With only one bite of the cherry due to lock down I have to decide between morning or afternoon but as the last two mornings were foggy it was,nt a problem . Today I was going to wait till the afternoon when rain was forecast which livens the waders up but a last minute decision got me up there in the morning hoping to catch the gulls before they left, usually by mid morning.
The weather was partly cloudy and clear with a moderate S>5 which kept all the waders at distance across on the island in the shelter of the winds.
A good move gull wise with 147 out on the peninsular , these being around 90% Herrings all scanned through with hopes of something special although with the distance and wind blowing scoping was very difficult.
Scanning the mud I came across a pair of very agitated Lapwing with 4 chicks out in the open not 50 yards from the gulls, not the best place for them to be.
The pair of Blackbirds that were in the boatyard whilst the Ring Ouzels were present are both busy collecting food to take back to their young whilst a single Wheatear was very flighty near the ponds.
No Goldies in the Nolstar field but they dont seem to arrive in the field until after midday.
It looked good for Swift today ahead of the weather front but will have to wait for an early May bird now. On previous years I,ve usually had one on 30/4 or 1/5.
Fly Flatts
Lapwing with 4 chicks
147 big gulls, 90% Herring
1 Redshank
1 Common Sandpiper
2 Oystercatcher
2 Ringed Plover
5 Dunlin
1 Wheatear
1 pr Blackbirds feeding young
+ usual sp.
Stay safe.
BS