Got down to Marshside after work today, long after the fat lady had sung, and a glorious sunny morning had degenerated into a cold, grey evening.
Very shuddery, and not too much action either, unsurprisingly.
A few Little Egrets dotted about the outer marsh, with a Merlin perched up out there, and another on the fenceposts at the back of the Sandplant Pool, which was giving the Lapwings apoplexy, and freaking the Avocets out too for that matter.
Gadwall, Wigeon, Pintail, Shoveler and Teal still about, and large numbers of BHGs on both sides of Marshside Road, with Redshank and Blackwits starting to look sharp.
While I was noodling around beside Sandgrounders Hide I took a quick look at the nesting Avocets, and noticed one of the two pairs in front of the hide was colour ringed.
A quick text to Clarko revealed that the bird bred on Rimmer's Marsh in 2009, when it reared chicks, and seems to have been rung in France - interesting to know, but I left the pair shifting twigs and vegetation in the vicinity of their scrappy nest while their egg chilled nicely.
Odd birds Avocets, even by the odd behavioural standards of so many other waders. No hirundines about, and a walk around the Sandplant peninsula was quiet too, while Weld Road's muddy area held only a few alba wags and a horny pair of Shelduck.
Earlier in the day, 42 Little Gulls were feeding in the rips just offshore over the high tide at Formby Point with three Sandwich Terns - but superb as they were, they didn't hang around for too long, and after a minute or two of dipping and hawking over the blue, blue sea, they headed back on north.
Eyes to the skies everyone, yes to the skies...
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4 Willow Tits, including 2 singing males at Rufford, near marina this afternoon.
Hi John, Early morning, Carrion Crow on fence post between Marshside 2 and Crossens inner. Afternoon, Holly Blue and Orange Tip in garden.Mike.
Hi John, (Sorry) Carrion Crow should read Raven.Mike.
Hi John,
I know today wasn't exactly ideal weather for it but myself and my son (also named Jon) decided to do a few hours seawatching off the Squirrel reserve in Formby, the couple of hours we spent there produced 2 Sandwich Terns, 1 Little Gull, 6 Gannets, 2 Razorbills and 4 Gt.Crested Grebes.The Razorbills were very close in. Not much in the way of migrants with only a couple of Swallows flying through.
Two Razorbills close in off Lifeboat Road too - probably same birds, also 17 Little Gulls and a few Common and Sandwich terns.
Just one Wheatear in the dunes...best birds have to be the two Bearded Tits reported from Seaforth today.
A few dozen Razorbill in amongst several Gannets of Old Fishermans as I write ..