A double visit today to Fly Flatts with a cold start to the morning due to the SW>3 but temperature up at 9 degrees with full cloud. By mid afternoon the wind had got up to W>5 before rapidly dropping down to 3 with rain late afternoon.
A good start to the morning with a SEO over the moor hovering in the wind, this being my first sighting this year at Fly Flatts though I,ve had one previously from TMR over the Nab.
Waders were amazing with wall to wall Dunlin everywhere you looked with a possible under count of 14 along with at least 8 Common Sandpiper. The usual Redshanks and Ringed Plovers were present along with a single Wheatear and several Swallows.
I put on my blog last night that I was expecting a Sanderling in the next couple of weeks and on my afternoon visit I picked one out as I was scoping through the Dunlins. A cracking adult breeding bird
but very flighty due to windsurfers making the most of the moderate westerly.
There is a good amount of mud at the north end now which will hopefully pick up Ruff, Green Sandpiper,Turnstone, Grey Plover and Greenshank as it has done in previous years.
BS