Drizzle continues bringing in the waders. Fly Flatts, (no public access).

  Male Merlin showing worn or partial moult plumage
rather than, first suspected, early bred male juv !

  Unsharp images due to low shutter speed to compensate
for low light.

                         Came through at around 50 m.p.h.

                   New in today, Common Sandpiper.

                                        1 of 8 juv Wheatear.

A real wet morning with heavy horizontal drizzle and rain showers on a west but quickly turning SW> 4 with dark skies at 14 degrees. Late afternoon was drier with black clouds and occasional drizzle.
            Walking on to check the lagoon area first job a low flying bird over the water caught my eye, Merlin, which tried for a Mipit but missed so, luckily, it raised above the skyline so I was able to blast some shots as it went through at about 50 m.p.h and was gone over the Flat Moor in seconds.
              The camera was on 2000 exp at 800 iso which,due to the poor light, was a lower speed than needed for the speed of the bird but no time to touch the settings in the time allowed. Thanks to Canons super fast auto focus and shooting at 10 frames per second I managed to rescue some record shots.
         The jury is still out on the age of the bird as at first I suspected an early juv going into adult male plumage going by some areas of brown on the mantle but possibly an adult male showing signs of feather wear and partial moult.
            A very wet and windy walk to the NE corner along the east bank found the male and juv Ringed Plovers plus a new in Common Sandpiper which is a first one back after they have had a poor breeding season at Fly Flatts this year.
           Swallows were moving well this afternoon and Meadow Pipit numbers are increasing.
Looks like another soaking tomorrow with rain forecast throughout the day but if it brings the birds in I won,t be complaining.

Visible Migration
58 Swallows.....................>SE
1 m 1 juv Ringed Plover.....blogging
8 juv Wheatear.................blogging
1 Common Sandpiper......blogging
several Meadow Pipits....blogging

Present
12 LBB gull
1 Herring gull
5 Kestrel up together
+ usual sp.
BS

A good start then all down t'ill from there. Fly Flatts, (no public access)

                           A very raggy ad m Ringed Plover.

                                                 2 of 6 early morn

                                                juv and ad male

                     The long staying male thinks he owns Fly Flatts

            Hes very aggressive to all other birds.

                                             1 of 2 juv Wheatear.

No complaints about heat shimmer this morning with deep fog patches moving through along with constant drizzle and heavy rain showers on a SW >4 at 12 degrees. The mist soon lifted to a low cloud base giving visibility across the water and around the shoreline and by late afternoon it was dry and clear.
              Once again the magic of the Fly Flatts drizzle worked with 6 Ringed Plover on the north shore with 3f  2m and a single juv. One of the adult males was the long stayer which eventually took up residence in the pond area but seeing off any other bird that approached.
By late afternoon just the adult male and a single juv were left along with 2 juv Wheatear and 4 Kestrels up together ,firstly over the west bank, and then over the Nab.
                 No sign of movement today other than the Plovers with low skies this morning and empty skies this afternoon.

Visible Migration
3f  2m 1 juv Ringed Plover
2 juv Wheatear

Present
4 Kestrel
sev Mipits
1 Reed Bunting
17 LBB gulls
2 2cy Herring gulls
1 f Mallard
BS

More Ringed Plovers, Fly Flatts,(no public access)

                                  Male Ringed Plover new in

         Very worn coverts after full breeding plumage.

                                                juv Wren

                                       juv Ringed Plover

               Still showing white fringes on upperparts

A decent morning with a light W>3 at 15 degrees and full cloud cover but spoilt late afternoon with sunny skies and very little westerly breeze at 20 degrees slowing down the birds and producing lots of heat shimmer.
                          Three new arrivals today with 1 adult male, 1 adult female and a juvenile Ringed Plover. They were out on the shoreline in the SE corner but nowhere to be found after I,d walked the west bank. Late afternoon and a walk on the east bank located the juv on the north shore but very mobile flying back across the water to the south end.
                          Back at the SE corner I re located the juv and male which had settled below the ponds but no sign of the female.
                         Most of the juv Wheatears had gone through leaving 4 in the pond area whilst Swallows and Swifts were moving >SE.
                         A heart stopping moment when I got a mega high large white bird drifting >S before disappearing into some high cloud. Osprey alarm bells rang until it reappeared and I got the scope on it to find a Lesser Black Backed gull, oh well, maybe next time.

Visible Migration
26 Swallows................>SE
3 Swift........................>SE
4 juv Wheatear...........blogging
1m, 1f, 1juv Wheatear...blogging

Present
15 LBB gull
2 Herring gull
1 Raven
1 juv Wren
+ usual sp.
BS

Dispersion hits Fly Flatts,( no public access)

                                    1 of 14 juv Wheatear present.

                               juv Grey Wagtail, a rare species for this site

                     Plenty Black Headed gulls showing in new mown
                    fields with Commons starting to show.

                                 Worth scanning for Med gulls

                                         Second year Common gull.

A day of drizzle and heavy rain showers on a moderate SW>4-5 at 10 degrees and full cloud cover.
                                                       Not a wader on the shore today looking like the long staying Ringed Plover has finally left and no Dunlin present.
                                                         A day of dispersion with passerines being the birds of the day with a juv Grey Wagtail among juv Pied Wagtails, Mipits and juv Wheatears in the pond area and along the west bank with a good count of the latter. The Grey Wagtail was unusual as it is a rare species at Fly Fly Flatts with very limited sightings.
                                                        The second surprise was 2 Willow Warblers in the single tree by the lagoon but keeping well inside the sheltering branches. Willow Warbler is a once a year occurrence and always in the single tree. This year the birds are a week earlier than the previous 2 years.
         Swifts were piling through this morning along with a few Swallow but nothing in the afternoon when the cloud base had dropped and the rain and drizzle intensified.

Visible Migration
c 140 Swifts......................>S
42 Swallow......................>S
11 Lapwing.....................>W
14 juv Wheatear............blogging
6 juv Pied Wagtail.........blogging
1 juv Grey Wagtail.......blogging
2 Willow Warbler.........blogging

Present
5 LBB gulls
1 Buzzard
2 Raven
BS

Another gem for Fly Flatts. (no public access)

                      Drake Common Scoter dropping in this morning

                                          juv Wheatear on a buoy.

      Keeping bang in the centre morning and afternoon

                                        Still there as I left at 1530 hrs

                                            Another juv Wheatear

Another decent day with full cloud cover and light rain on a light SW>3 rising to SW>5 p.m. at 14 degrees.
                                                          Only wader present today was the long staying Ringed Plover
with yesterdays Dunlin gone. Things were looking quiet until a surprise visitor dropped in in the shape of a drake Common Scoter, the 3rd Scoter to visit in just over a week.
                                                          It settled right in the centre of the water right on the cameras range limit and shots from the east shore were poor to say the least. In the afternoon I walked the west bank and got some slightly better images but not what I was after. The bird stayed awake throughout, diving and preening and never got its head down as they usually do before leaving in the evening. It was still present at 1530 hrs as I left but will probably leave tonight.
                                                        Hirundines and Swifts were moving in the afternoon in very dark clouds whilst just 4 juv Wheatear could be found.

Visible Migration
1 drake Common Scoter........blogging
4 juv Wheatear......................blogging
1 Ringed Plover...................blogging
29 Swift..............................>SW
14 Swallow........................>SW
2 House Martin..................>SW

Present
12 LBB gull
1 Herring gull
+ usual sp.
BS