Covered a fair bit of ground today, starting off at Ainsdale for an hour of seawatching over the high tide - although conditions were none too promising, it never hurts to keep your eye in.
Auks whizzing past offshore stood out like a sore thumb, reflecting white against the blue sea.
Nothing exceptional, but still plenty of Sandwich Terns offshore, and one or two Gannets.
If the proper westerlies forecast for this week rage in as promised with a good bit of filthy weather, we could finally be on for a Leach's Petrel or two - if we're lucky.
Anyway today's bag was:
Guillemot 15
Razorbill 1
Gannet 3
Common Scoter 27
Sandwich Tern 38
Red Throated Diver 2
Great Crested Grebe 1
Plus the usual Cormorants, Shelducks and waders.
From there I drove up to Marshshide, where I met up with Bazzo, fresh from his WeBs count.
A few thousand Pink Feet on Marshside Two, with two Pochard on the Sandplant Pool, and Goldcrest round the Sandplant Compound entrance.
Inside were two Wheatears (see top of entry), up to 6 Robins, several Song Thrush, Goldfinch, more Goldcrests and Mipits and Skylarks passing in small numbers, and one or two Grey Wags overhead.
The Avocet was still on Polly's Pool.
Crossens Outer had no less than 17 Little Egret, which with a further 3 on view on the inland side of the road, took the tally to 20 - a Marshside record for me anyway.
3,800 Pinkies out there too, with a single Greenshank and about 150 Golden Plover.
We moved onto Martin Mere, which had still more Pink Feet - over 6,000 on the reserve and up to 5 Common Buzzards in the air.
Not much else though, apart from the steadily swelling numbers of wildfowl (including the three resident Whoopers), Snipe, Lapwings and a few Ruff.
September sun fooled this young misguided Moorhen into an attempt at nest-building - but if the forecast is right, we won't be getting much more Indian summer stuff, a good old-fashioned big time hooley is forecast to be on the way from the west.
Eyes to the skies everyone, eyes to the skies...
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28.09.08 Marshside: Ruddy Shelduck with the Pink Feet on Suttons Marsh (M2) at 5.45pm.
Also 1,400 Pinks, 1 Avocet, 6 Greenshank, 217 Wigeon, 2 Barnacle Geese (with the pinks).
More Black Darters on the coast. Six yesterday at slack 47, Birkdale frontals and another three today at Tagg's Island marsh.
I hear there has been one at Seaforth. Any other sightings?
The day of the Petrels:
A weather-front is heading our way at a fair old lick, all the way from Iceland. Big north-westerlies mid-week; I predict Thursday to be Leach's Petrel Day 2008. Be there or be square....but wrap up well!
Hi John
Should be 14,400 Pink-feet and 2170 Wigeon for yesterday. Also 23 Little Egrets on Crossens outer yesterday. Squeaky had a male Hen Harrier at Marshside last night, I made do with the Harris Hawk! G
Petrels, mmmm! mmmmm! and I'm hoping to be staying over at Hilbre on Wednesday night.
Must reconnect with this sea-watching lark, all monochrome efforts flashing by and muffled squeals and whimpers 'cos you can't locate your mate's purported gem before it disappears over the horizon
I had a Ribble enigma on Sunday while doing my WeBS stint out on the river's edge opposite the Lytham windmill. A lot of Redshank, circa 1000 in front of me in a long mobile line as the tide flooded. I could hear a Spotted Redshank call, and later saw this bird with trailing feet and a long and narrow lozenge shaped white back alight with the shanks. By this time I was in retreat as the tide was making and the gutters behind me were filling.
I did manage a brief scoping on 50/60x, not the best of views what with heat haze and distance but the bird was of a predominantly brownish hue, particularly in flight compared with the greyish overall tones of the shanks (and, of course, of non-breeding Spot. Reds)
The call and lack of a good view made me think "Spot Red" and the jizz of the bird was fairly shankish but Dowitcher Sp., and why not on the Ribble in autumn, has since crossed my mind.
A bloody long way to go back and check, no seconds, a bit like sea-watching (?)
Ron
You can't call him Squeaky! Or can you?