Not a bad day out and about today - picked up Bazzo late morning and we headed over to Mere Sands to have a look at the Night Heron (just in case anyone is tempted by any mad race splitting mullarkey in the future).
The bird was hunched up in the branches opposite the Funky Gibbon hide, and not showing particularly well.
It wasn't singing "Yankee Doodle Dandy," or anything.
Elsewhere a few Siskins, calling Nuthatch and Tree Sparrows round the car park feeders.
Two Buzzards overhead as we left, mission "Heron Split Insurance" safely accomplished.
Got back to Marshside, where there were plenty of Stonechats about - a female up at the top of Crossens Inner, and four birds along the southern slope of the Sandplant perimeter.
Apparently Mike Stocker had no less than seven in the week - it's a good passage this year!
A Rock Pipit was calling on the outer marsh when we scanned the estuary from the top of Mount Baker.
Tide was ultra-low, even the cocklebeds were exposed.
Meadow Pipits, Linnets, Wren and Reed Bunting all feeding along the southern side of the Sandplant wall too, in the lee of the migration-killing North Easterly that was blowing.
Four Little Egrets about today, and a Merlin giving a Skylark hell over the lorry road.
The Green Winged Teal was in the channels north of Sandgrounders Hide, and there were a few Pink Feet still on the outer marsh.
A colour ringed Blackwit was north of Sandgrounders too (left leg: two yellow rings, right leg: yellow above pale, with what appeared to be the letter "k" on).
Marshside One had Little Egret, 33 Avocets, 2 Ruff and a smallish gull roost.
Ducks are at their best now, although numbers are really dropping.
After dropping Bazzo off to cook the mother of all Irish stews, I headed out over the moss to have a quick check of Plex.
It was very quiet, although the big Fieldfare flock is still around the west side of the Haskayne Cutting on Plex Moss Lane, spooked today by Kestrel and Sparrowhawk.
Skylarks singing away, but no sign of any Wheatears unfortunately. Loadsa Lapwings displaying and getting territorial and a very lonely looking Pink Foot on one of the ploughed fields.
Finally a word about Dempsey Towers - the back garden was on remarkably good form (perhaps I should have stayed in today).
Two Bramblings (one a superb male almost in full breeding plumage, which naturally eluded the camera), two Reed Buntings and a male Blackcap, along with all the regulars.
At last I got some record shots of one of the Bramblings as the light began to fade - but I'll nail one properly yet....
They seem to come in early morning and late afternoon, but annoyingly never stick around for very long, generally choosing to disappear during the precise few seconds when I rush off to get my scope and camera.
Perhaps if I put some superglue on the feeders.....?
It'd be like being tarred and feathered with Goldfinches.
Few Red Tailed Bumblebees out today, but no butterflies yet.
Eyes to the skies everyone, eyes to the skies....
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Jeff Richards wrote...
About 20 Rooks nests around Thornton Hough on Wirral, mainly in conifers, and six birds around Clatterbridge.
There seem to be fewer around on the Wirral side these days?
Posted by: Jeff Richards | March 17, 2008 10:06 AM