Fly Flatts/Hunter Hill

                                        Fly Flatts, still as a mill pond

A good number of Red Grouse on the moor

First stop was Fly Flatts after a promising red ball sunrise and mist in the valleys. The sky was near cloudless in dead calm conditions with a heavy frost on the ground. Although Starlings and Woodpigeons were on the move it soon became apparent that things were moving over the hill to my east.
Luckily as I was at the far north of the water I picked up 5 skeins of Pink Footed Geese just disappearing >SE behind the Nab. They were well to the east of me and not visible to the naked eye.
A quick call to alert DCB found he had them much closer there and got some pics, the call also confirmed that things were busy at the east of the hill.
A quick dash back to the car and down the road to Hunter Hill proved a good move although according to DCB I had missed another 3 skiens in the process.
Hunter Hill was a much better option with more distant geese and a busy selection of moving traffic. By 1030hrs things had quietened down considerably though Fieldfare were starting to come over.

Fly Flatts :-
190 Starling...............................................>NW
96 Woodpigeon.........................................>S
c150 P.F.Geese.........................................>SE
Present :-
4 Twite
18 Red Grouse
Just 4 BH Gulls on water.

Hunter Hill :-
32 P.F. geese...............................>SE 30 and 2
370 Starling................................>NW
5 Brambling................................>SE
57 Fieldfare.................................>NW 4 Fieldfare.....>SW
11 Redwing..................................>NE
15 Chaffinch.................................>SE
12 Siskin.......................................>S
2 Raven.........................................>W
1 Sparrowhawk............................>S
Present :-
sev blogging mipits

The good news, I found my flask top which I thought Id left at Fly Flatts weeks ago and there it was at Hunter Hill,
the coffee had gone cold but at least DJS and Jen hadnt drunk it.
BS