Spent a good few hours trundling around Plex this afternoon in the hope that the wind and rain might ground a few you-know-whats.
Wasn't to be, but the Hooded Crow was happy enough, feeding with the large corvid flock, behind Getterns Farm, and later on the southern side of the moss.
As is always the way with crafty corvids, no chance of getting close to it, but nice to see Chris F, Mike Stocker and John Mercer out there enjoying it too.
Whitethroat, Willow Warbler and Blackcap singing despite the conditions, with Sprawk, Kestrel and Buzzard up.
Large numbers of Wheatears continue to drop in to rest and grab insects off the ploughed fields - several fields are all gussied up to perfection for Dotterel, which is good news as we're heading into prime-time now....maybe they'll come, maybe they won't.
Three Ringed Plovers out there was odd, and good numbers of hirundines fed in the lee of the larger coverts.
Tree Sparrow, Yellowhammer, Skylark, Corn Bunt as usual.
Earlier I joined Tropical and Er Neill in the Sandplant Compound at Marshside - Whitethroat, Chiffy and Robin up on the Grassy Knoll, and plenty of Mipits and Skylarks pushed off the marsh by the high tide, which also forced two of the resident Grey Partridge in.
9 Wheatears, and offshore, three Eiders (two drakes and a duck), and as the tide fell, several Gannets fishing offshore with two Common Tern and a Great Crested Grebe.
Eyes to the skies everyone, eyes to the skies...
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Hi John 5 Yellow Wags , 2 Marsh Harriers and Grey Partridge on Engine La, on the stud field next to the main brook and oil seed.
Where am I? ...
Woodlark, Lesser Whitethroats singing and Hobbies flying about.
No, not Weeting Heath in the Brecks, but our very own Magnificent Marshside and the nearby SW mosslands.
A very slow vismig at Marshside from 07:00 had me again wondering why I'm usually the only 'lunatic' at the Sandplant, but then at 07:33, a stroll about the Observatory garden flushed a WOODLARK!!!!!! this wonderful bird, which called a soft 'ditdit tralee', circled around me and then flew off high towards the Fylde. Perhaps the surfeit of washed-out Skylarks feeding in the Sandplant this morning pulled it in, but no matter it's now on my Marshside Magnifico's list and is both a Marshside and Lancs tick for me.
Otherwise not a lot going on in the gentle SW wind. A rattling Lesser Whitethroat was all over the Obs garden with another near the Hesketh Rd platform and around 30 Redpolls were in the birches and willows on HGC. Tony had seen 3 Curlew Sands and a Little Stint on his Rimmers Marsh survey.
Afterwards, Barry McCarthy and I set off to find the 'Scottish Birds' on Plex Moss/Altcar Withins, but only succeeded in having excellent views of Hobby twice, 17 Whimbrel, plus other bits and pieces - with the Hooded Crow being seen later behind Getterns Farm.
If you don't go out (very early) you don't see the Woodlarks!
Fully expect Stone Curlew and Red-backed Shrike in the morning!
Almost no 'vismig' at Marshside this early morning despite - or perhaps because of - the gracious presence of one Mr Barold McCarthy. The only birds of note being a small passage of Redpoll (18); and singles of Whimbrel and Greenshank.
Hesketh Golf Course was also very quiet, but I picked up a distant soaring Hobby, which I couldn't get Barry on to - slim pickings indeed.
1,940 Swallows and 1,716 Goldfinches through to date in 33 hours of visible migration watching, usually between 06:00 - 09:00 with strong NE/E airflow and low cloud by far producing the the best results. (See www.vismig.org for full details).
Out of the ordinary drop-ins or fly-overs have included Arctic Skua, three (non-migratory) Yellowhammers, Little Ringed Plovers, small parties of 'migrating' Collared and Stock Doves plus Great Grey Shrike, Crossbill, three different Yellowhammers, Wood Warbler, Redstarts, Groppers, Lesser Whitethroats and yesterday's totally unexpected Woodlark.
Today we did go out (again) and saw almost now't - but that's the way it is.
http://www.trektellen.org