Spent a bit of time watching four Jackdaws on the island in front of Sandgrounders this afternoon - they were busy flipping stones, obviously looking for food, but even with the scope it was hard to work out what they were after at first.
Didn't seem to grab any insect larvae or anything, and the best I could come up with was that they were rooting out the old shells that were placed on the island to keep vegetation down as an Avocet nesting site.
They appeared to be trying to scrape out old flesh in the shells, but surely that must have perished away long, long ago.
Weird.
Nice Green Veined White there though.
Didn't fancy Sandgrounders as it was bristling with camera lenses again, so I spent the afternoon in the Sandplant compound, which was mercifully undisturbed by scrotes and dogwalkers for once.
The cold breeze and high blue skies meant any passage was going on thousands of feets above, but there were still a few Mipits and Linnets in there.
And the unluckiest Skylark in the world.
There he is, blurry in the heat haze, happily dust bathing and grabbing food in the sandy gravel, blissfully unaware of the curveball fate is about to hurl at him.
When the Mipits and Linnets scattered as a Merlin ripped through, the unluckiest (or should that be dumbest?) Skylark in the world decided to mob the falcon.
At first, it seemed he was always just ahead of the Merlin, which suddenly handbrake skidded and despite seven tight turns and stoops failed to catch the lark.
The Skylark even began singing, almost in mockery.
The Merlin didn't give up though, and when it began closing, the Skylark made a dash for the bank of willows at the compound entrance.
Smart I thought - the branches may just confuse the Merlin and the lark will get away.
What neither the lark nor I realised was that there was a female Sprawk sitting in the willows, which sailed out to meet dinner.
The lark stalled in the air a foot or so in front of the accipiter, and in a second was in the Merlin's talons.
Game over.
There's a lesson there for all of us I think.
Not much else happening in there though - the regular Kestrel watched proceedings from a mound, and managed to keep the Mipits on their toes, otherwise just the odd alba wag going over.
A big raptor coming in high from the east over Marshside Two got my hopes up for a second or two, before it quickly turned into a Common Buzzard.
Few Pinks still wobbling along with the Little Egrets in the heat haze on the outer marsh, but nowt else.
Eyes to the skies everyone, eyes to the skies...
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I've been out and about a bit recently, just local sites, no White Wags yet at Weld Rd/Birkdale Beach although I'm sure it won't long. Plenty of Ringed Plover off Taggs Island yesterday afternoon with Dunlin and Sanderling. Spent a while watching a pair of Linnet today, on the fence of Greenbank High School near the Birkdale LNR entrance. They're always around that area in spring. The male was singing away while the female collected nesting material. Cracking little birds.
Hi John,
Read the blog daily and it would be a shame if you pack in. I can ignore the masthead and I know from talking to people I meet when birding that the blog is much appreciated. And anyway, who else would put my blurry photos on the web!
Buzzard just north of the Sandplant 12.50pm today.
200+ Meadow Pipit moving through, Blackcap, Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff, plus lots of common stuff at Boars Den, Appley Bridge. Fairy Glen in Spring glory with Wood Sorrel, Marsh Marigold, Lesser Celandine, Pink Purslane, Golden Saxifrage, Wood Anenome, all flowering. Also Cuckoo Pint coming through.
The last time we were at Sandgrounders (21st March), a pair of Jackdaws gave the stones just in front of the hide a real good going over, managing to shift stones of impressive proportions. All in aid, in turned out, of finding fat spiders. Yum. Each to his own.