Crystal clear afternoon on the beach at Ainsdale today, visibility was sharp as a tack, with the hills of Lakeland so bright with snow behind Blackpool you could count the tobogganing mint-cake munchers of Cumbria whizzing down the fells with carefree abandon (okay, that may be an exaggeration - they weren't going that fast).
On the tideline, stretching from Ainsdale north was a white rim of gulls - thousands of 'em...there MUST be something good in that lot!
With 'em were Barwits, Grey Plover, Knot, Dunlin, Oycs and Sanderling.
One particularly unlucky Knot was chased by a murderous Common Gull for nearly three minutes before it managed to shake the gull off.
Offshore not a great deal, despite the superb visibility - 7 Goldeneye and two Common Scoter apart from the Cormorants, so I wandered off to see if the Snow Bunts were still about.
Despite all the dogwalkers/model plane flyers/wood collectors/joggers that the sun had brought out, the 5 Snow Buntings were still trying to eke a living out of the tideline south of the Discovery Centre.
Only managed about five minutes with the little white blurs though, as they sprinted along the sand, before a dogwalker, this one with binoculars remarkably (and Leicas at that), sent his mutt racing into them and they trilled off away to the south end of the beach and relative peace and quiet.
Thanks for that.
Eyes to the skies everyone, eyes to the skies...
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'Only managed about five minutes with the little white blurs though, as they sprinted along the sand, before a dogwalker, this one with binoculars remarkably (and Leicas at that), sent his mutt racing into them and they trilled off away to the south end of the beach and relative peace and quiet.'
Dude Binoculars ;)
You're only jealous, In Focus-boy....
My Ultravids haven't let me down yet, although I am beginning to develop a fondness for thermals, comfy socks and a nice nap now and again....but then hey, I'm not the one selling carbon fibre ladyboy tripods!
ad. winter Med. Gull at Weld Road, Birkdale this afternoon. As you say, the gulls further south look tempting.
Short-eared Owl being mobbed by two Carrion Crows on Crossens Marsh.
Are the ladyboy tripods actually IN STOCK?
Re Ultravids. Was stopped by a watcher outside Sandgrounders last winter. Kitted out with Ultravids and a Leica scope, nearly ã2k I reckon. "They're Barnacles are they?" as a flock of "Feet" flew over.
Good bins doesn't make one a good birdwatcher albeit they can make a good one better. I'm after selling my Dialyt 7x42 by the way. After a Zeiss 10x32 which better for "scope free" marsh watching,
Ron
Short Eared Owl yesterday afternoon on marsh in a bit of drive-by birdin' at Marshside.
Leica - great bins and great scopes (lasted me for many years), as are Swarovski, Zeiss etc. Lots of nonsense and hair splitting re higher end optics - I suppose the sales folk have to justify why they sell them.
Isn't 'dude' a 1950's phrase Daddio?
'Good bins doesn't make one a good birdwatcher albeit they can make a good one better.'
This is definitely correct Ron.
Graham also right to say there's lots of nonsense talk about this, you have to decide for yourself and testing is the key with these things.
We sell binoculars at Martin Mere WWT which I think are great for less than ã80. It's easy to look in the bird watching press or see wardens with expensive kit and assume you'll be inferior without a 'big name binocular'.
True if you have got the money then any of the mid to top range binoculars will last you 10, 20, 30 years.
The last thing you want to do is spend a ã1000 on a pair of binoculars and then can't afford to go out birding!