When the weather's filthy the best thing to do is go to the filthiest place around - wellies on, and off for a splash around Taggs Island and the beach at Weld Road then.
It was grim and grey down there today, but about 4,000 gulls were settling on the rising tide when I arrived about midday.
Mainly Herring Gulls, despite intensive searching throughout the afternoon, the best I could manage was a Yellow Legged Gull (michahellis) bobbing about on the swell.
Plenty of Oystercatchers as usual as the tide pushed up into the saltmarsh, including this part albino freako.
Two Little Egrets feeding up around the top of Taggs, and later, further south. It's amazing how quickly they disappear in even the thinest of marsh vegetation.
Bad conditions got worse when I dropped my camera in the mud, and seconds later managed to kick my scope over as I tried to retrieve the camera.
Arse.
Still, the wader roost halfway down Taggs held plenty of Knot, a few Grey Plover, Bar Tailed Godwits, 21 Turnstone and about 50 Dunlin.
When they weren't being flushed by joggers, dogwalkers etc.
The light really was poor though, and the frequent rain showers didn't help my mood.
Even the usually soulful looking Grey Plovers looked cheesed off. Perhaps I should have gone to Martin Mere to look for the reported yankee Wigeon after all.
Good tide though - Marshside was probably pretty fine today.
Soaking wet, and with trashed optics, I decided to change tactics and waded back up through Taggs.
28 Common Snipe, and 3 Jack Snipe burst out of the reeds as I headed north.
One Stonechat, and a few Skylark and Linnet about.
Anyone know how to get mud out of a digital camera?
Eyes to the skies everyone, eyes to the skies...
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Paul Slater wrote...
Happy New Year. Just thought that you might be interested in some recent observations. These include Kingfisher again at Sefton Park in December. On 19 December, a count of the waterfowl here revealed 57 Canada Geese, 203 Mallard, 82 Moorhen and 17 Coot.
On Christmas Day, 4 Water Rails were in the saltmarsh and reeds along Garston Shore. A Chiffchaff was present along Oglet Shore. 40 Skylarks on fields at Oglet and a Red-Legged Partridge with up to 14 Grey Partridge here. 23 Song Thrushes were at Oglet, including a group of 10 in a cereal stubble field. 2 Woodcock flying onto fields here after dark.
More recent observations include Water Rail at the Old Garden Festival site, with 16 Siskins feeding in Alders here. Up to 77 Oystercatchers and 19 Turnstones have been on the shore of the Mersey, below Garston Docks.
Posted by: Paul Slater | January 14, 2008 11:55 AM