Dense fog and birding just don,t go together unless that is, you,re wader watching.
Late afternoon at Fly Flatts where the visibility was down to 20 yds with drizzle and a light NE>4.
The object of todays visit was to check the bankings for waders which made the fog no real problem
There,s something fascinating about watching waders in the fog with no other distractions like trying to watch the sky, the water and the moor at the same time. Its just you and the shoreline with waders appearing and disappearing into and out of the fog.
The west bank was alive with Dunlin, Common Sandpiper and Redshank and a walk the full length of the reservoir produced :-
9 Dunlin, possibly 11 but may have duplicated 2.
6 Common Sandpipers
5 Redshank
plus several Swallows and House Martins skimming low along the banking all >N.
Its a strange feeling walking along the banking feeling slightly disorientated and not knowing just how far along the reservoir you are but the feeling of solitude is amazing. Watching the Dunlins scurrying about feeding gave me the feeling that I could be on a coastal estuary and took me back to times at Sunderland Point on the Lune estuary.
All I need now is a variety of new species which hopefully will happen in the near future with now some good areas of shoreline present.
On the way back passed Mixenden reservoir Swifts were piling over >N which looks like the start of a big push of this very late summer visitor.
BS