Bright sunny morning at Marshside today - still no sign of any gales - but there were good numbers of Starlings feeding on the saltmarsh (see above), which were understandably spooked by two female Sparowhawks, which flapped about the spartina languidly like a pair of harriers south of the Sandplant.
The accipiters frequently dropped out of sight into the marsh, which certainly put the wind up the local Skylarks too.
A male and female Stonechat on the fenceposts and wires north of the Sandplant, but top marks to Graham Clarkson who found a male Green Winged Teal between Pollys Creek and Crossens Inner Marsh.
Bazzo and Jellyhead also had a big Lanner hybrid cruising about on the estuary.
I had a look later for the teal with no joy, but I'm sure it'll pop up again.
Green Winged Teal seems to have a habit of evaporating into thin air for long periods of time...sneaky.
More reliable were the Little Egrets - I saw at least five on the outer marsh today, Marshside residents now, albeit whiter than white ones.
Shame they're usually a good way out on the marsh, I'd love to get a crisp picture of one.
Then again, a crisp picture of anything is always a bonus for me...
Lotsa Pinkies out there today too, grey brown heads constantly popping up out of the bleached vegetation, including a neck ringed bird (too far out to read).
Greylags were tearing great lumps of the turf of Crossens Inner out like they hadn't eaten for years, and there were at least 35 Pochard on the Sandplant pool.
No sign of the Snow Buntings on the beach at the end of Fairway this afternoon, but at least 12 Turnstone were feeding on the mud along with the more usual waders, Skylarks and Linnets.
Ten Snow Bunts were here on Friday.
Went collecting sea coal with Mrs D later in the day at an undisclosed location - suffice to say we've got enough big chunks of the black stuff to keep the stove roaring away for a few days at Dempsey Towers - but there weren't many birds about, apart from a dead Gannet and even deader Great Crested Grebe on the tideline.
Eyes to the skies everyone, eyes to the skies....
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graham clarkson wrote...
Hi John, a minor point, but, I actually found the Green-winged Teal. Jacko & Barry saw it because I phoned Jacko on finding it in order to share it with others and to get the grapevine working.
I trust the grapevine is working? Cheers. Graham
Posted by: graham clarkson | November 27, 2006 11:46 AM