Felt distinctly delicate this morning after a particularly heavy night in the Legless Arms with the rest of Marshside's finest, but time and tide wait for no man, so I scooted down to Marshside for high water.
Bazzo was already checking through a gull roost of about 8,000 birds from the Hesketh Road platform, and he'd already had two Meds by the time I arrived.
A few minutes later I picked up a third bird, an adult moulting into summer plumage, which popped in for a bit of a preen.
So many more Black Headed Gulls coming into summer plumage now, but not too many "big" gulls about this morning - Weld Road may have been a better bet.
A murky day despite the strong south westerly breeze, so we headed up to the Sandplant a short time later, but not before a Rock Pipit called overhead.
Graham Clarkson had seen the Green Winged Teal again earlier on, and there were seven Little Egrets on the inland side of the road.
Ducks numbers are dropping now, but the usual winter species are all still about.
We walked north to Crossens as the tide came in over the marsh - it didn't cover it all, but certainly displaced a fair few birds anyway.
Two Merlins were hunting from the fenceposts, and a female Sparrowhawk drifted through. The odd Little Egret was flapping about too.
Plenty of Curlew, Redshank and Black Tailed Godwits were in the air, and gulls fed in the shallows.
Perhaps the most unexpected species was this great big Rottweiller, floundering about looking for somewhere dry. Presumably some heartless sod had dumped it.
Called Clarko and he contacted the dog catchers....
Don't think I'd have fancied their job today - rescuing a very angry and disorientated devil dog from a flooded marsh doesn't sound like too much fun to me.
A Short Eared Owl came up out of the grasses off Crossens, quartering the area a few times before pitching down into cover. Good to see one on the marsh again.
The wind got quite strong so we headed for home after the tide began to subside.
A quick check of Marshside One from the Junction Pool flaps revealed a distant roosting Med Gull, a winter plumage bird this time, amongst the Black Headed Gulls in a roost by the golf course.
Not a bad hour or two.
Eyes to the skies everyone, eyes to the skies...
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Graham Clarkson wrote...
23.2: CATTLE EGRET from Ron Barker hide at Martin Mere (2.46pm).
Posted by: Graham Clarkson | February 23, 2008 3:58 PM