With black clouds,light rain and a near gale E > 7 at 31 m.p.h. I wandered along the west bank in low expectations of seeing much until a heart stopping moment as I approached the feeding station.
A Blackbird/ Ring Ouzel dropped down behind the round tower setting alarm bells ringing with thoughts of a Ring Ouzel, even though it is November.
A few minutes wait and a Blackbird flew out onto a fence post followed by a second and then a third. Blackbird at Fly Flatts is probably rarer than Ring Ouzel and within a few minutes I had a count of 5 plus another 4 by the lagoon area. The birds were more than likely continentals passing through from Scandinavia possibly heading for Ireland or further south in England and being brought down with the strong winds and recent fog.
Either way its a good record for here with 9 in a day when I,m usually surprised to see 1 in a year.
On at the blustery west bank watch point near the NW corner an annual best count of 71 Golden Plover were scattered along the east shore along with the usual Mallards but nothing in the way of waders although scanning was once again difficult viewing straight into the wind.
No gulls present today as I left but a report from the top road from the Walshaw gang of a Goosander
at Fly Flatts as they passed which was,nt present when I was there. Probably dropped in on its way to the Goosander roost over the Nab at Thornton Moor.
BS