along the banking top in this photo if you click to enlarge. Well spotted Jeremy.
2 Pintails arrived with them with another 15 >NE
2 Pintail, 1 Wigeon
All taken at distance
2 Pintail
More geese over, all >W
p.m. wildfowl still present but way over in the NE corner
as well as the 2 Pintail and a single Teal.
Another perfect morning at Fly Flatts with full light grey cloud cover making a good background for the birds. A very light S>2 turning SW>3 by mid afternoon and the temp rising from 12 to 19 degrees through the day.
A quiet start until 0900 hrs when the first skein of Pinks came over west to east and well to the north of me. A second skein came over to my south followed by a third skein and the fourth and final skein came overhead but high up in the cloud.
Woodpigs, Redwing and Mipits were moving >S and >SW over the moor but counting stopped when a welcome disturbance arrived in the form of 58 Wigeon which I thought were another skein of geese in the distance, then possibly Scoters, until they got within range. They kept circling the water with me praying for them to land then finally they dropped down in the SW corner.
A scan through them for strangers soon revealed 2 Pintail plus as I was checking through the group another 15 Pintail nearly escaped me flying fast and high over the water disappearing over the Nab >NE. Near the end of the watch 10 Wigeon left >NE leaving 48 on the water along with the 2 Pintail and a single Teal.
The group was still present mid afternoon across in the NE bay and several feeding on the grass bank. By 1500 hrs the birds were getting restless and lifted off the water, flying a circuit ,but then dropping back down onto the water where they remained as I left.
Two cracking days and a similar forecast for tomorrow where anything can turn up on local reservoirs if the conditions are right.
Fly Flatts
379 Pink Footed Geese.................>E 4 skeins, 92,135,152 + 1 heard only
41 Redwing..................................>SW
136 Woodpig...............................>SW
51 Mipits.....................................>S
15 Pintail.....................................>NE
2 Pintail on water
48 Wigeon on water
10 Wigeon.................................>NE after being on water
1 Teal
8 BH gull
2 LBB gull
5 Stonechat
3 Reed Bunting
1 Peregrine...............after Wigeon
+ usual sp
BS