Terrible conditions this morning at Fly Flatts with temperature already up to 14 degrees at 0730 hrs with a light SE>2 which soon dropped to SE>1 letting the temperature rise in the full sun and clear skies.
Despite the conditions the area was buzzing with waders though no new species as yet. The pair of Oystercatchers let me get a better view of their chick from a good distance before moving it on to a rocky part of the shore.
The newly fledged Ringed Plovers were now flying the width of the reservoir and feeding on the north shore whilst the parent birds left them to it whilst they were on the south shore plus 2 more males. The original pair will now go for a second brood if they follow the same pattern as last year.
More Dunlin, Common Sandpiper and Redshank were around the shore though a walk on the west bank had to be quickly aborted with swarms of flies surrounding me so a quick dash back to the south end before I got eaten alive.
With disturbance from the compound due to sailing day plus some machinery working there most of the geese were out on the water so a quick sum up found record numbers of Greylag and Canada plus an amazing season for breeding Mallard which in previous years all the ducklings have been taken.
Several Canada geese were on the move with 5 skeins coming over from the >S and heading off high >NE. All the birds looked like adults so probably none breeders.
2 Oystercatchers + 1 chick
1pr Ringed Plover +2 fledged juvs
2 ad male Ringed Plover
8 Dunlin,
7 Common Sandpiper
5 Redshank
1 Snipe
3 ad LBB gull
5 pr Greylag + 25 gosling
Minimum of 450 Canadas inc goslings
6 pr Mallard + 34 ducklings, all well grown and some fledged.
c 130 Canada Geese high >NE.
+ usual sp.
BS