What a day today has been, just what was needed to bring back the enthusiasm.
A morning visit to Fly Flatts was thwarted with thick fog on the tops so back to Leeshaw with a bright start on a W>3 at 4 degrees but soon clouding with snow and sleet showers.
Everything was looking the same until an exceptionally heavy hail shower brought the sound of Curlews with 43 dropping out of the sky into a distant field moving on again >W when the shower had passed. A real spring feeling up there today with the air filled with the calls of Lapwing, Curlew , Oystercatcher and Golden Plover. The Lapwings are now nesting.
Next surprise was a text from my Ogden lookout girl Carolyn who dog walks there daily so keeps me well informed. She reported 20+ Whooper Swans on the water there with most of them leaving shortly afterwards leaving 3 behind. With nothing much doing I finished my dog walking then an early up stumps and head for Ogden on the way home.
The 3 swans were on the water near to the north end and slightly nearer the west bank but with little time left now I headed down the east bank to get in line with the birds but this unfortunately put them well out of the sun line and into the dark shadow of the water and background. A few record shots and a wave across the water at Carolyn et al then head for home.
Many thanks to Carolyn for her quick text and following updates on the swans, keep em coming Carolyn.
Apologies if anyone didnt get the first text but the signal was very hit and miss at Leeshaw but the message got to all in the end.
Midday and a phone call from DJS who had been scanning Fly Flatts from the top road and had spotted a small wader down on the mud which flew and was lost so unidentified.
I like a challenge, so late afternoon and off to Fly Flatts in poor conditions for wader spotting with either very heavy snow and hail showers or low sunshine lighting up the wet mud like glass. Dressed like the Michelin man with that many clothes on so I could hardly walk and carrying the tripod, scope, camera and bins I trudged along the east bank cobbles.
Half way on a blinding blizzard appeared which put up a group of Lapwings a bit further along the shore and amazingly a small white looking wader flew with them which looked like a Sanderling. Luckily, the Lapwings flew on over the water whilst the wader landed on the shore just long enough to get the bins on it, Ringed Plover, before it was off again and lost in the snow.
My previous earliest ever Ringed Plover at Fly Flatts was way back in 2016 on the 20th March. Since then all arrivals have been well into April.
I continued on to the NE corner and once the shower had passed I spent 15 minutes scanning until I finally re located it on one of the islands but very distant and in the sun.
After a few record shots I started to wander back when it flew to the waters edge not too far from me so a squat down and managed some better shots. Good job the Bentley men didnt see me laid on the cobbles or they would have rung the air ambulance.
An Oystercatcher and 2 Curlew were also present on the island. A great end to a great days birding.
Leeshaw
43 Curlew landed then off >W
+ usual sp.
Ogden
3 Whoopers. Over 20 were present early morn leaving NE to follow the Aire Valley.
Fly Flatts
1 ad Ringed Plover
2 Curlew
1 Oystercatcher
21 Lapwing
34 Canada
18 Mallard
BS