Rain, rain, rain.
And a little bit more rain.
Yup, the current weather system is a real killer - good tides, but the wrong wind so no seawatching, rubbish weather to the south and east of us, so no chance of something June-tastic drifting through - sometimes that's just the way it is.
Working late shifts on the coast, you dream of weather like this - it reduces the "scrote quotient" by a good 75% - but when you get a day or so off, it'd be nice if it stopped raining.
Needs must when the devil drives though, so I headed down to Marshside this afternoon over the tide, with low expectations.
And I wasn't disappointed.
Large numbers of Swifts hawking for prey low and close all along the Coast Road, but just the usual breeding waders in evidence, and all kinda damp.
Sandplant Lagoon had many feeding hirundines amongst the BHGs and their drenched young.
Down at Nels the Reed Warblers were still "singing", but frustratingly every time a group of Dunlins came in to land, the Avocets drove 'em off.
They did this repeatedly, yet ignored the 15 or so Ringed Plovers that alighted to feed.
Bizarre behaviour - obviously their overly zealous parental instincts were stretching to implosion as their young are straying further from the nest as they get older and more confident.
Good numbers of Avocets chicks of varying ages again today - perhaps this'll be their most successful year, unless the Kestrels get very hungry.
Consequently it was quiet at Nels - so quiet that I even found myself digiscoping the dodgy leucistic Red Crested Pochard (subspecies Caramac) that flew in on a day trip from its usual quarters on the Marine Lake.
A damp patrol round the Sandplant compound produced damper Skylarks and Mipits, the Starling flock and little else.
Some days you just gotta put into the kharma bank.
At least the wind is forecast to swing round for good seawatching conditions over the weekend - but I'll be back at work by then.
Eyes to the skies everyone, eyes to the skies...
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Formby Point seawatch, 1245-1450:
1 Fulmar, 2 Manx Shearwaters, 8 Gannets and a Kittiwake a poor reward for two hours' buffeting in the cold wind. Any good seabirds we get on this coast are BLOODY hard-earned!
Nice views of Treecreeper in the woods en route a slight compensation.
Hi - two Marsh Harriers and one male Montys low over Altcar Moss going north towards Martin Mere .
About 15 Manxies and a similar number of Gannets south past Ainsdale over the course of the day.
Hi John, just a note to say that my first Silver Y Moth of 2012 dropped out of the sky to feed at my garden Red Valerian at 2200 tonight.