Fly Flatts, a.m.
A dark dull start to the morning brightening mid watch before heavy rain showers moved in. A light W>4
The skies were very active with a lot of wader and wildfowl movement but all at distance over the north end of the water and frustratingly high meaning they disappeared into the low cloud by the time I,d got on them. A Pintail duck and 5 Dunlin were suspected but not enough on them to say for certain so will have to let them go.
The first sign of Snipe activity was apparent with at least 6 birds up flying around and 1 drumming briefly, whilst a first for me at Fly Flatts was a single Cormorant on the east bank which headed off >NE before I got far on the west bank . I get a few fly overs but never had one on the deck before, not surprisingly as there are no fish in Fly Flatts acidic water.
a.m. sightings
6 Redshank
18 BH gulls
5 Common gulls
2 Skylark
1 Meadow Pipit
3 Golden Plover
1 Cormorant
6 Snipe.
+ usual sp.
Fly Flatts p.m.
A drizzly wet start improving as the watch went on once the black clouds had moved over whilst the wind was down to W>3
Much quieter than this morning with birds coming in waves, as it does on autumn vis mig, with up to 30 minutes quiet them a mad 15 minutes with birds everywhere, vis miggers will know what I mean.
During one of these busy moments I was taking photos of the Short Eared Owl when I heard an alarm call of a Meadow Pipit which was being chased by a juvenile Merlin whilst a Kestrel was nearby as well as a very dark Intermedius LBB gull. On top of all that 105 Golden Plover and several Lapwings took to the sky spooked by the Merlin. Quite a hectic 15 minutes.
Good to see DJS up on the top road scoping around.
p.m. sightings
1 juvenile Merlin
1 juvenile Peregrine, brown bird.
105 Golden Plover
3 LBB gulls, 2 present and 1 intermedius >E
2 Redshank
1 Meadow Pipit
8 Mallard
+ usual sp.
BS