More Pied Wags and Mipits about over the weekend, with a bouncy finch flock of about 35 birds that got away from me at Weld Road (Twite? possibly...) and Ringed Plover back in areas where they used to breed on the coast before their territories were overrun by dogwalkers and equestrians.
Skylarks giving it the beans over the Green Beach early on this morning, and Little Egret and a smallish gull roost in the vicinity, with Stonechat, Reed Bunts and Dunnocks in the dunes south of Shore Road.
Buzzards up and about, getting mobbed by everything from BHGs to Jackdaws - life can be tough.
Working, so I didn't get a chance to visit the marsh.
You really know when spring is here not when the Coltsfoot starts blooming bright on sheltered dune slopes, but when brain-dead eejits start skidding their silly little motors on the sands....how depressingly uninventive.
Mind you, I nearly caused a few problems myself on my Friday off, when I saw a Great White Egret flap north over the lights at Woodvale at about 1515, and realised it might just drift over Dempsey Towers if I could get ahead of it and home in time.
This would constitute a MEGA garden tick AND a major major grip over the missus.
On the upside I narrowly avoided three collisions as I tried to follow its track north, before it veered west and away over Kenilworth Road.
On the downside it never got near Dempsey Towers airspace.
C'est la vie.
First Wheatears not far away now.
Eyes to the skies everyone, eyes to the skies...
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I headed out for a jaunt around the mosses at the weekend and though there was nothing out of the ordinary it was good to see quite a bit of activity.
Lapwings were staking out territory around Downholland and there are still lots of Fieldfare about - Bickerstaffe mosslands this time.
It seems there are more of them than Woodpigeons at the moment!
Moorhen, Mallard and Coot pootling around the various ditches and (still) flooded fields; Collared Dove, Reed Bunting and singing Skylark around Lydiate.
Plus there were two Grey Herons out near the fishing put looking north towards Barton and Plex Moss.
Lots of Pheasant around, one of which provided unnervingly close views as it launched itself from a hedge straight at my head.
Thanks very much for the Thailand reports: very entertaining and informative.
I was watching 6 very obliging Twite in the usual area just north of Weld Road this afternoon when a flock of about 40 more came and landed briefly to drink on puddles, before then flying off and returning intermittently.
Great White Egret flew directly over me quite low on Hesketh Rd on Saturday evening heading towards the Marine Lake.
On Tuesday afternoon, at about 14.20, I had close views of three Waxwings trilling on a dead pine just east of the Devil's Hole at Ravenmeols dunes. They eventually flew off southwards.
2 Crossbill, 6 Redpoll, 1 Siskin (and plenty of Chaffinches) over Birkdale dunes this morning.
Some sort of warbler singing on the Loop line at Aintree the last few days, I thought it was a Blackcap but seemed to go on for longer than a Blackcap would, so I was thinking maybe Garden Warbler but is it too early ?
JD: Very early for Garden Warbler Paul.
45+ frogs at it in my pond for the last 3 days
Thanks John - thought so, but did get a good look at it today and it definitely didn't have any cap but no song - it's got me scratching my head!