The waders keep a coming, Fly Flatts,(no public access)

                        Distant Dunlin and Ringed Plover

 All wader shots now are very distant due to the water level
well down and all affected by heat distortion
            whilst this weather continues.

                Green Sandpiper across on one of the islands

                                   best I could do with the Dunlin

                                         7  Wheatears present.

Another uncomfortable day weather wise with clear skies and hot sunshine from the word go and very little breeze from the W then SW. Luckily this mornings bout of thick fog was confined to the valleys.
             Despite what I call terrible conditions it didnt stop the day having its moments with a few birds on the move early doors and a good supply of blogging species.
           A walk to the east shoreline, before the heat got too excessive, found LBB and Herring gulls, which the Peregrine flew through and scattered but went away unsuccessful , whilst 6 Teal were on the water. Back at the south shore , yesterdays 2 Ringed Plover were still present with the new arrival
of a juvenile Dunlin.
            Once again my final scope of the morning found a Green Sandpiper over on one of the islands so a quick unload of the car again and a dash through the boatyard to a vantage point that looks down on the islands but no sign of the bird. I then walked further on towards the east shore to look back at the other side of the islands but unable to re locate it.
           The afternoon was hotter and stickier with very little breeze so after a quick walk it was settle down in the shade of the club house and rely on scoping the area.
The Dunlin and 2 Ringed Plovers were still present but reluctant to come out of the shade of the rocks but still no sign of the Green Sand.
                                                Blogging Mipits were everywhere along with 7 very active Wheatear.
Hopefully this weather can,t go on much longer.

Just to clarify a point.....  Ive had 2 text and an e mail now asking what Oktas are and why have I started using them on my blog related to cloud cover.
I know most of you will know and especially if you take part in visible migration but for the few that wonder what I,m on about...  I used to measure cloud cover on my blog weather report in percentages such as 50% cloud cover etc but now that I am also putting vis mig reports on Trektellen they specify that cloud cover is measured in oktas ( okts) as used by aircraft, shipping etc.
                                              All oktas are is a scale , the same as percentages, but from 0 to 8 where
8/8 is full cloud cover and 0/8 is a cloudless sky like today. Between 0 and 8 is partial cloud , the higher the number, the more cloud there is.
Rather than use one system for my blog and the other system for Trektellen I just stick to the oktas.
                                            Bet you wish you,d never asked now !!
Vis Mig
17 Lapwing.......................>S
4 Alba Wagtail.................>W
41 Mipits.........................>S   with several more blogging
13 Swallow.....................>S
7 House Martin..............>S

Bloggers
2 Ringed Plover
1 Dunlin
1 Green Sandpiper
6 Teal
7 Wheatear
8 LBB
3 Herring, sub adults.

Present
1 Peregrine
3 Kestrel
4 Canadas
3 Mallard
BS

Gulls. Love em or hate em. Fly Flatts,( no public access.)

                          1 ad and 1 juv Ringed Plover still present.

                           Adult LBB in the moult

   The Herring // Yellow Legged still under investigation.

  Still no decent plumage shots due to heat shimmer,.

Terrible conditions at Fly Flatts today with 0 okts cloud cover and wall to wall sunshine on a light SE>3 and hazy visibility. The morning was bad whilst the afternoon was too hot to handle.
                                                             A real struggle today with hazy visibility beyond the outskirts of the area and very little movement in the sky whilst local birds were reluctant to move about.
A good walk round this morning before the heat got up but this afternoon was a matter of a quick walk then a watch from the shade of the clubhouse trying to keep in the SE breeze to freshen it up a bit. Too hot for the birds, too hot for the dogs and certainly too hot for me.
                                                              Two Ringed Plover still present and a bit of sky movement but otherwise down to a few gulls including the Herring type thats causing a few problems, mainly because I can,t get a decent plumage shot as it only appears in the afternoons and is never there early morning before the heat distortion appears. Its been a cracking year for Yellow Legged gulls this year with 6 definite birds at Fly Flatts plus 2 iffys and probably several sub adults missed.
                                                           Such a hard task splitting the sub adults and even the adult big gulls can throw you with LBBs with pink legs and , as JB pointed out the other day, even an adult Herring with yellow legs is not forced to be a Michahellis.
                                                          Never the less, I enjoy the gulls and they do make you delve into plumages and age groups although time and patience is needed plus a good memory, non of which I seem to have but I can usually pick out a spurious gull from a bog standard by it being in an odd place at an odd time and usually alone, although this is not always the case. Its one of those feelings you get when something does,nt seem right about it, although identifying it is another matter.

Vis Mig
9 Swallow.......................>S
29 Mipits........................>SW
2 Lapwing......................>S
1 Curlew........................>W

Bloggers
2 Ringed Plover
5 LBBs
3 Herring
sev Mipits
BS       

Hot and sticky, Fly Flatts, ( No public access)

          1 of 16 Alba Wagtails on south shore, mostly juvs,

                                        Soon moved off >W

                                   4 Teal in the NW corner

                  14 LBBs on the water a.m.

                                                           LBB

 p.m.  a mixture of Herring and LBB on the islands.

  Yesterdays gull across on the east bank showing pink
legs eliminating suspected Yellow Legged.

                                     
A passable morning with the sun mainly blanked out with some patchy cloud but a very light SW>2 at 21 degrees whilst this afternoon was , next to fog, my worst nightmare with clear blue skies, hot sunshine at 26 degrees with the only good point being a half decent SE>3 keeping the heat down.
                     A good early morning move with at least 16 Alba Wagtails and 100 + Mipits on the south shore mud before moving off. Most of the Wagtails were juvs which headed >W with the Mipits >SW joined by some higher birds.
                    The islands had tempted 14 LBB gulls down which spent the rest of the watch on the water whilst in the afternoon a mixture of LBBs and Herrings were on the islands with yesterdays 2cy
gull over on the east shore showing off bright pink legs eliminating my thoughts of possible Yellow Legged. Skimming through info I can,t find anything substantiating to put it to a Caspian so it will go down as a 2nd year Herring unless I hear differant.
                Yesterdays 2 adult and a juv Ringed Plover were on the south shore and 4 Teal came into the NW corner.

Vis Mig
16 Alba Wagtail...............................>W
34 Swallow......................................>S
131 Mipit........................................>SW

Bloggers
5 Herring gull
14 LBB gull
4 Teal
Mipits and Alba Wags on the shore before moving off
BS

Like being out on the estuary. Fly Flatts ( No public access)

 Peregrine appearing out of the fog.,

                                      Mallard, Daffy duck had a near miss

  The idea seems to keep splashing until its gone.

         Sat in the east shore heat haze p.m.

                        Common Sandpiper      east cobbles area.

                                                 juv Ringed Plover a.m.

                                          Adult, east shore

                                        juv and adult

                                  1 of 4 Curlew.

                                   Using on of the new islands

      2cy     Herring gull , poss YL. , so far just going by head shape
                 and smudge around eye. Will have to consult MCs notes
                                    on this one.
         

             Estuary conditions, Curlews in the distance, NW corner

                                    Ringed plovers on the island

                  2 well hidden in rocks on Peregrine watch

I think Fly Flatts was the only place in England to be in thick fog this morning with even Queensbury being bright. Most of the first hour was spent in fog and drizzle until it eventually cleared with a light SW>3 and 8 okts cloud cover. By late afternoon it had gone from one extreme to the other with 26 degrees and cloudy sunshine with the wind increased to SW>4 making it feel a bit more pleasant.
                                                     Despite the conditions birding was good although apart from Meadow Pipits moving >SW, with several ground hopping, the skies were quiet with a very poor Swallow count.
                        First bird this morning was a Peregrine appearing through the fog in close pursuit of a Stock Dove but then decided duck was a better option swooping down and skimming over the well known Daffy ,which is still present with her 1 remaining young although you can hardly tell the 2 apart now though I have,nt seen the young one fly. Daffy quacked loudly and kept splashing the water until the Pere moved on wishing it had settled for pigeon.
                      The east bank still held yesterdays 7 Ringed Plover and a single Common Sandpiper with hundreds of Mipits around the shorelines and in the lagoon area.
                      The afternoon saw a change in the weather to my pet hate, hot sun and blue skies although a nice SW>4 kept the heat and flies at bay.
                      With the Peregrine sat on the NE shore there were just 2 adult and 1 juv Ringed Plover to be found along with the Common Sandpiper all hiding in the rocks on one of the new islands whilst the Pere was around.
                        A walk the full length of the west bank failed to turn anything else up but half way back  a Curlew flew over calling before dropping down on a spit near the south end.
When I got back on there and scoped across 4 Curlews were present before moving across to the Ringed Plover island and then across to the NW corner preening in a pond there.
                        The east bank Peregrine kept flying a bit closer to their position until suddenly the 4 Curlew launched themselves at the Peregrine seeing it off before they heading off high and >SW.

Vis Mig
8 Swallow........................>S
163 Mipits.......................>W
4 Curlew.........................blogging then  >SW

Bloggers
1 Common Sandpiper
7 Ringed Plover
BS