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Wednesday, August 1, 2018

A quiet visit to Fly Flatts but first signs of visible migration.

 An excellent breeding season for Pied Wagtail

             The 4 young Tufted are growing well now and
                      less vulnerable.

 First signs of passerine vis mig, Pied Wagtails, very high
 Marsh Harrier a good mile away over the ridge.

Good conditions at Fly Flatts though a West instead of a SW>4 would have been more helpful but  nice 100 % cloud cover.
                                      A quiet start to August with all activity in the sky rather than the water and shoreline. Just the 1 Common Sandpiper  on the shore along with 32 Black Headed gulls and 18 Lapwing whilst the water just held the usual Canada geese, which are slowly moving away, and the Tufted with 4 young growing very fast now and looking much less vulnerable.
                                      A Marsh Harrier was well to the west towards Gorple over Winnie Stone but scoped from the south shore so no detail other than it was a cream crown.
                                    First real signs of early visible migration today with 18  Pied Wagtail very high and west in migration mode coming over in threes and fours. Pied Wagtails are usually among the first to move but not this early. Swifts were also moving >S in heads down migration mode with 21 counted. Other than the local Lapwings 23 went over high and >NE but these may have been resident birds moving around.
BS