Soil Hill/ Raggalds Flood, wader country.

With most of the afternoon spare it gave me chance to give Soil Hill a quality coat of looking at, east to west, north to south and top to bottom. Nothing showing at the Black Redstart sight whilst Raggalds Flood had the usual 2 Redshank and a pair of Mallard with barely enough water to support the latter now.
                       Soil Hill summits were alive with the usual Skylarks and Meadow Pipits whilst all the action was taking place down at the bottom of the north end and in the quarry workings where 6 Redshank were present, 2 on the new scrapes on the Shay and 4 in the quarry bottom.
In the NK pond field there were 3 Oystercatchers along with c30 Lapwing whilst the furrowed fields held 4 Curlew and 2 Snipe.
                                          Along with the Redshank in the quarry bottom were 3 Linnet and another 4 Linnet in with Goldfinches near the trig point.
Several LBB gulls were moving >NW over the hill whilst 5 Herring gulls and 1 Great Black Backed headed in the mist >N through the Causeway Foot col.
                                                 Still awaiting the second wave of migrants with no Ouzels, Wheatears or Swallows.

                          LBB gulls moving through

                                    GBB in the distance

                                   Hercules type plane through  ?
  If its not I,m sure Gary will put me straight.

                                 In the mist over Stoodley Pike

Banking over Saddleworth Moor for Manchester Airport.

BS