in groups sometimes with only 2 Canadas
watching on.
for a calling Cuckoo.
Late afternoon and Fly Flatts was right on the lower edge of the cloud base with rolling fog like smoke over the water and moor. One minute you could see 50 yds and the next minute 10 yds though the temperature was nice and fresh in a damp W>4.
Boating day today though very few boats out in the mist so stuck to the south and west shoreline which was lively with a minimum count of 11 Dunlin, some very lively zipping over the water whilst other more settled birds were along the cobbled west bank along with Common Sandpipers and Redshank. No Sanderling or Little Ringed Plovers as yet but my turn will come I,m sure.
A Cuckoo was calling over the moor and sounding as if I should be able to see it but scanning the moor was frustrating with the fog coming and going.
One thing I did manage with a scan was a SEO sat on a post before heading off west towards the ridge disappearing into the fog. I never did get to see the Cuckoo .
Despite a lot of Canada goose eggs being destroyed down the valley this year by persons or authority unknown there are around 110 Canada goslings on the water split into groups of around 30 and adults seemingly taking turns at keeping watch on them, a practice I havent experienced before.
Unfortunately I can,t put blog watcher John Kayes good lady wife and daughters mind at rest about the little yellow bath tub duck as it isnt with the Canadas now but all is not lost as it could possibly have reunited with the other 2 brood which have moved into hiding beyond the lagoon but I,ll keep you informed.
Hopefully the fog will have cleared for the morning with rain forecast so I,m living in hopes.
And finally, I cant go a day without a mention of nuggets so heres another nugget story. Whilst driving up to Fly Flatts I was talking to DJS on the phone, built in car phone I hasten to add, about a car parking problem that Dave had just encounted with a nugget at his end near Mixenden and we were talking about how it was getting worse around our countryside being unable to leave the car parked safe whilst birding with an influx of nuggets.
Five minutes later I arrived at the top locked gate at Fly Flatts to find the padlock chopped to bits with bolt croppers . Apparently a walker had witnessed this with scramble bikers that had come illegally across the moor to the locked gate so they conveniently took out their bolt croppers, that we all carry with us!, and chopped off the lock to get out onto the road.
It seems like there can be several gates and wire fences blocking their way across the moor so they come prepared. NUGGETS !
BS