This Barwit was looking decidedly peaky on Formby beach yesterday afternoon, but I couldn't catch it...this morning it had succumbed, its feathers all iced up.
C'est la vie, c'est la mort.
But to echo Chris F's excellent comment on the previous entry, when it's this cold, birds don't need to be flushed - especially not on the Green Beach, they just cark it if it happens a few times in a day.
There's a time and a place for looking for skulky birds, and the depths of a deep freeze is neither that time nor place.
Lordy, if folk wanna see Jack Snipe that bad, please wait until the weather improves and I'll show 'em the bloody things myself for a small fee (ahem) - just contact me via the "Comments" and I'll sort summat out.
Still freezing today, but a flat calm high tide at Formby looked wonderful - no scope, so I couldn't emulate Bazzo's high scoring (see comment on previous entry), but I did see at least one flotilla of Scaup (25+ birds), 25 Great Crests and 4 Red Throated Divers as I worked.
Best of all was a nice flyby Snow Bunting at 2pm, moving north against the dunes...surely a different bird to John G's two at Ainsdale today?
Eyes to the skies everyone, eyes to the skies...
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The RSPB has received a ã75,000.00 funding boost from SITA Trust for its project Clearly for Bitterns.
The site of this conservation project is the RSPBâÂÂs Lancashire flagship reserve Leighton Moss, which is home to the North WestâÂÂs largest reedbed.
Until recently, the reedbed was prime habitat for the bittern, a small, shy and rare heron-like bird. However, the breeding bittern numbers at Leighton Moss have fallen, partly because of a shortage of fish at the edge of the reedbed where they like to hunt. This, in turn, is due to a lack of plantlife, which has been impeded by a build up of sediment in the pools.
As part of the Clearly for Bittern reedbed restoration project, SITAâÂÂs grant will pay for machinery to help manage the reedbed by removing silt from the reed edge and prevent future build up of sediment by cutting and reinvigorating old areas of reedbed. It is hoped this will boost fish stocks and attract more bitterns to the reedbed.
Robin Horner, RSPB Area Reserves Manager, said: âÂÂThe bittern is a species of high conservation concern and itâÂÂs important we do everything we can to boost numbers in north west England. The reedbed restoration at Leighton Moss, which SITA has generously helped fund, is part of Futurescapes, a landscape-scale project to create a network of suitable habitat around Morecambe Bay and its river valleys.âÂÂ
Jools Granville of SITA Trust said: âÂÂThe RSPB has proven time and again that itâÂÂs capable of producing fantastic results for the natural world using SITA Trust funding. We are proud to be a funding partner on this very special project.âÂÂ
SITA Trust provides funding through the Landfill Communities Fund. Funding is available for available for projects that enhance communities and enrich nature.
Little Owl immediately south of Tesco on Formby By-pass at 6.45 Tues evening, flew from west to east over carriageway.
Cheers
Dave
Forgot to ask - does Barry recall the time of his Porpoise sighting?
Thanks
Dave
Woodcock over Coast Road, next to Pontins, 7-40 this morning