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Festive, but not what we were after...

Posted by on December 16, 2007 4:00 PM | 

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Another raw day, and another unsuccessful crack at the Black Redstart by Ainsdale beach.
The bird was round the picnic tables early doors again...but had slunk into the Pontins gulag by the time I got down there.
Checked out the beach briefly - one Black Headed Gull coming into summer plumage, 27 Linnets feeding in the high tide wreckage but not much else.
Bones and Jason had four Jack Snipe on Taggs earlier on.
I met up with Neill and Tropical later and we checked around Pontins again in the grey biting cold.
Robins, Goldfinch, Magpies, Dunnock, Wren and a single Redwing overhead, but no Black Red.
Neill tried luring the bird in using his nifty palmtop, which plays all sorts of bird calls and songs...but Tropical seemed unimpressed.

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Hardly surprising as I'm not sure how attractive the call of Long Billed Pipit is to Black Redstart.
Best bet for this bird is clearly early morning - pre-9am, unless you find yourself staying at Pontins for Christmas.
Nope, I didn't think you were...

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Sands Lake had all the regulars, and hordes of Blackbirds (10+) plus finches, Greater 'pecker etc back in the garden at Dempsey Towers.
Eyes to the skies everyone, eyes to the skies.

Comments (5)

John Aitchison wrote...

Black Redstart was showing very well just before 9 this morning, very active, moving all over the area, feeding. Not bothered about me, came within 10 feet before flying off south.

Posted by: John Aitchison  | December 16, 2007 7:40 PM

Jay Kenny wrote...

We just wanted to let everyone know that the fox that was on Autumnwatch at Formby is ok and doing well because we heard a rumour that it had been put down.
This is not the case, we are glad to say. We where there last sunday and we have sent you some photos of it.

Posted by: Jay Kenny  | December 17, 2007 6:15 AM

derek forshaw wrote...

The result of the December Pinkfoot count for Lancashire, Sunday 9/12, was 23,900 - a big reduction from the November total.
Presumably they have all gone to Norfolk for Christmas.
So long as they don't end up in Bernard Matthews they'll be ok!
Fem/imm Hen Harrier with wing tags flew in front of my car on the way to work this morning.
This was along Wyke Cop Road by Pool Hey, Scarisbrick. Disappeared in the direction of the Mere - nice!
Re- the comment about the fox at Freshfield. We also saw it this weekend, and apart from being rather thin it seemed OK.
Very tame, and it appeared to have lost the limp that it had during Autumnwatch.

Posted by: derek forshaw  | December 17, 2007 9:16 PM

Lisa wrote...

Managed to get a distant view of the Red Throated Diver this morning at Crosby Marine Lake.
Also 5 Goldeneye (3 males + 2 male eclipse), 2 female Tufted Ducks and 1 Oystercatcher muddying itself in the boggy grass with the Mallards.
Seaforth Reserve (through fence) at least 2 Black-Tailed Godwits, what looked like 7 muddy Common Sandpiper... could be wrong, plenty of Lapwing, Curlew, etc.

Posted by: Lisa  | December 18, 2007 8:14 PM

john wrote...

Thanks Lisa, my guess would be that your Common Sands were probably distant Redshanks - it can be hard to id waders looking thro' the fence down onto the lagoon at Seaforth.

Posted by: john  | December 18, 2007 8:18 PM

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