Got an hour's seawatch in this afternoon from 3-4pm at Ainsdale, more to dust off the cobwebs before the new seawatching season swings into action than anything else - and it wasn't bad.
I had, of course, forgotten that it's half term this week, so the beach was busier than usual (no point looking for the Snow Buntings today), but luckily the birds offshore don't give a hoot!
Great Crested Grebe 27+
Slavonian Grebe 1
Razorbill 3
Goldeneye 4
Red Throated Diver 2
Common Scoter 40+
Harbour Porpoise 1
Good numbers of Great Crests, mainly all in full summer plumage, in several groups offshore, and not too far out, directly off the Discovery Centre, was a nice crisp Slav, which bobbed up and down on the swell, playing "now you see me, now you don't".
Stupid waves.
Not quite full on "black and white" winter plumage, but the stark black cap and white cheeks were still obvious.
It showed pretty well on and off (or should that be up and down?) and more than made up for the increasing numbness in my extremities.
For the fishwatchers out there, the Harbour Porpoise went south at 3.15pm - it looked big enough to be an adult.
To the north there were several thousand gulls roosting - the vast majority of which were Common Gull, with a few packs of scurrying Sanderling on the upper shore.
By the end of an hour I couldn't feel my feet anymore - it is still a wee bit cold to sit around on the dunes - and I headed for home.
Eyes to the skies everyone, eyes to the skies...
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Hello!
3 male Hen Harrier and 1 Short Eared Owl, outer marsh between 2-3pm today
Thanks for the Porp info John, will load it in to the rinky-dinky computer tomorrow and see what comes out. Just before high tide - birder bias or is that the time they really do tend to appear...hmmm?
Just a quick one for any birders near Sefton, Little Egret been on the back of the Punchbowl pub/Sefton Meadows for two days now, had good sightings today as it moved around the Alt and surrounding dykes.
Hope this helps someone, can't find a Merseyside birding website.
Kev
I had a one day visit from a Blackcap last Friday when a friend also had a pair in his Freshfield garden. My garden pond erupted into froggy life this weekend and I heard a Chaffinch in full song in Crosby today. Meanwhile although recent mild winters were blamed on Global Warming/Climate Change, the Met Office blames the recent cold(ish) winter on 'Weather'.
Two Barn Owls early this morning at Marshside.
Tony and I watched a Peregrine circling over our office at Marshside Methodist Church - the local Pigeons looked justifiably worried.
The drake Green-winged Teal was as usual holding court with his Tealtastic entourage in front of Sandgrounders hide.
The saltmarsh was on form again with lots of birders seeing lots of birds; two Short-eared Owls, male Hen Harrier, two Merlins, Kestrel, Peregrine, two Grey Partridges.
Lapwings on Suttons Marsh were busy displaying, goodness me breeding bird surveys just around the corner!
This was all very, very nice.