Sweet baby J and all the saints, I'd better make this quick - it's nearly 1.30am and there's still wine and washing up to deal with....
Gorgeous constant rain on the coast today kept it really quiet people-wise, but it concentrated feeding groups of Swallows, notably under the pier at Southport, where the little beauties surfed the curling lip of the seawall to grab insects, better than the most adept skateboarder.
An absolute joy to watch 'em doing it (oh, for a scope to get decent shots, rather than these crappy point and press jobs), as they ignored the few pedestrians and cyclists out in the drizzle.
You could almost hear The Surfaris.
Later in the day, with no sign of the rain abating they began to ground for long periods - ain't nothing sadder than a damp Swallow on the deck on a wet summer day....
Still over 120 Cormorants roosting between Ainsdale and Birkdale, and about 80 Dunlin (with several arrest moult jobs) along the Green Beach and 45+ Ringed Plover there.
Visibility offshore was predictably pants as I patrolled the coast, although the rain eased off and the light improved towards 2100, but not by much.
A few Gannets fishing offshore, with at least seven Grey Seals at Ainsdale, and small groups of Common and Sarnie Terns feeding in the shallows - amazing how dark the former can look in poor light.
They could easily mislead a seawatcher early morning or in the evening, or is it just me?
Away from the sand and drizzle, Bee Orchids are flowering in good numbers in the dune system - I came across this cracker yesterday, lovely wee gems amongst the Marram and Creeping Willow.
Why not break the habit of a lifetime and let me know what you're seeing too?
The comments thingy is easy to use, blah, blah, blah.
Eyes to the skies everyone, eyes to the skies...
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A pleasant late morning in Nel's Hide with Neill and Trops: Wood Sandpiper, 2 1st Summer Mediterranean Gulls, c12 tundrae-type Ringed Plovers. Families of Mallards, Shovelers and Gadwalls, plus 20+ Avocet chick, all apparently thriving in ideal conditions. Earlier, 200+ Swifts, 50+ House Martins and a few Swallows and Sand Martins hawking insects over the saltmarsh.
Hundreds of larvae, pupae, and adults of White Satin moths at Ainsdale yesterday.
Lapwings and Red Legged Partridges around Kew and a single Swift over Aughton yesterday evening