1515 hrs at Fly Flatts with the drifts almost gone and the track passable with care and an improvement in the weather with 90 % cloud cover on a mild but strong SW>5-6 keeping most birds down.
Around 70 Canadas and 4 Mallard were on the water whilst 5 Herring gull and 6 Black Headed moved >SW. Waders were quiet with just 4 Curlew, 2 Lapwing and a few Golden Plover calling, all keeping low over the Fill Belly Flat area.
Down by the feeding station a gull had met a sad end with an injury to the back of its neck. I took photos because it just didnt look just right for a Black Headed with wings in adult plumage but bright yellow bill, black smudging at the back of the neck and dark black legs and showing no signs of hood or black eye spot. With the help of Mick Cunningham the bird is a Kittiwake with winter plumaged head pattern.
On the way back 5 Golden Plover were in the Nolstar area.
Big Bertha was on new sticks today with a maiden trial of a new tripod head. The tripod is my original aluminium Manfrotto which I have used since time began and it is just bullet proof, the only drawback is the weight compared to the newer carbon fibre models but I found that when I was doing visible migration on Windy Corner at TMR it was the only tripod that could withstand the weather without blowing over. The head I,ve fitted is a MOVO GH 700 Gimbal Head which is suppose to be the bees knees for heavy camera gear for bird photography and today it certainly felt the part but as with the rest of the rigs I use its completely useless if the birds are,nt there.
The 2 tripods I used on the way back to photograph the Goldies were a dry stone wall and a wooden gate post.
BS