Even though there were nearly 1000 birds present at Redcar Tarn this morning Fly Flatts
soon put it in perspective with just 2 species.
1430 hrs and the fog cleared at last leaving dark skies but dry with good visibility on a moderate W>5, west is always the best wind for this location and today was no exception.
A walk on to the NW corner of the west bank to check the track and conduit with Snow Bunting in mind only produced the usual Mallards and 2 Canada geese but it was on the way back things burst into life.
Half way back on something caught my eye and looking up 8 Shelduck were overhead very high and fast heading west. Before I could get a focus on them they had disappeared into low cloud not to be seen again. I stayed put for a while hoping they would circle and come back to the water but I knew that these birds were on a mission and probably in sight of the west coast before I gave up on them.
With time wasted it was now right on the edge of darkness as I continued back along the banking mumbling that I had missed a shot of the Shelduck but this was soon brushed aside. About 50 yards in front of me a small bird flitted across the track to land a bit further on. Fly Flatts in December, a single bird on the track, at the edge of darkness, only one bird that could be, Snow Bunting.
Panicking to get at least a record shot I wound the dials on the camera trying to draw as much light in as possible thinking this was,nt going to work but amazingly I managed it with a ridiculously low shutter speed on 400, hence the blur , and an even more ridiculous ISO setting of 10,000 , hence the noise ( grain effect), where I usually have an ISO setting as low as possible, around 400.
As always with Snow Bunts it did,nt seem too concerned of my presence but not wanting to flush it I kept a good distance as it moved slowly along the track feeding all the time.
I dropped down the banking to pass the bird leaving it to feed in peace hoping it will hang around a while but unfortunately its work in the morning so it will be late afternoon before I can get back up there.
The last Snow Bunting I got up there was 1/1/ 2015 up on the top road in thick fog but once again it proves that if you get a local patch and keep chipping away at it as often as you can you,ll get rewarded , just as long as your patience holds out.
BS