A wet start to the morning with light rain showers on a light NW>2 at 15 degrees with full cloud.
With paddleboarders heading for Fly Flatts I paid Ogden a visit to check the gull situation. As I walked across the promenade a couple of Swallows came over and then the flood gates opened and the sky was black with Swallows and a few Sand Martins. I think this is the most Swallows I've ever seen in the sky together swirling around over the trees and golf course with several landing on the overflow fencing. A juvenile Peregrine flew above the Swallows but only made a couple of half hearted attempts at them before heading off towards Soil Hill. After watching the Peregrine disappear into the distance I looked back and not a Swallow in sight.
A walk along the west bank was cut short due to swarms of flies and midges due to no wind in the shelter of the trees so a quick turn around and back to the promenade. From here I could see the Common Sandpiper on the NE shore whilst 3 Cormorant, 10 Canada geese, 3 Heron and the Gt Crested Grebe were present.
Around 100 LBB plus a few Herring and Common gull plus the usual Black Headed all on the east bank as opposed to the usual west bank. A group of 5 Lapwing appeared at the NE end before I left.
Full cloud for tomorrow on a light Sou'wester at 12 degrees peaking at 19 degrees with a chance of rain after midday.
BS