Back to the heat today with a near calm SW>1 increasing slightly late afternoon to W>2.
Only 20% cloud with hot sunshine at 19 degrees.
Luckily, what I call bad weather conditions did,nt bother me today for the birding method I was doing. After walking the west bank to check all the shore for waders, plus checking the water and sky movement I settled down to two sessions of passerine watch. Not my sort of birding in woodland etc but very interesting at Fly Flatts where small passerines only visit this site for a few weeks each year during dispersion. With only 2 small trees on site it is reasonably easy to pick them up.
Willow Warblers were the main contenders, mostly bright yellow juvs, but some adults whilst Wrens, Dunnocks and Robins were present.
A good hint from MC to check the bracken for moving parties of passerines which produced 4 Reed Bunting and a single Whitethroat below the west bank. A few year back I got a count
of 25 Reed Buntings moving through in the same area.
A late afternoon visit re located yesterdays Black Redstart but very mobile and very elusive moving between the waters edge, the compound tree and the walls below the top road. I saw it
3 times for about half a minute a time in 1 hours watching.
Swifts were overhead during the morning all >S in head down, migration mode.
Good to meet Dave and Jen Sut up on the tops doing the rounds.
Fly Flatts
9 Willow Warbler
1 Whitethroat
4 Reed Bunting
3 Wren
4 Dunnock
3 Robin
1 Black Redstart
Umpteen Mipits
2 BH gull
38 Swift.....................>S
10 Swallows .............>S
BS