April showers....

Posted by on April 2, 2006 2:05 PM | Permalink

Rain and cloud didn't stop me enjoying two cracking mornings at Marshside this weekend.

Okay, so the rain was rolling off the Canadas' beaks, but superb Wheatears were sneaking thro _ one yesterday and five males today, and I had two Swallows bombing north on both days, early on mind _ they must have questioned their sanity leaving tropical Africa for the nippy north.
Chiffchaffs are singing in several areas _ at least four singing birds today, and a Willow Warbler was singing on the SSSI ditch this morning, where a Barn Owl drifted by at 7.45am.
The petrified stems of last year's Giant Hogweed look like a fossilised forest here and a Water Vole foraged in the pool beneath them.

On the golf course there were more Chiffies, and good numbers of Goldcrests, with one or two groups of Siskin heading north overhead.
Best of all, a stonking male Ring Ouzel flew over our heads as Tropical Thomason and I took in the fairways, and perched up in the high trees east of the central copse before continuing its journey north _ brilliant - rouzels are highly prized by the Marshside faithful!!!!
There were 30 Avocets on Marshside One, which also had a few Ruff, 1,500 odd Golden Plover, squadrons of Blackwits and plenty of wildfowl still, although I couldn't see the four wintering Scaup today, and Pochard numbers are right down.
Only a light movement of Mipits and Pied Wags suggested that there wasn't widespread migration today, so the local Merlin may have gone hungry.
A pair of Red Breasted Mergansers were still on the floods around Polly's Creek today, but there were no more than 50 Pink Feet on the outer marsh, visible from the top of Mount Baker.
John Bannon had a male Eider from here on the tide on Friday, and a Ring Ouzel in the Forest of Bale below.
Lotsa Coltsfoot are now blooming away (see piccie) but the marsh is heavily flooded after torrential rains and high tides.

A male Hen Harrier was on the outer marsh on Saturday morning, but I didn't see it, and despite scanning, the Osprey seen at Crosby Marina earlier this morning didn't come Marshside way....shame.
I headed for home about 11.30am today, and when I got back three male Siskins were on the feeders, but all I managed to get a shot of in the rain was the resident Goldfinches _ you can't win 'em all...