning with distant hazy skies on a very light >NW 2 turning >E at 6 degrees.
With work parties again at Fly Flatts, this weekend, and next, I reluctantly headed for Ogden which is not the best idea for a sunny weekend morning.
As I got out of the car, what I thought was 2 Whooper Swans taking off from the water then arcing round to head off high and NE, turned out to be 2 white Greylags, probably the Fly Flatts birds.
A quick check of the water and the west bank, as far as the Alders, was enough with floods of people walking round. Nothing in the trees and just 4 Herring gull and 2 Black Headed along with 3m and 1f Tufted duck.
By 0845 hrs the car park area was like Blackpool front on a Wakes weekend so got out sharpish and headed for the tranquillity of the Ned Hill track to see if I could get my first Skylark of the year.
After a few dryish days the ground wasn't too bad so ventured up onto the summit where normally now it is too wet and boggy for the dogs but this morning it was good. The area looks ideal now to attract a wader or too with plenty hollows and water filled scrapes as it used to be in the late 1900s, early 2000s when I regularly had Ringed and Little Ringed Plover and found a Dotterel 27/4/2008 as well as a Purple Sandpiper 5/11/2006. I'm surprised that Snow Bunting was never reported up there this winter as the habitat is now back as it was when they were a common winter visitor.
Plenty Meadow Pipits on the top but expected it to be alive with Skylark but only heard 2 distant birds and saw 1 flushed by a Mipit. Otherwise, 2 Curlew and 2 LBB gull heading >W and a Kestrel overhead.
It was in the early 2000s that I'd been up there looking for Snow Bunting in very wet conditions when my foot suddenly sank deep down into the mud up to my knee. With trying to pull my foot out my other foot did the same. The suction of the mud was so great that I was stuck solid up to my knees. With light fading, and no mobile phones in those days I thought, "I could be in a spot of bother here"
Luckily I had my trusty Rigger boots on so the only way I could get free was to slide my feet out of my boots leaving them deep underground. I then had a painful walk back across the hill and down the track to the car in my stocking feet. In 100 years time, when they dig up Soil Hill to build houses, my boots will be discovered and probably end up in Bankfield museum.
Looking cloudy for tomorrow on a light westerly at 5 degrees and chance of morning fog.
BS
