Fly Flatts and Black Redstart search.

                                   Curlew left the east shore to go >W.

                                          Few juv Black Headed gulls about.

                                          Distant Ringed Plover with BHG.

                                                   R.P.

                                       Teal on the east banking

  2 Barnacles spent the day on the mud.

                                           Juv BHG

                                             and adult.

                Around 150 post breed Starlings near the Withins.

                                Goldfinch on the Black Redstarts favourite wall

   and Blackbird, still feeding young

                                           6 Teal on the east shore

  Acres of mud. The north and east shore are now as one
 with no water up at the top end.

                                         Oh no, its here again. Peregrine

                                   On its way to attack the Teal.

 Another victim. This van was parked at Nolstar.

A foggy start at Fly Flatts but cleared by 0900 hrs to be bright but cloudy with a SW>4 after a night of heavy thunderstorms getting me up half the night calming the dogs down.
The afternoon was back to the dreaded hot and sticky but still with a welcome SW>3.
                                                                  A busy east shoreline this morning with no signs of the Peregrine. A Ringed Plover was on the waters edge but at distance along with a Curlew but this soon left, calling and flying >W. 6 Teal were working their way along the shoreline whilst 8 juv Black Headed gulls and 3 adults were present.
                                                              The afternoon visit found the Teal out on the water and the Peregrine back on the mud before flying over the water and making a half hearted attempt at diving at the Teal which all ducked underwater avoiding capture. Otherwise the hot sunshine put everything into sleep mode.
                         A mid morning check on the Withins Black Redstart site failed to turn up the bird with just 1 Dunnock present along with a Robin and Blackbird both feeding young. The Robin, I suspect to be the culprit for moving on the Black Red as yesterday it was very aggressive towards it.
                     A charm of around 40 Goldfinch were mobile, as were about 150 Starlings, mainly juvs, whilst a Whitethroat was in brambles part way back up the track.
                     A scope of the Slade Black Red hot spot area on the way past this p.m. gave no results.
The rest of the hot spot areas were checked by DJS and Jen.
BS

Sometimes the worst days can turn out the best. Fly Flatts and Withins.

 Something the Peregrine left behind. Feathers and carcass
                                    with crow tucking in.

                                            The predator.

                Good move SW of Lesser Black Backed gulls.

                                       The only wader present,Ringed Plover.

As expected, a terrible day at Fly Flatts with some cloud cover and a decent SW>3 early morn then
28 degrees and full sun p.m. though still a fresh SW>3.
Before I could get access through the top gate this morning I was 15 minutes clearing dumped rubbish away so I could drive through. These scumbags are dumping ever night now along Cold Edge Road.
                                             The mornings watch was spoilt, not with the weather ,but with the juv Peregrine constantly patrolling the east and north shore throughout, leaving the shore clear of bird life other than the geese. This bird is proving to be a real setback at a vital wader time.
A single Ringed Plover was on the south shore, this probably being yesterdays bird.
                                           A good passage of LBB gulls was apparent all >SW whilst 7 were on the shore as well as 2 first year Herrings. The area is alive with Meadow Pipits at the moment.
                                          The late afternoon visit lasted about 15 minutes as I arrived at Nuggetville with the strange people that only come out when the sun shines. A beach party was goilng on in the SW corner and 2 male type plonkers were laid on towels on the dried mud on the east shore before walking along the shore, past the boatyard and away. I hate this weather.
                                                    BUT, as they say, Every cloud has a silver lining, and the day was saved by the efforts of DJS and AT with a grapevine message of Black Redstart just a few minutes away from Fly Flatts so on the way this afternoon I thought it worth a dabble.
                                                After a phone call to Hawkeye Dave, the Black Red specialist, and 10 minutes searching I pick the bird up though very flighty in and out of the buildings and sometime disappearing for quite a while. Getting photos was a nightmare working on a high ISO setting due to the bright sun being directly behind the bird so I was getting a dark shadowed bird with a bright background. A cracking bird and a chance in a million to pick it up so well done to DJS and AT.

BS

And how she blew. Fly Flatts in a SW>7 Near gale at 30.9 m.p.h.

       Peregrine way across on the NE shore

                                            1 of 2 juv Wheatear.

Heavy going today but good conditions despite the strong wind.
A nice 100% light grey cloud cover this morning with a howling near gale SW force 7 blowing at 30.9 m.p.h. and gusting up to 34 m.p.h. whilst this afternoon conditions had deteriorated slightly with only 40 % cloud cover with blue skies and sunshine and the wind decreased to SW>6 at 28 m.p.h.
                                              With the wind too dangerous to get near the west or east bank I had to settle for a walk on the south banking and the rest of the time was scoping from the boatyard behind a carefully placed car and even then the wind took my scope over twice which I managed to catch on the way down. I have a very heavy Manfrotto 055 tripod which I got years ago to withstand the gales on Windy Corner, TMR during vig mig but even that couldnt withstand the fury of Fly Flatts. Holding the scope today was like trying to hold a machine gun, not that I,ve ever held a machine gun.
                                        After all that dribble, back to birds. This morning was a passerine moving morning as I stood by the lagoon where 3 or maybe 4 Willow Warblers and 3 Reed Buntings suddenly dropped into the 2 small trees there but kept well hidden in the leaves until YW came to check the water and they all took off >SE.
                                       Willow Warbler is a very scarce bird for this site and is only ever seen during dispersion or autumn migration time with usually 1 or sometimes 2 sightings a year.
Many years ago HC and myself were on the west bank in the autumn when a Willow Warbler suddenly flew in and landed on Howards tripod. As Howard and me stood there still and gobsmacked it stayed about a minute then continued on its way.
                                      Along with the above passerines 2 juv Wheatear worked their way along the south shores rocky banking.
                                     Back in the compound I was disappointed to scope the juv Peregrine on the east bank although nearby I picked up a Ringed Plover keeping its head down in a gully not far away from the peregrine. Luckily the Pere soon left without causing any damage.
                                     The late afternoon watch was much quieter but pleasing to find more wader movement on the east bank with a single Redshank, which could possibly have been one of yesterdays birds undetected this morning as well as a Common Sandpiper which was new in today.
Before I left, 2 Curlew went over very high and west seeming unaffected by the winds.
                                    So despite the winds a decent day with bird movement seeming to be daily now and still plenty Swifts around. Tomorrows the forecast I,m not looking forward to with wall to wall sunshine on a very light south breeze, YUK !!!!
BS
                                                           

Waders on the move. Fly Flatts.

              Family of 2 adult and 3 juv Stonechat.

            More wader movement  2 of 3 Redshank . juv on the right.

           These 2 spent the day on the south shore.

Good conditions today at Fly Flatts both morning and late afternoon visits with 90 % cloud cover on a light SW>4 with good visibility.
                                                    A quiet start with the Wheatear and 2 Ringed Plovers from yesterday moved on and no other waders present leaving just the geese, 2 LBB gulls and Daffy the Mallard still hanging on to her last duckling by some miracle, which should be ready to fly in a couple of weeks.
                                                  The feeding station area had a family of 2 adult and 3 juv Stonechats present moving to and from the fence and bracken . With still no joy of waders I went on and checked the east bank which again failed to produce. Back at the car at the south end I scoped the shoreline and was surprised to find 2 Redshank which must have just come in as I,d checked all the south shoreline 30 minutes previously.
                                           On arriving back for a second dabble late afternoon the 2 Redshanks were still present with now a third bird across on the east bank, a good sign of things starting to liven up, hopefully. On the way back an Oystercatcher was in the Nolstar field which was probably another mover.
BS