Another atrocious morning weather wise at Fly Flatts with early low cloud on a moderate W>5 at 10 degrees and light drizzle. By 0930hrs it was lights out with very heavy drizzle and mist rolling in.
Another reet good soaking but well worth the effort this morning at Fly Flatts with a pair of Wheatear that I've been monitoring over the last few weeks, on the quiet for obvious reasons, and this morning the pair had gone, but left me juvenile, fully fledged, flying and feeding well. This bird is very early, with me not getting any returning juvs until well into July in previous years.
With very little exposed shore now, and the water still rising, most waders seem to have moved on with no Dunlin or Little Ringed Plover showing so just down to Redshank and Common Sandpiper. A long dry period is now needed urgently for the open valve to get the water level down before the July waders start to come through. This time last year I had Greenshank but their favourite area of shore is well underwater.
A few Lapwing and Curlew chicks about in the fields but still waiting for a pair of breeding Oystercatchers to re-appear with a juv or two as they did last year.
Just 3 LBB and 2 Herring gull over >NE whilst over 100 Swifts were again feeding over the water. One of the sailing club members told me this morning that at last night sailing meeting he expected a Swift to hit his sail as they zoomed about over the water.
Otherwise the usual species, mainly spoilt by the weather.
Hopefully dry in the morning with a 40% chance of rain rising to 90% over midday on a moderate to strong westerly at 10 degrees.
BS