Came across this unfortunate, and waterlogged, critter towards the end of a bracing wader count on Crosby beach this morning...probably the only thing wetter on the beach than I was, but a not unexpected by-product of a few days strong westerlies and stormy seas.
Took him back and left him in a box for a while in a warm corner to dry out, even thought of playing it some soothing music (The Guillemots would have been an obvious choice, were I to be a happening young hipcat), but it was dead within the hour.
I thought the bird may have rallied, as it wasn't as skinny as most storm-wrecked auks I've encountered, but there you go...an auk that can't hack the sea doesn't have much down for it.
High winds meant the count was unexceptional, but there were more miserable looking Curlews than normal, and a small group of Ringed Plovers helped pass the time.
Scaup and Tufties on the Marine Lake, with a few Redwing through early on, and growing numbers of Blackbirds and Song Thrushes round the bushes.
Eyes to the skies everyone, eyes to the skies...
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On my way back from Ormskirk this morning at 10.50hrs, a Red Kite flew low over my car at Hillhouse. No traffic, so I was able to stop and watch it circling around a field next to the road before it drifted slowly north (on its way to Martin Mere?).
Just got back from Anglesey after a week away, we had 3 Black Redstarts daily from the kitchen window a new species for me, well chuffed.
Shorelark 50 metres north of shrimper's compound at Weld Road this afternoon.
7/11: Formby Point seawatch, 1150-1330:
Great Crested Grebe 1
Red Breasted Merg 7
Common Scoter 400+
Pale phase juv Pom Skua 1
Kittiwake 11
Little Gull 13
fem/imm Merlin 1 going west!
Well I was the wrong side of the car park at Weld Road and thus didn't get Shorelark! Anyhow, good numbers of waders on the beach between Weld Road and the Taggs Island Reedbed, an impressive ( for Birkdale) 24+ Turnstone, also 4500 Bar Tailed Godwit, 3000+ Dunlin, c4200 Oystercatcher, 1000+ Knot, 150 Sanderling, 100-120 Grey Pvover, 9 Curlew and a single Redshank on the Greenbeach. Also 2 Little Egret on the green beach and 20 Common Scoter offshore. Plenty of gulls but nothing unusual in amongst them, lots of Great Black Backs including some mean looking first years.