Sandplant compound was fairly quiet when I walked through to the point in the early afternoon today; Mipits, Skylarks, very Linnety, and bizarrely a young male Wheatear attempting to eat a Peacock butterfly.
I thought they were toxic critters avoided by all sensible predators, but the Wheatear happily tore off the wings and gobbled it down.
A flat calm tide was receding and the wibbly wobbly shimmer was just appalling - but there were still 11 Eiders in the shallows, 8 males and 3 females, and a good roost of waders in the vegetation, including 70+ Ringed Plover and 50+ Grey Plover, many in stonking summer kit.
As I looked out over the water I was joined by Er Neill and David Nickeas, and shortly afterwards we picked up a mammal moving south out of the estuary about 400m offshore.
The critter moved at speed on the surface, showing a smaller head than either seal species, but too big for Mink.
It covered astonishing distances whenever it dived, but there was no way of getting a decent view in the jelly-haze.
This was a shame, because in better light conditions, I reckon we might have been able to pin down an Otter at the Ribble mouth!
Certainly swam like one, with the sunlight reflecting off its wet fur, but we just couldn't get a sharp enough view through scope or bins.
Some you just gotta let go...
Looked to be a few Great Crests out in the wibbly wobbly too, but apart from a light, yet constant passage of hirundines, things were fairly quiet.
Whitethroat, Sedgie, Willow Warbler etc singing away, and two first summer Med Gulls (2cy) in front of Sandgrounders Hide.
Both looked like new birds, but they spent most of their time asleep, when they weren't squabbling with the BHGs.
One of 'em appeared to have a thinner bill than the other, which I hope is just down to posture - there's enough leucistic/albino BHGs (well, okay, there's two of 'em), in the squawky hoard without hybrid Meds to contend with.
Rain and south easterlies forecast for tomorrow - sure to produce the goods somewhere.
Eyes to the skies everyone, eyes to the skies...
- Post to:
del.icio.us
Digg
Newsvine
Nowpublic
Reddit
« Previous | Home | Next »
One dead Water Rail on Formby By pass.
Oh S**t! Forgot to mention on my last post!!!!
On route to Sunday lunch in Croston today, with one's significant other, had an absolutely 1000%, intermediate type/phase Honey Buzzard just past the PLOUGH pub at Crossens at 3:02pm - initially it was fairly close and low down.
Screeched to a halt near the valeting carwash place on the main Southport-Preston road and watched it for two/three minutes circling and gaining height all the time before it headed off north.
Took part in the Gibraltar raptor counts for some ten years in the late 1980s/early 1990s and any competent birder (which Chris Fyles patently is) can ID a spring Honey Buzzard without too much of a problem. Autumn juveniles present much more of a challenge, as was proven with a Seaforth bird.
Absolutely WAS a Honey Buzzard and will submit full ID to LBR for their assessment, but as I have probably seen 20,000 plus HBs in virtually all plumages including a melanistic bird, I would respectfully suggest that some of us are much better qualified to ID Honey Buzzards, than some of our peers on the acceptance/rejection committees. Natural reticence is laudable, but outright 'poopooing' on the basis that there has been none reported to Birdguides is total bollox!
Birdguides reports, although very helpful, are primarily for the twitcher in us all. Look on www. trektellen.org for many recent reports of the arrival of HBs over the past week throughout Holland , Belgium, even Scandinavia etc., with the first in mid-April. In the 2010 LBR, Graham Clarkson has one 'accepted' for 21st April at Low Meadows and I have another for May 11 near Rufford.
HBs are now breeding regularly in Scotland, N Yorkshire, Kielder Forest and the Lakes, so like Ospreys and Hobbys, they are also likely to become more frequent and earlier on passage through Lancs.
John,
A Natural England mammal specialist found Otter spraints by the Alt, Maghull way, last year. Suspicions of one on the Ainsdale Dunes NNR because of finding of decapitated frogs and toads. Have a word about it next time you bump into Dave Mercer.
Ron
Paid a visit to Mere Sands on Sunday and on the way picked up many Lapwing, a Buzzard being mobbed by three crows over Curlew Lane, Red Legged Partridges and a Long Tailed Tit.
Singing Yellowhammer out there as well near the Leeds Liverpool canal, Burscough.
The Mere Sands lakes themselves were quite quiet but the woods produce three Jays, lots of singing Chiffchaff and Reed Bunting and a Great Spotted Woodpecker.
General request to the readership: if anyone is out at Mere Sands it would be great to know whether you, too are hearing Sedge Warbler from the reeds
to the left of the Visitor Centre's main entrance.
A volunteer at the site said they definitely have Reed Warbler over the last few days but the raucous singing I heard was too chaotic for Reed Warbler?
Happy to be corrected though!
A Lesser Whitethroat was singing on Freshfield Dune Heath Nature Reserve yesterday afternoon and giving good views.
Big turnout for this morning's vismig watch at the Sand Plant from 06:00, with Graham Clarkson, John Kelly and Alex Piggott, so good job I brought some extra Eccles cakes and a flask of coffee.
Increasing SSE winds ahead of the expected Atlantic low pressure system now sweeping in and again freezing cold. Highlights were Short-eared Owl, a cracking male Redstart and 4 wild Barnacle Geese in off the sea at 07:30. More Redpoll than Goldfinches and a flock of 53 migrating Woodpigeon set off over the estuary, as did 6 Collared Doves.
An intensive search of Plex and Altcar mosses with Clarko later, did not produce any Scottish birds, but 17 Whimbrel, 39 Wheatears, 2 Whinchats and a Hooded Crow by Getterns Farm was nice enough. Leave it to the Brick to find the kilted ones.
If you don't go out you don't see now't once again proven 100%.
14 Wheatears (5m9f) along Birkdale Green Beach today around high tide, miserable weather and yet Skylarks especially but also Meadow Pips, Linnets and Reed Buntings were showing very well. Thousands of waders in cracking plumage along there and mercifully little disturbance probably due to the weather.
4 Reed Warblers and a Sedge singing in the reebed in the dunes at Taggs Island and another Sedgie in the reeds/sedges of the Green Beach itself. 1 Swift over and just the odd Swallow.
A further 10 Wheaters (3m7f)on Greenbank school playing fields soon after. Thanks to John and then also Mike S and John Mercer for directing me to the Hooded Crow out on Plex.
A long time since I've seen one of those on the Mosses.
Interesting post from JB, another Honey, thanks for the endorsement also!
Hi John,
I've checked the EA's most recent Otter Survey report and the maps clearly show that Otter's are now present throughout the River Ribble.
Check out the survey here: http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/static/documents/Leisure/otter_survey_oct10_full_report(1).pdf
Your description matches what I'd expect to see having seen many up in Scotland.
Keep up the good work blogging to the Empire!
Hi John
Whinchat at Cabin Hill this morning along with several very tired Willow Warblers and Chiffchaffs grounded and staying close but low in vegetation.
Evening visit to Sefton Meadows produced 3 Barn Owls at around 9.30 pm.