A much better day at Fly Flatts after heavy overnight rain leaving the area fresher with a cool NW>3
and full cloud cover at 12 degrees. The afternoon was part cloudy with some sun but still the NW>3 keeping the temp at 14 degrees.
Only 1 male Tufted remaining from yesterdays invasion with a few LBB gulls and 3 Herring patrolling the area.
With much more muddy shore showing now waders are easier to find with the usual crew plus 4 Dunlin which have obviously come from a populated area as, unlike the last wave, they seemed to ignore my presence. I laid down by the shoreline near to where the Dunlins were working their way along the waters edge and they carried on feeding as they passed me within 6 feet.
Its a good job the YW man had gone or he would have been ringing for the air ambulance if he saw me face down. Laying on the banking letting the birds come to you is ideal until you try to get up again!
The Ringed Plovers were less protective today, although I kept at safe distance, with mainly just the female present and as soon as she saw me she would give one sharp call for the chick to keep its head down. They are acting now exactly to the text book where the male stays away for most of the time at a nearby feeding area whilst the female keeps herself some distance from the chick.
There is no known bond between chicks and adults and the female usually leaves the breeding area first followed days later by the individual fledged young. Sometimes the female will leave even before the young are fledged.
The pair that bred here last year, possibly the same pair, split up once the young were fledged with the female and 1 chick leaving first followed by the second young 2 weeks later then the male last a week after that.
Ref from.. Birds of Europe the Middle East and North Africa. Cramp and Simmons,
Volume 3 Waders to Gulls.
Fly Flatts
2 Ringed Plover
3 Redshank
4 Dunlin
7 Common Sandpiper
8 LBB gull
3 Herring gull
1 Black Headed gull
1 m Tufted
+ usual sp.
BS