Completely ragged the Baby Black Death out of the city this afternoon in a vain attempt to get back with enough light left for a quick seawatch off Ainsdale.
There's only so long you can go without a seawatch.
Even given the parlous state of my driving, I still couldn't make it down to the dunes before the sun went behind the big bank of cloud on the horizon and the sky and sea began to merge into a grey mess.
About 30 Common Scoters offshore, moping about, and the usual Cormorants and gulls, but try as I might, I couldn't turn distant young LBBs into wintering Poms.
One or two gull roosts on the sand after the high tide, and away up to the north, waders and Cormorants still packed together off Taggs Island.
Sanderlings and Barwits feeding on the tideline.
On the upside, a stonking Peregrine tanking into Liverpool city centre over Leeds Street yesterday, and today a pair of Mistle Thrushes getting frisky on Old Hall Street.
Not my most successful afternoon - but sometimes just looking at the sea is enough.
Eyes to the skies everyone, eyes to the skies...
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Haskayne area, Dec 9th-14th: Little Grebe; Great Crested Grebe; Pink Feet c6,000; Bean Goose 2 (fabalis) near Fine Jane Pumping Station; Linnet 133; Barn Owl 2; Corn Bunting 53; Kingfisher; Tufted Duck 3; Buzzard 5; adult Med Gull (in field by Worrall House Farm); Common Gull 830; Little Owl; Stonechat, Whooper Swan 22; Grey Heron 8; Grey Wagtail; Mallard c200; Redwing 2; Long Tailed Tit 9; Fieldfare 100-150; Teal 10; Sparrowhawk.
Hi John,
Just a note to say that the male Blackcap is still in my garden here in Walton, after nearly 3 weeks, eating (massive) snowberries,and bathing in the garden pond with some of the 40 House Sparrows who roost and nest in the ivy which covers the back wall of my house.
Three Snow Buntings on Southport beach about 400m south of the northern end of the Marine Lake. Still about 50 Twite on the salt-marsh off Weld Road, plus Jack Snipe and Little Egret.
Hi All
Just back from South Africa and thought you might like this little story I posted on the SABAP2 (South Africa Bird Atlas Project2) website.
I have been lucky enough to be in South Africa on about 50 occasions since 2000 and in the last few years I have visited every six to eight weeks or so. I was encouraged to participate in SABAP2 by my great birding pal Andre Marx (608) and registered as an observer earlier this year (10637).
Atlasing is my favourite birding activity and I obviously participate in my home county of Lancashire in the UK â where we undertake complete coverage of every 2km square pentad, twice in winter and twice in summer. But I have also atlased in the United Arab Emirates, Nepal, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Sweden.
However, in all my birding days I have never once had the adrenalising experience that a visit to the Rhenosterspruit Conservancy Pentad 2550_2755 gave me on the evening of Saturday December 6th 2008.
I had gone out at around 6:30pm to Broadacres Spar to get some grub for a birding day out the next morning with Ron Searle, and on a whim decided to try this excellent pentad ( approx. 8 x 7.5 square km) for some night birds â which at that point we lacked any records for.
Brushing up on my calls on my SA Bird Songs CDs on the way, I was soon in the pentad and had a Barn Owl on a roadside fence pole and also a Spotted Eagle Owl in a nearby estate garden and jackals howling from the darkness. Dropping down to cross the Jukskei river on the narrow concrete causeway-cum -bridge, I did notice that the river was running strongly and carrying most of the detritus from Alexandra with it - PelâÂÂs Fishing Owl was NOT noted.
An enjoyable hour passed, during which time I had excellent close views of Freckled Nightjar on the road and Rufous-cheeked Nightjars calling from the bush and Spotted Dikkops (so much more African than Thick-knee) with young running about on the road . All was well with the world as I rounded the bend to drop down to the causeway across the river â but it wasnâÂÂt there anymore !!
%#**@@$$ !!! Where was the bridge ? Had I taken the wrong road?
The Jukskei river had risen about six feet and was now hurtling downstream at 100 kms per hour at least â and I was trapped on the wrong side. I did consider chancing it, but then vaguely remembered a tale Andre had related about someone trying to cross a river in spate in a Toyota Landcruiser, but still ending up in the Indian Ocean off Durban, very much deceased. So, deciding discretion was the better part of valour I reversed back up the hill away from the angry deluge and went birding again. Good decision. I was soon being watched by a beautiful White-faced Scops Owl from some power lines and made the amazing discovery that Red-chested Cuckoos sing at night.
I returned every half-hour or so and around 11:30 saw a torchlight on my side of the underwater bridge and was then duly rescued by my good samaritan, Shelley French, who had seen it all before hundreds of times. Her partner was in a Corolla on the other side of the river, intending to collect her for a trip down to KZN âÂÂso back to her place for coffee, conversation, hissing Barn Owls and another Red-chested Cuckoo calling.
By around 3:30 am the river had dropped and the causeway looked passable, so with some trepidation I steered my Kia go-anywhere, off-road, semi-submersible rental car onto the still fast-flowing river and headed for civilisation. My middle name is lucky and two minutes later I was across and heading quickly back to Fourways â after all I still had my âÂÂbuttiesâ to make.
Atlasing in the UK is just not like this I thought. Mind you, I have come across plenty of probably more dangerous drugged-up ravers, on their way home at 0400 on a mid-summerâÂÂs morning, just as I am going out for the dawn chorus !
Go Well