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Back into the gloom

Posted by on February 20, 2008 5:01 PM | 

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Freezing fog, cloud and nippy, nippy, nippy sent the early Spring scurrying off into March holding its skirts like the big Jessie it undeniably is today, but even in the gloom I had time for a quick walk around the Sands Lake this afternoon.
Only Robins and Dunnocks were brave enough to carry on singing, while on the water, 78+ Tufted Ducks, 12 Shoveler, a male and female Pochard, and a Little Grebe.

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Just Black Headed Gulls hanging around the car park and a single Little Grebe at the north end.
Three Carrion Crows sharpening their bills on the tall trees opposite Pontins, getting ready for a season of egg pinching and nestling massacre.

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Two Meadow Pipits called while gamely heading north overhead.
No sign of the Water Rail at the top end, but I'm sure it was lurking in the tangle of branches and reeds.
Checked down the side of Pontins in case the Black Redstart was playing out, but with the camp all quiet it was probably amusing itself in the ball pool or some sagging bouncy castle safely out of sight - if it's still around that is.
Eyes to the skies everyone, eyes to the skies...

Comments (3)

Robert Butterworth wrote...

Would any readers who have sighted an immature male Harris Hawk, around the Maghull / Lydiate area, complete with a bell on his left leg, tail bell and jesses, please contact me at lewybob@aol.com.
The bird has been out since mid January and I have not sighted him even though I am out most days looking for him as are friends and fellow falconers.
He is obviously doing ok but I would like to get him back soon.
Please if you have seen him, contact me with a location. You can get my number from Copy Lane Police station or use the above email.
Thanks.

Posted by: Robert Butterworth  | February 21, 2008 11:04 AM

Victoria Guinan wrote...

WWT has teamed up with a new BBC Radio 4 series World On the Move in a research first.

Over the next year, the ‘Top Goose’ project will follow the migrations of three individual Barnacle geese, three Greenland white-fronted geese, and three Brent geese and compare how much fuel they need to complete them.

Every year over five million birds fly huge distances to spend the winter here, many of them at WWT Martin Mere. Martin Mere is home to up to 2000 Whooper Swans and 20,000 Pink-footed Geese every autumn and winter, and a large number of summer wading birds including Avocets and Lapwings.

An aeroplane needs a lot of fuel to fly you to Spain or Greece on your summer holidays, while you sit there with a drink in hand, tucking into your in-flight meal.

Now imagine if you had wings and you flew there yourself, fuelled by just one bellyful of grass? This is the feat carried out by thousands of geese every year who fly up to 3,000 miles between their wintering grounds in the UK and their summer breeding grounds in the arctic.

So how do they know how much food they need to eat to fuel such incredible journeys? How do they decide when they have enough fuel to start their marathon flight? What if they hit extreme weather or are blown off course? What if they don’t have enough fuel to reach their destination?

Top Goose hopes to answer these questions, and only then will we know how vital it is to manage and protect their feeding grounds and help them adapt to a changing climate.

To date, two of the three Barnacle geese have been fitted with their satellite transmitters. Keep your eye on wwt.org.uk/topgoose as we catch up with our Greenland white-fronted geese and our Brent geese in preparation for their journey.

Follow their amazing migrations at wwt.org.uk/topgoose, and listen to reports of their progress on World On the Move on Radio 4 at 11am every Tuesday.

Posted by: Victoria Guinan  | February 21, 2008 10:11 PM

Derek Williams wrote...

Latest from Haskayne area, Feb 14-19th:
Ruff, 2 Cormorant, Kingfisher, 4 Shoveler, 2 Gadwall, 100+ Golden Plover, 14 Black Tailed Godwit, 20 Reed Bunting, Peregrine, 2 adult GBBs, Raven, 6 Snipe, Grey Wagtail, 24 Curlew, Great Crested Grebe.

Posted by: Derek Williams  | February 22, 2008 9:37 AM

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