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A break in the rain

Posted by on November 26, 2009 7:24 PM | 

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A day without rain for a change, although not too much around Crosby's Marina - two Shags at the southern end now is interesting, while the Great Crested Grebe and Red Breasted Merg were still riding out the strong westerlies - before some boats took to the water that is.
Oycs and Curlew feeding on the rain saturated grassland to the north of the lake, and a few Tufties here and there.
Yesterday, 6 Goldeneye (4m,2f), and 2 Scaup were on the water, while a single Knot and about 12 Redshank were also feeding amongst the waders and gulls on the grass.
I attempted a seawatch in the afternoon in the hope of any petrel, never mind a Black Bellied Storm (you lucky Severn seawatchers you), but conditions were truly horrendous, with rain sluicing down the Landy's windscreen and a force 6-7 buffeting the vehicle like it was made of polystyrene.
One adult Med Gull drifted past me, heading towards Seaforth to roost and a drenched Rock Pipit emerged from the marram on the Prom, but I was fighting a losing battle.

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Still if Leach's are being seen up Heysham way, there's always a chance in the rivermouth, and as Pete K points out (see comment on previous entry), today's Grey Phal at Seaforth may yet hop over the fence.
Eyes to the skies everyone, eyes to the skies...

Comments (3)

Damian wrote...

Hi John
The Grey Phalarope was on the small pond at Crosby this afternoon at 14:30.
Regards
Damian

Posted by: Damian  | November 27, 2009 2:30 PM

Sandra Sparkes, BTO wrote...

Spring might seem a long way off but some birds will soon be prospecting for nest sites.
The British Trust for Ornithology is urging people to put up a new nest box now and, by doing so, increase the chances of it being used come the spring. The Garden Ecology Team has produced a new leaflet, providing expert advice on how to build a nest box, where to erect it and how to look after it.
House Sparrows, for example, return to their breeding colonies in late autumn, with the female bird often roosting within the nest site throughout the winter months. Other birds, such as Wrens and Blue Tits, may also use boxes for roosting, so getting a box in place now could prove really valuable.
Vivienne Greenough, Nest Records Officer at the BTO, commented “This new leaflet is packed full
of useful information about providing nest boxes for birds in your garden. Many species of bird will take
readily to nest boxes and so this leaflet offers simple designs that can be tailored to each. The leaflet also
shows you where best to place your nest boxes for the comfort and safety of their occupants; it explains
how to look after the boxes so that they will remain in use for years to come. Few garden delights are
as simple and yet fascinating as erecting a nest box and watching it become home to a family of birds;
this leaflet shows you just how to achieve that .”
“A number of species of conservation concern, like House Sparrow, Spotted Flycatcher and Starling,
make use of nest boxes and are likely to benefit from ones that are well-constructed and carefully
positioned. Not only do we want people to erect new boxes, we also want them to take an interest in how
these boxes are used. Nest monitoring is one of the key methods by which we can gather information
about changes in breeding success and laying dates, factors that might be influenced by, for example, a
changing climate.” said Mike Toms, Head of Garden Ecology at the BTO.
For your free Nest Box leaflet please call the BTO on 01842-750050, email gbw@bto.org or send
an A5 SAE to Nest Box Leaflet, BTO, The Nunnery, Thetford, IP24 2PU.

Posted by: Sandra Sparkes, BTO  | November 27, 2009 5:13 PM

Chris Collett, RSPB wrote...

Next month you can play a vital part in calling for urgent action to address climate change.
As world leaders prepare to gather in Copenhagen to debate our future, The RSPB, as part of the Stop Climate Chaos Coalition, is calling for people in Lancashire to join The Wave rally in London on 5 December.
Peter Robertson, the RSPB’s conservation manager in Northern England said: “The RSPB believes climate change to be the greatest long-term threat to wildlife. As a conservation charity, we are proud to be one of the founding organisations of the Stop Climate Chaos Coalition and to be making a stand at The Wave.”
“The Wave will surge through the streets of central London towards Westminster and we are asking as many people as possible to attend, wearing, waving or wiggling something blue as a show of unity.”
Encouraging low carbon travel, coach company Megabus is offering a special discount rate return fare of just £4.50 return for those who want to travel to London and take part in The Wave (www.megabus.com). Coaches run from Preston.
For every degree rise in the earth's average temperature, 10 percent of the world's species will be at high risk of extinction.
Peter added: “Time is running out if we want avoid future temperature rises that will threaten the lives of hundreds of thousands of the world's poorest people, devastate wildlife and leave us with a crippling environmental legacy to hand on to our children.”
The Wave will culminate in a mass wave at the palace of Westminster at 3pm on Saturday 5 December.
To find out how you can participate in The Wave on 5 December and take advantage of the Megabus deal visit http://www.stopclimatechaos.org/the-wave

Posted by: Chris Collett, RSPB  | November 28, 2009 1:37 AM

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