Getting spoilt with the weather at Fly Flatts with yet another dry clear morning on a moderate, cool
WSW>4 at 2 degrees with cloudy sunshine and some fog patches well to the west of me.
No sign of the Ringed Plover but I'm sure it will still be present and waiting for its mate to turn up which should be due any day now. Still 4 Oystercatchers but only 1 Curlew today as well as 12 Lapwing.
A pair of Stonechat were in the top field along with a few Red Grouse whilst 8 Greylag geese had joined the, now 100 plus, Canadas. Greylags are only usually found at this site over the breeding season.
Undoubtedly, the bird of the morning was a Red Kite which appeared from the SW Calder valley flying N> at distance following the western ridge before turning east to fly over ' The Bumps' and disappearing over the eastern ridge.
A spare hour this afternoon so a quick gull check at Ogden in time to catch the pre roost birds coming in. A count of 18 Herring were on the water, these all but 3 being 1CY birds, along with 3 LBB adults, one of which was a real bruiser of a gull up to the other 2 and very black mantled, so much so that I thought it was a GBB until I zoomed a photo in to show a bright yellow eye putting it down to being an Intermedius LBB gull. Around 50 small gull were also present but still looking out for an Iceland.
It looks as if its going to be a winter bart Siskin and Redpoll at this site with, once again, a west bank void of bird life, other than a single Blue Tit. A group of 12 Canadas were on the water.
Another day of the same tomorrow with cloudy sunshine but a bit more blowy with a moderate WSW again, starting off at 1 degree.
BS.