How quickly you forget what the sun looks like after a grey, grey, grey two days.
Murk still hanging heavy over Marshside today, and didn't really lift apart from one or two meagre and all too brief attempts at brightness.
About 200 Pinkies off Sandgrounders, with a lone Barnacle, and the usual waders and Blackwits. Lagoon still frozen over, and the Sandplant compound was deserted, thanks largely to some eejit, ripping what peace there was apart with a radio-controlled toy car.
On the outer marsh another 500 or so Pinks were strung out in the mist, and impossible to work in the low light.
A Sprawk made sure any passerines kept out of sight.
Marshside One was mainly frozen over, but trying to thaw and held a small gull roost (nowt outta the ordinary), with reasonable numbers of the common ducks, Little Egret, about 200 Golden Plovers, and a few Curlew.
Colour-ringed Coot strutting its stuff under Nels Hide - presumably one of Kane Brides' birds, but not a lot else.
At least the Avocets are due back any day now, unless the low temperatures delay their arrival.
Yesterday, in much the same conditions, I had a play with the geese on the mosses with predictable results given the poor light - about 200 on Downholland, heads down in the stubble, while the Withins held a larger flock of about 1500 birds in the afternoon, most of which stayed out of range while I worked through 'em.
Five Common Buzzards thermalling there, and Fieldfare, Corn Bunting etc on Plex as the afternoon gloom closed in.
Eyes to the skies everyone, eyes to the skies...
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Hi John,
Crosby Marine Lake held 50 Goldeneye, 4 GC Grebes, 3 RB Mergs and 1 Goosander early yesterday morning. Curlew, Blackwits, Redshank and Turnstones feeding on the grass to the side of the small boating lake.
Eric
I had a look at Birkdale yesterday towards high tide, had to give up before the actual high tide due to the football, but there was no sign of either Glauc, though I didn't get as far south as usual. Lower numbers of waders than usual as well.
Flock of 80 Common Gulls on Formby Moss this afternoon, indicative of some movement perhaps. Big flock of 3000+ geese on dead ground in the middle of the Withins. Impossible to view from anywhere within about 600m.
Female Goshawk heading north at Rimrose Valley at 3pm today.