An icy cold NE>4 at Fly Flatts this morning at 10 degrees and drizzle throughout.
The quietest morning for a long time with nothing of interest and very few of the resident birds. By 0915 hrs boredom had set in so an early finish.
Back out at 1400 hrs, a man on a mission, with reports of an Osprey hanging around for the last 2 days obviously visiting local waters and roosting locally.
The bird had been spotted twice in the Denholme area by local patch watcher MP so ln the hopes of it staying a third day I headed to Denholme, set my stall up and waited.
Amazingly after 10 minutes I was scanning to the NW at 2 distant Herring gulls along with a third bird which was my target bird. The Osprey was very high and across the far side of the water to me looking south but luckily the sun stayed behind the clouds letting me get some shots reeled off.
After circling over the south of the water it dived down into the water but missed its prey and scattered all the Canada geese which flew across into a nearby field.
It then flew half a circuit and immediately dropped back down into the water completely submerged before lifting off with a fish in its talons flying low over Soil Hill by the mast which I thought it was going to land on to eat its catch.
This was the last time I saw the bird but, just after I left, MP informs me it reappeared , taking another fish which it ate on a tree stump in a nearby field before heading off west.
After 3 days stay I should think it will now be on its way south with a belly full of Yorkshire fish.
Thanks to MP who first found the Osprey and put the word out.
Fly Flatts
5 Mallard, drakes in eclipse
8 Swallow.....>N
1 Raven
3 Stonechat
1 Greylag
BS