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Seawatch 27.08.07

Posted by on August 27, 2007 1:40 PM | 

sea2708.jpg

Another seawatch, getting down to Formby Point by about 10.30am.
Bazzo already on duty.
North/northwesterly decreasing again, much like yesterday, but fewer birds around....
Gave it till midday.

Gannet 70
Manx Shearwater 3
Arctic Tern 6
Common Tern 30
Sandwich Tern 50
Red Throated Diver 1
Great Crested Grebe 2
Common Scoter 150+
Guillemot 1
Arctic Skua 2

The Red Throated Diver was in summer plumage still, just offshore - my first one here this autumn, while the Guillemot was also bobbing about on the swell close in, a bird in winter plumage.
Very few Manxies today, but one had the common decency to head south just beyond the surf - cracking views in bright sunlight.
Both skuas were quite a way out.
At least I had a garden tick early today, when a Black Tailed Godwit flew north over Dempsey Towers.
Eyes to the skies everyone, eyes to the skies....

Comments (9)

derek forshaw wrote...

Was at Formby myself today from abt 0915 to 1040. Saw only est180 Common Scoters (tiny dots on the horizon), plus 26 Sandwich Terns. Nothing else at all, apart from the cormorants constantly to and fro.
Very disappointing in conditions that seemed ideal.
Afterwards went to Altcar (Carr Wood) hoping to see the Kite, but didn't - perhaps it's gone.
Saw 3 Buzzards, one Marsh Harrier, 2 Sparrowhawks and 3 Kestrels. That's your lot!

Posted by: derek forshaw  | August 27, 2007 4:57 PM

mike bird wrote...

Hi John, this morning 27.7.07. I saw what I thought was a Little Egret but it seemed a lot bigger.
Unfortunately it disappeared into a gully and didn't appear again.
The location was by the fence dividing Marshside Two and Crossens Inner.
I thought it might have been a Great White Egret.
I haven't seen this species before so I wasn't sure.
Any ideas or has anybody else seen this bird?
Mike

Posted by: mike bird  | August 27, 2007 7:33 PM

john wrote...

Neill tells me that Graham Clarkson saw a large egret sp dropping onto the outer marsh earlier this morning.
And of course Ron Jackson blogged a Great White Egret up at Banks on Friday morning.
Could be the same bird - or it could be the one up at Leighton Moss today....

Posted by: john  | August 27, 2007 8:30 PM

m bird wrote...

Hi John, thanks for the info.
the bird I saw was nearly as big as a heron so it could be the great white that's about.
mike.

Posted by: m bird  | August 27, 2007 8:53 PM

ron jackson wrote...

Only Little Egrets seen by me today on the Ribble, 3 at Banks and, interestingly, 9 perched in some bushes/trees on the Freckleton side of the river near the Douglas/Ribble confluence.
Could be a roost, but ???
V nice wooded area behind where they were, looks good for a heronry and perching places for migrating Ospreys.
A brace of Ravens there as usual. Tree breeders?
The GWE could be anywhere on the estuary, if still around. There are masses and masses of likely spots well away from prying eyes, lots of gutters where a person could hide as well as the river's edge only easily visible from a boat.
I videoed the Banks bird so will check when I can be bothered, but I think an adult non-breeder. Anyone know what the Leighton bird is?
A calidris with a white rump in a small flock flitting about on the Banks floods.
One thinks Curlew Sand but one hopes?
The Harris Hawk did a circuit over the marsh and was harried by a Peregrine who got harried back.
Seemed to know each other,
Ron

Posted by: ron jackson  | August 27, 2007 9:34 PM

ron jackson wrote...

GWE is a non breeding adult I think. Checked the vid. Bird has yellow bill with dark tip and grey/greenish tibias only slightly paler than rest of the legs.
Caught a little flatty, presumably flounder, this in an area normally dry as a bone this time of year,
Ron

Posted by: ron jackson  | August 28, 2007 8:57 AM

Bazzo wrote...

Thursday 30th looks promising for a seawatch, with moderate/fresh NW winds, high tide about 1330.
I'll be there if I can manage it.

Posted by: Bazzo  | August 28, 2007 12:50 PM

Jim Irvine wrote...

I set off this afternoon to head up to Marshside to look for the GWE, (or anything else for that matter, after days of visitors!)
For no particular reason I decided to go via Maghull, Halsall and the mosses. I turned off at Haskayne and headed towards Great Altcar. About halfway along, a red kite flew over the car heading west! No place to stop so I carried on and stopped just outside Great Altcar.
Looking back there was a big crowd of lapwing milling around and there, soaring above the tree line, was the kite. It was a long way off but when it banked you could easily see the v-shaped tail.
Thoroughly pleased, we carried on. Getting to the main road I had a mad turn and carried straight on to Lifeboat Road where I hadn't been for a very long time. Birding was very quiet but it was a very nice walk with a lot of butterflies (don't ask me which, I haven't looked them up yet), and plants, including some impressive Evening Primrose and a lovely white Harebell.
To top it all off we saw our first crossbill dancing around in the conifers. We got quite good views and its 'jip' was unmistakable.
OK Marshside. You're for next week!
Jim

Posted by: Jim Irvine  | August 28, 2007 7:11 PM

derek forshaw wrote...

Went down to Marshside this evening.
4 Spotted Reds flew off Marshside 2: two went out to the estuary, but the other two flew off south towards the town centre.
I've never seen 4 here before. They must have been hiding somewhere in the vicinity of Pollys I think, although I hadn't seen them on the ground.
They were already airborne when I got onto them, having been alerted by the call.
Apart from this there were 4 Little Egrets, as well as the usual Blacktails, plus a few Curlew and Snipe.
Duck numbers are certainly building up, particularly Teal of which there must already be several hundred I should think.
There were at least 50 on Pollys and 25 on Junction pool, and I didn't go down to Nel's.
There were 5 male Ruddys on Rainfords Pool with a couple of females.
Had a migrant Wheatear on the mosses this afternoon.

Posted by: derek forshaw  | August 28, 2007 8:12 PM

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