Spent an hour or two on Plex Moss this afternoon after a busy morning - the wind was still blasting through, but the rain had stopped and there were plenty of Whitethroats and Willow Warblers singing as I drove past the caravan site.
Not much else unfortunately - Lapwings, Corn Bunts, Swallows, Buzzards, Red Legs, and a good few people scouring the fields for Dotterels in the hope they were still about (I had my last bird on May 12th in 2008, so there's still a chance more will come through this year...)
Incidentally, that reminds me, if you do go Dotterel hunting, a good tip is to stay in your car (golden rule number one of mossland birding) - sounds obvious I know, but on the raised moss tracks when you're away from the mobile hide, you're also up against the skyline to any bird and they see you coming a mile off.
Dotterels may have a reputation for tameness on their breeding grounds, but I've always found them quite skittish on spring passage, so it pays to be sneaky.
Walking about also puts up the Lapwings, Skylarks etc which is good news for Mr Carrion Crow looking for an easy meal of young or eggs, but bad news for the mossland breeders.
Just trying to help you know...oh, and always give farm vehicles the right of way on the tracks...they're bigger than you and they live there.
A few Wheatear still about, but I didn't see any Whimbrel today.
Given the wind and the lack of Dotterels I sought inspiration in Haskayne Cutting, and found it in the form of a Tree Pipit, which kindly perched up for a while before heading off north, "spizz-ing" away as it went.
Shame there were branches in the way, or I'd have got quite a nice pic of it, but it made a change from fly-over birds.
At least two Yellowhammers and four Whitethroats singing today, with the Lesser Whitethroat still rattling away in the deep cover of the southern end, happily hidden in a tangle of hawthorn, brambles and elderberry bushes.
Reed Buntings perching up too despite the wind, and a few Grey Partridges in the fields nearby.
Blackcap singing in the cutting to the south of Station Road, a few Swifts arcing through and Swallows hunting low.
Eyes to the skies everyone, eyes to the skies...
- Post to:
del.icio.us
Digg
Newsvine
Nowpublic
Reddit
« Previous | Home | Next »
Bazzo wrote...
6/5: Formby Point seawatch, 7.40-10.30:
Red Throated Diver 2
Great Crested Grebe 2
Manx Shearwater 7
Gannet 144
Common Scoter 16
Kittiwake 3
Sandwich Tern 47
Common Tern 117
Arctic Tern 58
Everything heading south.
Posted by: Bazzo | May 6, 2009 6:33 PM