A cracking day weather wise and bird wise at Fly Flatts with practically no breeze at all and cloudy but bright skies. Only setback was swarms of midges.
First bird seen this morning was a single Ringed Plover way out on the far side of the island but no sign of the Ring Ouzel. A call shortly afterwards reporting that HC and DP had located a Ring Ouzel on past the wind farm near the Roman road. This bird then moved back towards Fly Flatts landing at Slade where DJS picked it up yesterday.
After it had moved from there I got it back in the boatyard presuming it was the same bird where it remained throughout the rest of the watch. A single male Wheatear was present nearby and 2 male and 1 female Blackbird.
After a quick tea break and dog snack back at the car I went back for a final look at the Ring Ouzel where I had left it and surprisingly there were 2 males together on the east bank. Luckily they came up to the top of the banking where they were also viewed by DP and
DB before they flew back into the centre of the boat yard.
Late afternoon I stopped off at Slade where a single male Ring Ouzel was on the usual stones with a second male near the top gate of Fly Flatts. As soon as I drove into the compound another 2 males were feeding by the boats which no way could the other 2 have got there so quick and past me so we now have 4 male Ring Ouzels in the area.
The 2 in the boatyard were present all afternoon along with the 3 Blackbirds and 1 Wheatear but no sign of the Ringed Plover.
Tomorrow I,m going to have to leave my Ring Ouzel head at home and get my birding head back on to concentrate on the shoreline and sky for waders and hopefully an early Osprey. Apart from that I,ve got around 300 photos of Ring Ouzel.
Disappointing on the way home to see the annual event of nuggets setting fire to Ogden moor with at least 8 separate fires going all near together and obviously intentionally lit. Three fire engines were steaming through Mixenden on the way up there.
Fly Flatts
4m Ring Ouzel
2m 1f Blackbird
1pr Pied Wagtail
1m Wheatear
3 Stonechat
1 Ringed Plover
+ usual sp.
BS