A much livelier late afternoon watch with 100 % cloud cover and a light W>3.
The Dunlins that were missing this morning were on the south shore with a count of 8 along with 9 Common Sandpipers and 3 Redshank. Snipe were up drumming with 2 in the air and a third bird chipping from a distant wall.
A real battle going on by the north bank where Greylag, Canada and Mallards all have young on the banking with 11 Herring gull, 8 LBBs and 2 BH gulls reeling overhead. A pair of Wheatear were by the top gate with 2 Golden Plover in the field nearby but none in the Nolstar field where hopefully we,ll get another visit from Dotterel which appeared 1st /2nd May 2017.
Fly Flatts is getting very difficult to bird now, the same as this time last year, with the water quickly draining the shoreline is getting further away with deep channels and rocky ledges so most of the work is scoping trying to find the birds in amongst the rocks and gulleys.
A problem of this is whilst I,m head down in the scope I could be missing things overhead so I have to try divide it up with part sky and part shore watching. Also the expanse of mud showing along the north east bank is such a bit area and takes some scanning. Its a matter of watching and waiting now to see what drops in.
BS