Spent a fine few hours down at Marshside today, hooking up with Neill and Squeaky, for some good winter birding.
You could almost feel the heat of the sun on your back at one point.
Small gull roost at the bottom of Rimmer's/Marshside One, with a few Black Headed Gulls coming into summer plumage, and a single argentatus Herring Gull.
This male Mute Swan was throwing daft shapes after seeing off a rival.
Sandgrounders Hide was very busy (two coachloads of birders from the wrong side of the Pennines Gromit!), but there were still close to 2,000 Golden Plover mixed in amongst the Lapwings, Blackwit and smaller numbers of Dunlin.
The Green Winged Teal was bustling about north of the hide before it went off for a doze in one of the channels. It didn't stir even when a Peregrine came in from the north to put the willies up everything else.
With Neill and Squeaky, I slipped away to have a look at the young male Scaup in with the Tufties on the Junction Pool - always nice to see one here in winter.
28 Pochards still on the Sandplant Pool with a few roosting Cormorant, but we walked up the road towards Crossens to see if there was any action on the Outer Marsh.
A fine Raven was scrounging about on the cropped turf, dwarfing nearby Carrion Crows and Jackdaws before it moved further out.
Neill picked out a Barnacle Goose in the vegetation in with the Pinkies and a female Sprawk cast a cruel eye on one of the two Stonechats around today.
A Magpie rooting close to the road managed to find two chips, which it probably wasn't expecting, but then we weren't expecting the full can of Coke hurled at us from a passing car - luckily I've seen drunken Chimpanzees with a better aim, and they are exponentially smarter than the pondlife who lobbed the tin, and considerably better looking, of course.
Still up to five Little Egrets visible out there (with one or two on the inner marsh), including one very obliging bird, halfway up the road.
Wandered round the Peninsula and remnants of the Sandplant, but it was quiet, save for a few Mipits, Song Thrush and Reed Buntings.
A final look in Sandgrounders revealed a Spotted Redshank feeding on Polly's Pool - presumably the bird we had in flight a week or two back.
Eyes to the skies everyone, eyes to the skies...
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Single female Scaup today at Mere Sands Wood, pair of Siskins, 4 Goosander (2 pairs), female Red Breasted Merg, plus a female Wood Duck and plenty of common birds.
Ear wigging people's conversations the 2 Crossbill were seen today as well.
Over Scarisbrick Moss at least one Brambling still in with the rather large Chaffinch flock at the end of Pool Hey Lane, they were difficult to pin down so I imagine there'll probably still be two in there.
Large flock of Pinks again off Moss Road at the back of Birkdale this afternoon but the afternoon sun made scouring them difficult.
Two Ravens on Southport Gasometer yesterday morning.