Fly Flatts. pm. Last of the month.

This mornings disappointing watch developed into an afternoons even more disappointing watch with near gale force W>7 blowing at 32.8 m.p.h. bringing heavy horizontal showers across the moor.
                                                   A walk half way on the west bank was enough before I abandoned the idea with the wind getting fiercer so continued the watch from the east bank boat compound which held some shelter around the club house building.
                                                      The whole of the hours watch produced, 1 Mallard, 1 Buzzard,
3 Kestrel and a LBB gull, oh well, there,s always tomorrow.
                                                        During September I visited Fly Flatts 32 times with waders present for 10 days out of the 32, the star wader being a juv male Ruff with a supporting cast of Ringed Plovers, Dunlins, Greenshank, Golden Plovers, Lapwings, Snipe but disappointingly only the one Little Ringed Plover. I had hoped for a better variety with the amount of shoreline but with most reservoirs being low it was just a matter of luck where they landed.
                                                    Other than waders the best birds were Pintail, Gt Crested Grebe,
Whinchat and Greenland Wheatear but, despite these specials, September has been a poor month on what should have been the best month of the year.
                                                    With Whooper Swans reported >W across the NE today, via HC/DCB and the first early Black Redstart at Ringstone TW, via Hx grapevine hopefully October will get going with a bang.
BS