Bring on the Gulls, Fly Flatts,(permit only)

 

                                              Starlings galore

                                       Rose Coloured Starlings closing in to the area now

                            A good check through around 400 but nothing came up Rosy.

                                   A sight for sore eyes, gulls returning.

                                          Mostly LBBs with some Herring.

                                            Some landed briefly on the east bank

                                                         male Ringed Plover

                                                   female Ringed Plover

                                         listening to the camera click.

                                            Starlings around the boatyard.

                                   Canada goslings now getting their face pattern.

                                                  Common Sandpiper

A bit fresher and clearer morning with a light W>3 with broken cloud and sunshine at 10 degrees.

                               Birds were livelier early doors but things began to quieten down as the wind eased and temperature rose. The Starling flock was up to around 400 adults and young and very mobile around the top fields spooked by Merlin, Sparrowhawk and Kestrel . Was hoping everything would come up Rosy but just down to the black and brown versions.

                              A gift from the gods today, after MPs report of gulls appearing in the fields , with around 90 big gulls circling high over the water and a few landing briefly on the east bank. They were mainly LBBs with a few Herring , some of which looked like early juveniles but too distant and heat shudder to check them properly. 

                                               With the small wader passage drawing to a close it will be nice to replace them with some gulls and possibly some long legged waders though I,m not holding my breath on the latter.  An odd Greenshank and Ruff is about as good as it gets at Fly Flatts for some reason, even last spring and autumn with acres of mud showing.

                                          Otherwise the morning just provided the usual species whilst the afternoon visit was abandoned early with soaring heat and a very light west breeze. Bring back the wind and rain.

Fly Flatts

2 R L Partridge

1 Skylark

c 400 Starlings

sev Swallows

2 Oyks

2 Redshank

4 Common Sandpipers

2 Ringed Plover

1 Barnacle goose

c 70 LBB gull

21 Herring gull

1 Sparrowhawk

1 m Merlin

2 Kestrel.

+ usual sp.

BS

 

Birding in the fog, Fly Flatts,( permit only)

 A dense foggy start to the morning clearing mid watch to leave a heavy haze and light SE>2 at 8 degrees.

                              A very poor morning with just the usual waders spotted around the edges of the water and insufficient visibility for any sky watching.

                             The one highlight was a singing Skylark up for several minutes near the top gate. This is the first Skylark I,ve had up singing at Fly Flatts for 4 years. I,ve been watching this bird for 6 days around the same position and today was a bonus.

                            For some unknown reason I never get Skylarks at Fly Flatts apart from an odd 1 or 2 a year on the seed usually early spring or mid autumn. They tend to gather in the Nolstar field early April with usually up to 20 birds present but soon disperse out of the area.

                           The other highlight today was an inspiring text from M.P. reporting gulls starting to congregate in the fields around Thornton so hopefully there will soon be some gull watching to be had. Thanks for the message Mark.

I took the advantage of a quiet reservoir to get some jobs done at home so no afternoon visit.

Fly Flatts

2 Ringed Plover

2 Oyk

6 Common Sandpiper

2 Pied Wagtail

1 m Reed Bunting

1 Singing Skylark

+ usual sp.

BS

Fly Flatts, Too hot to handle. a.m. only

 

                                         4 of 6 Greylag arrived, unusual at this site.

                                          male Ringed Plover

                                         Resident Greylag young growing well .

                                       as well as the Canadas, this pair have kept 9 out of 11.

                                       several Lapwings watching over chicks.

                                        1 Barnacle goose in with Canadas

                                               Common Sandpiper

    Quiet morning so more Canada poo removing.     Before.....

                                                             After!

                                                         5 Golden Plover in the top field

Fly Flatts a.m.  Hazy sunshine at 11 degrees on a light E>2 and already heat distortion around the shoreline and misty haze over the moor.

                                                               A very quiet morning as expected with nothing on the move .

Just the usual species present but very inactive in the conditions. With grass cutting again on the west bank I was confined to the south shore and boatyard area and the water is too high for access to the east bank.

        I go up to Fly Flatts in gale force winds, torrential rain and sub zero temperatures but when the sun is full out with little breeze and temperatures up at 23 degrees, as it was this afternoon, its time for me to dip out and catch up to some jobs at home.

        Looking at the 10 day forecast its going to be just as grim for the coming week but overnight rain forecast tonight may top my water butt up.

          Thanks to MC for feedback on last nights blog, re large flocks of Starlings at Fly Flatts, with an invasion of Rosys on their way.

Good to bump into DJS up at the Withins early morn today, doing his rounds.

Fly Flatts

2 Ringed Plover

6 Common Sandpiper

5 Golden Plover

6 Greylag geese + the usual pair with 4 young.

1 Barnacle goose

+ usual sp.

BS

1st day of June, Fly Flatts,(permit only)

 

                                          Common Sandpiper

                                                  Male Ringed Plover

                                            1 of 4 Oystercatcher

                                                Single Dunlin.  adult breeding, c.a. schinzii

                                           Sound of the uplands, Curlew

                                                 Red Legged Partridge

                                      Swarms of post breed Starlings

                                               Flock of around 400

                                                             Golden Plover  1 of 4.

More of the nasty hot stuff but again a decent SE>3 making it acceptable in the morning at 9 degrees but late afternoon was near unworkable, visibility wise, with hazy skies ans heat shimmering shoreline.

                                  Only 1 Dunlin remaining today along with the usual waders whilst the highlight was watching the post breeding Starling flock working the fields with a count of around 400.

                                  A couple of Buzzard were enjoying the thermals way over the moor whilst a female Merlin was harassing the Starling flock without much success.

Plenty Swallows over the water today but a poor turn out of gulls with just 2 LBBs and looking bad on a June Wheatear with none showing now in the area which is normal for June at this site.

                          Next target wildfowl species which usually occurs this month at Fly Flatts is Common Scoter.

Fly Flatts

2 Ringed Plover

5 Common Sandpiper

3 Oystercatchers

1 Redshank

4 Golden Plover

2 Buzzard

2 RL Partridge

sev Swallows

c 400 Starling flock

+ usual sp.

BS