Okay, so scanning the skies forlornly when I got back home from work yesterday afternoon didn't get me a passing Chimney Swift _ but it wasn't a total washout.
At about 4pm, as the Greenfinches and titmice were ripping the contents of my feeders to bits, a single Woodcock flapped low over the back garden _ yippee _ the only other record of this retiring and portly wader at Dempsey Towers was one seen by Mrs D last winter, when I was away, so it was a good garden gripback, especially when coupled with the Red Squirrel I saw here this summer _ another garden tick she had over me (not that I'm competitive or anything)!
But things got better, when a few moments later a SECOND Woodcock came crashing through _ and this one landed briefly, looking mighty startled amongst the autumn leaves.
Classic late autumn passage birds, large numbers of Woodcock come through our region at this time of year, but usually sneak through under the cover of darkness.
They were great to see _ just shows what can drop in when you least expect it, and a delightful change from the standard autumn garden fare.
Elsewhere Bramblings are beginning to show up in numbers now, at Marbury Country Park for example, but Martin Mere's feeding stations can be worth a look for these little beauties too.
Redwings are calling all over the place after nightfall.
There's still plenty of geese about on the mosses, but I haven't heard of anything odd amongst them recently, apart from the traditional line-up of escapes and hybrids.
With the recent heavy rains, Marshside is flooding up nicely, so it looks like winter is here at last...
The last gasps of summer came to me on an e-mail yesterday from John Bannon, reporting a swallow flying south (who can blame it?) over the beach at Weld Road, Southport, yesterday morning.
On Sunday Mike McKavett had a Wheatear there _ this late there's a good chance it's one of the Labradorian race apparently....
Eyes to the skies everybody, eyes to the skies.
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