Started off dry (at 7.45am anyway) but the rain had set in at Marshside by 9.30am.
Sedgies, Whitethroat and Reed Warbler singing around the SSSI ditch.
Spent most of my time at Nel's watching the Dunlins (approx 800 birds today). The feeding flock held two Curlew Sandpipers early on (an adult summer and transitional job), but they cleared off.
Three Ringed Plovers there too, plus at least 9 pullus Avocets, and loadsa young Lapwing.
At least two male Garganeys on Marshside One which fed for a while before doing the usual "Garganey thing" of sleeping.
Good spring for them on the marsh this year.
Plenty of Gadwall today too.
I was joined by Bazzo, Neill and Mike and we went through the Dunlins until we couldn't take it anymore...nowt odd amongst them (yet) but there were fewer here today than yesterday.
Hyperactive as ever, they were hard to get pics of...when they did stay in one place they kept attacking each other, anxious to get the best feeding. The calls make them sound so irritated, altho' not as irritated as me trying to get a decent shot of them.
At least two Mallard drakes behaved a bit better...
I walked up to the Sandgrounders hide in the rain, where Swallows were perching on the wires quite close, they looked bedraggled, but still mighty purty.
The rain had forced many hirundines and Swifts down low, but these were the ones that allowed me to take their pictures.
A few Marsh Orchids starting to flower now, with Bladder Campion, crucifers, Green Alkanet and vetches blooming away.
Suitably drenched I headed for home about midday.
Blackcap still singing in the garden at Dempsey Towers, but I haven't heard my Willow Warbler for a few days - it has moved on, and in this weather, who can blame it?
Eyes to the skies everyone, eyes to the skies....
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I went on Sunday too. Rain was persisting down; I got there about 1.30pm. The curlew sands had disappeared by then but otherwise much the same. A quick trawl around the 'works but a hasty retreat to Sandgrounders at the height of the storm where I recorded the grey plover and saw a redshank ringed: green on left leg, with the metal ring, and orange and black on right leg. Can anyone enlighten me as to what all that means?
Swifts, swallows and sand martins were being spectacular and numerous. When the rain eased I went round the sandworks again, starting on the north side. The profundity of my ignorance of warbler song came home to me: there was a stunning symphony of warbling going on, but without visual ID beyond the odd flit I am none the wiser. Something to learn. It also highlighted the one drawback of Marshside - the constant roar of traffic from the coast road.
Round the corner and the rains returned, but I set myself up in the long grass with the gorse and brambles set against the sky, and waited a while. I was well rewarded with a silhouetted flock of up to eleven linnet all in the scope at the same time, plus a greenfinch hanging out with them, as the previous week. On round, and there was a wheatear on the usual log. A dead curlew (maybe a whimbrel, it was rotten) was amongst the flotsam.
I was making my way across the car park when I noticed four fellas with big sticks and a gun dog walking in a line, like beaters, across the marsh towards the mudflats. I set the scope on them and made it obvious I was watching. They were dodgy but after a few minutes they clocked me watching them and looked very shifty. They made their way to the sand road and one of them pulled out some bins and feigned birdwatching. They looked round again and saw I was still watching so made their way back up the track to the car park. I waited til they were close then walked back towards Sandgrounders so our paths inevitably crossed. I think they may have been thinking to have a word and wave their bludgeons around until they got close enough to realise that I'm about 6'6" and wasn't showing any signs of intimidation. The first three scuttled past nervously; the fourth engaged me in conversation after a fashion (" I sin them avoket thingies over the road, like ... no curlew round here? What nests out there, la?") I gave him a load of disinformation in my thickest gruff scouse, confirmed his suspicion that my scope was a camera (it isn't) and that I get paid for keeping an eye on things round there (I don't). They shuffled off to their two cars and drove away. I strolled back to Sandgrounders where the RSPB staff said their volunteers had clocked them earlier in the day too and reported them.
I walked towards Nels, peering through the flaps on the way. There are so many avocets here this year, and with half of them still on the nest there'll be a count even higher than 44 within weeks, surely? I counted 38 today. At Nels I finally got on the Garganey drakes, gave them more time today as the Curlew Sands had disappeared. Then I strolled down to Hesketh Drive, marvelling at the huge numbers of Dunlin on the shore side of Marine Drive - the Curlew Sands could well be out there with them. Also struck by the sheer numbers of Meadow Pipits out there too - how to count?
Over the bank on Marine Drive/Hesketh Drive junction there are quite a few corpses - birds and rabbits. Odd.
SiG - the warbler you hear around the Sandplant is a Whitethroat. Other singing warblers at Marshside currently include Sedge Warbler (3 at junction of Marshside Road and Marine Drive), Reed Warbler (occasionally by SSSI ditch - they don't seem to be breeding this year), Blackcap and Willow Warbler on the Golf Course, and er, that's it!
There's always the outside chance of Lesser Whitethroat, Wood Warbler or Grasshopper Warbler but they'll be passage birds and its getting a little late for them now.
John