Fog , Fog and more Fog. Fly Flatts.

  The ever present Common Sandpipers.

    A pair of Pied Wagtails are busy feeding young

A full day of fog and heavy rain up on the tops with a light NE>3.
This morning it looked to be clearing but on arrival visibility was half way across the water so only possible to check the SE corner ponds with only Common Sandpipers and 1 Redshank showing.
A group of 8 Meadow Pipits flew from the ponds area closely followed by the juv Wheatear landing on the south shore but in the fog not to be re located.
                                      The late afternoon watch was in slightly better conditions , still in the rain but the fog clearing long enough to check the east bank before it rolled back in again.
Plenty activity with the Common Sandpipers around the SE ponds with at least 4 young present whilst Redshanks are guarding young with 2 pair keeping to the Flat Moor.
                                      Two Ringed Plover were present but very mobile whilst no sign of Dunlins today with just 1 Oystercatcher on the east shore plus a dozen LBBs but will be able to check better tomorrow hopefully if the fog has cleared although I dare,nt moan about the conditions with sunshine and a heatwave threatened.
BS

Halifax Birdwatchers Club 2018 Report.

The Halifax Birdwatchers Report is now out and available from the Go Local store up Pellon Lane at Woodlesford, Pellon. A well put together report of the birds in Calderdale during 2018 . Price £ 5.50.
BS

Fog hits Fly Flatts and a juv Wheatear.

                                    Juv Wheatear on the SE ponds

             Usual Ringed Plover seeing off a second bird, also a male.

                                             In to land, problem sorted.

                                        Male Tufted going into eclipse.

                                               Female Tufted in the mist.

Dense fog this morning so just a dog walk from Ogden up the track to the Withins and back in fog all the way.
            Mid afternoon and shopping done the fog was still thick on the tops but suddenly, like magic, it cleared leaving clear skies so off to Fly Flatts. On arrival visibility was good but very warm,21 deg
with no breeze what so ever. By the time I,d geared up, the mist started rolling back in from the SE so a quick dash through the boat yard with just time to scope the east bank and water before it was gone from sight.
                 Luckily I hung onto enough visibility to see the south shore and SE corner ponds throughout the watch which, once again, was where everything was happening.
The long staying Ringed Plover was very alarmed and flying round noisily , the reason being a 2nd Ringed Plover came in and landed on the south shore only to be moved off as it did with the last new arrival. This second bird was also a male in breeding plumage but I failed to re locate it again so I don,t know if it left or moved across to the east bank.
              Lapwings are building up slowly with 34 along the shoreline before moving off >SW whilst 3 Dunlin were in the pools. A pair of Tufted were by the ponds with the male going into eclipse and swifts were piling through below the mist over the water.
            The highlight today was a juvenile Wheatear which confirmed my suspicions of a pair breeding at Fly Flatts. I,ve been watching a pair since April which stayed behind when others had moved on. I caught the female checking a hole under the banking several times but nothing became of that but then found her checking another hole in a pile of stone some distance from the water.
           The female then disappeared from the 2nd April but the male kept on showing with the last sighting on the 26th of May although with concentrating on waders I have,nt been checking the area.
            Its way too early for this juv to be a returning bird so must have bred in the area, or locally,but I should start seeing the adults about now if its off my suspected pair.
BS

Fly Flatts am./pm. and another RAF flypast.

                                                6 Dunlin present today

                                 This Dunlin had me looking twice

   Mother and baby doing well, Common Sandpiper.

    Even showing the white braces at this early age.

                  The long staying Ringed Plover.

    Two new Lapwing chicks if you can find them,

               Nice to get Dunlins back again.

 Lancaster bomber, Spitfire and today a Dakota.

  Used to drop parachutists in wartime.

A much better day weather wise with 100% cloud cover on a cool SE>3 a.m. then a moderate E>4 in the afternoon.
                    With the sun out of the way birds were much livelier with ,once again, all the action in the SE corner pools whereas a check along the east and north shoreline from the NW corner only produced a few Common Sandpipers along with 68 Lesser Black Backed and 3 Herring gulls whilst 2 Black Headed flew over >E.
                                            Back at the ponds Dunlins were now up to 6 with one very light gingery bird partially hidden which had me thinking Ruff until I got the scope on it. The long staying Ringed Plover is still around the ponds as well as a Lapwing with 2 very young late chicks whilst a Common Sandpiper has a young chick in the lagoon.
                                        Still no Scoter arrival this morning and wind surfers present this afternoon but I,m expecting some to appear this coming week. If they do you,ll be the first to know.
BS

Fly Flatts , too hot to handle.

                                   2 of 3 Dunlin present but hard to locate

                     The always mobile Ringed Plover

                  Cold Edge Short Eared Owl.

A reasonable morning with 80% cloud cover on a SE>3 but by late afternoon conditions were poor with only 40% cloud cover and hot sunshine on a very light SE>2 with shoreline visibility cut down due to a mass of heat distortion. As usual, the sun brought out the sun worshipers with picnickers on the west bank and just as I arrived the Dingle family were walking on the south shore which flushed 15 Lapwing and 2 small waders that flew high and fast away >W, possibly the other 2 Dunlin with only 3 of the 5 found today?
                                          With off lead dogs, bikes and joggers I gave it a quick look at and an early finish getting back to do a bit of dog grooming.
                                           The morning watch proved slightly better but even by early morning the heat shimmer was present and most of the birds were head in wing sleeping through it. The Ringed Plover was active but the 3 remaining Dunlins hardly moved throughout the day.
                                             Scanning the east shore from the NW corner produced 2 male and 1 female Teal along with the usual Common Sandpipers and Redshank with 174 big gulls on the north bank.
On the way home a Short Eared Owl was quartering fields on Cold Edge road.
A promise of back to cloudy and showers tomorrow, my sort of weather, may even get a Scoter.
BS

1st day of Summer- Longest Day- Waders on the move, Fly Flatts.

                                 Redshank chasing moths

                                         Dunlins on the move,  1 of 5

                                     Then there were 4

                                    with a 5th arriving

                                         Curlews by the pools

                                 5 Oystercatchers on the move

                             Common Sandpiper and Dunlin

                        1 of 15 Lapwings on the shore

                           The long staying Ringed Plover

An overcast morning with early rain showers and good visibility on a moderate W>5 then by late afternoon the sky had broken to 40% cloud cover with the dreaded sun blasting down making thing difficult with distant viewing of the shorelines just a blur with heat shimmer. Luckily the W>5 was still blowing keeping the temperature down but thats enough of the sun for this summer, lets get back to the grey stuff.
                         The good westerly had once again done the trick bringing a host of new waders into the area looking like an early dispersion may have started with my first Dunlins here since the 13th June with 5 present by the afternoon watch as well as 5 Oystercatchers, an uncommon bird for this site. The long staying Ringed Plover was still present along with 7 Common Sandpipers, 4 Redshank , 2 Curlew and 15 Lapwing with all these birds being around the SE ponds luckily, away from the distortion of the east and north bank where it was impossible to go through the 300+ gulls there, even from the NW corner with a mass of shimmer all along the shoreline.
                    A high expectancy for Common Scoter was shattered today when nothing appeared after having a female present on the 22nd/2017 and 4 males 19th/2018,  1female 20th/2018 .
Just the 1 female passing through early on the 4th 2019 but they will be appearing at a reservoir near you over the next 3 month.
BS