A hot sticky morning bringing an invasion of Greenfly to Queensbury with swarms of them around the Foxhill area sometimes looking like clouds of mist. A dog walk up the park just after 12 had to be cut short when my shirt began to look more like a green fleecy.
Luckily by 1500 hrs things were a little cooler especially at Fly Flatts with 100 % cloud cover on a very light SE > 2, so much so that some of the novice boaters had to be towed back to shore when it was time to finish as the breeze was against them.
Not expecting waders today with boats on the water proved me wrong when suddenly a Ringed Plover appeared in amongst the Common Sandpipers on the west bank as unfortunately there is still no shoreline showing. The bird was very mobile as the boats came near and kept moving along the waters edge. Suddenly it flew and landed 50 yards away in between another 2 waders which I took to be Common Sands but as I got closer I could see they were Dunlin.
The 3 birds stuck together finally flying low across the water to the NE corner. Just one Wheatear again today and no Hirundines or Swift which we can,t blame on food shortage with the number of Greenfly that were about earlier.
A check on the Nolstar field on the way back was pleasing to find 6 Golden Plover returned there after a long absence so all we need now is the Dotterel to join them.
BS