Clear blue skies showing only 10% cloud cover, wall to wall sunshine and a SW>4 cold wind is a perfect recipe for a poor birding day at Fly Flatts.
This morning was slightly better with still some cloud cover and a few Mipits still moving on a broad front with several ground hopping but this afternoons watch was dismal with just the usual species.
A walk along the west bank this morning found a very bright breasted bird standing out in the heather which then flew to a fence post briefly before heading back for shelter from the wind. The bird was an early Whinchat in the same spot as I mainly get them but this one was just over 3 weeks earlier than my recent records. I just got chance of a couple of record shots at distance, hand held, and into the strong wind whilst a pair of Stonechats were in the same area. I hung around part way down the banking but it never re appeared and then Bentleys men turned up doing survey work so I moved on. Bentleys were still there as I arrived late afternoon working in the area so no Whinchat or Stonechat.
Also this morning were 2 Grey Partridge, 2 Redshank,
3 Barnacles, 4 Kestrel, 8 Golden Plover, a distant Buzzard and a very high Merlin heading >W.
BS