Fly Flatts, early a.m.

                                        A good year for Curlew

                      Common Sandpipers always present

  Mallards moving from the moor to the water

               Around 50 Canada goslings counted

                                                   YUK !!

                               

                           1 of 3 Oystercatchers

                                Lapwing chicks growing well.

Fly Flatts   0645 - 0930 hrs Cloudy damp start then brightening mid watch.
                                                 My good run had to expire at some point and this morning it did with nothing exceptional showing although plenty birds and a pleasant session.
Photography was hard work with the fast changing skies from dark to bright having to adjust the settings nearly every shot to keep out the camera blinkies.
                                                                                Much quieter on the waders making me think the Dunlin and Redshank must come in off the moor on an evening as that seems to be the busy tlme.

4 Common Sandpiper
3 Oystercatchers
2 Redshank
8 Curlew
sev House Martins
1 Distant Buzzard to the NW
+ usual sp.

24 Rooks in Nolstar field, an unusual species for this location.
BS

Redcar Tarn, Soil Hill

                 Lapwing chick hiding behind the log

                                        3 juv Coots

                                      A mish mash of gulls

                                         Third year Herring

                               Second year Lesser Black Backed

                                      Summer plumaged Black Headed

                                             Herring

                Several BHGs now returned

                                   Oystercatcher chick at distance

                                                 chick in the centre

1500 hrs and over to Redcar Tarn for a change. I don,t enjoy duck pond birding but if anywhere local is going to throw up a Black Tern, or any Tern its going to be Redcar Tarn plus its also got a reputation for turning up decent birds, but not today.
                                                                 The weather was a mixture of sunshine and showers on a W>4 so luckily the place was,nt packed.
Fewer gulls than usual with 15 Black Headed, 21 LBB and 4 Herrings but no Yellow Legged.
Breeding was well underway with several Lapwing chicks, 1 Oystercatcher chick and several juv Coot and Moorhen.  Otherwise it was down to the usual species on the water with plenty House Martin, Swallow and Swift overhead.

A quick check on Soil Hill early evening to try re locate the Sedge Warbler found me arriving at the same time as the heavy rain showers and, although it did brighten for a while , things were quiet with just the usual sp.
BS

Wall to wall waders. Fly Flatts/ Ogden

                                  Fly Flatts Curlew

         Dunlins everywhere with at least 11 present

                                              Gulls on chick alert

                                    1 of 8 Common Sandpiper

                                            Grey Wagtail collecting food

                                              Common Sand.

                                                 More Dunlin

With 2 hours to kill whilst 2 of the dogs were getting groomed up Pellon Lane where better to head than Fly Flatts.
1330 hrs and ideal conditions with 100% grey cloud cover and light drizzle on a light W>4, bring on the Black Terns, in my dreams.
The west and SE shorelines were alive with waders with more Dunlin there than I,ve seen for a lot of years. They were everywhere you looked dashing about like mice on the shoreline. Several were flying to and from the moor ,possibly breeding.
                                                                            A breeding success for Redshank with a chick running along the shoreline before disappearing into thin air before I could get a shot whilst LBB and Herring gulls were pestering the life out of  Lapwings and Curlews obviously on chick watch.
What an amazing spring/summer season this is turning out to be at Fly Flatts.
6 LBB gull
4 Herring gull
5 Curlew
8 Common Sandpiper
7 Redshank
11 Dunlin
2 Snipe
1 Oystercatcher
2 m Reed Bunting
+ usual sp.


Next stop Ogden  1630 hrs

                                                             Ogden Herring gull

                                        juv Carrion Crow

   Rare for Ogden, 1 of 3 Redshank

Distance shots, canon 1200d plus Canon 300mm  1.4 L IS

1630 hrs and the dogs needing a walk after being sat under a hair dryer part of the afternoon so how could I refuse them a visit to Ogden!!
                                                           The water is ridiculously low making photos hard with the shoreline being so far away plus I only took the 300mm lens with me not expecting much,
Again waders made the visit with 1 Oystercatcher present along with 2 Common Sandpipers and a rarity for here with 3 Redshank along the east shore. A single Oystercatcher was present along with a sub adult Herring gull.

3 Redshank
2 Common Sandpiper
1 Oystercatcher
1 m Tufted
3 LBB gulls
1 Herring gull
1 BHG gull
+ usual sp.
BS

Soil Hill pm

                                           1 of 3 Whitethroat

                                       A good stronghold for Skylark

Soil Hill at 1830 hrs on a warm sticky evening with bright sunshine on a light W>3.
                                                            A busy day not getting free until late so just time for a quick search around Soil Hill. Plenty small passerine activity , the highlight being a singing Sedge Warbler which refused to come out of its Bramble patch. 3 Whitethroats were present along with the usual Skylarks with a count of 9 singing birds, some food carrying.
                                                                   A Little Grebe was on the NK pond along with 2 Moorhen whilst a decent Linnet flock is building down at the bottom of the tree line.

3 Whitethroat
1 Willow Warbler
11 Linnet
9 Skylark
3 Goldfinch
sev Mipits
1 Lapwing
2 Curlew
1 Oyk
1 Little Grebe
2 Moorhen
2 drake Mallard
BS