Still cutting back Sea Buckthorn clumps on the Green Beach today in glorious sunshine.
The chop, chop, chopping is the easy bit, the hard part is getting the weaselly roots out.
Great place to be working though, and poor JG chucked up some single shelf nets near to where we were cutting at the Ainsdale end, but the south easterly breeze saw them billowing everywhere, with just one female Reed Bunting dumb enough to blunder in, while Mipits and Linnets gleefully perched on the darn things!
A party of nine Coal Tits moving down the Alder line (which also held other titmice and a few Goldcrest), was good, as was a single Rock Pipit amongst the Mipits and two Lesser Redpolls, which flew into a bush two feet from me to rest - tired migrants they were soon on their way again.
Green Beach really is fabulous habitat, one day it'll pull in a mega, I'm sure of it.
Two Greater Peckers south during the course of the day, with two confiding juv Wheatears on the strandline, alba wags and many Mipits, especially on the southern embryo dunes early on.
One or two Grey Herons drifting through the slacks and dunes, presumably preying on young frogs and toads.
The bright sun saw a few Small Tortoiseshell and a Large White struggling by, while the Migrant Hawkers and Common Darters still seemed happy enough.
Usual waders on the beach, with Little Egret feeding in the channels, and Golden Plover calling overhead in the early evening.
Eyes to the skies everyone, eyes to the skies...
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John,
Loads of Pink Feet at MMWWT as one would expect. Most of these actually flew in, stayed a while and then left in the direction of the coast.
You can watch my footage at
http://youtu.be/3Mtgpmvf1QY
Cheers,
Ron
Visitors to the RSPB’s Marshside and Hesketh Out Marsh nature reserves will be treated to a spectacular high tide air show over the next few months, as waders and wildfowl create dramatic displays to escape the incoming tides.
The RSPB, which looks after both reserves, is running six days of ’Big Tide Birding’ events from October to December, taking visitors out on guided walks to get closer to the action. Thousands of birds regularly feed on the Ribble estuary but are usually too far out to be able to see from the shore.
Alex Pigott, RSPB Ribble reserves warden, said: “Up to a quarter of a million birds may be present on the estuary on a good day and these colossal tides bring them much closer inshore than would normally be the case.”
The flood water also flushes out all kinds of other wildlife that live on the saltmarshes, attracting birds of prey like hen harriers, marsh harriers and short-eared owls.
RSPB staff and volunteers will be giving guided walks at Marshside, going out onto the saltmarsh as the tide comes in, with the first walk taking place on Tuesday 16 October. A guided walk will also take place at Hesketh Out Marsh on Wednesday 17 October.
Guided walks will continue throughout November and December. Free parking is available at both reserves. For more information on times, pricing and booking, please call the Ribble Discovery Centre on 01253 796292 or visit www.rspb.org.uk/marshside or www.rspb.org.uk/heskethoutmarsh
Binoculars and telescopes will be available to purchase in the visitor centre (Sandgrounders hide) at RSPB Marshside on Tuesday 16 October from 9:30am.
Another good raptor-show on/over Crossens saltmarsh around noon today: 3 Marsh Harriers (juvenile, imm. male, ad. female), 2 Merlins, 5 Kestrels, 1 Peregrine, 1 Sparrowhawk. Thin passerine movements: up to 40 each Skylarks, Meadow Pipits, 4 Jays, c10 each Goldcrests, Long-tailed Tits.
07:30 start for three hour vismig at Marshside and the Golf Course with Pete Allen.
Bloody hard going in the WNW gale, but at least the rain cleared through before dawn.39 Little Egrets, but no Great White Shark at the Marine Lake roost, VIZMIG = 66 Mipits; 4 alba Wags; 4 Golden Plover; 2 Marsh Harriers, 1 Hen Harrier; 1 Common Buzzard; 1 Merlin chasing down wisp of Snipe; juvenile Peregrine hunting Blackwits - but was totally inept; 38 Snipe; 9 Linnet; 13 Goldfinch; 2 Sprawks; 2 Siskin; 16 Greenfinch; 24 Skylark; 31 Starlings - bird of the morning was a very late Avocet, well picked up by Ron Jackson. Also 27 Gadwall on Rainford's Lagoon.
Black Necked Grebe at Pennington Flash near boathouse area at 12.30
Banks Marsh, Sunday 14/10/12:
1 Spoonbill
5 Little Egret
1 Marsh Harrier
23 Whooper Swan
20 Mute Swan
1 Black Swan
3 Snipe
1 Bar Tailed Godwit