A terrible morning at Fly Flatts with a very low cloud base and mist coming across the moor bringing heavy drizzle throughout on a W>5. Late afternoon was much better with full cloud cover and some light drizzle showers on a W>4.
The chick situation at the moment is up in the air with no Lapwing or Oystercatcher chicks showing on the very wet and soft mud although both species of adults are present on the mud and very protective, seeing off any gulls etc, so they obviously still have their chicks but keeping low out of the weather. Plenty of time scoping the area failed to produce the young so see what happens tomorrow.
Down below the west bank the Bentley workers found 2 very young Lapwing chicks in the open and exposed to the elements even though the adults were nearby. The chicks were wet through and looked in poor shape so the workers moved them to a nearby dry and sheltered area whilst the adults watched on. Hopefully they will survive the 3 days of very wet and windy weather.
The pair of Ringed Plover and 2 juvs, now at 30 days old, were all showing with the juvs now much more independent and feeding along the shoreline.
The only new arrivals today were 4m and 3f Tufted duck which stayed throughout the day. All the drakes were going into eclipse. No Yellow Legged Herring gull today with a poor turn of just 42 gulls, all being LBBs.
Fly Flatts
7 Tufted duck
2 Oyks
1 pr Ringed Plover + 2 juv at 31 days old
6 Common Sandpiper
3 Dunlin
2 Redshank
45 LBB gull
+ usual sp.
BS