Gt Crested Grebe for Fly Flatts a.m.

                                       8 Teal present

            Teal over Gt Crested Grebe

   Rare visitors to Fly Flatts. 2 Gt Crested Grebe

                                     Full summer plumage

                                   Teal way over on the east bank

                                 All very distant shots.

A bright clear frosty morning at Fly Flatts in a temperature of 2 degrees and again that icy cold SE>4.
                                                           More wildfowl movement today with  2 rare visitors, Great Crested Grebe on the water and Teal up to 8 now present but very mobile before settling on the east banking.
A single Heron was on chick or frog watch before moving off >E along with 2 LBB gulls.
                                                    2 Wheatear were by the feeding station along with a pair of Stonechat whilst 3 Redshank and a Snipe were flying around the area. No sign of Common Sandpipers yet but any day now.
                                                  Good to meet 2 young lady ornithologists up there doing a bird survey before work on the reservoir begins. Nice to have someone on our side.
BS

Fly Flatts p.m.

A flying visit to Fly Flatts late p.m. with less than an hour spare just to do a wader check. Unfortunately the sun had brought the public out with people walking along the south and west bank which just left me with the east bank to check.
                                                                 Up to 5 Redshank were present along with this mornings pair of Teal although the Tufteds had moved on. Around 40 Lapwings were along the banking as well as 4 Golden Plover but no sign of Common Sandpipers or hirundines as yet.
                                                               Otherwise it was the normal species whilst 4 Golden Plover were in the Skylark field on the way home. Soon be Dotterel time again!!
BS

A better morning at Fly Flatts.

                                    Just the 1 male Wheatear present

                                     A pair of Teal was nice

                                  plus a pair of Tufted

                                    Barny and mate

                                 

                                       Reed Bunting by the lagoon

Fly Flatts  0800 hrs. Cool SE>4 with frost making perfect visibility. The Lagoon was frozen over solid.
       With the wind dropped considerably though still cold at 2 degrees there was a sign of wildfowl movement with a pair of Teal along with a pair of Tufted duck on the water which made a nice change after a winter of no Goldeneye or Wigeon.
                                                                  A Buzzard was down on the deck by the feeding station but moved off over the moor when it got wind of me. I thought it had got a taste for Nyger seed till I got down there and found it was on carrion.  A Short Eared Owl gave a brief viewing over at the north end whilst 1 male Wheatear and a pair of Redshank were present.
                                                                   Good to see Dave Sutcliffe and Steve Downing up on the top road giving the area a good scoping.
BS

Back to birds. Leeshaw Reservoir , p.m.

                   Black Headed gulls in full summer uniform

               

                                            8 Redshank present

                                   as well as 18 Oystercatchers

              Grey Wagtails starting to appear now

                                    Pied Wagtail photo bombing

                        1 of 3 distant Buzzard.

A bright afternoon at Leeshaw with plenty sunshine but still the cold E>4 but much more sheltered than Fly Flatts. Its amazing that this reservoir is just 2 miles >NW of Fly Flatts yet holds 10 times the number of birds. Nothing special here today but more than enough to keep me occupied throughout.
                                                           No returning Common Sandpipers as yet and no hirundines moving through.

1 Grey Wagtail
1 Pied Wagtail
1 Sparrowhawk
1 Kestrel
8 Redshank
18 Oystercatchers
2m 1f Goosander
21 Stock Dove
83 Greylag
sev Canadas
9 Curlew
3 Snipe
3 Buzzard
1 Merlin
8 Golden Plover
+ usual sp.

Had a drive around Thornton Viaduct area on the way home checking for ACs Ring Necked Parakeet
that has been reported visiting feeders down there. No joy with the bird but nearly every house down by the viaduct has feeders up. Looks like an ideal spot for Tree Sparrow to me.
BS

When will I learn, back to Fly Flatts a.m.

        More filming at Fly Flatts. Fellow on the deck did,nt do much.

                       A long lost Fly Flatts birder

                                         Still waiting for a fly over Osprey.

                                                         I told them he did,nt look good.

Ignoring the little voice in my head I was back up at Fly Flatts at 0800 hrs in 2 degrees and a freezing cold E>5 with 100 % cloud cover and a heavy frost.
                                                             As expected the area was bird less other than the resident species with empty skies and no passerines below the banking.
Filming was taking place again so at least I had something to watch although one of the film crew didnt look too good to me.
BS
                                                             

                                                          \

Fly Flatts a.m./ p.m. The beast from the East.

An easterly wind is what birders yearn for in the autumn to bring in the rarities but not so in the spring. Fly Flatts today had the freezing cold strong E>5 early morning and continuing through the late afternoons watch stopping any chance of spring migrants dead.
                                                        The skies remained empty other than the locals plus a few big gulls through >N whilst the water just held the usual Canadas, Mallards and a pair of Greylags.
A full scan of all the shoreline produced 2 Redshank, 2 Teal and a single Snipe whilst on the passerine front there was just the one male Wheatear . This p.m. 2 Grey Partridge were down the track and a Buzzard flew low over the Crossroads Inn.
                                                   The easterlies are forecast to keep going until at least next Thursday so I may have to try another venue till the conditions change , although I vowed after this mornings poor watch not to go back up there in the afternoon but I still did !

Around 300 Canada Geese
2 Greylag
2 Redshank
1 Snipe
3 Raven
2 Grey Partridge
1 Buzzard
1 Kestrel
2 Teal
5 Herring gull................>N
7 LBB gull....................>N
+ usual Mipits, Curlew, Lapwings etc.
BS

Back to Leeshaw below the cloud base.

                                 1 pr Goosander present

                                       1 of 4 LBB gulls

                                   3 of 16 Oystercatchers

                                          Around 30 Black Headed gulls.

A full day of  mist and fog up on the tops with Fly Flatts up in the clouds throughout.
                                                 Keeping below the cloud base I returned to Leeshaw to find very much the same as yesterdays visit apart from a pair of Goosander on the water as well as 1 Cormorant and 5 Teal. Several Snipe were up displaying over the moor to the west where a mobile flock of Golden Plover kept flying around low over the moor.
Still no Hirundine sightings as yet though HC had 2 House Martins over Haworth today.
                                                 Strong cold easterlies for tomorrow which will hopefully shift this fog.

16 Oystercatchers
8 Redshank
5 Snipe
4 LBB gulls
6 Curlew
19 Stock Dove
c 30 BH gulls
1pr Goosander
2 Pied Wagtail
+ usual sp.
1 Dipper in the stream.
BS