A dry but very dark morning with black clouds putting everything into silhouette but clear visibility on a SW>3. The afternoons watch started off dry and cloudy with a slightly increased SW>4 then out of nowhere came the heaviest shower ever with some of the heaviest rain I,ve seen for a long time. After the first shower the rain continued with light rain followed by more heavy showers.
I was lucky as I,d already done the west bank and was scoping from the boatyard so as I saw it coming it was a short dash to the shelter of the tailgate.
Not so lucky was MH and wife who were scoping the gulls from near the NW corner copping for the lot with no shelter and a 15 minute walk to their car.
Gulls were piling in during the worst of the rain with over 300 present stretching all along the east bank. Also Swifts were coming over in the rain skimming the water as they headed >N.
Whilst sheltering behind the car a Redshank started creating havoc over the Flat Moor when a Lesser Black Backed gull was swooping down at the heather where the Redshanks were nesting. As I got the camera ready to take the gull being mobbed I saw it drop something from its bill so a quick few snaps found it to be a Redshank egg which amazingly it had snatched from the Redshanks nest in the heather. With the gull getting mobbed it dropped the egg so the Redshank and the gull both lost out for nothing.
A strange scene with the waders today after scoping this morning and afternoon all around the shorelines from the west and east bank only Redshank and Common Sandpiper were found with no sign of Dunlin or the long staying Ringed Plover.
Just after I had left home this afternoon Lynda rang to tell me a Spitfire had just flown low over the house heading >N so when I got up Cold Edge Road I stopped and looked towards Yeadon to see if it had headed there for re fuelling. No Spitfire but a Lancaster bomber over Soil Hill heading >S, obviously heading back after an air show or fly past somewhere.
All in all, a quiet but interesting day and a day nearer to the July waders.
BS