Yarr!!
The sea, she be a cruel mistress when the wind blows in from the west in November...
Despite this and the high likelihood of serious frostbite, I picked Bazzo up early this morning and we got down to Formby Point for a seawatch from 8.55am to 11.30am.
Westerly about force 4-5, much calmer than yesterday, but still rough, and after an hour or so sitting still, the chill meant I couldn't feel anything from the knees down - which I suppose is preferable to not being able to feel anything from the knees up.
Winter seawatching just doesn't get any easier.
It is not without rewards though, and my prize today was a stonking male Velvet Scoter that came down from the north about halfway out, before pitching into the swell with the hordes of Common Scoter - never to be seen again (sorry Baz).
One poorly looking Razorbill bobbing about just beyond the surf.
Common Scoter 700/800
Velvet Scoter 1
Long Tailed Duck 1
Eider 2
Scaup 8
Razorbill 1
Shelduck 1
Red Throated Diver 2
Red Breasted Merg 47
Great Crested Grebe 6
Common Gull 50+
Usual winter waders darted by as the tide pushed them off their roosting stations, and Wrens and Mipits were in the dunes behind us.
Once it began to feel like the sensible thing to do was succumb to the cold and drift away (ohh, it would be so easy to just fall asleep...) we decided it was time to head home.
Almost definitely the last seawatch this year (unless there's a late Leach's wreck of course).
Once home I made myself a Tropical Thomason sized fry-up and my circulation started up again, so I went for a walk on Ainsdale beach in the late afternoon.
More than 100 Cormorants roosting on the sands, plenty of gulls and Carrion Crows sifting through the razorshells and just two Snow Buntings at the south end of the Green Beach.
The others could be elsewhere along Taggs I suppose after today's high tide.
There's something very incongruous about watching these enigmatic winter visitors amongst heaps of decaying rubbish, broken dog whelks, dead dogfish and bladderwrack washed in by the tide - surely they should just feed on the "nice" parts of the beach...
Stayed with the little cuties for 20 minutes or so before giving up on getting a decent image in the crap November afternoon light.
When the first flocks of Curlews and Pink Feet began coming over my head to roost out on the safety of the sands it was time to call it a day....
Water Rail squealing round the east side of the Sands Lake at 4pm, 2 Little Grebe and 40-50 dozing Tufties on the water.
Eyes to the skies everyone, eyes to the skies...
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Hi John, I was down at Taggs with Mrs G 25/11/07 for high tide - plenty Dunlin, Knot, Sanderling, Oystercatchers and big gull roost.
Unfortunately two uneducated people disturbed the lot with a dog walking straight into the birds.
Had a walk to top of Mount Baker for a seawatch but visibility poor with a little rain.
Still large numbers of Pinkfeet, Wigeon and about 200 Black Tailed Godwits, plenty of Redshank and 2 Little Egrets.
Also Shelducks seemed to be everywhere.
A walk out along sand road showed plenty of Mipits but no sign of Purple Sandpiper.
Back at Sandgrounders and had a male Sparrowhawk.
Sunday morning walk at Wigg Island yesterday (25.11.07) was made special by our view of a beautifully conditioned stoat alongside the old Runcorn/St Helens canal which also produced a little grebe and a pair of tufted ducks, which seem surprisingly smaller than those on Calderstones Park Lake.
A cock pheasant eating seed on one of the small bird feeders produced a fantastic photo !
Our last walk at Wigg Island produced a very cooperative weasel so it must go down as a good mammal viewing venue.
I hope this is of interest,
Don
Went to Hilbre for the high tide on Sunday where the sea birds were very few.
No divers, only 6 Scoter and a handful of GC Grebe and RB Mergansers.
Highlights were a LT Duck and a Shag which flew past very close. Later on we had the Shag perched on the rocks.
21 Purple Sandpipers 51 Brent Geese and 1 dark pipit!!
Ok it was only a Rock Pipit but there's no harm in dreaming.
Hi John
Plenty of nocturnal birding noises on walk around Chuchtown tonight...all of them coming from Pinkfeet as they gaggled about looking for each other in the low cloud and drizzle,
Been tetrading for the new BTO/Lancs Atlas project quite a lot recently. Woodcock flushed from several damp woodlands, including Scarisbrick, Meols Hall, Blundells Lane and near Parbold.
150 plus Pied Wags at huge Parbold sewage treatment plant, with many 1st winters with grey backs resembling White Wags...do WW ever overwinter in UK I wonder ? If not, why not ?
Nuthatch in Botanic Gardens, loads of Long tailed Tits everywhere and an absolutely stonking Ist winter Saker (not claiming it was a wild bird), tearing apart one of the hundreds of Redlegs put out for 'sporting' shooters on Churchtown Moss.
Along with the half a million Pheasants also present, the Redlegs can be despatched in comfort from one's Range Rover, without even a trace of mud on one's designer wellies, or new Barbour.
Very few real partridges about, no doubt hiding in their pear trees throughout the festive season of goodwill to all men...but not birds.
Ears to the skies !
John Bannon
PS: Superb 'Birds of Lancashire' will be off to the printer before Christmas, so anyone out there who hasn't yet ordered their copy on the special ã10 OFF pre-publication offer through Subbuteo Natural History Books, www.wildlifebooks.com or FREEPHONE 0870 0100700... better hurry up and do so NOW ! Or they will regret if for the rest of their lives.
Both partridges in my garden in Churchtown this autumn. The Common was skrieking away one morning outside the back door, sounded as if it was either calling out to be fed or (much more likely) it was trying to locate the rest of the covey.
Poor breeding year in fact for Commons around the Ribble NNR, unlike last year.
No coveys whatsoever of late.
Two Nuthatches using my feeders , John can have a look for a fee, redeemable in the "Bold",
Ron
p.s. Two Spoonbills off Banks of late, seen by Dom Harmer. Spoonbills, up to four, seen on every Ribble WeBS count since the summer but out along the river
Strong westerlies with rain due tomorrow, winds continuing Thursday with clearing skies, and not too cold! I'm strongly tempted to try a seawatch over the early afternoon tide on Thursday.
It's been nice knowing y'all
Reply to John B... Down at Slapton Leys most of the wags they catch this time of year are white rather than pied.
They consider that whites are far more common than people think.
I'll see if I can dig out some info.
On another note - what happened about the book on Eric H?
Reply to Bob - The book about Eric Hardy by David Bryant of the MNA, entitled 'In the Footsteps of Eric', will be going off to the printers in Jan/Feb 08 and should be available in March/April next year.
Thanks for the info on White Wags wintering on the south coast and now I'll go back to Parbold, to check through them properly...using a telescope even !
29.11.07: Seawatch at Formby Point, 11.40-14.20:
Red Throated Diver 1
Goldeneye 1
Red Breasted Mergs 68
Common Scoter 550
Kittiwake 3
Guillemot 2
Not too cold in the sunshine.
Also 65 LBBs and 40 Common Gulls.
Light fantastic.