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Saturday, August 1, 2015

Fly Flatts, good start to August

                                    Always good to see Short Eared Owl






                                Way down crossing the water

                                            juvenile Wheatear
        Adult Wheatear in full autumn plumage

After an afternoon of heavy showers and drizzle it was a teatime visit to Fly Flatts to check out the situation.
Just as I was setting off a text message from DJS reported Short Eared Owls performing well up there.
On arrival Dave was mid way along the top road with the 2 SEOs in his bins looking towards the northern end where the birds were flying right over the road.
A quick natter to Dave then back in the car and on to the northern end of the reservoir with just time for some quick snaps as , the now 3, owls drifted back down over the water disappearing over the moor.
A slog down to the northern shoreline plus a very soggy walk around the ponds was poor wader wise with 3 Common Sandpipers, 2 Dunlin, 1 Snipe and 1 Lapwing whilst the eastern shoreline held the usual Canadas, 1 Barnacle, 3 LBB gulls and 6 BH gulls.
2 juvenile Wheatears were present along with 6 adults in cracking autumn plumage.
Just 2 Kestrels up in the otherwise quiet skies apart from several Swifts >S.
BS