With a north westerly picking up speed and bringing rain into Liverpool Bay today, but no decent tides, it's hard to plan ahead for the weekend.
You maybe repaid for heading inland, with 18,000 pink feet reported at Martin Mere yesterday, and the pec sand still lingering, there are worse ways to spend an autumn morning.
I'm determined to stay local this weekend _ after jaunts to Spurn and Flamborough over the last fortnight, my local patch at Marshside is feeling distinctly neglected _ but you can't be everywhere at once.
Then again, that veery on Shetland sounds mighty tempting.....
North West Birdline (09068 700 249) reported a taiga bean goose at Martin Mere with the pinkies _ but if you go looking, take care, pinkies often have yellow bills, and I've even seen birds with yellowy legs over the years.
No doubt this week's bird is gen, but bean goose (either race) is right up there with goshawk for being misidentified in the North West _ always learn your pinkies and sprawks off by heart before you claim either of these two VERY scarce birds.
Remember that a goose needs more than a yellow bill to be a bean _ primary projection, mantle barring, tone on the head, headshape, gait, and of course great big Donald Duck orange legs and feet (get some socks on!) should all be clear, depending on race.
As for goshawks, well big female sprawks often trap the unwary, especially when there's nothing to compare them with sizewise in the air at the time.
If geese give you a headache, can I suggest the Great Orme again this weekend _ with Dick's pipit and ortolan on Bardsey and bad weather expected today, the odd quality autumn migrant could well crash land on the 'Orme tomorrow morning.
Goldcrests are moving through the garden at Dempsey Towers at present with titflocks, so if I'm lucky something may turn up with them.
Meanwhile my DP column tomorrow is about wasps and skuas.
Eyes to the skies everyone, eyes to the skies.....
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Paddy Byrne wrote...
I don't go birding; but i've been bird observing for nearly 50 years. I imagine that I can recognise most of the "common birds" and can count over 40 species visiting my back garden close to Sefton Park: (incidently not yet seen either a house sparrow or a tree sparrow there.)
My puzzle is that in the last month I have twice seen a large hawk like bird. On the first occasion this was over the allotments close to Sefton Park and on the second over the Canning Street area.
This bird is larger than Kestrel or Sparrow Hawk with a shorter tail than both. It appears to be as large or slightly larger than a Buzzard with narrower more elegant wings.
Can you help? Am I imagining things.
Posted by: Paddy Byrne | October 12, 2005 8:45 PM