Good heavy mist over the coast this morning, and while my first Wheatear of the year was overdue, it was still a real joy to see that white backside flashing over the sand at 8.45am, before a cracking male perched up at the south end of Ainsdale beach.
The murky conditions clearly grounded a fair bit of stuff around Ainsdale first thing.
Loads of Mipits moving through in small groups, with occasional parties of alba wags - all the ones I saw were Pied, and at the top of the beach, at least two Chiffchaffs feeding in the frontal blowouts, tired migrants picking insect grub up where they could.
The regular super-pale Common Buzzard, which does a passable imitation of a Rough Leg (as long as you don't look at the tail) was up circling over the southern dunes, with another six Buzz-buzzes up over the NNR pines, and Lapwings tumbling over the slacks.
A further two fine male Wheatears were feeding at the north end of Ainsdale beach in the afternoon.
Superb birds, that never sat still for long, which was just as well, given my risible "point and press" shot above.
Lashings of Goldcrest were passing through the frontal dunes around Ainsdale, with 20+ birds around the end of Shore Road, and more in the dunes to the north and south.
An Avocet dropping into the Queen's Jubilee Nature Trail over the Coast Road was a surprise - I've never seen them in that area before, but the bird was probably just prospecting new sites, although I don't think the Queen's Jubilee will be much to their liking.
A few Siskins heading north during the course of the day, and a heart-warming Sand Martin hawking over the Sands Lake mid-afternoon.
Another six Goldcrest there too.
Wonderful - here it comes.
Eyes to the skies everyone, eyes to the skies...
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Last week I returned from a week in Egypt. A holiday, but with bins at the ready. My second visit to the country, it really is a good place to see some nice birds without going far out of your way. This time we really didn't go far, no desert visits or boat trips into open sea like last time.
We had a large hotel with massive grounds and a very long jetty (3/4 of mile possibly) which stretched over a shallow lagoon-like reef before reaching the deeper water at the end. Apart from the birds the snorkelling is fantastic.
Birdwise highlights included a cracking male White Spotted Bluethroat in the hotel grounds for the first few days, the grounds where full of White Wagtails.
Cattle Egrets were present daily usually wandering round the grounds, even into the open beach cafe area. Upto four Sooty Gulls and a fantastic summer plumage Slender Billed Gull tended to loiter just along the beach. There were some waders further along the beach and I discovered that late afternoon when the beach went quiet they worked their way along to 'our' beach. In the flock were Grey and Ringed Plovers, a single Turnstone and upto 8 Kentish Plover. These lovely little waders demonstrated the full range of plumages - adult winter and summer and juvenile.
Over the road from the hotel, was a partial arid wasteland with some puddles. These puddles hosted upto 4 Spur Winged Plovers, a Greenshank, 2 Green Sandpiper, 2 Little Ringed Plover and 3 Redshank. Crag Martins hawked over the puddles in varying numbers each day. The odd Swallow and Sand Martin appeared at times also. I also picked up Stonechat here. One of the hightlights for me came in the form of a pair of breeding plumage Western Reef Egrets which dropped into the lagoon area near the jetty, one then walked right under the jetty giving fantastic views even allowing a decent picture on my normal digital camera.
One of the oddest birds was a drake Pintail which whizzed past the balcony one morning heading roughly north! I saw a distant large movement (500+) of large birds, probably Common Cranes based on the 'v' formation one day but was unable to get my bins to hand before they were too far away. I also had a possible White Cheeked Tern out on some very distant shipwreck debris and could have done with my scope.
List, mainly from the vicinty of the hotel grounds and surrounding area:
Laughing Dove c16
House Sparrow c60
Bluethroat 1
White Wagtail c50
Red Throated Pipit 1 (spied from the coach as we left the airport on a grassy area full of Wagtails and Pipits)
Stonechat 1
Kestrels 4
Sooty Gull 4
Slender Billed Gull 1
Reef Egret 2
Cattle Egret c4
Pintail 1
Spur Winged Plover 4+
Kentish Plover 8
Ringed Plover c10
Little Ringed Plover 2
Grey Plover 2
Turnstone 1
Greenshank 1
Green Sandpiper 2
Redshank 3
Crag Martin c30
Swallow 4-6
Sand Martin 2-3
Barn Owl 1
Put up two Short-Eared Owls, Ainsdale end of the Green Beach around midday today
2 Wheatears, 2 Chiffchaff, 1 Sand Martin, all from the grassy knoll in the Sandplant Compound at Marshside this morning.
Chris F, what was the area and name of the hotel you were staying in?
Had a look at Birkdale heading south from Weld Road, early evening today. No Wheatears, but other signs of migration. 14 Pied Wagtails (no Whites yet) and a few Meadow Pipits at Weld Road, then two groups of Mipits went north over; 17 and 25.
Out on the beach the beginnings of the Ringed Plover passage with 14 mixed in with a small group of Dunlin and few Sanderling. Also couple of Goldcrests in the Selworthy Road wooded cuttings when I've visited over the past two days.
The Bittern was showing very well at Mere Sands again today.
Chris S - we were in Sharm El Sheikh, Nabq Bay area and the hotel was the Royal Albatross. If you want any more info let me know.