Couldn't resist a walk through the dunes, slacks and along the beach at Ainsdale this afternoon in wall to wall sun (don't forget, the days start drawing in from here on!) and it wasn't half bad.
Plenty of Bee Orchids flowering now, with at least 10 Pyramidal "ice cream cone" Orchids blooming too, and the first Marsh Helleborines in flower.
In one slack, I noticed a pure white orchid, a strain of Marsh Orchid (I think) but I could have done with Phil Smith with me to make sure - I digiscoped it to avoid beating a path through the watery vegetation to the plant!
Birdwise, the usual dune summer species were about - Meadow Pipits, Skylarks, Linnets - with two Willow Warblers still trying to sing from the tops of scrub being pushed about in the breeze something awful - they must have felt a bit queasy. Ten out of ten for effort though.
Out on the shore, 4 Lapwings were wheeling about, but the sea was way toooo distant and shimmery to attempt a low tide seawatch - there'll be other days I suppose.
A Ringed Plover chaperoned me all the way along a stretch of shore until I was far enough away for the bird to relax.
Hopefully it had a brood in the nearby cover.
I didn't want to hang around too long to find out - or draw the Carrion Crows and Jackdaws to the area. Be nice if they had nested along the shore though.
Whitethroats and Blackcaps still singing around the Sands Lake, but disappointingly, no dragonflies (too breezy presumably).
Eyes to the skies everyone, eyes to the skies...
- Post to:
del.icio.us
Digg
Newsvine
Nowpublic
Reddit
« Previous | Home | Next »
Hi John
Any chance you can add our new blog to your links.
Lancashire and Lakeland Outback Wildlife Adventure Safaris
www.lalows.blogspot.com
Your literary genius has inspired me and I'll never beat your photos but I'm having a bash.
The 'Haddy' mentioned is the lad who found the RBS on 18th May
Cheers
Dave
Hi John,
The Ringed Plover have been nesting on the shore edge for the last couple of years.
Last year all were lost to high tides.
This year John G and myself have found 3 nests and have ringed 11 chicks, not all were from the same 3 nests.
Regards
Chris
Chris - ta for the ringing gen.
Dave - I'll get the IT gurus to do the link thing next week (excellent flattery by the way)
Anybody - Do Marshside's Finest really have to go to Oswaldtwistle, or is there anyone local there who can tell us what the Ickyodiousmarsh Warbler really is?????
I was on Ainsdale dunes myself yesterday. Saw 2 fresh Dark Green Frits, which was nice.
Flowering hebe in Prescot town centre (60ydsx4yds) had Buff Tailed, White Tailed, Red Tailed and Honey Bees feeding on it.
Hoverflies and Solitary Bee too.
Great Spotted Woodpecker out of the nest at Prescot Vicarage Garden, and John Cavan had 7 fully fledged young Great Tits from a nestbox in Rainford last week.
Two died, but the others made it.
Oystercatchers have young in the grounds of Knowsley Safari Park.
In Prescot Vicarage Garden I watched 5 young Carrion crows with Mike Barrow - one was sitting on the ground, and seemed to be washing itself by dragging itself through the grass.
never actually written a blog before, so i hope it comes through ok.
would like to mention to anyone interested that i was fortunate enough to watch a pair of peregrine falcons roosting and hunting in kirkby, liverpool yesterday (fri 27th), most of the day and then watch the pair settle down for the night. i have asked my family to watch out over the weekend, if they return or are still there i myself will return.if you would like to know the exact whereabouts i was watching please contact me via my e-mail address, hope to speak with a few of you soon, chris.
The white orchid is Dactylorhiza incarnata ssp. coccinea var. alba (white form of Early Marsh-orchid). It is quite rare but I photographed a similar specimen on Birkdale Green Beach recently.