Thanks to Rich Steel, who sent me these cracking shots of his first Wheatear of the year, which he caught up with at Leasowe Gunsite over on Wirral on March 13th.
The first one looks so great every year....
You can see more of Rich's pix at http://wildlifephotographic.blogspot.com/
Ben Jackson had seven Buzzards and two Ravens above Willaston recently.
And thanks too to Peter Button, who sent me this shot of Little Gulls, again from over the water.
Pete had 100 Little Gulls and two Kittiwakes at New Brighton in the big blow yesterday.
Back this side of the Mersey, Derek WIlliams had Raven and three Crossbills in the pinewoods at Formby Point earlier this month, and another Mediterranean Gull (an adult in summer plumage) at Haskayne, plus 54 Rooks, 15 Grey Heron, 5 Shelduck, 18 Pied Wagtail, 98 Curlew, 5 Redwing, 227 Fieldfare and 20+ Corn Buntings in the area.
Eyes to the skies everyone, eyes to the skies...
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Just got this press release from Martin Mere.....
"Today, the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT) is launching an appeal to raise money for vital work to protect, manage and develop wet grassland for breeding waders at the Martin Mere Wetland Centre.
Populations of breeding waders, particularly Lapwing, Redshank, Snipe and Black-tailed Godwit, have fallen dramatically in recent years as wet grasslands are lost to agricultural drainage.
British wading birds need wet grassland to live and breed, yet it is one of the fastest disappearing habitats in the UK.
A high proportion of breeding waders are therefore concentrated in just a few sites, so it is vital that these areas are protected and maintained.
Martin Mere has been able to introduce a number of initiatives in the past couple of years to help manage itâÂÂs wetlands to ensure the habitat is perfect for summer wading birds in the hope to raise the number of birds breeding, particularly lapwings.
These initiatives have included the purchasing of rare breed cattle and sheep who act like lawn mowers with their selective grazing patterns, hay making in late summer and early autumn once all of the youngsters have hatched and left their nests, and by controlling the water level of the mere we can adapt the habitat for the needs of summer and wintering birds.
Centre Operations Manager, Andy Wooldridge, said: âÂÂLancashire has seen a decline in the number of waders breeding for at least thirty years. Last year, the Centre recorded over 70 pairs of lapwings which was an improvement on previous years due to the initiatives we have put in place over the last couple of years to encourage more summer wading birds.
The first lapwing youngsters should be hatching towards the end of April and visitors will be able to watch them from ten lookout hides on the reserve.â�
âÂÂBy supporting this appeal we will be able to update our old systems and obtain other monitoring and maintenance equipment, as well as maintain and improve our current practices of managing wet grassland. If wet grasslands continue to be lost, so will these unique wader species. Help WWT stop British wading birds disappearing forever.âÂ?
So far WWT has had some significant success in managing wet grassland on its reserves.
Back in the 1970s, some 50 pairs of Black-tailed Godwit bred on the Ouse Washes, south of WWT Welney. Since then the population has steadily declined to almost nothing.
Careful attention to water levels, grass management and cattle grazing has created ideal habitat at Welney itself. In 2006 there were four breeding pairs on site, and two successfully raised two young each.
You can make a donation to the appeal by logging onto the website: www.wwt.org.uk or make a donation whilst you visit the Centre."
Fair seawatch at Formby Point today 9.45am to 1pm):
Velvet Scoter - 1
Common Scoter - 1800
Shag - 1
Little Gull - 1
Rb Mergs - 41
Scaup - 9
Great Crested Grebes - 2
Bazzo.