Spent the early afternoon at Marshside today - fairly quiet, with the wind really strengthening, but plenty of sunshine, screaming Swifts and wailing Lapwings.
Young Avocets foraging along the water's edge, getting bolder by the day.
Quite cute I suppose.
A Little Stint and a Ringed Plover were on Polly's Pool, with a handful of Dunlin and the Sedgies were singing away.
The Glossy Ibis was right in front of Nels , landing in the middle of the Shelduck roost. It wasn't long before it went to sleep behind a tussock itself, so I only had time to get a few shots of it.
Neill was right, it is looking a lot better now, "like a copper kettle" as he referred to it last week. Pretty accurate description I'd say.
Three Ringed Plovers feeding in the tussocks and areas of mud, which are growing as the water level drops away.
Two Little Stints here, with about 15 Dunlin and a Common Sandpiper dropped in.
The drake Garganey was snorkelling away to the north of Nels, but had a few issues with the weed it seemed to be eating.
Reed Warbler still singing in the reeds beside Nels.
So, three Little Stints, a drake Garganey and a Glossy Ibis - not bad for a quiet day.
Eyes to the skies everyone, eyes to the skies...
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Spotted Flycatcher at Seaforth along with at least 10 Little Gull, 1 Ringed Plover, 2 Dunlin and plenty of Common Terns on Saturday.
Low pressure to the south, high to the north = strong easterly. Look out for waders, raptors and terns.
Those Avocet chicks are adorable.
It is a very special bird over here where we get it as a regular migrant in small numbers.
Always good to watch them among the common fare.
Those Avocets chicks and their parents seem to have put paid to seeing anything else close up from Sandgrounders! A Mallard duckling was badly beaten up on Friday.
4500 approx large gull nests on the Ribble NNR, mainly LBBs.
Population as last year's estimate, though BHG numbers down (also about 4500 nests). Eiders definitely breeding there .
Interestingly like Walney, where they also nest adjacent to the large gulls.
Bumped into John Bannon this morning on Long Meanygate where him tetrading and me going home circuitously from a fruitless trip to Croston Corn Mill (closed!!) to get some Sunflower hearts.
Churchtown Moss/ "Old" Martin Mere seems a bit birdless compared with Formby/Plex/Altcar though copses/coverts difficult to get to grips with.
Peregrine and Buzzard over Churchtown on Saturday.
Is Marshside 2 unusually wet this year? I mean deliberately left un-drained (or un-sluiced?)
Knockout habitat for breeding ducks (Garganey?) as well as passing waders.
Floods at Banks as dry as a bone so birdless.
Ron