Fly Flatts Reservoir. pm visit

                 1 of 9 Common Sandpipers

                         female Pied Wagtail

               Common Sandpiper posing

  Stoodley Pike with a hang glider attack in the mist

                      Stonking male Wheatear

                                       more Common Sands

Fly Flatts  1630-1730 hrs. Good visibility, grey cloud cover W>4.
 With Whimbrel movement beginning its spring peak and a single bird recorded by AC this morning I thought if any were down Fly Flatts would be a good bet . Although there were several Curlews on the east banking a good check with the scope failed to provide any Whimbrel.
                                                   Walking from the south shore along the west bank as far as the feeding station brought a count of 9 Common Sandpiper, 3 distant Redshank ,towards the north end ,and 2 Oystercatchers. The embankment held 7 Wheatear whilst on the water were 4 LBB gulls and 1 ad Herring ,again at the north end.
                                                      The beach near the club house is at present the favourite area for the Common Sand with a shortage of shore line although the water level has dropped recently. A pair of Reed Buntings were in the previous Gropper area.
I have now resumed putting Nyger seed at the round tower feeding station in a hope to attract post breeding or juv Twite back to the area over the summer.

1f Pied Wagtail
1 ad Herring gull
4 Lesser Black Backed gull
1pr Reed Bunting
9 Common Sandpiper
3 Redshank
2 Oystercatcher
7 Wheatear
5 Curlew
+ usual sp.
BS

Ogden, p.m.

                                                                     Jay

                                         3 LBB gulls present

 This female Mallard with 2 chicks seemed very
distressed being harassed by several drakes.

                        Willow Warblers were in good  voice

           Drakes lncluding the Tufted around the female

   3 LBBs with an eye on the ducklings

 The resident Tufted has gone for the easy life
           taking bread.
                       

                      Male Bullfinch after the new buds.

1500 hrs at Ogden in a W>4 and a noticeable rise in temperature , sunshine and showers.
                                                                                    Several Willow Warblers up in full song but no sign of any other migrants as yet. Most of the female Mallard are now absent with just the drakes left and harassing the 2 or 3 remaining females, 2 of which have ducklings. Most of the first batch of duckling are missing but not surprisingly with Lesser Black Backed gulls, Heron and Carrion Crows on the prowl.
A single male Bullfinch was present with possibly the female at nest.
                                                                    2 herring gull headed over >W along with 3 Curlew, otherwise just the usual sp. with no sign of the previous Common Sandpiper.
1 pair of Wheatear and a Kestrel were near the Ned Hill track.
BS

Hard work birding. Withins to Ogden track.

                                      The old Withins pub

                                  crippling views towards Queensbury

and over Mixenden reservoir

                                                   few Mistle Thrush present

                                    less Wheatear than yesterday

1600 hrs and back to the Withins, after yesterdays mega count of Wheatear, to walk down the track towards Ogden. This is a route that every time I walk down I come away saying never again due to the lack of birds and today was no exception although I have to say its a pleasant walk with amazing views.
                                                              The cold E>4 seemed to have pushed everything down into the valleys with yesterdays count of 7 Wheatear around the Withins down to 2 and none what so ever down the track. Mistle Thrush and Blackbird were in good numbers with 3 of each, the Blackbirds checked for Ouzels but not to be.  Several Mipits were on the moor along with 4 Linnet whilst a few Swallows flew over low up the valley from Mixenden.
                                                                The highlight of the walk was a fleeting glimpse of a Whinchat which dropped off a fence wire and into a series of Gorse bushes down on the golf course and with golfers present I was unable to try and re locate it.
 The track is one of those walks where you keep thinking I,ll just go a bit further and then you get to the Ogden plantation and turn around where the Withins is a dot on the top of the hill which you have to walk back to.
This was one of our main local birding routes back in the 60s on Sunday morning when we would walk from Queensbury to Ogden then up the track to Withins to bird Fly Flatts and Cold Edge dams with a rucksack of pop, crisps and egg sandwiches on our backs and the Observers Book of Birds in our pocket .   Access to Ogden plantation and the reservoir was all private at that time so you had to see where the warden from the lodge house was and snook over the wall but it was much better for birds in those days with no disturbance. Happy days.
BS

A wintery Fly Flatts, p.m.

                                     Snow blasting across the moor

                                                 A bright spell from the NW corner

                                             Looking down at the ponds

        Interesting cloud formation over the bumps.

                   No shoreline at the North end

                    1 pr Tufted on the water

        Not a volcano but cloud formation over the Nab.

                  Alive with Wheatears

A 1600 hrs visit to the North end of Fly Flatts to check the ponds started off looking like a mistake when I was getting blasted with a hail and snow storm carried on a N>6 wind but things calmed down slightly and the sun appeared in amongst the showers.
                                                 The ponds are still pretty quiet as yet and no sign of the target bird, Dunlin but Im sure they,ll come when they,re ready. Waders were struggling for landing places with no exposed shoreline and several headed back towards the south end.
A pair of Tufted on the water was unusual whilst Wheatears were everywhere, even braving the hailstones. A surprise to find 7 on the lawn of the old Withins pub along with 4 in the Nolstar field alongside Lapwings but no Golden Plover.

2 Snipe
4 Common Sandpiper
3 Redshank
2 Oystercatchers
3 Curlew
Several Lapwing
1pr Tufted
Few Swallows >N
5 Wheatear down by water
3 Wheatear above top road on rocky hillside
4 Wheatear in fields below top road
2 Wheatear by Knoll farm
7 Wheatear on lawn by old Withens pub
1 Wheatear Withins Gap
4 Wheatear in Nolstar field
                      Total  Wheatear..............26
+ usual sp.
BS