and a juvenile Turnstone
Fly Flatts really excelled itself today both morning and afternoon watches.
The weather was not most pleasing with sunshine throughout and only 4 okts cloud cover but visibility was good and a decent W>4 at 11 degrees a.m. rising to 17 degrees p.m.
This mornings watch was dominated by Wheatear with 15 counted around the shoreline and on the Robin Rocks though there was very little sky movement with just Swifts and Swallows heading >S. Once again Mipits were everywhere with over 100 around the ponds but these and the Wheatears had moved on by the afternoon.
A last minute scan around before I left, late morning found a small dark wader way over on the east bank so it was a quick dash through the boatyard where through the scope I could see it was a Green Sandpiper. As I was pin pointing its location to try get a distant record shot a second wader flew threw the scopes vision coming up from a gully just behind the Green Sand heading >E towards the ridge and Soil Hill area but I lost it as I tried to keep the scope on it. Annoyingly as I went back to the Green Sand that also had gone, probably into the same gulley.
Very shortly after this Dan B. sent a report from Soil Hill of a Knot flying east over the hill towards Bradford, was that my mystery bird,? we,ll never know.
Come the afternoon watch things got even better.
As I arrived, earlier than usual, at 1400 hrs, the first thing I saw as I got out of the car was 3 small waders on the south shore waters edge and checking with the bins I got 3 Dunlin, or so I thought.
I felt no great urgency for Dunlin so I got tackled up and got the camera up on sticks ready and strolled along the south bank to get in line with the birds. A closer look through the bins made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up, 2 Dunlin and a cracking juvenile Turnstone, my thirds in less than a week.
After grapevining the bird I got some shots and then went to the NW corner in search of this mornings Green Sandpiper which I soon re located though very elusive at the back of the east shore in the maze of ditches and ponds there.
Walking back towards the south shore a Peregrine stooped low over the south shore making me think the waders would have gone which would have been a disaster as the cavalry was just arriving on the top road.
A search of the area only found the 2 Dunlin but luckily the Turnstone turned up a short distance away so AC, DJS, NCD, and JM were all happy bunnies. Yesterdays Ringed Plover was still by the ponds just as an added bonus.
A great day was had by all.
Vis Mig
4 Swift.......................................>S
27 Swallows..............................>S
Bloggers
Green Sandpiper
Turnstone juv
Wheatear x 15
Ringed Plover
juv Herring
Ad LBB gull x2
c 100 Meadow Pipit
Present
1 Peregrine
2 Red Legged Partridge
BS