Mega distance shots and heat shudder. Buzzard, lower,
Cream Crown Marsh Harrier, top
A decent morning weather wise at Fly Flatts with full cloud cover on a NE>3 at 12 degrees.
By late afternoon the weather had taken a turn for the worse , in reservoir terms, with blue skies and sunshine at 19 degrees.
The morning was, once again, very lively throughout with waders everywhere all frantically feeding around the shore and in the lagoon area. Dunlins were back on the scene with one bird landing and walking around on the boatyard launching slipway among the boats that were being rigged ready for sailing. The bird was obviously from a well populated area with no fear of people.
Only 4 LBB gull today and 1 Herring, all >NE whilst a Snipe was up drumming.
Back at the car on the north shore for a last 30 minutes sky watching I was scoping a Buzzard well over Tattie Pie Hill when it started mobbing , what I thought was a second Buzzard, but as they came out of the low clouds the second bird was a Cream Crown Marsh Harrier heading high and >N.
The two birds were then mobbed by a pair of Merlin, which are residents of Fly Flatts, making the Buzzard turn back >SW and the Harrier continue >N.
With the weather no good for Fly Flatts late afternoon it was a question of where to go but as as we were driving past Crow Point from a trip to Halifax we got the sweet aroma of muck spreading coming from Ringby Top. They say ' where thas muck thas brass' but also
' where thas muck thas gulls' so problem solved as I headed for Ringby Top.
When I arrived on the top of Ringby I soon found the smell but no gulls in the two large fields that were well covered in sweet smelling pig muck. Walking further on the track found a good supply of gulls on the roof tops of the stinky wagon yard.
These were 90% Lesser Black Backed and nearly all adults with just 6 Herring, one of which was a Yellow Legged, showing well through the scope,but as I got the camera ready the crack of an air rifle sent all the birds skywards. The shooting was coming from the quarry but at what, I don,t know.
After this most of the gulls headed >E towards Eccup with just a few LBBs staying behind. The gulls should start using the fields now though it is too early for any specials other than Yellow Legged but a place of good potential for the winter.
Thanks to Keighley birder A.O. for confirming yesterdays Fly Flatts mammal as a Brown Rat.
Fly Flatts
2 Ringed Plover
4 Common Sandpiper
3 Dunlin
2 Redshank
1 Oyk
1 Buzzard
1 cc Marsh Harrier
1 pr Merlin
1 Snipe
4 LBB gull
1 Herring gull
+ usual sp.
Ringby Top
c 180 LBB gull
5 Herring gull
1 YL Herring gull
BS