Another morning with the long staying west fog bank shrouding Fly Flatts with murky visibility across the water and just enough to check the bushes and trees with a light SW>2 at 10 degrees. The fog remained until 0940 hrs when it eventually started to lift.
I could see from home that there was fog on the top but risked a visit to check for anything brought down overnight, plus ,with two missed mornings up there I was starting to get withdrawal symptoms.
Walking the south bank at 0830 hrs I picked up the distant contact calls of Pink Footed Geese which eventually got louder and came right above me sounding low down heading east but no vision of them in the fog. It sounded like a small skein of around 30 or so.
The next sound I got was much louder with a helicopter very near and frighteningly low, then I could just make out the rotors as it flew below the west bank some 12ft above the ground. As it disappeared towards the north end I waited for the bang but it suddenly went silent. Later when the fog lifted it had landed at the far end of the reservoir by the public footpath. The pilot was stood by the side of it so I knew he was ok.
Despite the fog, it was an interesting morning enough to keep me interested, the highlight being
4 Long Tailed Tits low over the water >S. A site first for me up there, whilst another rarity up there was a Heron appearing out of the fog , also >S.
1 skein Pinks.........>S heard only in fog
4 LT Tits...............>S
sev Mipits............>S also blogging and ground hopping.
4 Herring.............>SE
4 LBB on water
6 Stonechat
2 Reed Bunting
1 Goldfinch
1 Heron.............>S
1 Pied Wagtail
BS