What a difference a year made.

                                       Fly Flatts  June 2011

                                                    LBBs

                                             Redshank

                                            Dunlin

                                          Oyks

                                           Ringed Plovers

                                          Sanderling with Ringed Plover

                                           7 of the Ringed Plovers

These pictures were taken early June 2011 at Fly Flatts with water level at an all time low and the best wader count for several years.
Late May/ early June produced
19 Dunlin
5 Sanderling
3 Turnstone
2 Bar Tailed Godwit
12 Common Sandpiper
4 Oystercatcher
19 Ringed Plover
2 Little Ringed Plover
18 Redshank
25 LBB gull
1 Herring gull
1 Yellow Legged Herring gull
1 GBB gull

Dont think we,ll be able to follow that this June.
BS

Shelf Moor

A quick look round on passing tonight produced 6 Canadas over >W, several Goldfinch , Greenfinch and Chaffinch.
2 Lapwing , 100+ Starling,mainly juvs, and several Swallows and Swifts.
Otherwise very quiet over Queensbury today but on the bright side a few specks of rain fell with more forecast tomorrow.
Nice to bump into my old birding buddy HC (BOG) at lunch time whilst he was out with his family and 2 gorgeous little grand daughters. No doubt we,ll have more contact when the autumn vis mig starts Howard.
BS.

A wander around the fields

              The disused underground reservoir at mountain

                               Foxhill School and the Pineberry Inn

                                   Looking towards Fleet Kennels

A stroll with the dogs tonight through the fields to Old Guy Rd and back around the underground reservoir found very little in the way of bird life.
Plenty Swallows and Swifts were feeding and a few Meadow Pipits were in Old Guy Rd although there was a cricket match on so no Skylarks were around the pitch.
A single Wheatear showed briefly near the reservoir but no sign of Whinchat in the usual place, where are all the Whinchats and Stonechats this year?
A couple of LBBs flew over high and >SE and a Curlew was calling from the Roper Lane area.
Still no sign of rain so if anyone visits Soil Hill can you take a bucket of water with you to top up the scrapes.
BS

Garden Stuff

Another red hot day with just 1 hour of promising cloud this afternoon which soon moved on leaving more of the hot stuff.
Needless to say, things remain quiet but hopefully with a change in the weather things could get back to normal by the weekend.
Been putting meal worm and bird pellets out but after getting up to 40 young Starlings in the garden at one point her indoors has put a ban on it. Something to do with her washing and conservatory roof ?
BS

Soil Hill evening visit

Soil Hill 1630-1800hrs.  Red hot low down E>4 over the summit.
Hopes are fading for any waders now without some heavy rain as even the large ponds on the main track are rapidly drying up.
The Linnet flock was up to 38 tonight but very mobile with 4 Skylark, 3 LBBgulls >SE and the usual Curlews and Lapwings.
BS

Cold Edge Dams

            This Common Sand with a bad foot manages the rocks ok.

The silly season strikes again.
Hot and sunny with a stiff E>4
Arrived early at Fly Flatts 0715hrs only to find some sort of boat regatta being prepared so a quick turn about to Cold Edge Dams where there was disturbance from a digger working and people, dogs and bikes everywhere.
Other than 3 Common Sandpipers and the usual sp. the area was void of birds. Roll on autumn.
BS

Soil Hill

                                          Part of the group of 12 Linnet

                                      Not an easy bird to photograph.

               
Again hot and sunny but a good ENE > 5 blowing on the hill. Apart from the pools on the track the whole summit is now bone dry, including the Dunlin pond.
The hill was, as expected, quiet apart from a nice flock of 12 Linnet though very mobile, about 7 Skylark + the usual Lapwings and Curlew.
A single singing Willow Warbler was in the roadside plantation.
Neither Whitethroat was showing nor were any Reed Buntings.
Several Swallows and Swifts were present and 8 LBB gulls came over >N.
Being selfish, hopefully this weather will break soon and put an end to the silly season of drunks, barbecues  and people appearing that you never see apart from when the sun shines. Its no good for the birds either but thats just a selfish birders point of view.
BS

Shelf Moor

                                                      Fields full of young Starlings

                                           Plenty Jackdaws collecting food

Slightly more pleasant today with a nice easterly breeze making the heat more bearable.
A quick look around Shelf Moor this evening produced several hundred Starlings down in the long grass feeding, these were mostly young.
Jackdaws were also plentiful gathering food to take back to nests.
Also :-
2 Pied Wagtails
9 Linnet
2 Grey Partridge
7 House Martin
Sev Swallows and Swifts
No Lapwings breeding in the usual place
Little Owls missing after 5yrs in same area.
BS

Common garden stuff

                                         Plenty young Starlings out.

                                                    Feeding time

                                                         Dunnock

Another scorcher with the temp up to 28 in the garage, must have lost half a stone today.
As yesterday a few LBB gulls drifted over >NE otherwise it was just the usual breeders with up to 50 young Starlings in the park at midday.
Several House Martins went over >S  this morning but none have yet returned to local breeding sites.
BS

Quiet Times, Queensbury.

Another scorching day with blue skies and sunshine which is nice if you,re a sun worshipper but not so good if you,re a birder. The end of May and through June are bad enough with birds busy breeding but worse if the weather is hot and there is no shoreline at the local reservoirs to bring in passing waders.
A few LBB gulls have trickled over >NW today along with a single Black Headed and 6 Lapwings in the same direction.
Foxhill park at lunchtime held around 60 noisy Starlings, mostly juvs, feeding in the grass, also a juv Pied Wagtail was on the top pitch.
BS

Soil Hill dash.

                                                 Two from Friday

                                      12 Linnets on the hill tonight, mostly males

                                        Plenty Woodpigeons up there.


A quick wader check of the hill this evening produced 1 Redshank calling down by the NK pond but no other waders present.
As predicted by NK the ponds are rapidly drying up and the Dunlin pond is now half the size it was on Friday. On the up side the ponds on the track are so far remaining the same.

12 Linnet
5 Lapwing
1 Curlew
7 Skylark
sev Mipits
11 Woodpigs
1 Pied Wagtail
Plenty Swallows and Swifts
BS