A terrible start to the morning with fog banks rolling through with very heavy drizzle on a W>3 at 14 degrees.
By 0900 hrs the fog had cleared over the water with mist over the moor and the rain easing.
Swallows immediately started piling through very low skimming the top fields whilst a low count of Linnet, Gulls and Snipe were on the move.
A very wet walk the length of the west bank produced a single Common Sandpiper briefly before it headed across to the east bank, showing again later in the watch on the east bank cobbles but well to the north end. Several Common Sands are moving through at the moment.
Just 3 Willow Warblers in the compound tree today and no sign of Wheatears until the next wave comes through.
As I was locking up at the boatyard a text from DJS of a Cream Crown Marsh Harrier heading from Slaughter Gap towards Cold Edge Dams so a quick dash to the Withins Head watch-point which gives a view over the dams and way out across the moor.
After a few minutes scanning I located the bird very low over the moor just to the north of Haigh Cote Dam but it then disappeared behind a ridge. After a few minutes it reappeared passing Slade just beyond the Flat Moor but by the time I got the camera onto the area it disappeared into the mist heading >NW not to be seen again.
Thats the second Marshy this year at Fly Flatts on very near the same flight path. The last one was 29/4/2023 and last year one passed on the2/9/2022. DJS also got an Osprey over Slaughter Gap after I had left. Thanks for the shout Dave.
Vis Mig
1 Common Sandpiper
3 Willow Warblers
2 Snipe...........................>W
12 BH Gull....................>SE
4 Common Gull............>SE
5 LBB gull....................>NE
117 Swallow.................>SW
8 Linnet........................>W
1 CC Marsh Harrier.....>NW
Sev Mipits blogging.
All vis Mig reports are entered on Trektellen, see link.
BS