Wouldn't have thought it by late afternoon when the sun broke through, but it was drizzle all the way at Marshside this morning.
Not too bad though, with parties of Swallows whizzing through and Mipits calling in the drizzle.
Bazzo and I checked the Hesketh Road end, but that was pretty quiet.
The two Avocets (adult and juv bird) were still on the Junction Pool, and there were about 500 Blackwits in front of Nels.
A single Greenshank was here, but a bit too distant for a good picture.
Greenshank is a classy bird though....a single Dunlin was in with the Blackwits and there was a scattering of Curlew, Redshanks and Lapwings.
We went up onto Mount Baker, where Si Glinn was scoping the high tide.
Seven Little Egrets were mooching about on the channel at the edge of the marsh and good numbers of Kestrels - at least nine after a few sweeps, were hunting despite the weather.
Offshore 3 Great Crested Grebes, 13 Common Terns and regular Gannets and Common Scoters right out on the horizon kept things interesting.
Just after we left, Si had the juv Marsh Harrier hunting the outer marsh.
With the drizzle lifting, we went over to Martin Mere...too late to catch up with the flock of 10 Black Terns (including one with a white rump apparently) that Harry Sharrock et al had watched going through in the morning.
Still there were 3 Green Sandpipers, Greenshank, 30+ Ruff, Common Sand, numerous Buzzards and a juv Marsh Harrier from the Ronnie Barker Hide.
Brightening things up considerably was a young Kingfisher, hunting from the concrete block directly below the hide by the wide channel.
Already adept at fishing, it nabbed several small fish as we watched.
Stock Dove and summering Whoopers completed the picture.
After an absolutely necessary detour to the Bold in Churchtown (it can get very thirsty birding in August...) we headed for home.
Migrant Hawker inthe garden at Dempsey Towers later in the sun, and 5 Peacocks and two Holly Blues.
Eyes to the skies everyone, eyes to the skies...
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Red Admiral, Peacock, Comma, Speckled Wood, Large and Small Cabbage White and Green Veined White feeding in Prescot.
Prescot Reservoirs (permit only) had Black Necked Grebe till at least last Thursday, a Wood Sandpiper recently, and Little Ringed Plover nested there successfully this year.
Seawatch-phobics turn away now!
Wind turning west and strengthening tomorrow morning may be too late to make tomorrow (Tues) productive, but it's looking very promising for Wednesday, with westerlies continuing strong. After that, though, pretty useless with light south-easterlies until weekend.
A few birds around on yesterday's Ribble WeBS.
About 20k Dunlins to the west of the mouth of Crossens Sluice but difficult to assess accurately 'cos well scattered in feeding flocks.
900 Curlews was a good count for the Ribble. 1000 Redshanks more par for the course but 87 Eiders is we think a site record (all in one floating flotilla).
There's a flock of c. 800 Black Tail Godwits by the river's edge, additional to the more or less resident birds at Marshside, maybe passage birds (but a big flock) or additional wintering birds that remain aloof from their Marshside cousins. 30 Wigeons but their numbers should be building up rapidly. 800 Canadas, wish they'd buzz off to somewhere like Norfolk but then stay there.
Only two Avocets and other odds and ends included Greenshank, Green Sand, 2 Peregrines, a Merlin, Harris' Hawk and Short Eared Owl.
There were three Marsh Harriers over the "new" RSPB reserve with an additional two over Crossens Marsh. One behind "Old Hollow" may have been a stray from the former trio but there are 5 or 6 on the estuary at the moment plus, one assumes, birds at MMWWT and Plex/Altcar.
Nowt much by way of small birds. Mipit and "Alba" Wag numbers were down, both birds as well as being local breeders show a good long autumn passage on the Ribble.
(Being a locally born and bred birdwatcher I can stand bad weather, no choice of course unless one becomes a "hide-haunter", but I can't subscribe to the Max Mosley school of sea watching pleasures, not at Formby anyway All that sand, most of it in your bins or your kecks or your food or everywhere.)
Ron