Dunno what went wrong today - on paper it looked great...reasonably strong westerly wind, nice and cloudy, with a big fat high tide at noon - so where were all the birds?
Didn't see a single thing apart from two Gannets passing Ainsdale as I worked on the coast today, unless you count the Sandwich Terns, which were commuting about as usual, and the wader roost, which included Sanderling, Knot, Oycs, Dunlin, 7 Turnstone, and a solitary young Curlew Sandpiper which pitched down amongst the Sanderling briefly, before heading on its way again.
Drastic action is called for if my seawatching is going to improve this autumn that's for sure.
Tried watching the dvds that come with Bob Flood and Ashley FIsher's new tome on Storm Petrels, but bizarrely all the swaying and rolling waves in the footage made me feel seasick for the first time in my life - heartily recommend the book though.
Easier on the stomach is the latest download report from Gwennap and the Seawatch SW website (that's Porthgwarra etc to the rest of us), bristling with shears, Basking Sharks and Cornish pasties.
Great stuff.
Eyes to the skies everyone, eyes to the skies...
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Risley Moss - 30/08/2011
1 Hobby
1 Marsh Harrier
1 Kestrel
5 Buzzard
A single White Wagtail among a mix flock of Pieds (mix of age and sex) at Weld Road about 2pm today.
8 Pink Feet over Marshside yesterday.
Had a look at Weld Road/Taggs Island this evening. Some nice waders feeding on the upper beach, 200 Dunlin, 70 Sanderling and 40 Ringed Plover. A single Wheatear on the outer sand/shingle ridge, 3 Meadow Pipits over south and a feeding group of 40-50 Swallows hawking very low over the green beach and then gathering high in a cluster before splitting up and hawking low again. This was repeated over and over. No Wagtails at all on the old car park this evening.
Hi John,
Drove past Marshside tonight on the way home from work. Not a lot about bird wise but the IFCA - aka "the cockle police" - have taken over the car park next to the old sand plant in readiness for the impending cockle bed opening tomorrow.
Eric