Well that was an interesting morning at Marshside!!
Fairly quiet until Bazzo and I got into Nels hide and after ogling the Goldies and Little Stint, I picked up a small lark at about 350 yds in front of the relic dunes.
I 'scoped it and 'scoped it as it showed a big supercilium, dark line behind the eye and no crest.
Interesting - the more that I looked at it, the happier I was that it was a Woodlark - the super seemed to join behind the head, it had a fine bill, the underwings looked dark as it flapped them and the black and white diagnostic markings appeared visible on the wing on a few occasions.
It was dwarfed by nearby Skylarks.
Way too far off to get any decent pictures as you can see.
Put the news out and the hide filled with people getting long distance views of the bird.
UNTIL...
The lark finally flew and it showed white outer tail feathers - ruling out Woodlark (and the Short Toed Lark, that some folk were mooting) and making it undoubtedly the runtiest of runt Skylarks that I've ever seen.
Oh pants.
Sorry sorry sorry everyone!!!!
Prior to this embarrassing episode, the area had been fairly quiet - singing Chiffchaff on the golf course and in the remaining bushes at the Sandplant, and five Wheatears around the point, but no hirundines.
Plenty of Little Egrets, Avocets etc about, with the Blackwits really coming into summer plumage now.
One White Wagtail at the back of the Sandplant and a singing Willow Warbler in the SSSI ditch.
Back to the drawing board.
Eyes to the skies everyone, eyes to the skies...
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Hi John, Two Speckled Wood at Marshside this afternoon. Mike.
Enjoyed your report today John, not your embarrassment I promise. As a novice, I'm well used to being a complete idiot. Nice knowing there are weaknesses amongst my betters!
The putative Woodlark from Nels yesterday, found by John and Bazz had everyone guessing. When it finally flew and revealed its pale outer-tail feathers, that definitely ruled out the consensus opinion of Woodlark..........BUT no way does that rule out Small (aka Oriental Skylark) though !!
They have buffish to whitish outer-tail feathers; are 20 percent smaller than Skylark and have a jizz remarkably like a Woodlark to boot!
So states no less than Hadoram Shirihai in his superb Birder's Guide to European and Middle Eastern Birds, and he should know, no doubt having had shedfuls in Israel.
Nobody in Nels Hide, including the Seaforth lads, called it as Skylark - even a runt one in the hour and a half I was there. It did appear to have the structure and jizz of a Woodlark and never for one second until it flew, some 300/400 metres away, did anyone suggest Skylark - in fact the complete opposite. To all concerned, It definitely wasn't a Skylark!
Also, although there's always the first time, nobody could recall seeing or even hearing of, a 'runt' Skylark, with or without the structure and jizz of a Woodlark to boot.
So, just maybe Marshside's first - first for Britain has been consigned to oblivion!!
PS: I have seen Small Skylarks in the Middle East and the best (only) way to get onto them is their call. A rasping "Bazz! Bazz! So just how good would it have been for Barry McCarthy (Alias Bazz) to have clinched it as such !!
Never mind, keep up the good work lads - at least you had the bottle to call it and gave us all something to think about ... and perhaps regret!
Sorry John B, but it was the Seaforth lads that ruled out the bird being a Woodlark, the long tail giving it away before we saw it in flight, although the bird was pale, it wasn't even a candidate for a Short-toed Lark.
Its a lesson in claiming birds from such a distance, no hard feelings towards anyone involved in the bird, I presume you were all still feeling the affects from the regular Friday night at the local, cheers, see yer at the next one.
Up at Ainsdale today saw a nice flock of 10 Crossbills opposite Woodvale also close views of a Buzzard .
Up to 12 Black Necked Grebes at Woolston Eyes on Sunday as well as 2 Buzzard, 1 Kestrel and 1 Kingfisher, also plenty of singing Chiffchaffs.
I just wondered how to contact you for a bird ID
Regards David
JD: Email address on the way David