With strong westerlies and rain forecast, I must admit I was thinking more in the line of skuas and shears this morning, until I heard the whistling and squawking coming from the crown of a swaying sycamore at Dempsey Towers.
African Grey Parrot was not at the top of "birds to look out for list".
It was however, quite good value - using its strong hooked beak to haul itself up vertical branches when it wasn't busy looking thoroughly cheesed off in the rain and dreaming it was in some West African rainforest.
If African Greys are meant to be so smart, why did this one break loose of its cage...?
The bird will, however, vastly improve my pirate impression if I can just get it down from the tree (now, where's me cuttlefish?).
Not had a chance to do much birding on the coast at present - I'm in the middle of an endless series of late shifts, and seven days of night ain't conducive to birding. Normal service will soon be resumed.
A few Arctic Skuas offshore, with the usual Gannets and scoter, and the tern roost is still at the north end of Ainsdale beach.
Dunlin and Sanderling numbers building between here and Birkdale, Mipits and finches, hirundines and Swifts on the move.
Saw Phil Smith out with a group earlier in the week, and they'd done well with dragons in the slacks - Ruddy Darter, Emerald Damsel, Southern Hawker etc, but it'll be a day or two before conditions are right to go looking for them again.
Does look good for seawatching at the weekend, if the wind holds.
Eyes to the skies everyone, eyes to the skies...
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Red Squirrel in the bushes behind the Rangers container office at Lifeboat Rd Formby .
Four Common Terns hunting along the Lancaster canal near Clifton yesterday (just down from the Hand & Dagger pub). Is that normal? I never knew they came that far inland...
JD: Inland no problem for hungry Common Terns Mike...
Huge numbers of feeding, vociferous Swallows and House Martins filled the skies along the coast from Wallasey to Meols around noon today with not a single Swift to be seen in the calm, muggy, drizzly conditions, conversely there was a large gathering of Swifts, 50+, just before this evening's rain over the Clatterbridge junction of the M53.
Love the pics of my escapee African Grey. His miraculous return was something I didn't expect.
His mate hadn't eaten for the time he was gone so it was black cherries and grapes on his return.
People have been wonderful in helping to track him down, and many thanks to the wonderful family in Scarisbrick and to the RSPCA for his return.
Helen Jones, Ainsdale