Thanks to Phil Smith for showing me this hybrid willow on the Sefton Coast at Hightown recently.
Called "salix x doniana" (I think), there are three plants on the site, and it's one of several hybrid willows that occur along the coast....groovy red stems at this time of year were good, but I must admit the esoteric wonder of the plant, which is a cross with Creeping Willow was a bit lost on me.
Luckily Phil seems happy to persevere and get me into plants that are not orchids or big showy things, but let's face it, it's not a Bee Orchid is it?
Still, one man's bunch of twigs is another man's Siberian Rubythroat, and it'd be a boring life if we were all the same.
The dunes at Hightown are ripe with the promise of a touch of Spring migration at the moment, although I had to make do with Dunnocks, Great Tits and Blackbirds in song, a nice House Sparrow colony and overhead Sprawk and Buzzard - but it only takes one bird, lest we forget the stunningly festive Pallas's Warbler in 2006.
Eyes to the skies everyone, eyes to the skies...
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Lots of Frogspawn down here - quiet birdwise, unless you are up for some quality Gulling - Iceland and Glauc on the river at Richmond/Wigg Island and nearly full Summer Med, large flocks of Linnets at Hale Shore (53) and shedfuls of Siskins at Wigg.
Some interesting birding today.
I covered the beach from Weld Road south to just beyond Taggs Island as the tide ebbed. Waders as follows:
Knot 4000-4500
Dunlin 2000+ (very much an estimate as they were scattered loosely right along)
Bar Tailed Godwit 1500
Osytercatcher 1500
Grey Plover 300
Redshank 8
Curlew 25
Sanderling 5
Turnestone 2
Lapwing 1
Two large 'clouds' moved north towards the estuary as I first arrived so had I been earlier the numbers would have been somewhat higher.
Great Crested Grebe 12 offshore including a displaying pair
Goldeneye 5 offshore.
Singing Reed Bunting and Skylark was nice.
The pale female Red Crested Pochard is still on the Marine Lake, also a pair of Gadwall plus 2 Little Egret on the north island.
Up at Marshside, a harrier sp flew fairly high over the saltmarsh heading out as I drove past, I never relocated it. An imm type Merlin up at Crossens with Buzzard from the Sandplant edge. Large numbers of Pinkfeet far out on the outer marsh and 3 Little Egrets knocking about.
Hi John,
Just to emphasise the point, Salix x doniana (Creeping x Purple Willow) is one of the rarest plants in Britain. Only about 30 bushes are known nationally and we have 26 of them on the Sefton Coast. As well as red stems, they have rather smart catkins in early April.
Phil.