Spent the day chopping, cutting and clearing in the rainforest that was once the back garden at Dempsey Towers - tempting as a gorgeous clear and still autumn day's birding was, needs must when the devil drives.
At least there were birds passing thro' - c120 Mipits, 5 Skylark, 3 alba wags, 2 Goldcrest, 3 Chiffchaff (or 1 doing the rounds), 2 Greater Pecker, 2 Common Buzzard, 1 Sprawk, 7 Chaffinch and the usual titmice, gringoes and goldies back around the feeders.
Two Robins tinkling away like heartbroken waterfalls (maaaan...) and several Red Admiral, Small Tortoiseshell and Peacocks coming and going to gorge on the remaining flowering asters and buddleia.
A Migrant Hawker came in for awhile, but as I was raining down horticultural armageddon on the leylandi hedge with my trusty power strimmer, I disturbed no fewer than seven Harlequin Ladybirds.
All the conventional red type, although one or two were admittedly just strawberry blurs on the way to puree as the strimmer blade slashed through the vegetation.
Seem to remember Mike Bird telling me that numbers of this big burly invader have really exploded - we even had one at the Bridges of Ross in County Clare a couple of weeks ago (however the possibility that it hitched a lift in Mike Stocker's foldy chair from Merseyside to the Emerald Isle cannot be ruled out).
About 50 Pink Feet came over at 19.30, heading north west to presumably roost on the Ribble - nothing like hearing those calls for the first time again on an autumn evening.
Eyes to the skies everyone, eyes to the skies...
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At Crosby beach this morning I watched QM2 sailing South into the Mersey, also moving in the same direction were waves of Swallows and House Martins and a steady stream of Red Admirals and Large Whites. Later at New Brighton I saw these four species coming in off the sea at Fort Perch Rock. Then whilst photographing QM2 from Seacombe I met Paul McCartney's brother doing the same...which was nice!
Had 350 Pink Feet heading north over Shore Road, Ainsdale at 6.30pm, followed by a Swift going south at 7pm this evening.