Fog, Fly Flatts,a.m. / Heat, Ogden p.m.

 

  FLY FLATTS      Scores of grounded Mipits.

                                Fog and sun causing atmospheric scenes.

                                    Slipway

                                    Along the east bank

                                Lagoon tree just visible

                                    Single f Tufted out in the murk.

                                Peninsular starting to show.

OGDEN                    Single Common gull

                                Several Black Headed

                                    7 Herring present

                            Having a stab at 2 CY LBB with white head and darkish tertials.

                          Pic no clear enough to show pattern.

                                    ad Herring.

                                    ad LBB

                                    1 of 2 Heron

                                    1 of 3 Cormorant

                                    1 CY Black Headed.

Thick fog early morn at Fly Flatts then mist coming and going throughout until it finally cleared as I was tackling up. A very light SE>1 at 16 degrees. 

              Just restricted to checking the edges for waders as well as the bushes and trees for migrants with limited views onto the water. Scores of grounded Mipits were present along with a few Reed Buntings and a single Wheatear whilst good flocks of Goldfinch and Linnets were on the Thistle tops by the entrance track. By 1000 hrs the fog lifted revealing the long staying female Tufted duck out on the water.

         With the schools back I risked a quick gull check at Ogden although the car park was still near full and plenty people buzzing around, seems nobody works anymore.

       A decent count of gulls with 38 LBBs, 7 Herring, 1 Common and around 50 Black Headed but disappointedly all out on the water with no safe expanse of shore for them to settle. After checking the Black Headed gulls on the overflow for rings it was just a quick scan round revealing 2 Heron and 3 Cormorant then out of there as cars started rolling in.

BS

Turn down the thermostat. Fly Flatts. Then a late surprise.

 Early morn at Fly Flatts and the temperature already up at 19 degrees with hazy sunshine and mist hanging low to the west and east. The saving grace was a cooling E>2 making it more bearable.

        Needless to say, the conditions killed the birding flat with nothing visibly on the move other than a few Mipits in no specific direction, plus 2 Buzzard very high and >S.

      A clear out of migrants just left 2 Wheatear along with a few blogging Mipits but otherwise just a single Kestrel and the usual Canada geese.

     With much more shore now exposed along with part of the peninsular, the latter being good for Dunlin and Sanderling, its a matter now of checking and hoping something arrives once we get some cloud back.

      

Withens Head held around 30 Linnet plus several Mipits and Swallows whilst Balkram Edge had 12 BH gull plus several Jackdaws.

Then, just when you think its all over, late afternoon out gardening, when I looked up to see a Red Kite coming in my direction from Bradshaw. A dash into the house and upstairs to grab the camera, you would,nt think you could get up 13 stairs in 2 strides and back down in one.

Out in the garden and the bird was soaring just to the south of me so a few shots then through the house into the front garden in time for a few more as it drifted down towards the village to the east, probably heading for Harewood.

     The photos turned out a disappointment with the sun being low shadowing the bird but a nice and unusual sight from the garden. Lyndas birthday today so told her it was a fly-over for her.

BS.

                       

Back to Leeshaw reservoir.

 

                                More big gulls present today.

                                    BHGs on the backing

                                    1 of 2 Little Owl.

                                    1 CY Herrings

                                    Mostly Lesser Black Backed.

                                RH Lesser dark enough for ' intermediate'

                                    Vocal Cormorant high and >W.

A real muggy warm morning with a light SE>2 at 18 degrees with blue skies and sunshine which unfortunately seems to be the theme for this week. Morning fog expected over the next two days.

           Far from ideal conditions this morning at Leeshaw but it suited the hirundines with plenty Swallow, House and Sand Martin over the water and fields but no sign of a definite movement. 

     A strange year for Swifts with me having mega counts over the water at Fly Flatts for 2 weeks then nothing since. My last Swifts being July 20th and none over the usual area of Foxhill.

        A better show of big gulls today with 17 LBBs and 5 Herring along with around 100 Black Headed. One of the LBBs was dark mantled enough to be an 'intermediate'.

     Otherwise there were 3 Cormorants on the water and 1 very high and >W as well as 2 Little Owl and 2 juv Pied Wagtails plus the usual species. Good to see BV up there.

BS

Wrong venue, wrong weather, Fly Flatts.

 

                                   Few Meadow Pipits ground-hopping through.

Poor reservoir conditions this morning with clear skies but hazy sunshine causing some low lying mist over the moor. A very calm SW>2 at 16 degrees.

      After yesterdays full note book at Leeshaw reservoir I should have done a re-visit this morning but plumped for Fly Flatts which was completely dead. Just 4 Red Grouse, 2 Red Legged Partridge and a handful of Mipits and that was it.

     The water is still going down steadily with some hope of shore plus the peninsular is starting to show so hopefully by the end of the week it may be inviting enough for a wader or two though I,m not holding my breath.

     At the moment Leeshaw is the place that anything interesting could turn up with ample shore for the waders, yesterdays Dunlin adding some hope, plus the well manured fields being an attraction for the gulls.

    A full week now of the dreaded hot sunshine and every day showing a calm wind from the E, SE, and NE, lovely !

BS.

Leeshaw reservoir buzzing a.m.

 

                                    A good count of Black Headed gulls

                                 Muck spreading the goose field is an advantage

                                    Distant Dunlin

                                Vis Mig at its best. Swarms of House Martin.

Another morning of thick fog on the tops so across to Leeshaw which was below the cloud base and breaking into sunshine and patches of blue sky. A light E>1 and a temperature of 15 degrees.

          An ultra hectic morning reminding me once again that one man vis mig counting and birding don,t mix when a busy morning like this comes along with lots of overhead birds going through uncounted whilst I was scanning the shore for waders and gulls.

        After over 30 years vis migging I think its time to stick to my main passion of birding and report vis mig as and when something special goes over or high numbers, just reporting casually. If birding is quiet I can always fall back on vis mig.

      A single Dunlin was on the, now well exposed shore, but very distant and in the heat shimmer. A good count of Black Headed gulls were by the reservoir and in the newly muck spreaded goose field which has got to produce a Med gull shortly. Only 3 LBB and 1 Herring but strangely no Common gull.

      Mipits, Sand and House Martin, Swallows and Mistle Thrush were moving but the highlight of the morning had to be the most House Martins I have ever seen together with an estimated c200 at the junction of Lee Lane and Moorside Lane with the sky full as well as the telegraph wires, an amazing sight.

      Otherwise present were the usual geese, Mallard, Cormorants etc.

Present :-

Canada Goose

Greylag goose

Mallard

Heron

3 Cormorant

c 150 BH gull

1 Herring gull

3 LBB gull

+ usual sp.

Vis Mig :-

1 Dunlin..................blogging

25 Lapwing.............>W

125 Swallow...........>S

14 Sand Martin.......>S

32 House Martin....>S

c 200 House Martin..blogging

37 Mipits...............>S

8 Mistle Thrush.....>W

BS

        

Fly Flatts, rare afternoon visit,

 

                                Female Tufted 

                                    Good amount of white on face.

                                    Single Wheatear present.

As expected this morning, dense fog until midday then clearing to full cloud on a light E>2 at 15 degrees.

           With the dense fog this morning I never got past the starting gate but mid afternoon, with the shopping and chores done, I attempted to rescue the day with an afternoon visit to Fly Flatts.

             Fly Flatts is always very quiet in the afternoon and today was no exception with nothing in the trees or bushes other than a few blogging Mipits along with a single Wheatear. The skies were empty even though the conditions looked ideal for a passing Osprey or Red Kite

        A single diving duck, way out in the middle of the water, was a female Tufted but with an extensive area of white on the face giving me hopes of Scaup. Out with the scope to dash my hopes seeing it was Tufted which was later joined with a drake dropping in from the east.

      More light easterlies in the morning probably meaning more fog.

BS