in as possible
At last , a clear day at Fly Flatts. 1500 hrs with good visibility but very dark skies and light specks of rain on a SW>2.
Thousands of flying ants were in the air like a large black cloud just above head height and luckily sticking over the lagoon area.
The Ringed Plover/ Dunlin group were ,as yesterday, on the eastern shoreline with numbers steadily increasing but no special birds in with them as yet. The group is in to their 9th day now so could possibly be moving on shortly unless some are moving on and being replaced with newcomers. One, or possibly two, Curlews kept calling but I was unable to trace them or get a sighting.
The 8 juv Tufted are now looking fully grown and ready for flying amazingly with the LBB gulls and Peregrine up there and the female Mallard has also hung on to her 3 young which are also looking less vulnerable.
Returning Wheatear numbers are disappointing with a maximum count of 5 compared to last years 23. The resident 5 Teal are still present whilst a fly past of the Peregrine failed to spook anything as it kept high over the south shore.
Birding is hard work up there at the moment as I tend to be distracted checking through the waders and scanning shorelines which means I could be missing fly overs whilst I am looking through either the scope or camera. Its time to keep eyes to the skies from now with visible migration imminent and the Ospreys will soon be on their way.
Good to bump into DW up there tonight who was just leaving after giving it a coat of looking at. Theres also been visits from JM,AC and BV today, Fly Flatts has never been as popular.
BS