Grizzly morning but nice surprise. Fly Flatts.

                                    As good as it got.

                                    Good gull weather, LBB

                                Wren

                                several Reed Buntings

A real horror morning up on the tops with constant waves of heavy horizontal drizzle piling through from the west on a moderate W>5 at 11 degrees along with a low cloud base.

        Ideal reservoir conditions for gulls with Black Headeds moving through >SW and LBBs heading >NE. Conditions were good for Terns and at 0945 hrs 6 Tern sp. came in from the north into the NW corner very briefly over the corner of the water before immediately lifting up and disappeared into the cloud not to be seen again. No chance to get the scope on them so will have to go down as ' Commics'.

       Just the usual 3 Oystercatchers on the slipway with several Mipits, Reed Buntings and a Wren in the compound bushes. A new wave of Wheatear was apparent as I walked the south bank with mainly adults in autumn plumage but all very mobile in the wet and windy conditions.

     The single pale phase Buzzard was up hovering over the moor in the blasting drizzle, this discounts the theory that raptors don,t like getting their feathers wet!

     July has been a terrible month weather-wise at Fly Flatts but I can,t moan about the lack of birds, although I will, with quite a few decent species turning up and several waders breeding successfully, the highlights being:-

Dunlin........1 young raised

Ringed Plover..... best count 5 plus 2 fledged young raised.

Little Ringed Plover

Sanderling

Common Sandpiper......several young raised

Redshank..........several young raised

Oystercatcher........1 young raised

Common Tern x 1

Commic Tern x 6

Common Scoter

Short Eared Owl

Wheatear...... best count 20

Record number of Swifts and Sand Martin.

Stonechat

+ all the usual sp.

BS

        

 

Bright and breezy, Fly Flatts.

 

                                    Around 5 Wheatear present

                                    All juvs

                                Dark sky and rough water

                                pale rainbow.

                                white horses on the water

                                    Last of the shore

                                    Heavy swell

A wild and wet morning at Fly Flatts with a strong W>5 bringing frequent  heavy showers and short periods of sunshine at 12 degrees. Some very dark clouds moving over but clear visibility.

         Lesser Black Backed gulls were the bird of the morning with a steady flow >SW throughout the watch whilst a single Buzzard and Kestrel were over the moor. 

         Just 5 Wheatear, all juvs, were along the south shore but otherwise very quiet in the strong wind and no waders to be found. Unless we get a long dry period over the next couple of weeks its going to be a disasterous autumn migration period ,wader wise.

BS 

War n' wurkin ! Fly Flatts

                                  Buzzard over the moor

                                    juv Wheatear

 A pleasing morning weather-wise with a moderate SW>3-4 with near full cloud and odd glimpses of the sun at 12 degrees.

          Once again, very hard work finding anything although I don,t have the problem of scanning all the shore whilst its all underwater. This time last year I had Greenshank, Sanderling, Dunlin, Common Sandpiper and the first returning Redshank so a big disappointment this year so far.

         The pale phase Buzzard was out over the moor with a near complete white underbody whilst 2 Kestrels were overhead. Just the usual 3 Oystercatchers on the cobbled bank and 3 juv Wheatear an that was it other than the usual Geese, Mipits etc. Strangely, not a Swift for days now.

BS

      

A reet poor do, Fly Flatts.

 

                                    Peregrine heading over.

                                    Down to 3 Wheatear

                                    Catching insects

                                ad Pied Wagtail

                                Low cloud over the turbines

                                    Mist over the moor

                                Peninsular now under water.

                                No shore beyond the slipway.

A very damp and dismal morning with a low cloud base and full dark cloud with drizzle on a SW>2 inc 3 at 10 degrees.

      With no shore or peninsular left now and the lagoon and reservoir full to the brim only 2 Common Sandpipers could be found having to make do with the cobbled bank although, in the past, I,ve had Knot, Spotted Redshank, Turnstone, Greenshank and Black Tailed Godwit as well as the usual waders, all on the cobbles rather than the shore.

      Just 3 Wheatear remaining until the next wave arrives,along with adult and juv Pied Wagtails plus Reed Bunting and tons of Mipits making the best of a fly invasion.

    A Peregrine flew over the water and was mobbed as it passed the Nab by Crows and a single Raven.

A quiet and eventless morning.

BS

Fly Flatts, plenty water, very few birds.

                                Mist heading across the moor.

                                    just 5 Wheatear found today

                                    Single male Ringed Plover appeared.

                                    ad Oystercatcher with juv.

 A very misty, drizzly morning with low cloud base and mist patches rolling through on a warm W>3 at 12 degrees.

               A relatively quiet morning with the low cloud stopping any sky-watching and nothing on the water other than the usual Canadas and Greylags.

An adult male Ringed Plover was on the cobbles and then the last bit of remaining shore but I don,t know if this bird was new in or one of the originals.

      The family of 3 Oystercatchers were back on the slipway along with another adult bird whilst just 5 Wheatear were found along with 4 juv Pied Wagtail.

       A noisy Raven was over the quarry and the Willow Warbler was still in the lagoon tree.

BS.

Fly Flatts.

                                    Male Wheatear

                                Willow Warbler

                                Common Sandpiper in lagoon

                                Passage bird

                                    South bank watch-point

A clear, bright morning at Fly Flatts with some cloud and sunshine on a SW>3 at 12 degrees.

           A clear out of waders at the moment with only a single Common Sandpiper found and no sign of any Ringed Plovers. Wheatears kept the show going well into a double figure count again along with clouds of Meadow Pipits, whilst a Willow Warbler was in the lagoon tree on its way >S.

     Near empty skies again with just a distant Peregrine over as well as a LBB gull with the Swifts once again absent making me wonder if  some have already moved on.

BS  
 

And the water keeps on rising, Fly Flatts.

 

                                    1 of 6 juv Pied Wagtail.

                                Down to 3 Common Sandpiper

                                Plenty Wheatear

                                Sev near to autumn plumage now.

                                Just a single Ringed Plover found.

A lovely morning to be walking the tops with clear blue skies and sunshine on a W>3 turning NW>4 and clouding at 11 degrees.

               The water running into the reservoir is now easing so hopefully the level will now have peaked with the peninsular under water and all but a few small areas of shore gone. Luckily the level has,nt reached the overflow so that means the valve will have to be left open so all it needs now is a decent spell with no serious rain ready for August, September for the peak of the wader movement.

             Luckily at Fly Flatts there is always cobbled banking and the slipway exposed which holds waders. This morning there were 3 Common Sandpiper and a single Ringed Plover present as well as the Oystercatcher family. On the plus side, wader watching is much easier, now that there is less shore to check.

           Again, no Swifts or Swallows over the water and very little in the sky other than a single Buzzard, 1 Raven, 1 LBB gull and a Kestrel whilst the lagoon tree held a Willow Warbler among the swarms of Meadow Pipits.

           Wheatears were once again everywhere with more adult birds now joining the juvs, mostly in near autumn plumage.

        Please excuse squiggly writing on header pics as with no Picasa now I have no facility to type on the image as I used to do and its no easy task trying to write with a cursor. I,ll have to put on birds with a short name, lets hope I don,t photograph a Grasshopper Warbler !

BS

Wheatear arrival. Fly Flatts.

 

                                    A much clearer Nab today

                                West bank alive with Wheatear

                                Plenty juvs present

                                 Common Sandpiper

                                    1 of 3 Ringed Plover

A dry morning after a full day and night of heavy rain yesterday leaving its mark on the water level with very small sections of shore left and just a small section of the peninsular with water still running in.

The wind was a light ENE>3 with part cloud and sunshine at 11 degrees.

                Waders were mostly confined to the cobbled bank with still 3 Ringed Plover and 1 adult Common Sandpiper with 2 fledged juvs now flying. The family of 3 Oystercatchers were in the compound area before moving to the top fields.

            The south bank held several juv Wheatear whilst a walk on the west bank found at least 20 adults in full autumn plumage but newly arrived so very flighty keeping well ahead of me as I walked on the track.

       The sky was empty with no Swallows or Swifts and nothing in the way of gulls or raptors. The annual breeding pair of Pied Wagtails have excelled themselves this year by rearing two broods of 3 juvs with all six juvs now around the boatyard.

BS