Lotsa birds moving on the coast today - with plenty of Pinkies in now, small skeins flapping in from the north, south and east and more than 1,500 out on Crossens Outer this evening.
Earlier doors (8am-ish) passerines were on the move south along the coast - Skylarks, Meadow Pipits, 3 Wheatears, Chaffinch, Grey Wag, Song Thrush, Robin, alba wags and a good flock of hirundines around Ainsdale seafront.
A big flock of Linnets (70-100 birds) plus larks and Mipits at Weld Road too.
A juv Peregrine was sitting on the tideline at the bottom end of the Green Beach at about 10am.
Nicest of all were two Whinchats (an adult and a juv) at the south end of the Green Beach at lunchtime.
273 Sandwich Terns roosting on Ainsdale beach over the high tide, three Great Crested Grebes and scoter flocks offshore, and Duncan Rothwell had 5 Buzzards over the dunes (4 together, one passing through higher up).
Okay, it's not a Tufted Puffin - but what is?
Later in the day I had a look at the saltmarsh at Banks and Crossens - I lost count of the numbers of Little Egrets out there, and Banks had Spotted Red, Dunlin, Curlew Sand, Ruff, Redshank, Blackwit, Lapwing and Curlew on one or two splashes, albeit distantly.
More geese winging around here in the greying evening light.
Eyes to the skies everyone, eyes to the skies...
- Post to:
del.icio.us
Digg
Newsvine
Nowpublic
Reddit
« Previous | Home | Next »
The Great White Egret was showing quite well today on Hesketh Out Marsh. This "new" reserve managed by the RSPB looks like its gonna do the business as far as rare waders are concerned. The pools are easily viewed and not too distant. 5 or 6 Greenshank and a Curlew Sand there as well as 30 + Little Egret on view, scanning left n right. If this area is watched, it will without a doubt produce a yank or dare I say Mega Sibe wader (Red Necked Stint) will do!!!! I, for one will not be supressin that, even if it does head towards "Old Hollows Farm!" Birds are for birders not farmers. Let them plough!
Hey John, as you say, lots of coming and going, at Marshside/Crossens inner 2300 Pink-feet feeding yesterday.
The Great White Egret showed well at RSPB Hesketh Out Marsh for a little while before winging its way to Banks Marsh. Happy days.
Birds are for birds not for people.
Birders, well, ????
I've been birdwatching for far too long to call myself a "birder". "Birder" is, I assume meant to sound a bit more with it and "butch" than "birdwatcher".
Ron
P.S. Hesketh Out Marsh, known as Hundred End Marsh when I first visited in 1957 (steam train from Southport to Hundred End station) was exceptional in the 60's and early 70's, concurrent with Freckleton Sewage farm over the river.
It declined when the salt marsh was reclaimed but also through a lack of visiting birdwatchers, most of the locals (Southport based) seeming to prefer mincing around Marshside to slogging around the NNR. Yours truly was away in the wilds of Rochdale between '64 and '67 and in London between '71 and '05. A long time to more or less neglect the Ribble.
The new reserve does look very good. I could see "birders" on top of the sea wall there today through my bins from Old Hollow.
PPS Re the "Etopirika" news from Sheppey brings to mind a (mis)quote from Gore Vidal "When I hear of a mega from an old haunt a little something in me dies".
The RSPB website says that the Hesketh Bank reserves cannot 'accommodate' visitors. So can you visit and if so how and where?
Jim
Thanks John for that bit of editing. Got a bit carried away having just reeled in from the "Bold"!
Ron
Have a look at the Bardsey web site ("BBFO").
A Paddyfield Warbler and 10, yes TEN, Glossy Ibises there yesterday! Snapped as well. Plus a mystery Reed W.
Ron
The term "Birder" I suppose is just a modern term for "Bird Watcher" (note correct spelling, not one word). Any how looking more closely at the word "Birder" I've managed to dig a little deeper, the term actually dates from, wait for it, 1475! It was then spelt "Bur-der" and the term was given to bird-cathers and has obviously evolved to bird watchers. The term "Bird watcher" is a noun and refers to 'a person who identifies and observes birds in their natural habitat as a recreation' not surprising, but the origin of the term only dates back to 1900-1905 apparently! So it seems that birders are more traditional than bird watchers, but if you want to call your stereo, hi-fi or I-pod a radiogramme then I suppose it's up to each individual. I like to call myself a Birder, though I certainly don't use it to appear butch or hip, why would I want to do that?
2 possibly 3 Ravens circling high over Crosby today I couldn't check them properly because I was driving
Nightjar showing uber well at Leighton, Yellow browed Warbler at Rossall and a Long Billed Dow at Fleetwood - it's all happening!
Wheatear, Greenshank and Yellow Wag thro at Ainsdale on Saturday, with Gannet, Red Throated Diver, 5 Great Crests and Common Scoter on sea over tide.
I have no problem with any of the terms, even twitcher providing it is not used in a derogatory sense. I tend not to do any real twitching these days but I have done in the past but I don't see it as a term for mocking like the press seems to do. On the other hand, I am not proud (or snobby) enough to call myself an ornithologist as some people insist on doing (not anyone at Marshside BTW). Birder suits me fine if I am really honest.
I like to call my trainers, pumps. But they still do the same thing.
I agree with Trops. Pumps rather than gym shoes (or trainers).
As for "Birder" the point I was trying to make concerns what "bird people" wished to call themselves and to be known as, and why "Birdwatcher/Bird Watcher" is being replaced by "Birder" for no good reason other than a fashion import from the USA.
I'm aware of the etymological origins of the words as referred to by Neill, but a good definition was set out in Christopher Leahy's book "The Birdwatcher's (sic) Companion" pub by Mass. Audubon Society in 1982.
" Birder. A relatively new term that has become popular as an alternative to birdwatcher with its unflattering (to some) overtones of passivity, eccentricity, frivolity and even effeminacy. a birder is one who 'birds' or 'goes birding' in a serious and energetic manner, whether to hone his or her field-identification skills or amass an impressive list
The strong identification of 'birding' with listing has recently forced the hippest of field ornithologists to resort to the anti-snobbery of calling themselves birdwatchers."
I plead guilty to a varying degree to the "unflattering" bits, though not to the last one! But like many keen "bird people" I think it possible to combine elements of both definitions while still being a "Birdwatcher".
(Don't get me going about that other yank import, "new improved vernacular names" like the crass "Winter Wren")
Ron
ps As you know the RSPB used to run a "Young Ornithologists (no less) Club", the "YOC". A friend of mine Richard Kennedy and I had an idea way way back to form and run a "YWOC" but our old fellas stopped us.
Love your quirkiness Ron!
I call my pumps, plimsolls - as introduced to the world by the Liverpool Rubber Company, later to become better known as Dunlops - in the 1830s.
I doubt whether gentlemen ornithologists and oologists or such ilk, would have worn their rubbers (plimsolls) when pursuing burds on Ye Olde Wooky Hollow Farm marshes.
Or for that matter, any of the mediaveryevil monks fording the Ribble on the Guide Road, on their way to recruit chubby young Lancashire burders for their 'services'. Watch out Mike !
You say tomarto I say tomatoe - who gives a **** !
I like the idea of Wildlife Explorers as the 'new' name. It kinda (and I hate myself for saying this) says what it does on the tin. I have helped WEX with all kind of volunteer experiences in the last few years and ornithology is almost an abstract concept as the term 'wildlife' in Wildlife Trusts but then again, that is how it should be. We are not (really) trying to attract young ornithologists any more than we try to attract wildlife fantics to local area conservation.
Any time spent volunteering on a reserve (for any conservation org) will show that a lot of visitors don't care how many pinkfeet are on Crossens marsh or where the avocets go in winter. Show em the stuff and they are happy, even more so that all of us are willing to talk about our interests and experiences after all the debatable (hands in front of mouth schoolboy sniggering) press coverage we sometimes get. It really isn't about who we are but what we know and that will become ever more important in the years ahead. I don't give a stuff if this sounds like I am preaching hippy because it includes everyone who has kept nature close to their hearts throughout their lives. I don't feel superiority towards those who didn't but came back because, we need them more than ever right now.
If the term birdwatcher can lead to "effeminacy" and causes "mincing at Marshside" I think I'd like to be know as a birder. Note to Graham, what is the RSPB's stance on mincing around on their reserves?