Early morn at Fly Flatts and the temperature already up at 19 degrees with hazy sunshine and mist hanging low to the west and east. The saving grace was a cooling E>2 making it more bearable.
Needless to say, the conditions killed the birding flat with nothing visibly on the move other than a few Mipits in no specific direction, plus 2 Buzzard very high and >S.
A clear out of migrants just left 2 Wheatear along with a few blogging Mipits but otherwise just a single Kestrel and the usual Canada geese.
With much more shore now exposed along with part of the peninsular, the latter being good for Dunlin and Sanderling, its a matter now of checking and hoping something arrives once we get some cloud back.
Withens Head held around 30 Linnet plus several Mipits and Swallows whilst Balkram Edge had 12 BH gull plus several Jackdaws.
Then, just when you think its all over, late afternoon out gardening, when I looked up to see a Red Kite coming in my direction from Bradshaw. A dash into the house and upstairs to grab the camera, you would,nt think you could get up 13 stairs in 2 strides and back down in one.
Out in the garden and the bird was soaring just to the south of me so a few shots then through the house into the front garden in time for a few more as it drifted down towards the village to the east, probably heading for Harewood.
The photos turned out a disappointment with the sun being low shadowing the bird but a nice and unusual sight from the garden. Lyndas birthday today so told her it was a fly-over for her.
BS.