7 Ringed Plovers present this morning
4 males
3 females
Several nesting Lapwing
A bright clear and sunny morning at Fly Flatts with some mist hanging in the valleys. Again, temperatures were down to 1 degree with plenty ice around on a cold SW>3.
Much quieter skies this morning, possibly due to the lack of cloud and the wind from the SW but never seen as many planes in the sky at once with a mass of vapour trails in all directions.
More new arrival Ringed Plovers overnight with a count now of 4 males and 3 females which is amazing to say there is very little shore and water is still up to the overflow. The 4 Oystercatchers were also present and 2 Redshank.
Only 2 gulls today with 2 Lesser Black Backed briefly on the water along with the usual Greylags and Canadas as well as a single Barnacle goose.
Red Grouse numbers seem well down again with very few sighting or sounds up to a few year ago when they were everywhere, whilst Lapwings are just the opposite with a good increase of breeding birds this year as well as Curlew.
A single Raven was over the east ridge heavily mobbed by crows, Magpies and Meadow Pipits and 2 Skylark were up singing.
BS