Picked up by Jellyhead, who'd also "birdnapped" Tropical and Bazzo this a.m to whizz up to Brockholes Quarry by the Tickled Trout east of Preston to look at this White Pelican today in heavy rain.
When we got there, the pelican had just flown off the Ribble and luckily we bumped into it at the quarry a short time later.
An escape? Well quite probably - although there are them that think it is the bird that has been tracked through Germany and Holland, and was seen coming off the North Sea in Norfolk earlier this week.
So going to see it is what people call "insurance" - a euphemism for don't wanna go and see the escape, but don't dare not go if my mates have all seen it and it gets accepted.
I bet if I had a bucket of sprats the pelican (crazy bill and crazy feet) would have been across the water in a jiffy....
Okay so the pix ain't great - but it was pouring down and the bird was on the other side of the water, a good 400m away.
It was bedraggled, although fully winged.
It seems a fitting moment to recap my theory of bird movement via motorways - this individual clearly knows how to use autobahns as well as the M62 and M6 (Brockholes is right under the motorway).
Meanwhile back in the real world, we called in at Marshside on the way home, where the Sandplant pools had 6 young Ruddy Ducks, Greenshank to the north of the hide, a flyby Little Egret and a juv Marsh Harrier on the outer marsh.
Golden Plovers were in with the Lapwings and a Willow Warbler was around the Sandplant.
Loadsa Greylags right in front of the hide.....wild as a pelican.
Eyes to the skies everyone, eyes to the skies.....
Oh yeah, my Daily Post column tomorrow is about Harlequin Ladybirds - they're so hungry they'll have the fingers off you!
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john dempsey wrote...
Oh dear, pelican now begging for fish from anglers - like I said "An escape? Well quite probably."
Posted by: john dempsey | August 18, 2006 6:55 PM