Ogden, p.m./ as yesterday.

 

                                        1 of 2 Cormorant

                                    Usual gulls

                                Herring gull bathing

A bright sunny afternoon at Ogden with a light SW>2 at 15 degrees.

   Another hospital run this morning so once again an early afternoon dog walk around Ogden which I usually bring into play around October as a winter venue. Bad timing found it quiet with early mornings producing more, as well as I was too early in the afternoon for a good gull count when the pre roost gulls arrive, peaking around 1430 hrs.

     Around 40 LBB, 7 Herring and near on 100 Black Headed spread between the east and west shore.

Coal and Great Tits were moving through the waterside trees along with around 20 Chaffinch, sharing the banking weeds, along with a low count of Mallard.

     A noisy Buzzard went overhead along with 2 cronking Raven but otherwise down to the usual species, with no sign of yesterdays 3 Teal.

    A cloudy damp day tomorrow on a light SW at 11 degrees with a good chance of hill fog in the morning, Does'nt sound like a good start to October.

BS

   

Fly Flatts/ Ogden.

 

     FLY FLATTS                1 of 2 Chiffchaff

OGDEN                        East bank

                                    West bank

                                    3 distant Teal

                                Taken across the water from the west bank

                                    Nearer but silhouetted from the east bank.

Perfect weather conditions this morning at Fly Flatts with bright clear skies and only 20% cloud though dense fog down in the valleys which arrived on the tops by 0945 hrs. A light WSW>2 at 9 degrees.

    Despite the ideal moving conditions Fly Flatts was absolutely dead this morning with just a handful of Mipits moving over and only about a dozen on the shore. Even gull numbers were well down with just 13 LBB and 3 Black Headed whilst 7 Canadas and 3 Greylags were on the water. The compound tree held 1 Wren and 2 Chiffchaff whilst a Kestrel and Raven were overhead.

      With the morning being a disaster I had an extended p.m. dog walk around Ogden which fared a little better with LBB, Common and Black Headed gulls on the east and west shore along with 5 Herring gull whilst 3 Teal were on the water, but with the water being so low they were very distant from the west shore and badly silhouetted from the east shore.

    A single Raven headed towards the wind farm whilst around 20 Chaffinch were feeding along the water line but very little activity in the waterside trees. Must be due for a Yellow Browed Warbler shortly whilst Redwings are starting to show up north.

    Looking like a brighter cloudy sunshine day tomorrow on a light SW at 8 degrees.

BS

     

A struggling morn, Fly Flatts.

 A misty start with several large banks of fog moving around and not fully clearing until after 0900 hrs leaving cloudy sunshine on a light NW>3 at 8 degrees.

    The camera was redundant this morning with the, hard to find, birds either distant of flighty and only the gulls saving the watch. The remains of the gull roost were still on the NE shore with 193 LBB and 2 adult Yellow Legged Herrings, one up from yesterday. By the time I had got half way on the west bank and scoped, counted and identified them the whole shebang blasted off and headed their usual direction of >NE so, still being well out of range, no pics.

    After that it was hard work with barren skies, other than a few Mipits in no determined direction, whilst 12 Reed Bunting and a few Goldfinch were around the compound area and 7 noisy Red Grouse on the moor, Grouse being a rare sighting up there now apart from dispersion after a shoot from the west or east moors.  The water held just 16 Canada and a single Greylag.

    A sunny morning forecast for tomorrow clouding after midday on a light W turning WSW at 7 degrees.

BS

A livelier Fly Flatts

 

                                        1 of 6 Stonechat

                                    Stonechat and Reed Bunting

                                        5 Reed Buntings present

                                  Plenty Meadow Pipits

                                        Distant Wigeon

                                        Leaving >SE

                            137 LBB gulls + 1Yellow Legged Herring.

                                        YL Herring, RH side

Better conditions this morning with near full milky cloud cover on a light SE>2 inc >3 at 8 degrees.

      More sky movement this morning and several birds on the deck. A very distant duck proved to be a Wigeon after a walk on the west bank to get a clearer view but soon left high and >SE.

   A good count of LBB gulls on the NE shore as well as 2 Black Headed and the only Herring gull being a Yellow Legged ' michahellis'.  

   The compound bushes held Wren, Reed Bunting, Stonechat and Mipits with a steady move overhead of small passerines along with 2 Swallows.

    Cloudy sunshine for morning on a light WSW kicking off at 9 degrees.

VIS MIG

1 Wigeon..................>SE

4 Reed Bunting........>S

41 Mipits..................>S

2 Swallow.................>S

21 Woodpig..............>S

14 Linnet..................>S

7 Alba Wagtail..........>SE

BLOGGERS

6 Stonechat

5 Reed Bunting

c40 Mipit

OTHER

1 Yellow Legged Herring gull

137 LBB gull

2 BH gull

2 Red Grouse

+ usual sp.

BS

Up in the sunshine, Fly Flatts

 

                                    19 Grey Partridge present.

                                        74 LBB gull, mostly out on water.

                                        7 Reed Bunting

Bright and sunny with plenty blue skies but thick scud clouds to the north and west of me, at one point blanking out the Nab. A light E>2 at 8 degrees.

    A count of 19 Grey Partridge were down the entrance track as I arrived which was a good start to the morning and another wave of small passerines had arrived with several blogging Mipits, 7 Reed Bunting, 4 Stonechat and 3 Pied Wagtail along with around 30 Goldfinch.

    Several geese were in the top field with 68 Canada and 5 Greylag whilst 74 LBB gull were present on the water as well as 2 juvs on the SE shore, the latter remaining throughout the watch whilst the rest headed off >NE.

   Very little sky movement with a scattering of Mipits >S along with 16 Woodpigs.

A cloudier day tomorrow on a light southerly with rain approaching late afternoon.

BS

Quiet skies at Fly Flatts

 

                                    Plenty LBBs on the water

                                    1 of 8 Reed Bunting

                                        Single Teal

                                    9 Stonechat present

Another of those glad to be alive mornings on the tops with full clear blue skies and wall to wall sunshine on a light ENE>2 at 8 degrees.

    In contrast to yesterdays move, this morning had very quiet skies and a clear out of  yesterdays blogging birds with the Pied Wagtails all gone and only 3 Mipits present in both the air and on the deck.

  A group of 9 Stonechat kept the interest going in the compound, along with 8 Reed Bunting and a Wren but no sign of the Gropper  from the last 2 days.

   A count of 65 LBB gulls were out on the water before moving off >NE leaving just 2 Black Headed and a few Canada and Greylags, whilst a single Teal was present but very mobile. Otherwise, a single Raven and 2 Kestrel with not a single Pinkie over this morning.

    A bright start for morning before cloud starts arriving from the east on a light NE at 7 degrees.

BS