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.
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p.m.
Horton Bank Top.
Unusual to find a free flying Black Swan
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