I'm a hopeless case - within minutes of hearing about the first report of Dotterel up in the Pennines today, I was out onto Plex.
Regular blog readers will be aware of my unfortunate addiction to looking for Dotterel out there in April and May, but the craving doesn't usually kick in this early.
I knew the weather was all wrong for a "trip" to drop in, and in mossland terms several weeks too early, but I couldn't resist it.
Predictably, no sign, but at least there are a few tasty tilled fields out there this year, that would be very much to a Dotterel's liking (Oh God, I've already started picking bits of soil to keep an eye on) - watch this space.
The puddle I've been looking at for the last few days out there produced a couple of Ruff, which fed away in the evening sunlight, while the pair of Oycs there pretended to ignore them and sleep.
Corn Buntings etc, and in one field a flock of eight Lapwings were joined by two Golden Plover and three more Ruff - which is pretty high stakes as far as mixed wader flocks go on Plex.
Just one Wheatear there in the cold breeze.
Four male Wheatears shivering around the Sandplant Compound at Marshside on a quick visit this morning, and a cracking bouncy Stoat hunting around the mounds - never got near it as I was upwind.
Green Veined White desperately trying to find somewhere to sunbathe outta the bitter breeze, and two Small Tortoiseshells.
Mipits and singing Linnets in there as you'd expect with a few Skylarks, and in the willows by the entrance, Chiffchaff and Goldcrest.
A fruitless attempt at digiscoping lolloping Brown Hares on Marshside One was enough to send me heading for the hills - should have checked Sandgrounders properly, having just read Bazzo's comment on the previous entry!
Eyes to the skies everyone, eyes to the skies...
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2 Osprey flying N E over Sefton Meadows at 09.10 this morning, 05/04/12 also S E Owl, Barn Owl and Red KIte.
I had a good look this morning around the edges of Royal Birkdale and then through to Taggs Island and a good way south, thousands of waders, although I had unsuitable footwear and no scope so didn't get good views. 3 Chiffies in the wooded cuttings on Selworthy Road and a single moving through the Alders along the Green Beach, otherwise only a small passage of Mipits migrant-wise.
A look up at the Sandplant at Marshside late afternoon was dead, a single Peregrine and Little Egret out on the marsh and the ususal suspects around the lagoon plus large numbers of Pinks distantly up at Crossens Inner.
Marshside/Crossens proved worth the visit this afternoon. A total of about 3000 Pinkfeet were divided between Crossens salt-marsh and Crossens Reclaimed Marsh, the latter also containing a party of four European Whitefronts together with a singleton. Around 1800 Golden Plovers were moving between CRM and Marshside 1 where there were at least 20 Ruff. A handsome second-summer Med Gull posed all afternoon in front of the main hide with the usual Avocets and Blacktails, while a Merlin caused the occasional "dread".
Heard my first Reed Warbler of the year singing along the reedbed walk alongside Martin Mere.
PLEASE KEEP THE BIRDBLOG GOING JOHN.