Dunlin Day. Fly Flatts a.m.

               16 Canada chicks on the water in 4 families

  Greylag holding on to 6 out of 7 chicks.

                                    Dunlins on the move

                                 3 present + 1 fly over

                                         Common Sandpiper.

  Comparison of bills. Above, Common Sandpiper
                                                Straight bill.

                              Dunlin with curved bill.

0700 hrs at Fly Flatts with some dark threatening clouds on a moderate SW>4 at 12 m.p.h. but dropping to SW>3 and 50 % cloud cover with sunshine mid way through the watch.
                                                                   Dunlin were the birds of the day with 3 present along with at least 9 Common Sandpiper and 3 Redshank all along the west bank with a single Dunlin fly over from the NW but lost in the sun. No sign of yesterdays Ringed Plover which looks to have moved straight through probably due to lack of shoreline.
                                                                        Several Herring gulls flew over > NE and mega high whilst a Kestrel hovered over the Nab.
Just a handful of Swallows >N with no Swifts and no Wheatear today.
                                                             A check on the Nolstar field produced 4 Golden Plover and 2 Curlew.

1500 hrs pm visit. Back to the hot sticky stuff with blue skies and sunshine whilst the wind had turned WSW>3.
                         Bird wise was very much the same as this mornings visit with the Dunlins still present but across on the far NE corner working their way along the muddy ridge above the water.
A single female Wheatear was on Robin rock whilst a Buzzard was very high and distant being mobbed with Curlew and Lapwings.
BS