Early morn Ogden check.

 

                                Not usually gulls present on a morning.

                                        LBBs and Herrings

A hot start at 20 degrees on a light SW>2 with full sun.

   A poor morning for birding with firstly a trip to Halifax vets for 0730 hrs with one of the dogs for a dental which set me back £400 when I picked him up. Secondly it was too hot, even at that time, for the other dog so a visit to Ogden for the shade of the trees.

     The info centre/cafe doors were smashed open and the place trashed with the safe missing though a farmer I spoke to up there had found it in his field.

   A surprise to find a number of gulls on the west shore , which is unusual for morning, with LBB and Herring along with a single Black Headed but no Yellow Legged.

  I half expected to see yesterdays 3 Little Egret here but not to be. The 2 eclipse Tufted are still present, possibly unable to fly at the moment as both heavily in moult.

    By 0900 hrs the temperature was rising so up stumps and away.

Slightly more humane weather tomorrow morning starting off at 15 degrees with cloudy sunshine on a light NNW.

BS

Patch patience pays off. Fly Flatts.

 

                                A good record for Fly Flatts, 3 Little Egret.

                                        NW inlet corner

                                   Flushed by a nugget on a bike.

                                Re-landed briefly, west bank

                                    Then moved to NE corner

                                   Did'nt stay long.

At long last the wind dropped to a nice WSW>3 with full cloud at 16 degrees.

 A lucky break this morning, as after my usual first scope around the water and shore I set off walking the west bank as the sailors were already in the compound preparing for sailing.

   When two thirds of the way on the banking I saw 3 white shapes tucked away in the NW inlet corner which first thought was the white Greylags. A look through the scope picked out 3 Little Egret, a rare visitor for this site and only my second sighting here after having 2 in the SW corner 17/7 2020.

     Then the problems started, I was getting further along the west bank to get the birds in range when I saw 2 nuggets on bikes heading down the public right of way towards the birds. I knew they would flush so a panic to swop the scope for the camera on the tripod just in time to get some distant shots before they flew.

   Luckily they landed on the end of the west bank briefly till the bikes went passed and flushed them for a second time sending them over to the far NE bank letting me get another couple of shots. I did'nt have time to check the camera settings, although I knew they were something near, but when I checked in the camera there were blinkies on the bright birds meaning they were over exposed. I dropped the settings down a notch but when I looked up the birds were gone. A 360 degrees look at the skies found nothing meaning that in the short time I looked away they must have left low to the east disappearing over the Nab or the Bumps to the east. A good ending as June heads to a close.

    Otherwise, 3 Common Sandpiper, 1 juv Oystercatcher, 1 SEO, 3 LBB gulls and 2 Curlew, plus the usual species. 

    A silly hot day tomorrow kicking off at 18 degrees and reaching 26 mid afternoon on a very light SSW>2.

BS

And still the wind blew, Fly Flatts.

 

                                Ringed Plover still present

                                    In moult

                                    Raven over

                                    Single Common Sandpiper

                                    3 remaining Curlew

                                    3 juv Stonechat

Another wild morning at Fly Flatts with a moderate SW>4 gusting 5 with full dark cloud cover at a mild 16 degrees. Rain showers by 0945 hrs.

    A livelier morning with Common Sandpiper, Ringed Plover and Oystercatcher present as well as 3 Curlew and several Lapwings, mainly juvs.

    Swifts were heading >S as well as a few Swallows whilst a noisy Raven flew north over the Nab.

The groups of Goldfinch and Mipits were frantically feeding on thistle tops but disappointing on the water with Common Scoter late arriving this month. I usually get sightings throughout this month though last year I only had one single sighting here in August. Three juv Stonechat were a bonus.

    Cloudy sunshine for morning with a light WSW for a change at 16 degrees.

BS

Breezy Fly Flatts

 

                                    Several juv Goldfinch

                                    Single juv Oystercatcher

                                    Water level getting very low

                                More islands appearing

                                    Swifts motoring through

                                    Excess of 400 mixed Greylag and Canada

                                    1 pr Stonehat

A very dark damp morning with light drizzle throughout on a moderate SW>5 with a low cloud base and mist over the moor at 10 degrees.

     Only wader found this morning, other than Lapwings, was a single juvenile Oystercatcher with no sign of any remaining Curlew or any other of the Oystercatcher families.

    Swifts were piling through >S along with a few Swallows but otherwise just down to several juv Goldfinch and Meadow Pipits along with 2 LBB gulls.

   A pair of Stonechat were a good find, a species that's been very rare up here and not seen since last October.

    Much of the same weather wise tomorrow with full cloud and light showers on the usual moderate to strong SW starting off at 15 degrees with a chance of hill fog.

BS

Patch number 2, Leeshaw Reservoir./ Ogden,p.m.

 

LEESHAW                        Several LBB gulls

                                    Few Herring

                                    Still 2 Curlew present

                                    Several gulls in moult

                                    1 of 4 Oystercatchers

                                Rooks, Crows and Jackdaws on muck spread field

OGDEN                                West bank

                                    Good collection of gulls

                                    1 of 5 Herring

                                    2 Drake Tufted in eclipse

                                    Single Black Headed

Dense fog on the tops with heavy drizzle on a moderate to strong SW>5 gusting 6 at 13 degrees.

     I risked the road to Leeshaw being open ,which it was, but a nightmare getting there with temporary lights and gridlocked traffic. A bit brighter there with some light showers and sunshine on a slightly less sou'westerly.

    A busy morning though nothing out of the ordinary with the main feature being gulls but keeping anchored down way across on the NW  shore. Several LBBs and a few Herring but no Commons or Black Headed back as yet.

   Lots of Swallows, House and Sand Martin over the water but no Swifts whilst 4 Oystercatchers were mobile around the shore, the Redshanks have gone.

     Just 2 Curlew still present along with several Lapwing whilst a freshly muck spread field was full of

Rooks, Crows, Jackdaws, Woodpigs and Stock Doves. No small passerines other than a couple of Meadow Pipits.

   An extended dog walk early p.m. to do a gull check at Ogden in light drizzle and a strengthening wind. Around 80 LBB and 5 Herring along with a single Black Headed but nothing of note standing out.

    An Oystercatcher was unusual on the west shore along with 5 Heron, all on frog duty, whilst the 2 drake Tufted in eclipse were still on the water.

   Another day of a strong SSW tomorrow with cloud and chance of showers at 12 degrees.

BS