This may be a 3.0 litre V6 but it aint going nowhere.
burnt out shell in the morning.
1530 hrs at Fly Flatts with 40 % cloud cover and a mild but strong westerly wind blowing at
38.7 m.p.h. measured on the west bank taking it just into gale force W>8.
Interesting to see the waves and swell of water with white horses piling across which the 3 windsurfers present seemed to love. Its amazing how they speed across the water at a frightening speed then swing the board around within feet of the banking then off in the opposite direction . One of them asked me recently if I fancied a go and I said I would if he found me a board with brakes and steering on.
As expected, birding was very quiet but always worth a dabble in these sort of conditions in case a west coast, or beyond, special was blown in.
Birds of the day were Swifts with a continuous passage >N throughout whilst Common Sandpipers kept appearing with their young with now 6 chicks present and at least 9 adults.
No Dunlin present today but a filter through the books and my photos shows there has been 2 races of Dunlin through, the majority being Scandinavian race ' alpina' being a larger bird with longer bill and wide grey terminal fringes, brighter chestnut mantle and large black belly patch.
The other race through ' schinzii' being a smaller, short billed bird and the race that breeds in Britain on the moors. None of the 3rd race ' arctica' were picked out being the smallest of the 3 races being more greyish in colour or cinnamon as the books quote. This Greenland race can easily be misidentified as a Little Stint.
They,re gone now but I,ll be looking out for the on return passage come August.
BS