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