The Swift passage of the last few days continues along the coast, with about 30+ passing over the dunes at Ainsdale per hour today - they must be piling out of northern Europe in some numbers at present.
They'll mostly be a memory in a few days.
Plenty of Dunlin, Ringed Plover, Sanderling etc on the beach, with a few small roosts of Sarnie Terns, a single Little Gull and even a Little Egret early doors, before too many folk hit the sand.
Offshore Gannets were fishing in the morning, and an Arctic Skua went north - just enough to maintain my interest until the good tides this week.
After work a few Common Darters on the wing in the dunes, with Emperors and Emerald Damsels (or lestes to the grown-ups).
If Yellow Winged Darters can make it to Norfolk today, there's hope for us all over the coming weeks.
Good numbers of Common Blues, with a few Grayling, Red Admiral etc, but where are all the Speckled Woods this year?
Mipits moving south in small numbers too, almost autumnal before the sun came out.
Eyes to the skies everyone, eyes to the skies...
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Speckled Wood flew into our Conservatory yesterday and then out again. We live near Botanic.
Ron
A single avocet chick was fledged on Marshside from c.18 pairs - not great productivity, but that's how it works with avocets. Lapwing breeding numbers were lower than in previous years at 62 pairs, nest and chick productivity was low, we think this is because of the record low water levels and increased fox predation.
Clearly the llamas will have to work harder next year! Black-headed gulls successfully fledged 10 young form the island on Rainford's lagoon, the first time they've raised young at Marshside for many years.
Up to 800 black-tailed godwits and 1000 lapwings have been using the reserve recently - quite a sight!
Returning migrants are being spotted on the reserve species to look out for include snipe, common sandpipers, golden plover, curlew, teal and shoveler number building up in the next few weeks.
Peregrines are regular again and Marsh Harrier, Hobby and Merlin have all been seen recently. Crikey, the Pink-feet will be back in five or six weeks!
Six pairs of avocets left it late at HOM but managed to fledge a very impressive twelve young, hurrah!
The whole reserve looks completely amazing, the vegetation has germinated, grown and spread much quicker than any of us could of imagined.
Recently 49 little egrets have been using the reserve along with greenshanks, a green sandpiper, ravens, yellow wagtails and a rare American visitor - a pectoral sandpiper.