A 2nd visit to Fly Flatts provides a bonus

                      Star prize, male Whinchat.

                Together with Wheatear

                       Greenland sp.

1600 hrs and back to Fly Flatts with a strong E>6 and dull cloudy skies. With the increase in wind strength I had hoped for a Tern coming through but that never happened.
The water was as rough as the North sea with white horses and waves splashing up the west banking.
These conditions seemed to suit the hardy lads out in the sailing boats who did,nt seem to mind a dunking in the ice water, braver men than me, and amazing to see the speed these boats get up to in windy conditions. It was good to meet and put a face to membership secretary Robin Boardman when he got back on dry land. Robin and his gang are going to let me know if anything  untoward turns up in the area.
                  With nothing moving in the skies and the disturbance on the water I concentrated down below the west banking near the stream which turned out to be a good move with wall to wall Wheatear totalling at least 24 and scanning what I thought was another Wheatear on a distant post I picked out a broad white eyestripe and found it to be a cracking male Whinchat.
Just 2 Meadow Pipits on the Nyjer seed so far.
BS
               

Tern and Wader watch at Fly Flatts

                                       Curlew over the water

        Another combination, Common Sand and Mipit

                                  Mipit

                                          Wheatear

                      6 Herring gulls present throughout

            Unusual to get a Black Headed at this time

                                   1 of 14 Common Sandpipers

              21 Golden Plover in the Nolstar field

                 A few Northern amongst them.

                              Plenty Linnets about

                                       female Pied Wagtail

An icy cold start at Fly Flatts at 0700 hrs in a strong SE>5 dropping slightly mid watch to ESE>4
with grey skies and light specks of rain.
Target birds today were Waders and Terns, Gordon at Skipton reported plenty Black Terns about, but not for me.
A walk along the full length of the reservoir produced 14 Common Sandpipers and 9 Wheatear as well as 6 Herring gulls .
                                   A Wheatear was on the Nyger seed and an usual 2 Dunnock whilst 11 Lapwing were on the northern shoreline .
                                           On the way back the Nolstar field held 21 Golden Plover with 2 Oystercatcher nearby.

11 Lapwing
21 Golden Plover.........................Nolstar
2 Oystercatcher............................Cold Edge Rd fields
14 Common Sandpiper
1 Redshank
7 Curlew
6 Herring gull
1 Black Headed gull
1pr Reed Bunting
2 Dunnock
8 Linnet
3 Pied Wagtail
9 Wheatear

BS

Back on Wader Watch, Fly Flatts

               More Common Sandpiper pics Im afraid

 Odd combination. Common Sand and Reed Bunting

                                Herring gulls

 The main purpose of the visit. To get some Nyjer seed down.

                              The Twite feeding station area

1630 hrs and back to Fly Flatts to get 2 bags of Nyjer seed down ready for me to check on in the morning. The wind was increasing to S>5 with strong winds forecast for tomorrow coming from the east which may blow us some goodies in.
                                                                 This evenings birds were much the same as yesterday with a count of 8 Common Sandpiper, 6 Wheatear and a single male Reed Bunting + the usual species but the bird of the night was 9 Herring gulls ranging from 2nd, 3rd and 4th year with no adults. The gulls kept flying around and landing on the water at the northern end before eventually heading off >W.
                                                                 Plenty Swallows moving >N but no Swift as yet although they are starting to show around the Barden area now.
BS