Back to winter, Fly Flatts.

                                    A good count of Mipits

                                    Single Wheatear

                                    2 of 4 Common Sandpipers

                                    2 of 6 Ringed Plover

 A bright start to the morning but clouding over by 0830 hrs with a light snow then rain shower on a moderate N>4 at 1 degree. Good visibility throughout.

     Similar sort of morning with the usual waders, Ringed Plover, Common Sandpiper, Redshank, Oystercatchers plus Curlew and Lapwing. A short billed Curlew type flew over >SE into the sun which I thought possible Whimbrel as too early for a young Curlew and it was flying fast and direct, but with only a quick sighting and no call I had to let that one slip the net.

      A single Wheatear was in the compound along with 2 Reed Bunting whilst 8 Herring gull and 2 LBB were on the north bank and a Buzzard high over Nab Water Lane. Swallows were piling over >N.

   The weathermen have back-peddled on tomorrows dry day, now forecasting a chance of rain on a moderate NW turning N but slightly milder.

BS

Wader day, Fly Flatts

 

                                    1 of 4 Common Sandpiper

                                    2 of 6 Ringed Plover

                                    Herring gull on watch

                                And this is what it was watching. Greylag goslings

                                1st 7 gosling, 3 days earlier than last year.

                                    Oystercatchers displaying.

A wet start to the morning but dry by 0815 hrs with a bitter cold N>4 at 2 degrees and full cloud but good visibility.

     A very lively wader morning with 4 Common Sandpiper, 6 Ringed Plover, 8 Oystercatchers and a single Redshank plus the usual Lapwings and Curlews. The first batch of 7 Greylag goslings were on the water whilst a Herring gull stood watching on the east back but no match for the adult geese. This first batch is just 3 days earlier than last year and there are another 4 pairs of Greylags present as well as around 250 Canadas and 8 pair of Mallard.

      Very quiet in the sky with just a single LBB gull >NE plus 2 Raven over the moor. A single Wheatear kept its distance whilst the annual pair of Pied Wagtails are looking to breed again this year.

   Next target waders now are Dunlin, imminent over the next few days, Little Ringed Plover, very iffy to give an appearance, Sanderling and Turnstone, early May but very hit and miss, then Greenshank, Bar-tailed Godwit and Whimbrel early May but about the same odds for these 3 as winning the lottery.

        A couple of dry but very cold days promised now with a light north and north west wind.

BS

Dodge the Fog. Leeshaw.

 

                                    Single Pink Footed Goose.

                                    1 of 2 Cormorant

                                Showing white courtship patch.

                                Several Swallows through >NW

                                Very few Black Headed gulls in the area.

                                        Lapwing displaying

                                    Herring gull

As promised this morning, dense fog on the tops and hanging around until mid afternoon.

    Leeshaw was clear with good visibility on a light W>2 at 5 degrees with constant rain throughout.

      Nothing out of the ordinary but enough to keep the interest going throughout the watch with a good variety of species. Swallows were bombing through, low over the water and >W along with a low count of Herring and LBB gulls and a surprise to get 4 Black Headed gull over, which are very scarce at the moment.

     A single Pink Footed goose was in with the Canada and Greylag looking like it will probable over-summer here. Waders comprised of  Common Sandpiper, Redshank, Oystercatcher, Curlew and Lapwing whilst 2 Heron and Cormorant were on the banking.

   Grey and Pied Wagtail were present along with a few Goldfinch and a Kestrel.

Looking dry tomorrow with a cool N>3 with the morning visibility given as medium to good, though Fly Flatts has its own weather system up there.

BS

Oyks galore, Fly Flatts.

                                    A total of 43 Oystercatchers in and through Fly Flatts.

                                    4 Common Sandpiper

                                    3 Ringed Plover

                                    Herring gull

                                Good count of big gulls.

                                Oystercatchers>NE

A lovely clear morning at Fly Flatts though icy cold at 3 degrees with 80% cloud and very little sun. A light NE>3 luckily did'nt produce any fog.

      Just after parking up in the compound a tight group of large waders were high over the water heading >NE. Thinking these had to be Black-tailed Godwits I grabbed the bins and was surprised, if not slightly disappointed, to find 17 Oystercatchers. The group flew off over  the Nab closely followed by a second group of 11 which dropped down onto the west bank. After this there was a continuation of singles and small groups with a count of 43 in total as the move stopped at 0845hrs. Some of the birds stayed on the banking along with the 6 ever present birds.

      Other waders were 4 Common Sandpiper, 3 Ringed Plover, with the female of the breeding pair now absent and probably sitting eggs, along with 3 Redshank and the usual Curlew and Lapwing.

      A good count of gulls on the northern end of the west bank with 26 Herring and 12 LBBs all on egg/chick or frog watch. A single Raven over the quarry and around a dozen Swallows >N, but undoubtably this morning, it was Oystercatchers that stole the show.

    A check on the Nolstar fields on the way home failed to find any Goldies but the rare sight here of  a single Jay overhead, probably on its way to Mixenden reservoir.

    Back to rain tomorrow with a very light sou'westerly and a report of very poor visibility in the morning.

BS