Got down to Marshside for a few hours before it started raining again.
Am now building Dempsey's Ark, in preparation for the next rainfront at the weekend.
Into this I will put Mrs D, lots of Peroni and a scope for seawatching (oh, and few bottles of gin for the missus).
Meanwhile back at the marsh, it was pretty quiet - Avocets, Lapwings, Blackwits etc still around and legions of Canada Geese and Greylags on the Sandplant Lagoon.
From Nels, a Ringed Plover with a leg iron (see top pic) was feeding on the nearest island - wonder where that was rung?
After five minutes it flew further out onto the marsh and was promptly replaced on the island by a Little Ringed Plover.
Shame the two didn't feed together - a comparison shot would have been nice....
The waders and Shelduck got quite jumpy for a while, with the Lapwings looking especially tense (as usual)
until everything flew up in a panic and a superb Peregrine came whizzing through, stooping at the back of the lagoon, before flapping off talons empty, without even a Starling to show for the effort.
Things soon settled down again, and the Avocets dropped back in, behaving as arsily as they usually do - this one threw a wobbler at a passing juv Black Headed Gull.
Apart from that it was pretty quiet - no sign of "Mr Blobby" the Little Owl on Stanley School roof (probably washed away), although a dead Mole is showing very well at the moment just by the entrance to Nels hide.
Water levels still high all over the reserve, but they have fallen a little bit since the beginning of the week.
Plenty of hirundines hawking in front of Sandgrounders Hide (and spoiling my water level shot - thank you Mr House Martin), GBBs putting the willies up the Starlings on the outer marsh, and a few Teal about.
Three Curlew flying off Marshside Two towards the outer marsh.
Met the legend that is Alan Bale, as he was showing around someone from English Nature, and working hard to convince them of the value of Mount Baker and the Sandplant walls now that Rainfords has gone - nice work Alan....
Time to get ready for a seawatch tomorrow.
Eyes to the skies everyone, eyes to the skies...
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jellyhead jackson wrote...
Wibble Wobble! The Finnish midsummers' Troll coursing event has had to be cancelled due to activists releasing all the trolls! All I say to the activists is this:
Due to your actions all the Wolverine's are now in a secret lab near Oulo ,stuck in cages and being forcefed a pine resin liqour to see how many measures it takes before they will watch Neighbours !
Jellyhead
Posted by: jellyhead jackson | June 28, 2007 7:46 PM