Female, Male, 1st winter
A clear morning at Fly Flatts with full cloud on a WSW>3 at 3 degrees and good visibility.
Fly Flatts may be quiet for birds but unbeatable on waders and any bird that turns up has a good chance of being something special.
A good show of Ringed Plovers this morning with what I suspect to be the same pair that have bred here for the last 4 year along with last years young. At least 9 Oystercatchers were scattered around the banking and a single Curlew was overhead near the wind farm.
The pair of Pied Wagtails that breed here every year have returned checking out their previous nest site whilst 2 Reed Bunting were in the compound area. Canada geese are now over the hundred mark and 2 Greylags are paired up on the water. Looks like I'll soon be back on my job of sweeping the jetty clean of Canada poo.
A Kestrel was working the west bank, otherwise just the usual species with Meadow Pipits running late this year with still no returners. Just a single Skylark in the Nolstar field which was up singing briefly.
Ironically, all the time I've spent scouring the fields for Golden Plover over the last 8 month one flew over Tesco Queensbury this afternoon as we walked across the car park. It was heading towards the trailer field.
Could be manning the shovels tomorrow here on the tops with a forecast of snow on a cold easterly.
BS