A cooler Fly Flatts and another goody. An afternoon twitch from N.K.

 

                                Good job I counted the Tufted ducks.

                                1 extra,   drake Common Scoter.

                                    1 of 4 Kestrel.

A more pleasant morning at Fly Flatts with the temperature settled at 16 degrees with a nice cooling 

WSW>3 with full dark cloud.

   With the south shore and se corner off the menu today due to early arrived paddle boards it was back on the west bank where I spent the full watch.

   Whilst starting to walk on I got the bins on the distant Tufted duck family and found there was one extra among them which is not usual. Up with the scope to reveal the extra duck was a drake Common Scoter, very disguised in among the Tufted.

    On at the NW corner a scope around produce 1 Ringed Plover and 4 Wheatear whilst 11 LBB and 6 BH gulls were on the shoreline as well as 2 juv Herring gull.

    A group of 16 Swallows headed >W as well as 2 very high Swifts but otherwise the skies remained quiet.

  Back at the lagoon there were several Goldfinch and Linnets fighting over the thistles whilst the lagoon area was alive with Mipits. A pair of Stonechat were working their way along the fence line of the Flat Moor.

-----------------

p.m.

Horton Bank Top.

                                   Unusual to find a free flying Black Swan

                                    Found by NK.

                                    No sign of rings

A call early afternoon from NK alerting me to a Black Swan with the 2 Mute Swans on Horton C.P. made it worthwhile going to see.

   Although classed as an ornamental species escapees have bred well throughout the British Isles leaving several self sufficient un-ringed birds gone feral.

  My last sighting of Black Swan was on Ogden, 6/7/2003 and then TMR, 21/7/2003. Prior to this, one was frequently seen on the river around Bingley.

    I used to bird this area when it was a reservoir in the 1960s watching from the Bank Top bus sheds that my dad drove out of when he was a bus driver for Bradford City Transport. It was always a good area and even better when it was rained leaving just a scrape of water in the muddy basin. It even picked up an Avocet one year.

    Unfortunately, it was then made into a country park, which as always, completely ruined the site.

When I went down today it was horrific with druggies dealing and people shouting and screaming in the water. It was so bad that a security guard at the top gates stopped me and asked me if I had any weapons. When I replied no, he lent me a baseball bat !!

   I,m surprised the Swan was still there and hopefully it goes soon as 2 previous swans there were killed, one with a dog and one with a stick.

   Anyway, a nice find Nigel and thanks for the call.

Another warm one tomorrow at 17 degrees on a light WNW.

BS

Turn down the thermostat. !!!! Fly Flatts.

 

                                        1 of 9 Wheatear

                                    3 very distant Ringed Plover, north shore

Horrible conditions this morning at Fly Flatts with full sun on a very light ESE>1 at 19 degrees. Haze to the distant west.

   Despite the conditions the birding was not too bad though everything at distance again due to the extra low water level plus tons of heat shimmer badly affecting the scoping and photography.

    After scoping 3 Ringed Plover on the north shore, from the south shore, it was another long slog along the west bank, before the heat got up, to see if anything was with them. Just the 3 Ringed Plover and at least 9 Wheatear on the mud as well as a good count of 28 LBB gull and 5 Black Headed.

     Gladly, the 3 young Tufted duck have, as expected, fledged and taking their first short flights this morning watched by 2 female Tufted with just 4 young Mallard yet to fledge but looking like a couple of weeks off. 

   A big clear out of Canada and Greylags with just 2 Greylag and 12 Canadas remaining whilst all but 2 of the juv Pied Wagtails have left the area.

   Plenty Mipits and Goldfinch around the lagoon area and south shore whilst a count of 32 Swallows headed >W. A flock of around 40 Linnet are around the top gate area.

     Thankfully, a little cooler tomorrow starting off at 16 degrees on a light WSW wind.

BS

    

Another goody for Fly Flatts.

 Luckily this morning the cloud and haze, along with a light ESE>2 kept the heat down to 17 degrees making it quite pleasant.

    A cracking start to the morning but very short lived with all the excitement in the first 15 minutes.

As I parked up on the south shore a bird took off from the shoreline looking like a House Martin at first glance being a very dark bird and bright white rump. I grabbed the bins, as it flew over my head, to reveal a Green Sandpiper. I hoped it would land on the lagoon or circle round and return to the shore, as I grabbed the camera, but unfortunately it gained height and headed off >S into the haze.

   This is my first Green Sandpiper for 3 years and a very irregular species for this site. Immediately after this, a Cormorant flew over, very high and >S, another rare sighting for Fly Flatts due to the very peaty acidic water and no fish life whatsoever.

    With this batch of excitement over I scoped up to do my usual shoreline check to determine whether I walked the east or west coast, depending on any birds present.

   As I scoped the north shore a tight group of 12 Dunlin were zipping low over the water doing small circuits, as if deciding where to land, before disappearing towards the NW corner.

    This now meant another trek along the west bank, which I had'nt planned on today, but 12 Dunlin was too tempting. As I arrived at the far end I scoped up and scoured all around the north and east shore, as well as the overflow, but no waders to be found, meaning they must have headed off >W.

     At least 7 Wheatear were on the northern shore as well as 17 LBB and 8 Black Headed gull plus the usual Mallard and Tufted families.

   Back at the south shore it was alive with Mipits and Goldfinch whilst 28 Swallow headed >S in the space of 10 minutes along with 8 House Martin. Another day bart photos with everything distant or in the heat shimmer.

   The Green Sandpiper brought my total of waders, this year, to 16, all at Fly Flatts apart from the Leeshaw Bar Tailed Godwit. The waders were as follows :-

Curlew

Lapwing

Snipe

Golden Plover

Bar Tailed Godwit,  ( Leeshaw)

Black Tailed Godwit

Little Egret, ( some controversy about this being classed as an actual wading bird)

Common Sandpiper

Green Sandpiper

Wood Sandpiper

Greenshank

Dunlin

Ringed Plover

Oystercatcher

Ruff

Redshank

Missing possible waders to come are :-

Knot

Sanderling

Whimbrel

LR Plover

Grey Plover

Spotted Redshank.

These are all past visitors but rare, other than Sanderling that never missed but evaded me last year.

  A yukky looking forecast for tomorrow with full sun on a light SE starting off at 18 degrees and climbing to 29 degrees p.m. but I'll be well out of it by then.

BS

 

The ups and downs of birding. Fly Flatts

 A good start weather wise with full cloud and a cool WSW>2 at 16 degrees and good visibility, other than the heat shimmer. By 0930 hrs the cloud cleared leaving blue sky and sunshine with the temp soaring up to 23 degrees.

      A Greenshank on Saturday and 5 Ringed Plover yesterday had me on a high but this morning I was quickly dropped back down to earth with a bang. A complete clear out of waders was apparent after a walk the full length of the west bank, though hardly surprising that yesterdays birds had left with boats on the water yesterday afternoon and several quad bike tracks on the north shore mud from last night.

     A better count of gulls with 12 LBB, 22 Black Headed and 2 Herring but otherwise nothing else around the shoreline. The family of 1 female and 3 young Tufted were still present though I'm expecting them to fledge this week, whilst only a dozen Canadas and 2 Greylag are left now, presumably moved down to Cold Edge Dams.

    Several Swallows were heading >S whilst the family of 6 Kestrel and a Raven were over the west bank.

The wave of Mipits from yeserday had moved through leaving just a handful around the compound.

    On the way back, 3 Wheatear, 2 Stonechat and a few Mipits were around the Withins Head farm.

Cloudy sunshine for morning at 16 degrees but a very light ESE which could produce fog.

BS

   

Things are looking up. Fly Flatts.

 

                                    1 of at least 5 Ringed Plover

                                    South bank

                                        

                                        North east corner

                                1 pair Stonechat feeding young.

                                2 ad 1 juv Buzzard up together.

Much better conditions this morning at Fly Flatts without the strong wind. A foggy start which soon cleared to leave 20% cloud and sunshine on a light WSW>2 at 14 degrees. 

       The south shore held 3 Ringed Plover whilst a walk on the west bank produced at least another 2 though scoping was difficult with the amount of heat shimmer off the warm mud. No joy with Greenshanks today. 

    A new wave of Meadow Pipits has arrived making the south shore alive with them whilst the Kestrel family of 6 watch on from the banking but making no attempts toward them.

    Just 2 LBB and 4 Black Headed gulls today with at least 5 Wheatear and a pair of Stonechat collecting food for their young.

    On the way home, a quick stop to capture 2 adult and 1 juv Buzzard in the air together.

We've had the gales and the fog and now we're due for the 3rd of the dreaded weather with a hot week forecast although its showing cloudy sunshine for morning on a very light sou'wester kicking off at 16 degrees. 

BS

Worth getting blown about for, Fly Flatts

 

                                   Best I could do, Greenshank

                            Out of range and in heat shimmer

                                    Flushed by juv BH gull

                                        Getting mobbed by gull

                           Heading off >NE and the gull heading back to the shore. 

                                    LBBs, north shore.

A blustery, near gale force WSW>7 to gale force 8 on the west bank with 80% cloud and breaks of sunshine at 20 degrees.

    Too windy to walk the west bank so a check of the south shore which just produced a few Wheatear and 3 Kestrel. Several Swallows and House Martins were heading >SW in migration mode, low over the water, along with at least 2 Sand Martin.

    On then into the compound and a good scope round, which was difficult in the wind, but a surprise to spot a Greenshank near the northern end of the west bank. This is my 5th Greenshank this year in the same area but never, as yet, managed a haff decent photo.

   Despite the howling wind it was another attempt on the west back to get within camera range, my last 2 attempts failing miserable, once with a biker and the second time a dog walker, was this to be third time lucky.

    Hard work walking along the banking top with my legs nearly being blown from under me, though it did'nt seem to bother the dogs, apart from flapping ears. Three parts of the way on I could see the Greenshank on the cobbled banking by the waters edge so, through experience, I took a few shots in case it flew, its always best to get something, even if its only a poor record shot.

    A few yards further on, but still out of range, plus a ton of heat shimmer, I stopped to get another shot when a juv Black Headed gull took a dislike to it and flushed it from the bank, mobbing it as it flew before forcing it off >NE. Luckily, I had just stopped and the camera was on the tripod so managed a few poor flight shots whilst trying to keep the camera upright in the wind.

   So another attempt of a decent picture thwarted, hopefully, next time will be the one, if there is a next time. Otherwise just the usual LBB and BH gulls and the usual species.                                                 My daily Black Redstart check at Withins Head farm on the way home was also thwarted with the farmers wife down the track with her dog, but a Swift over The Range Halifax, pm, was a bonus.

     Cloudy sunshine for morning with the dreaded wind dropping at last to a light WSW at12 degrees.

BS.