Fly Flatts pulls it together at last. + Visible Migration.

 

               Kestrel with prey

                Two drake Common Scoter

              A patch rarity, Spotted Flycatcher

                    Just passing through, Willow Warblers.

A mainly dry morning at Fly Flatts with just a couple of light showers on a moderate W>4 gusting 5 at 12 degrees with 70% cloud and sunshine.

     A first scan of the water found 2 drake Common Scoter way out in the centre at the north end and only photographical at distance from the west bank. Several Wheatear were darting around as well as the usual juv Pied Wagtails.

     The sky was quiet other than 2 LBB gulls plus a few Swallows and 2 House Martin.

Back at the compound 2 Willow Warblers  were flitting around in the single tree and then a nice surprise to get a juv Spotted Flycatcher in the same area giving good views. Spotted Flycatcher is a very rare visitor to Fly Flatts with usually a single sighting each year when birds are moving through.

       So a good morning at last and a touch of visible migration which was badly needed to top up my enthusiasm for this site.

Present :-

6 Carrion Crow

1 Raven

Greylag geese

Canada geese

Kestrel

Mallard

4 juv Pied Wagtail

Vis Mig :-

1 Spotted Flycatcher

2 Willow Warbler

12 Wheatear

2 LBB..........................>NE

9 Swallow...................>S

2 House Martin..........>S

1 Grey Wagtail...........>W

Sev Mipits.................blogging

BS.

FOGGED OFF.

 Thick fog on the tops this morning along with heavy drizzle, all thanks to the light SE>2 so the morning session abandoned. The heavy rain yesterday and again today will well and truly have finished off the shore at Fly Flatts so it will be just down to hopes of a wader dropping onto the cobbled bank like the Spotted Redshank and Knot did , staying 2 days, a couple of years back.

        Visible migration will be slowly kicking off shortly so I have added the Trektellen link to my blog so we can see what,s on the move and when. Hopefully that will be livelier to replace the lack of wader watching. 

       Gulls are starting moving over Queensbury late afternoon now heading >E meaning the Eccup gull roost is starting up.

BS

A West Yorkshire Birders life is not an easy one. Fly Flatts.

 Another gusty morning at Fly Flatts but slightly less than yesterday with a SW>4 gusting 5 at 14 degrees with full cloud but remaining dry.

         Once again mega quiet with just 5 mobile Wheatear present along with lots of Meadow Pipits, whilst a single Raven was in the air along with a Kestrel and one LBB gull.

     This day last year at Fly Flatts I was looking at Greenshank, Common Sandpiper, 3 Ringed Plover and Dunlin with a Red Kite overhead.

Rain and thunderstorms forecast for tomorrow!

BS.

The lull continues, Fly Flatts

 A very windy morning at Fly Flatts with  SW>5 gusting 6 at 14 degrees with a mix of sunshine and drizzle showers and 80% cloud.

            With next to nothing on site it was a matter of watching and waiting for something to happen which never did. Just 3 Wheatear present along with 2 ad LBB and a single 1 CY LBB with a Kestrel battling in the wind. The usual Canadas and Greylags were on the water with some of both species not quite ready for flying as yet. 

     With no shore and more rain to come its looking like being a poor Aug/Sept for waders at this location.

BS

Complete clearout, Fly Flatts/ and a special for Ogden.

 A very windy start to the morning at Fly Flatts with a moderate W>4 at 13 degrees with part cloud and some sun.

             The good count of yesterdays Wheatears had all moved through along with most of the Meadow Pipits with a few ground hopping through and over the Flat Moor.

Several Swallows were over the water with 2 LBB gulls on the water in the NW corner but otherwise deadly quiet with no small passerines around the compound and empty skies.

          This is a common procedure at Fly Flatts where, usually after a good day, the next day is left with nothing until a new wave of movers come through or something turns up on the water.

          Withins Head held just a single Wheatear along with several Meadow Pipits and its beginning to look as if the Black Redstart has moved on with the Wheatears.

         A call from NK at Ogden was interesting with a sighting of Shoveler and Wigeon so early evening, when the crowds had cleared, I had a quick dash there to see if anything else had arrived.

      The summer plumaged male Shoveler was present but way out and only viewable from the east bank , hence the photos were taken at 180 degrees to sun angle which was low and reflecting on the water giving silhouetted images. No sign of the Wigeon and too late in the day for gulls with just 4 LBBs and about 20 Black Headed. Nice find Nigel, thanks for the call.

BS

Another wave of Wheatear, Fly Flatts.

 

       At least 18 Wheatears new in

   A busy fence line

            1 of 6 juv Pied Wagtail.

A bright sunny start to the morning at Fly Flatts with near full sun and blue skies at 18 degrees on a light S>2 but clouding by 0900 hrs.

           A fresh in wave of Wheatear arrived overnight with a minimum of 18 counted along the south bank along with 6 juv Pied Wagtails, 2 Willow Warblers and several Meadow Pipits.

         A single Herring gull was on the water with 4 LBBs on the west bank whilst a Raven and Kestrel were overhead along with several Swallows but still no Swifts.

      Withins Head, on the way home, had no Wheatear present and no sign of the Black Redstart but held a large count of Meadow Pipits.

BS

A reet windy do, Fly Flatts.

 A strong WSW>5 gusting 6 at Fly Flatts early morn which dropped to W>4 by 0930 hrs with near full cloud and odd bursts of sunshine. Feeling very cold in the wind at 10 degrees.

       Everything was lying low in the wind until mid way through the watch and the wind eased and some sun appeared. At least 4 Willow Warblers were moving through the compound along with 5 Reed Bunting and several Meadow Pipits but only 2 Wheatear found this morning.

   Three Oystercatchers were on the west bank but probably the family that bred here rather than movers, whilst a single Kestrel was the only bird airborne other than the crow family.

     A stop off at Withins Head on the way home found DJS hoping to re-locate his Black Redstart from yesterday but no sign this morning with just 3 Wheatear present and a few Swallows.

   I put on my blog yesterday that I was due for a Black Redstart any day now and Dave had the same idea and pipped me to the post. A nice find Dave and bang on schedule going by previous years dates at that location.

BS

A livelier morning at Fly Flatts

 

                                Dispersion, 1 of 3 Willow Warblers.

                                    8 Wheatear present

                                Deep coloured male

                                    Wheatear on a boat mast.

A bright and breezy morning at Fly Flatts with a moderate W>4 at 13 degrees. Around 50% cloud with sunshine.

           The sky was much livelier today with a steady passage of LBB gulls >SW whilst 2 Buzzard and 3 Kestrel were hovering over the moor and enjoying the wind. A single Raven was mobbed by Crows as it headed >NE over the Nab.

          A sign of dispersion with 3 Willow Warblers in the lagoon tree whilst 8 Wheatear were along the south bank with several Swallows overhead but not a single Swift for 3 weeks now.

        If things go as normal I should be reporting my first Black Redstart anytime now.

BS

            

A steady morning at Fly Flatts.

                                    Around 10 Wheatear present

                                        juv

                                Dark clouds approaching

                                    Waiting for some shore

A bright start to the morning but soon clouding over with the wind increasing from >W3 to 4 at 12 degrees.

     A low excitement morning with very little present either on the water or in the air with just a family party of 6 locally bred Kestrels in the air together, along with 2 Buzzards nearby.

    Around 10 Wheatear were along the south bank but very mobile whilst a single juv Stonechat was mixed in with the Meadow Pipits but keeping distant beyond the lagoon.

    Just the usual Canadas and Greylags on the water plus a single female Mallard. All the juv Mallards have now left the area with an outstanding year for them with a total of  23 fledged from 4 females and only 2 ducklings lost which is highly unusual for this site.

BS

   

 

More of the same, Wheatears, Fly Flatts.

 

                                    Cormorants on the move

                                    Still several Wheatear present

                                Nth male in moult

                                Typical 5 primary tips

                                Female

                                    Several Reed Buntings.

A dry clear morning at Fly Flatts with a cool NW>3 at 9 degrees with full cloud.

            Around 9 Wheatear still present with several of yesterdays birds moved on but still several Reed Buntings around the boatyard .Very little in the sky other than 2 Raven and a Kestrel, though 2 Cormorants on the move, high and >NE, were a feature for this site.

      Just a single Black Headed gull on the water along with the Canadas and Greylags.

Looking like a bright dry day tomorrow with a moderate westerly which will give the water chance to recede slightly.

BS