A decent morning at Fly Flatts weather wise with good visibility to the west but very low cloud to the east which cleared by 0900 hrs. A light NE>2 at 8 degrees with patches of blue sky and some sunshine.
As the norm this autumn, Fly Flatts was ridiculously quiet for the time of year with nothing at all in the sky other than a few Crows plus a handful of Woodpigs >S.
A group of 9 Black Headed gull were on the water, which is unusual for this site, whilst 22 Canada geese were present but no other sign of wildfowl.
Several Mipits around the shore and on the moor along with 5 Stonechat, working their way along the wire fencing, otherwise nothing.
This has got to be the worst recording summer/autumn on my records, and although its so good for waders in the spring, I rarely get waders on return passage, just a single juv Ringed Plover this year but I,ve also missed out on the variety of migrants I usually get in the compound bushes. Spotted Flycatcher, Whinchat, Grasshopper Warbler, Whitethroat, Chiffchaff and Willow Warbler are usually an annual visitor and even Wheatear has just been down to a handful, where September usually produces double figures and Ring Ouzel have been none existent.
Hopefully this is just a blip this year and not a sign of things to come though every year bird numbers seem to go down with even vis mig not producing a third of the birds we used to get over in the 1990s when Mipits were overwhelming and counts of tens of thousands were not unusual for DCB, HC and myself stood on Windy Corner.
Hopefully Fly Flatts will make up for it with winter wildfowl but so far its not looking good and next year I will possibly have to move locations and use Fly Flatts as a spring only site.
Morning looking bright with a light S turning SE so see if that suits the birds any better.
BS.