Another Yellow Legged Herring and too much heat, Fly Flatts, (no public access)

   Common Sandpiper, the only wader present.

                 LBB gulls moving >SE

      Breeding proved at Fly Flatts, juv Whinchat.

            Yellow Legged Herring gull, centre.

Best I could get in the heat distortion.

With only 3 weeks left before the original blogs are shut down I thought I,d better get organized with the new system. It seems to have gone ok so far but still a few alterations to make. I hate change.

The weather dominated from early morn with full blue skies on a light SE>3 and already at 20 degrees.

                                                          Just a single Common Sandpiper was the only wader present along with 4 juv Wheatear in the pond area whilst Swifts were moving >SE along with LBB gulls.

                                                         A check on the Whinchat area found a juvenile still being partially fed by the female which was a good record for Fly Flatts. The usual Peregrine did a fly over, briefly landing on the north shore, but left without causing any damage.

                                                           Late afternoon and the temperature up at 26 degrees with a mass of heat shimmer around the shoreline though a moderate SE>5 made it feel a bit more pleasant.

                                                          18 LBBs were on the north shore with 1 adult  Yellow Legged Herring gull but at distant and distorted with heat shimmer, probably the same bird as previous.

Visible Migration

41 LBB gull..................>SE

230 Swifts....................>SE

1 YL Herring gull .......blogging

1 juv  1 f Whinchat......blogging

4 juv Wheatear............blogging

1 Common Sandpiper...blogging

Present

1 Peregrine

18 LBB

+ usual sp.

BS

Ogden a.m./ Fly Flatts p.m. (no public access)

                                 Ogden, 1 of 3 Cormorant

                                        Ogden LBB gull

 Ogden sev juv Black Headed gulls present

                Fly Flatts 1 of 5 juv Wheatear

                             very distant Whinchat

   Even more distant Yellow Legged Herring gull

               out of range in the NW corner with heat distortion.

With Ollie to drop off at the vets this morning for a dental and pick him up this evening, plus getting over the shock of the bill I was left with little free time today .
                                             Just half an hour to walk the prom at Ogden this morning which produced 2 adult Great Crested Grebes in summer plumage, 1 Gt Spotted Wdpecker, plus the usual Cormorants and gulls with several juv Black Headeds present.
                                              Fly Flatts late afternoon was clear with a light SE>2 and part cloud and sunshine at 16 degrees.
                                     First stop was in the boatyard where I got the Whinchat yesterday and finally relocated it but way up in the top fields near the end of the range and heat haze coming off the stone.
                                   Walking on to the north east corner to check the gulls when the whole lot lifted up as a Peregrine came through with 3 Common Sandpipers in its sights. Two escaped over the water whilst the other spiraled vertically till it was out of sight and the Peregrine gave up having a few half hearted attempts at the gulls on the water.
                                   As the gulls settled again, but well over to the NW corner ,16 were LBBs with 2 Herring, one of which was the Yellow Legged seen previously. Last year I had Yellow Legged up here most days in August.

Visible Migration
1 Oystercatcher
3 Common Sandpiper
1 YL Herring gull
1 Stonechat
1 Whinchat
5 juv Wheatear

Present
1 Herring gull
16 LBB gull
1 Peregrine
+ usual sp.
BS

Another prize for Fly Flatts, ( no public access)

     Yellow Legged Herring gull michahellis, left hand bird
 Way over on the north shore in heavy drizzle.
             

                                         1 of 5 Kestrel out on the mud.

                                      1 of 2 juv Reed Bunting.

Sanderling from yesterday, very juddery in the strong wind at 600mm.;

A very drizzly start to the morning but soon clearing leaving a clear but windy day with a W>4 increasing W>5 late afternoon at 8 degrees getting up to 14 degrees.
                                                        Both morning and afternoon watches were busy but not a photographic day with most birds being at distance or dodging the camera. I missed 2 good photographs on the afternoon session, the first being a Buzzard holding on the wind and hovering low over fields between Cold Edge Rd and Cold Edge Dams very near the road. A quick stop and camera out but in the few seconds it took to throw myself out of the car the bird had disappeared completely.
The second one was as I walked through the boat yard an adult female Whinchat landed on the wire fence close by, and again, I looked down at the camera, raised it, and ,like the Buzzard, it was gone never to be seen again.
                                    Juv Wheatears were everywhere with a count of at least 18 on the south and north shore as well as in the ponds and boatyard areas. Several were on the walls below the road which I didnt include in the count.
                                    A Yellow Legged Herring gull was way out on the north shore in heavy drizzle but as soon as the drizzle stopped it disappeared though I never saw it go. Also 3 Common Sandpipers were new in, or at least 2 of them, as one was present yesterday.
                                  Swifts were moving >SW in the morning as well as a few Swallows whilst 2 juv Reed Bunting were around the boatyard.
                                  Yet another good day up there but 3 days of the hot stuff to face now which has a good chance of killing the job although the weather is not too much of a factor as we get into August as birds are starting to get desperate to move on.

Visible Migration
32 Swifts.................>SW
19 Swallow.............>S
18 juv Wheatear.........blogging
1 ad YL Herring gull... blogging
1 f  Whinchat...............blogging
2 Ringed Plover...........blogging
3 Common Sandpiper..blogging

Present
2 juv Reed Bunting
5 Kestrel
21 LBB gull
1 Buzzard
+ usual sp.
BS


                               

If this isn,t worth getting wet for nothing is. Sanderling x 2

           Fly Flatts star prize, 2 ad Sanderling

           Known for no hind toe but not often you get to see it.

A good guide to seeing birds at Fly Flatts is when you park up and think " Do I really want to get out of the car and walk the banking". Thats what I thought this morning with the rain lashing down on a W>5 and black skies at 10 degrees.
                                                    First job, as always ,is a scope around the shoreline from the shelter of the car tailgate and then its decide which way to walk. This morning a second scan found 2 little white jobs way over on the north shore working their way along the tide line. Guessing at Sanderling but could,nt be sure with the heavy rain cutting down visibility there was no choice but to walk the east banking to get a closer look.
                                                    Half way on the banking I set up the scope as the rain eased and confirmed 2 Sanderling but slowly moving further towards the NW corner. On at the end of the east bank I took a few record shots which were out of range but identifiable and then the heavens opened with rain like you,ve never seen before. With no shelter and the car 20 minutes away it was bite the bullet and stick it out.
                                  Eventually it stopped for a short period but by now the birds were near the NW inlet so after wringing the dogs out I headed back to the car picking up the usual 2 Ringed Plovers and a Common Sandpiper on the way.
                                 Another scope from the back of the car found the Sanderlings back on the north shore near the centre.
                             Late afternoon and still showery but longer dry spells in between and a turn of luck finding the 2 Sanderling on the shore beyond the ponds in the SE area where I was able to get some shots from behind the floating jetty at 600mm in better light.
                            Dan B was on the top road and I was able to direct him onto the birds ,though proving you can,t beat young eyes ,he saw them on the waters edge before he,d even stopped the car from that distance away. Well done to DJS who scoped them midday from the top road in horrific conditions.  Keep the bad weather coming !
All quiet otherwise although 10 Osprey could have flown over whilst I was busy with the Sanderling.

Visible Migration
2 ad Sanderling
1m 1 juv Ringed Plover
1 Common Sandpiper
6 juv Wheatear
   All Bloggers.
BS

And how it rained ! Fly Flatts,(no public access)

                                   The juv Wheatears didnt mind the rain.

                                    A grizzly view across the water

                                               Still plenty shoreline

                                        Looking over the ponds to a misty SW.

An horrendous day up at the reservoir with a morning of lashing rain on a moderate S>4 and low cloud. By 0945 hrs the fog had rolled in so up stumps and away home. Late afternoon was clear but with the wind turned SW>5 it brought through banks of heavy horizontal drizzle so again an early finish with the drizzle shutting down visibility. An evening dog walk at Queensbury found it dry and bright but a near gale force W>7.
                                                Not a wader to be found today with an empty shoreline and ponds with just a single female Mallard, 4 juv Wheatear and several Meadow Pipits.
                                                The poor conditions did,nt deter the gulls with LBBs moving through >SE , one of which was an Intermedius showing very dark backed and black enough to be a Baltic but I,m not going there, even though Spurn have been getting Baltic recently.
A single Common gull went over the water >N and half a dozen Swallows >SW.
                                               With more rain forecast for tomorrow the water level will be rising fast but hopefully it will leave me enough shoreline to last until the end of September.

Visible Migration
6 Swallow.................>SW
63 LBB....................>SE, inc 1 Intermedius
1 Common gull >N
4 juv Wheatear............blogging
sev Meadow Pipit.......blogging.

Present
c 140 Canada goose,  numbers dwindling now
2 Barnacle goose
1 f Mallard
BS
1 Pied Wagtail ad m.