A dead calm morning at Fly Flatts with hazy sunshine at 2 degrees but bright and clear to the north.
Two hours and a walk the full length of the west bank produced 5 Red Grouse,
1 BH gull, and 2 Greylag over >S and that was it. Fly Flatts has rarely excelled in December and January but this year it has completely lost the plot.
Mid afternoon and a check of Ogden, before the weekend exodus of public, to see if the Iceland gull had returned pre roost but no joy today.
A good count of around 150 small gulls plus 4 ad Herring, 3 1st winter Herring and a single ad LBB whilst several Herring were passing overhead very high up in the blue sky.
A check on the west bank Alders produced a flock of 15 Redpoll quickly flushed by a male Sparrowhawk. The Sparrowhawk landed a bit further on the track right in the sun ready for a cracking photo shoot but as I lifted the camera the inevitable happened and someone walked from the opposite direction and flushed it, a common story for Ogden.
Back on the promenade birders were congregating, all to be disappointed, with
Ogden birders Mr and Mrs SE Drake, DJS and Jen along with JL.
Another hope on the gull scene with an adult Med gull seen at Thornton this morning, not a common species this year. Thanks to MP for that report.
BS
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