Firstly thanks for all the lovely comments exhorting me to carry on blogging - nice to hear from you all, keep your bird news coming....
Pretty much persistent rain on the coast today will hopefully have the Natterjacks starting to party soon (saw six strings of spawn in one of the frontal slacks today), but they'll need rain forever for a really successful year I think.
Four or five Swallows feeding around the top end of Sands Lake, which again had singing Willow Warbler, Blackcap and Chiffchaff, and Cuckooflower blooming.
The odd Swallow pushing north throughout the day as I worked along the coast, but it was hardly a torrent of migration.
A flock of six alba wags which dropped down at Weld Road early evening all turned out to be Pieds - is it me or are White Wags scarcer this spring?
Earlier my attention was drawn during a break to an ad for Sony's new "digi-binning" binoculars, which look like something Mr Spock would whip out at inappropriate moments, and appear to cost more than the Starship Enterprise.
You could save yourself lots of money and do what I do: simply superglue some bits of thick elastic band to the edge of your "point and press" camera lens (it prevents scratching optics, but try not to jam the mechanism - it's a bugger to get strong adhesive outta that) and then hold it up to your bins to take a shot.
Far more fun and the results are a lot less predictable.
There, by my reckoning I've saved you £1,998.50, and I'll even throw in some digi-binned LBB shots from this evening on Ainsdale beach to boot.
Eyes to the skies everyone, eyes to the skies...
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Hi John,
It would be a real travesty if you gave up the blog John, think back to a few years ago when there were several blogs on the area and where are they now? Yours has been the only one to stand the test of time! I read your blog every day as does my son and rely on your blog to plan trips out as I now have a back problem and can't get out birding on my own anymore apart from the odd trip to Martin Mere.
Thanks for all the info over the years without which we wouldn't have seen such birds as the DOTTEREL on Plex a few years ago.
Keep it up!
Neill and I spent 3 hours dodging showers at Marshside over midday. Little Stint at Nel's Hide the highlight (not last Monday's bird), c 15 Swallows, 5 House Martins, single Blackcap, Willow Warbler and Chiffchaff the total migrant tally.
Hi John
Tend to post on the Ribble Estuary/Marshside blog, but will try to remember yours too, as you are the original local blogger and we must support one of Marshside's finest!
First 'major' Swallow movement of the spring locally today with > 25 at Marshside, >70 at the Leisure lakes (the grockles don't notice or bother them) and >50 over the Twin Fishing Lakes at Croston.
Also a Willow Tit at the Leisure Lakes feeding right next to the powerboat centre! (so the noise doesn't seem to bother them either).
Eyes to the skies mate! Carry on bloggin!
2 singing Reed Warblers along the Velvet Trail, Birkdale this afternoon, with Willow Warbler and Blackcap singing at Sands Lake.
Mipit carrying food already in the dunes, and a light passage of about 10-20 Swallows north over the frontal dunes during the day at Ainsdale.
Two Ravens flew north up Ainsdale beach at 1455, before being mobbed by a Carrion Crow over the Green Beach.
Hi John,
Monday morning the first juv Blackbird had fledged in the garden and was being fed by parents out of the nest.
Wednesday was the first Schools Eco Cruise for Mersey Ferries. Only 2 schools came out but we had a great time with Little Gulls, Sandwich and Common Tern, Kittiwake, Red Throated Diver, Grey Seals, and of course lots of gulls. Not bad on a wet day.
As for the blog you should keep it up or else you might have to start spending lots of time watching TV soaps.
It's great to read people saying keep it up, but we could all help by sending in more sighting even if they are from further afield.
Chris
Formby Point seawatch, Neill, Trops and Bazzo, 0920-1215. Good session, with movements predominantly southward:
Common Scoter 300+
Red-breasted Merganser 17
Red-throated Diver 12
Manx Shearwater 18
Fulmar 1
Gannet 88
Little Gull 8
Kittiwake 27
Sandwich Tern 65
Guillemot 2
Razorbill 10
Up to 20 Meadow Pipits north over the sea
My first House Martin of the year in St Helens on Thursday!
Hope you keep the blog going, it's a great read!! Learnt a fair bit from it over the years.