A real mix of weather this morn at Fly Flatts starting off foggy but soon turning to mist and a very low cloud base bringing light drizzle showers. By 0930 hrs the clouds were starting to break with patches of sun on a strong SW>4 gusting 5.
A very windy walk on the west bank to check all the shore but. as expected, not a wader in sight. Just 18 LBB and 3 Black Headed gulls on the north shore along with 6 Canada geese and 1 Herring gull in the field.
The south shore was livelier with 7 Wheatear and 3 Stonechat, whilst 3 Buzzard and 4 Kestrel were in the sky.
With the number of waders present at various sites it seems obvious that waders use Fly Flatts during spring/ summer, when I always do well, but use a different flight path on their return journey. Looking back over my last 8 years records I have had next to no waders after the end of August and the same for my second site of Leeshaw where MC has been visiting to find only a single Common Sandpiper.
The same applies with vis mig which is busy with Swifts, Swallows and early Mipits but then dies a death come September. I have had days in the past when, during vis mig watch, when DCB and HC watched Sentry Hill, just over the Nab from me, birds have been piling over them with nothing at my side of the hill. Possibly due to Fly Flatts being a col, being flanked by the east and west ridges.
Hopefully now, wildfowl will start appearing over and on the water with Pink Footed Geese imminent. For the last 3 years now my first skein of Pinks over Fly Flatts has been on the 12th 13th and 14th of September so hopefully it will be a clear sky tomorrow.
Having said that, the forecast for morning is cloudy and wet on a strong sou'westerly at 13 degrees.
BS