Heavy going today but good conditions despite the strong wind.
A nice 100% light grey cloud cover this morning with a howling near gale SW force 7 blowing at 30.9 m.p.h. and gusting up to 34 m.p.h. whilst this afternoon conditions had deteriorated slightly with only 40 % cloud cover with blue skies and sunshine and the wind decreased to SW>6 at 28 m.p.h.
With the wind too dangerous to get near the west or east bank I had to settle for a walk on the south banking and the rest of the time was scoping from the boatyard behind a carefully placed car and even then the wind took my scope over twice which I managed to catch on the way down. I have a very heavy Manfrotto 055 tripod which I got years ago to withstand the gales on Windy Corner, TMR during vig mig but even that couldnt withstand the fury of Fly Flatts. Holding the scope today was like trying to hold a machine gun, not that I,ve ever held a machine gun.
After all that dribble, back to birds. This morning was a passerine moving morning as I stood by the lagoon where 3 or maybe 4 Willow Warblers and 3 Reed Buntings suddenly dropped into the 2 small trees there but kept well hidden in the leaves until YW came to check the water and they all took off >SE.
Willow Warbler is a very scarce bird for this site and is only ever seen during dispersion or autumn migration time with usually 1 or sometimes 2 sightings a year.
Many years ago HC and myself were on the west bank in the autumn when a Willow Warbler suddenly flew in and landed on Howards tripod. As Howard and me stood there still and gobsmacked it stayed about a minute then continued on its way.
Along with the above passerines 2 juv Wheatear worked their way along the south shores rocky banking.
Back in the compound I was disappointed to scope the juv Peregrine on the east bank although nearby I picked up a Ringed Plover keeping its head down in a gully not far away from the peregrine. Luckily the Pere soon left without causing any damage.
The late afternoon watch was much quieter but pleasing to find more wader movement on the east bank with a single Redshank, which could possibly have been one of yesterdays birds undetected this morning as well as a Common Sandpiper which was new in today.
Before I left, 2 Curlew went over very high and west seeming unaffected by the winds.
So despite the winds a decent day with bird movement seeming to be daily now and still plenty Swifts around. Tomorrows the forecast I,m not looking forward to with wall to wall sunshine on a very light south breeze, YUK !!!!
BS