Early doors this morning at Fly Flatts turned out to be just a dog walk with the fog that I was expecting to clear getting thicker so that it was difficult to even see the SE corner ponds. I think Fly Flatts and Queensbury must have been the only areas with fog lasting throughout the day till late afternoon when a moderate ENE>4 managed to move it though the tops of the wind turbines remained in the cloud.
Once again the east shoreline was quiet other than the usual Common Sandpipers and Redshank along with 48 big gulls, mainly LBBs.
The SE ponds held 5 Dunlin, 1 Ringed Plover, 1 Oystercatcher and several Common Sands with at least 4 chicks dashing about whilst around 50 Swifts were feeding over the water throughout.
When I was satisfied that I had accounted for all the waders I set off to check my 3 main Wheatear hot spots in the area in hopes of finding a breeding pair to go with the juv thats been around the last couple of days. At the first site the juv Wheatear showed briefly but was very mobile flying across onto rocks on the moor.
Scoping the second area there were around 20 Meadow Pipits on the ground and fencing and there on a fence post was a cracking adult male Whinchat, my 3rd this year , this being in the same area as the 1st bird. It was well out of range for Bertha to get a shot and as I started to walk a bit nearer it dropped into a heather filled gully not to be re located.
The 3rd area is where I,d been watching a pair of Stonechat on and off since April and my suspicions were proved when a juv Stonechat appeared on the nearby fencing.
Driving back up the track 2 Red Legged Partridge ran up in front of the car for some distance. So after a bad start this morning it all turned out well this afternoon although still no
Common Scoter on the water.
BS