This dazzling Orange-tip landed beside me as I was working around Sands Lake this morning.
Stunningly bright as it basked in a sheltered corner, occasionally raising and lowering its Dulux paint wings slowly slowly slowly.
Also Peacock there, and despite me knocking seven bells out of the boardwalk, or as the professionals might say, fixing it, the Blackcaps and Willow Warblers just kept on singing.
Typical - if I'd had a scope and attempted a picture of 'em, they would have dived into cover in an instant, but it's a different ballgame when they can see you bashing away with a hammer...
Their songs were an amazing soundtrack to work to though.
Fine male Sand Lizard on Queen's Jubilee Nature Trail at Southport, in the afternoon, with a few Swallows through there, and Dave Pennington had Whitethroat singing there earlier in the day.
On the subject of beasties, thanks to Will Moody, who does such groovy work with the Sefton Landscape Partnership Scheme, for sending me this cracking shot of a Northern Dune Tiger Beetle.
This was the critter Will and I watched on March 28th (my earliest ever date for the mini-predator in the Ainsdale frontal dunes).
Will clearly had the patience to get a great shot!
Although the wind has been cold this week, I bet there's been a few out on sheltered dune slopes - just not had time to look.
Several Sandwich Terns fishing off Ainsdale beach around lunchtime and a flock of scoter offshore too, long way out though.
Eyes to the skies everyone, eyes to the skies...
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I'd like to echo everyone else and plead with you not to stop! Great blog that has just simply opened up the world of birding that exists on my doorstep! In regard to posting, I generally try once or twice a week but I only seem to have been able to once. I think it seems to be a problem with the spam filter which very rarely appears on the page when you attempt to post.
I live alongside Plex Moss and just wanted to comment on the Grey Partridge population we all like to keep an eye on.
Although not as abundant as the Red-legs, which are keepered and released, they really do seem to be thriving and there are days they really do seem to challenge the engineered numbers of their cousins!
They regularly pop up in the garden and if you're out and about at daybreak at the residential end of Plex, they're everywhere.
And I've got my Dotterel eyes open for you on a daily basis!
Yesterday, Ravenmeols south of Albert Road: 9 Orange Tips, 7 Speckled Wood, 4 Small Tortoiseshells, 3 Chiffchaffs and 1 Blackcap and lots of frog tadpoles in pond next to St. Lukes Church Road.
I have similar problems posting comments !! Twice now they haven't appeared ?? Maybe you need to investigate, or perhaps it's because I'm not human ?? I often wonder about that !!??!!
Sefton Meadows mid morning - Whitethroat, several Willow Warblers, Chiffchaff, Reed Bunting and Kestrel. No Owls at all which is unusual lately. Very comical looking Stoat swaggering down one of the footpaths by the Alt for quiet a distance before disappearing into the long grass. The excavations by the Environment Agency are coming on at a pace but don't seem to be disturbing anything.
A very delicate looking Little Tern battling northward through the wind at Formby Beach mid-morning. All the usual waders congregating in good numbers towards the rifle range. Plenty of Sandwich Terns in amongst the waders and Cormorants and that big group of Turnstones (30+) still in amongst the debris at the top of the beach. Mipits, Linnets, Stonechats, Reed Buntings, Willow Warblers and Jays all showing wonderfully well on the walk back to Lifeboat Road along the Herdwick enclosure and through the woods.
The sound of Chiffchaff, a hare on the rifle range, a random Grey Partridge in the dunes and a lone Sand Martin heading inland all adding to a very pleasant morning walk!
I too have tried to leave comments but have had little joy. I read the blog every day and long may it continue.
Med Gull, Merlin, Peregrine, Avocet from Sandgrounders Hide on Saturday.
Saw a Sand Lizard, basking in the dunes at Ainsdale NNR today. A first for me.
Morning trip to Lifeboat Road produced 8 Little Terns resting along the shoreline adjacent to the turbines and moving up the beach with the tide, a vociferous Raven flying along the beach and into the rifle range to be mobbed by a Crow, Wheatears in the Herdwick enclosure and a Red Squirrel in the woods next to the car park (which I'm pleased to say is becoming a regular sighting again).
Also wondered if I could have the benefit of your infinite wisdom?!
A gull this morning left me a little confused. It was making its way up the beach with what looked like a third winter Herring and although there were plenty of others about, these two were sticking together.
It looked Herring, but had a very rounded head, black bill tip and a very large dark eye. The head shape and eye were a really stark contrast to all the other Herrings.
Had a very "gentle" appearance and looked like somebody had stuck a Common head on a Herring!
It looked marginally bigger and bulkier than the Herring it was with. Although everything else about it was Herring, it just looked different. I can do gulls when they're text book, but variations throw me out! Is this just likely to be a normal variance in Herrings? Got a couple of mobile phone photos but they're rubbish! Any help in my continued education would be appreciated!
JD: Sounds like a Herring Gull Gaz!
I'll send you my e-mail address if you want to forward some pix, and don't worry, my "wisdom" is an infinite distance from infinite!