No, it's not the Loch Ness Monster, it's a juv Red Necked Grebe offshore during my seawatch at Formby Point this afternoon!
(Remember any record shot is better than no record shot at all...)
Quick birthday seawatch off the Tobacco Dump today, before Mr Peroni and his friends came calling....
RSPB just bunged this over, about hot weather and the marsh....
Robins "ticking" away in the back garden at Dempsey Towers this morning (5.20am), Wrens singing.
Jellyhead Jackson texted to let me know Derek Forshaw had the two Pectoral Sandpipers at Marshside on Monday evening on the Sandplant Pools...so that's where they got to. Is the Black Tern still at Crosby marina?
Eyes to the skies everyone, eyes to the skies....
There you go Bob, the colour ringed male Mute Swan on the Sands Lake was ringed...at the Sands Lake as an adult in 1992.
Picked up a new eye-piece for the big fat Nikon 'scope yesterday at the mere.
Thanks to Bob Harris for the link to the Joint Nature Conservancy's status report on seabirds for 2005, and thanks to Neill Hunt for this stonking pic of Gannets to go with it....
For the last 48 hours the garden at Dempsey Towers has been invaded by Silver Y moths, gorging on the buddleia.
For them that may not be aware, there's a Lesser Emperor dragonfly in the north east corner of Sands Lake, Ainsdale. Found on Saturday by Phil Smith, still there yesterday afternoon. Superb beastie!
Baking hot at Marshside this am - even the feral Barnacle Geese just dozed away....
Julie Cunningham sent me this great pic (courtesy of her mum) of a fledgling Sprawk in their Crosby garden...I'll let her take up the story....
Sneaked off work early to see the Stilt Sandpiper at Conway RSPB this afternoon....
Jury still seems to be out amongst the boys on this morning's small ringtail harrier at Marshside - small ringtail Hen, or moulting female Pallid - it jiggered off in the direction of Martin Mere, where a small harrier was reported a week or so ago - intriguing........
Jellyhead Jackson just called from the top of Mount Baker at Marshside, where he is watching a small harrier with Barry McCarthy, Graham Clarkson, and Mike Stocker...it could be a young Pallid!!!!!!
The bird is out on the marsh, although Monty's has not been ruled out _ more later!!!!
And there was me worrying about whether the Stilt Sandpiper at Conway RSPB would stick around till this evening (updates on NW Birdline, 09068 700 249)!!!!!
Eyes to the skies everyone, eyes to the skies...
After seawatching yesterday Jellyhead Jackson and I checked out the mosses in an abortive Quail hunt - too windy, but there were four singing Yellowhammers along the Haskayne Cutting.
Thanks to Simon Glinn for this fine picture of the Spotted Redshank he had at Marshside in the week - is there a better looking in wader in summer plumage? Maybe Red Necked Phal or Dotterel may hedge it, but it's a close call...
Great pic from Neill Hunt (thanks) taken at Marshside, and showing bill tip stretching by a Snipe, a weird form of behaviour known as "rhynchokinesis". You know what they say, learn a new word every day!
Latest results from the BTO/JNCC/RSPB Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) reveal that the Grey Partridge is still in decline. Press release follows....
Hummingbird Hawkmoth in back garden of Dempsey Towers this evening, checking out the buddleia - they don't just live in Lincolnshire then!
Scooted over to Mere Sands Wood today, where the shade of the trees gave some relief from the oppressive heat.
