Not my favourite conditions with more blue sky and sunshine but yet again the moderate W>4 saved the day.
The last of the Curlews has now left the area and it was strange today to see a male Peregrine skim low over the Flat Moor with no resistance whereas a couple of weeks earlier Curlews, Lapwings and Redshanks would have been up mobbing it but now they are all gone.
Keeping up the run, my newcomer today was yet another Little Ringed Plover which arrived mid morning from the SE and again being moved around by the long staying Ringed Plover whilst the 2nd Ringed Plover stuck to the north bank.
At least now ,with less waders to watch and count I could spend more time general birding and sky watching with a good raptor day and a nice finale of 6 Ravens over, mostly juvs, whilst only 37 gulls were on the east bank with 33 LBBs, 2 Herring and unusually, 2 Common, although Black Headeds are moving through daily now.
The beauty of wader watching is it has got me back into using the scope which I rarely use throughout the year and I have been finding it very difficult going from bins to scope relocating the bird, especially in flight. This has improved with use but nothing near the standards of HC,( Compo,)
who uses his scope constantly and can pick out a Meadow Pipit at 2 miles away and track it half way to the east coast. Howards so quick on the draw picking up a flying bird hes like the Clint Eastwood of birding. The problem now is its made me realize I need a new scope as this of mine, which I ve had for many years, looks like its been in active service mine detecting with self tappers and cable ties holding it together.
1 SEO
6 Raven
1 Peregrine
3 Kestrel
1 Buzzard
2 Ringed Plover
1 Little Ringed Plover
2 Common gull
33 LBB gull
2 Herring gull
Alive with Swifts a.m.
BS