A terrible drive to Fly Flatts early morning with sheet ice on the top roads and all the puddles frozen over. A beautiful morning on arrival with well broken cloud and sunny blue clear skies on a light W>3 at 1 degree. The sky looked ideal for geese and swans on the move though this never happened.
The birds up there have obviously been placed in Tier 4 and are all on lock down with yet another visit to this venue on a record breaking low.
Two hours up there produced 2 Raven, 1 Kestrel and 2 Red Grouse although it was a lovely walking morning despite there being no birds. I,m sure Fly Flatts will come back to life but its looking like we will be heading towards the spring before that happens.
By late afternoon all signs of the sun had gone and Ringby Top was dull with mist to the west and haze to the east.
The visit started off well with 7 Herring gull which flew from the north gull field disappearing over the western slope. Several Common and Black Headed gulls were in the same field and as I was checking those out a small Bunting species flew from the field, high over the track and dropped down in the large north sloping sheep field.
I only got it briefly in silhouette as it flew showing a deep cleft tail making me think of Twite, which I have had singles of before up there in previous years, but a good scan of the sheep field failed to re locate it so it will have to go down as a 'cuv av bin'.
After that it was all downhill with a single Robin, Dunnock and 3 Meadow Pipits. Roll on springtime.
Fly Flatts
2 Red Grouse
1 Kestrel
2 Raven
Ringby Top
7 Herring
3 Mipit
1 Dunnock
1 Robin
+ usual sp.
BS