Back to Fly Flatts

1530 hrs and another session at Fly Flatts with target bird Wheatear which again failed to materialize
                                                             A cool W>4 as I arrived with sunshine and 50 % cloud cover but late on in the watch the wind dropped making it quite warm.
                                                                No Osprey bonanza today as expected but I,ll be happy with one sighting a year, I once went 4 years without one. Plenty to keep me on my toes in the hour I was up there, especially when the Lapwings kept going up but I think mostly they were just squabbling amongst themselves. Several distant Snipe up drumming, mostly on Hollin Hill and Fill Belly Flat area whilst 2 Buzzard showed briefly mega high and distant.
                                                           Two Redshank were mobile and 3 small waders flew north past the wind turbines but too distant to I.D. though going by the size and jizz I,d say probably Dunlin.
The target bird for Fly Flatts at the moment is Wheatear but none as yet and the cold front this weekend could slow them down. A good check of the reservoir for Common Scoter after a grapevine report of 1 today on a reservoir to the west of the area but very early as yet, I, ve only ever had 1 April bird, the rest being during the summer months.
                                                                    The new floating jetty is to be erected by the sailing club shortly so I,ve told them I want some Tern nesting platforms on it but I dont think that will come off.
We tried to get some floating islands on TMR years ago but YW said it was a pollution risk.

c170 Canada
2 Greylag
2 Redshank
2 Buzzard
3 Dunlin sp ?
9 Mallard
4 Snipe
2 LBB gull
1 Skylark
sev Mipits and Lapwings
tons of Frogs spawning
BS

Fly Flatts, After the Kittiwakes came the Osprey. PM visit

                                      Buzzards on the move

               5 Singles at distance over the west ridge >NE

              Then along came this, that aint no Buzzard.

                                          Osprey way over the wind turbines.

              Mega distant shots of a  stonking bird.

                                      Herring gulls piling through >NW

                                                   c 100 Herrings counted.

A twist of fate took me back to Fly Flatts this afternoon and got me my annual Osprey there.
1500 hrs and decided on Leeshaw to try for Wheatear and of course Osprey but the road to Oxenhope was closed for roadworks so it was make your mind up time. Do I go the long way round to Leeshaw or double back to Fly Flatts. With the WNW wind increasing I decided that Fly Flatts would be a good bet for sky movement so that was sorted.
                                                                     On arrival at 1530 hrs the sky was clear with 30 % cloud cover and the sun was less of a nuisance being high in the sky with a WNW>5 , perfect.
Much quieter than this morning with more or less the same resident birds so set up shop half way along the west bank and waited.
It was,nt long before a move of Buzzards was apparent with 5 separate birds moving >NE way out along the west ridge around 10 minutes apart and all taking the same flight path away over Oxenhope.
                                                              Herring gulls were moving > NW with a count of 28 but some very high birds could have been missed. The dyke that runs along the side of the south track was alive with frogs and frogspawn which wont have much chance when the weekends freeze arrives.
                                                                       1615 hrs and tackled up with the tripod on my back I headed back towards the car but as I got to the SW corner I could see a commotion of Lapwings way across Hollin Hill beyond the wind farm. A scan through the bins saw several Lapwing and Snipe in the air and below them low over the moor was my target bird, Osprey.
                                                                          Panic stations, the bird was near to being out of range and the tripod was folded on my back. A quick dummy shot to check the light settings then once again, as with the Kittiwake, it was hand held in the wind. After a few record shots I dashed forward, dragging the dogs with me and getting tied up in the leads, to a nearby post to lean against for a bit of a steady.
The bird turned and looked as if it was going to head towards me so I ragged the tripod off my back but suddenly the bird turned and dropped down out of sight towards Thornton Moor.
About 10 minutes later several gulls and Lapwings were up past the NE corner beyond the Nab which was probably the Osprey heading North over the east ridge.
Last years Osprey was on the 30/05/2017 in the same area but that bird doubled back towards Cold Edge before turning to head back >N over Thornton Moor.
BS

Fly Flatts 0645-1000 hrs.

                                         Tranquil waters

                                             Good move of gulls >NW

                                                  This one tried to bomb me but missed

                                                2 of 3 distant Redshank

                                        Several Pied Wagtails present

                                                 Big Bertha at the ready.

Fly Flatts 0645-1000 hrs. Wall to wall blue sky with a light and cool NW>4 Minus 1 degree on arrival rising to 2 deg. Visibility poor due to the blinding low sun but good to the west.
                                                                       The skies were alive throughout with birds moving >N >NW and >NE with several Stock Doves, Herring, LBB and Common gulls.
A fresh arrival of Meadow Pipits since yesterday were already getting established on the moor whilst 6 Snipe were up drumming. A real hectic morning but poor for photography with several birds in the sun and distant.
                        AC s Osprey >N never passed Fly Flatts but thanks for the call Andy and still no Wheatear despite a thorough scan and a check on the top road but with sightings in the Bradford area its only a matter of time now.

114 Canadas
8 Greylag
9 Mallard
3 Redshank
10 Curlew
6 Snipe drumming
3 Raven
1 Peregrine
1 Merlin
1 Kestrel
8 Pied Wagtails
c40 Stock dove >NE
sev Herring, Common and LBB gulls >NW and >NE
Plenty Mipits and Lapwings
BS

Fly Flatts

                                               Redshanks moving in.

                                          3 of 4.

1520 hrs at Fly Flatts where unfortunately the winds had moved on along with my chance of a hat trick Kittiwake. With calmer weather the small influx of Kittiwakes that had been blown inland will be well on their way back to the coast by now, that is apart from the unfortunate bird I found dead here.
The wind was blowing NW>4 with 100 % cloud cover and specks of rain.
                                                            The usual Canadas and Mallards were on the water and just 1 gull today which was a Lesser Black Backed already harassing the Lapwings before they,ve even had chance to lay. Walking along the west bank flushed 3 Redshank which flew low across the water to land on the north shore joined by a 4th bird.
                                                                     Scanning across to the northern ponds several Lapwings were squabbling over territory whilst 1 Oystercatcher stood on one of the islands.
No Wheatears as yet but tomorrow morning looks promising weather wise if birds move ahead of the approaching cold front. Several Meadow Pipits were mobile today and 1 Skylark up singing which is unusual for this site.
No sign of any Goldies around the Nolstar area.
Dont forget your clocks tonight, 1 hour forward.
BS

Fly Flatts and this time a live Kittiwake.

                                        Very distant Kittiwake over the Nab

                                              Black legs and plain face standing out.

        Plenty Crows starting to hang out on the moor ready for chick time.

  Always a pleasure snapping Goldies.

A free afternoon so up to Fly Flatts before the strong winds dropped which are ideal at this time of year for blowing in the maritime gulls as proved by yesterdays unfortunate find of a dead Kittiwake.
                                                             On arrival at 1330 hrs it was one of those days where you don,t want to get out of the car, with very dark clouds , 100 % cloud cover and light drizzle on a near gale force WNW > 6 gusting 7 but once you,re geared up and out there the weather takes a back seat and the birding head takes over. Apart from that I met a man and his wife at the top gate who are members of the sailing club and were just leaving after doing some work in the clubhouse and she informed me she had just had a Tern type bird past with very pointed wings. Although its early for Terns it certainly boosted my enthusiasm somewhat.
                                          As with yesterday the wind was keeping the birds at bay with quiet skies and just a few Curlew calling across the moor although bird calls were very hard to hear over the sound of the wind. The water held the usual Canadas and Mallards with a few Red Grouse along the banking whilst a Skylark and a single Lapwing were on the seed at the feeding station.
                                           As I was half way along the west banking a single small gull came into view , which at Fly Flatts always sets alarm bells ringing, flying NE over Fly Delph quarry towards the Bumps. Even at this distance I could see the plain head, bright yellow bill and black legs, Bingo, another Kittiwake or the resurrection of yesterdays bird.
                                            With the wind blasting it was hard to even stand on the banking without trying to hand hold the camera for such a distant shot but Bertha had it sussed and managed to capture 1 recognizable photo showing legs, head and bill out of several blasted off.
I,d left the tripod in the car because of the wind but even if I had it with me I would,nt have had time to get the camera up on the sticks before the bird disappeared over the Nab. 
                                                    On the way back I was pleased to see the Golden Plover were returning to the original field at Nolstar with 6 present, this makes it easier to pick out the Dotterel when they arrive at the end of next month !!!
                                                    A quick dash to Cold Edge Dams just gave me time to check the goose field with around 200 mixed Canada and Greylags present spread across 4 fields and way up the hillside towards Cold Edge Road with the 2 Barnacles near the top.
A stonking 2 hours up in the gales with Fly Flatts once again producing the goods.
BS

Fly flatts dead gull

Just to confirm that the dead gull I found at Fly Flatts yesterday is what I partly suspected being a winter plumaged Kittiwake. 

Thanks once again to Mick Cunningham.

Sent from Samsung Mobile on O2

Fly Flatts. p.m.

                                            Sad end for this Kittiwake

                                         4 distant Curlews present

                                     5 Nolstar Golden Plover.

1515 hrs at Fly Flatts with the drifts almost gone and the track passable with care and an improvement in the weather with 90 % cloud cover on a mild but strong SW>5-6 keeping most birds down.
        Around 70 Canadas and 4 Mallard were on the water whilst 5 Herring gull and 6 Black Headed moved >SW. Waders were quiet with just 4 Curlew, 2 Lapwing and a few Golden Plover calling, all keeping low over the Fill Belly Flat area.
                                                             Down by the feeding station a gull had met a sad end with an injury to the back of its neck. I took photos because it just didnt look just right for a Black Headed with wings in adult plumage but bright yellow bill, black smudging at the back of the neck and dark black legs and showing no signs of hood or black eye spot. With the help of Mick Cunningham the bird is a Kittiwake with winter plumaged head pattern.
                                                           On the way back 5 Golden Plover were  in the Nolstar area.
Big Bertha was on new sticks today with a maiden trial of a new tripod head. The tripod is my original aluminium Manfrotto which I have used since time began and it is just bullet proof, the only drawback is the weight compared to the newer carbon fibre models but I found that when I was doing visible migration on Windy Corner at TMR it was the only tripod that could withstand the weather without blowing over. The head I,ve fitted is a MOVO GH 700 Gimbal Head which is suppose to be the bees knees for heavy camera gear for bird photography and today it certainly felt the part but as with the rest of the rigs I use its completely useless if the birds are,nt there.
                                                              The 2 tripods I used on the way back to photograph the Goldies were a dry stone wall and a wooden gate post.
BS