Holly Blue in my Formby garden yesterday.

Winter plumage Curlew Sandpiper and male Green-winged Teal still at Nel's Hide on Marshside 1 this afternoon. Still up to 35 Ruffs there. Migration much lighter today, highlights 6 Blackcaps and a Garden Warbler

Was in the wooded cutting at Selworthy Road on the edge of Royal Birkdale early afternoon today. I heard a minor commotion and turned to see a buzzard flying through (from the golf course direction) just below canopy height.
Something caught my eye about it straight away and as it came out of the trees it banked and circled up over the cutting and then began circling up and out over the old playing field of the deaf school getting higher and heading north.
I was then able to see the sticky out head, under wing pattern and belly pattern and long barred tail of a Honey Buzzard.
It was getting mobbed by a single Jackdaw and called about 6 times, quite different from a Buzzard call.
As I got my ipod to try and get some kind of record shot I lost it drifting off.
Rather nice record!
Also this evening a female White Wagtail on Weld Rd old car park.

Very early morning walk from Lifeboat Road on Monday had Willow Warbler and Whitethroat showing really well in the car park, an abundance of Swallows and Wheatears and a pair of Red-Legged Partrige on the walk through the dunes and a single Barnacle Goose resting on the beach amongst the usual gulls.
For the entire time I was there, I enjoyed spectacular views as groups of Gannets came one after another in undulating lines heading north.
Highlights of a return visit this morning were two Grey Seals bobbing a short distance from the shoreline against a backdrop of fishing Gannets, Sandwich and Common Terns comparing splash size (with Gannets clearly winning).
The guaranteed waders (Knots, Bar-Tailed Godwits, Dunlin, Grey Plover and Sanderling) were looking good in their summer attire.

It was Baltic at the Sand Plant at 05:50 this morning but the persistent ENE wind resulted in another excellent early doors vismig session until mid-morning - when it tailed off considerably. Thanks to Colin Bushell, Tony Baker, Paul Thomason, Simon Glinn, et al for their participation/records which I have posted below and also on Trektellen.org - click on GB and then Marshside.
Notable Goldfinch migration again from 06:00 until 10:00 with 575 'tinklers' going through, also 284 Swallows,12 Sand Martins, 17 House Martins, 35 Redpoll, 12 Tree Pipits, 35 Linnets, 13 Greenfinch, 4 'alba' wags, 3 Yellow Wags, 81 Woodpigeon, 2 'dark' Song Thrushes, 92 Siskin, 99 Swifts, 84 unidentified finch sp.,11 Chaffinch, 27 Jackdaws, 17 House Martin, 13 Collared Doves (off to colonise Iceland?), 22 Mipits, 3 Whimbrel, 1 LRP and three UFO waders flying high away to the north at 06:09, which just possibly may have been a trio of 'Scottish' birds.
Other interest was a cracking male Redstart on the fence line by the Water treatment plant; Tropical Thomason had 2 Curlew Sand plus Spotted Red and the Green-winged Teal in one scopeful! But the bird of the day flew past Simon Glinn at 10:30 in the shape of a Hooded Crow!
Magnificent Marshside strikes again - remember 'if you don't go out you don't see now't!

Another 5.30 start at Lifeboat Road produced a pretty quiet morning compared with the rest of the week. The sea produced an Arctic Tern with the plentiful Sandwich Terns, a small flock of Common Scoters, a pair of Red-Breasted Mergansers and the Grey Seals still bobbing away (in apparently greater numbers than yesterday, though they may have just been following me up the beach). The highlight of the morning was a Grasshopper Warbler flitting through the scrub a few feet ahead of me near the Caravan Park. Great views.

The early doors vismig passage at Marshside Bird Observatory (MBO) just didn't happen this morning, despite the seemingly promising ENE wind and the murky conditions with low cloud.
Less than a 100 Goldfinch over between 05:55 and 07:55; only 16 Redpoll, 48 Swallows, 8 Swifts and a calling adult Med Gull over the saltmarsh.
So just before 08:00 I decided to have a wander about the Grassy Knoll - and found myself staring at a mega GREAT GREY SHRIKE , who stared back at me - I wondered why the Blackbirds and Goldfinches were alarm calling earlier.
Somewhat put out by my sudden appearance it flew over Suttons and down Marshside Road, with its typical fast whirring wings, undulating glide to disappear from sight inland, climbing higher.
Looked for it later with a muddy-wellied Mr McCarthy along the old seawall/ Stanley High School area, but no sign of impaled Blue Tits.
Third record for Marshside, with the last one in the 1990s.

More proof of IYDGOYDSNism!!!!

Second year Med Gull at Sandgrounders this evening; Little Gulls at Seaforth; "Red Crested Pochard", Little Stint, LRPs, Curlew Sand etc at Martin Mere, and a cool Tawny Owl at Mere Sands Wood.
As Mad Dog Bannon says, passage lighter today.

I'd appreciate your thoughts here John...I contacted Birdguides as to why the Honey Buzzard report I sent through hadn't appeared on their sightings. Their response; 1- there hadn't been a significant arrival on the south coast as yet and to be so far up the west coast away from breeding areas was in their eyes unlikely. 2- Honey Buzzards are essentially silent.
On the first count I was conscious there hadn't been many reports in the country yet, but there had been 3 on Birdguides and as there is a breeding population in Cumbria (I presume this still exists), this didn't seem too out of the way especially with the significant west coast passage in the past few days. On the call front, I confess I've never heard Honey Buzzard before, but do have a reasonable level of experience of them visually, in Cumbria, Norfolk and most recently last autumn on St. Marys. According to Collins Guide they are 'essentially silent outside the breeding season' - May is the breeding season surely? I listened to the call online before reporting it and it sounded bang on to me, and indeed is significantly different to Buzzards very distinct 'meeew' call. I saw enough of the features to feel confident myself most notably the 'long' head and the long barred tail plus a reasonable view of the underside of the bird. I suppose all I can do is submit it to the Lancs hierarchy (it is a description bird in Lancs I think). However I would be interested in yours/others thoughts, especially relating to calling Honey Buzzard (the bird called specifically when being mobbed by a Jackdaw and about 6 times in all) then fell silent and continued drifting away gaining height.
JD: I've never heard a Honey call Chris, so I can't help you on that score, but your description of the bird sounded good to me.
I don't see why a lack of significant reports nationally should mean your identification was incorrect.
Just because Birdguides don't like your report doesn't mean you didn't see the bird!
Don't forget to submit it to the Lancs Bird report at the end of the year.

Morning walk had Chiffchaff, Nuthatch, Red Squirrel and Speckled Woods on woodland walk from St Luke's Church Road.
Willow Warbler, Whitethroat, Reed Bunting and Wheatear all showing well through Ravenmeols with a pair of Buzzards overhead.
On Plex Moss, Whimbrel in field on Ainsdale side of Gettern Farm. The journey through Plex got a little absurd with a large group of Pheasants accompanied by a large male Peacock on a field off Heathy Lane!

Red Kite soaring over central Southport, approx 12.30 today. Anyone else see it?
It was being harrassed by a Herring Gull and came in from the south west and then headed east.

Gropper reeling intermittently on Friday evening in Birkdale NR, but it was hardly classic conditions for them. Also a pair of Tawny Owls calling from the White Poplar Wood. 4 Reed and 1 Sedge Warbler singing from the reedbed at Taggs Island this morning, but very little moving, single Siskin over high and a single Swallow through south plus a couple of Willow Warblers feeding in the willows on the seaward side.

I headed out onto Plex on Saturday afternoon in search of the Whimbrel that have been mentioned in the blog and wasn't disappointed.
There was a flock of nine birds reeling and calling over the fields west of Gettern Farm. The flock headed north-west towards Ainsdale but a single bird eventually settled on the far side of the main field and rummaged for food.
Wheatear were out there as well, playing hide and seek in the furrows. I also got good views of Skylark mooching around near the road.
Single Yellowhammer calling near Clieves Hills: always reminds me of summer despite the temperature out ther eyesterday.
Lots and lots of finches and crows about, including one of the Hooded variety.
Several birds appear to have adopted the man-made lake next to Plex Brow Farm: Coot, Oystercatcher and Lapwing were all congregated in and around it.
I'm not sure what the purpose of this lake is but it would be great if they planted some reed-beds ...

Thanks John, I appreciate your comments regards the Honey Buzz, I'll certainly submit it to the Lancs committee. Apparently Mr Bannon had one somewhere today.
Not in this area, but I was in North Wales today and had a cracking few hours at South Stack, spent a good while watching Puffins, great quality they are as was the rest of the show there, Choughs included.