Fly Flatts can be very rewarding or very cruel and today was the latter, as was yesterday.
On arrival the sky showed 30 % cloud cover with a strong W>6 with some sunshine and good visibility. Windsurfers were just packing up so nothing on the water and quiet skies. Walking along the west bank seems to set off a trigger half way on as every time I pass the half way mark large black clouds come over the western horizon and its not long before I can depend on getting wet. Thats what happened again today when a heavy shower dropped on me as I was walking back along the banking. Again as I arrived back at the south shore the sky cleared again.
Bird wise things were not good with the highlight being a single Wheatear on the distant rocks in the SW corner whilst 4 Canadas were on the NE shoreline . Several Red Grouse moved around the moor
noisily waiting for the 10th of December when the sad men have to stop shooting them although the Red Legged Partridge have till the end of January to put up with it.
Several LBB gulls moved >SW along the western ridge whilst 3 Herring gulls flew high and >W with 3 Kestrels up over the Nab.
A mystery visitor. Yesterday afternoon a lady called into the garage whilst I was off and said to my workmate Peter that she had called in quite a while ago asking me for some birding locations in the area. She is now moving and left me a copy of one of Charles Tunnicliffes books on bird artwork . The bird sketches and drawings in the book are amazing as in all his books. Unfortunately I have no contact to thank her so hopefully she will see this blog to which I send my sincere thanks for a very kind thought.
BS