Archive for March, 2014
- May 03, 2015 Marshside
A trio of sandpipers today: distant glimpses of pectoral and Curlew Sandpipers from Nel’s Hide, and a Common Sandpiper in front of Fairclough’s platform.
Read More…- May 05, 2015 Lunt Meadows and West Lancs mosses
A quick trip around Lunt Meadows on a windy day failed to produce the Marsh Harrier we were romised in the car park, but Swifts were out in force, joining Sand Martins and the other hirundines. Splendid views of all of these birds as they were almost stalled flying into the stiff breeze.
Read More…- May 08, 2015 Martin Mere in the Rain
After dipping on Whimbrel, Yellow Wagtail and common rhea (really!) we found ourselves at Martin Mere as the weather turned sour.
Read More…- May 11, 2015 Marshside after the rain
On Sunday at Sandgrounders the water level was much higher than previously after some heavy rain. The Avocets in front of the hide probably hadn’t laid good eggs anyway, but were struggling to keep them above water and probably failing.
Read More…- May 11, 2015 Whimbrels and wagtails
A quick trip to pick up some of the birds I missed last week.
Read More…- May 12, 2015 Ainsdale Dunes
A quick walk on Ainsdale dunes on a windy evening.
Read More…- May 19, 2015 Another Sparrowhawk
A different Sparrowhawk in the garden today; a juvenile male if I’m not mistaken.
Read More…- May 21, 2015 Increased accuracy of listing with commensurate decline in totals.
I decided it was no longer acceptable to be listing both Black-tailed Godwit and Black tailed godwit as separate species, let alone the various permutations of Great(er) black(-)backed gull. So now my life and year lists are checked and corrected! There are additional benefits…
Read More…- May 21, 2015 Quiet except for dogs on the beach
My plan was to sit quietly peering over the frontmost dune as the tide came in and have a look at the Sanderlings in their summer plumage and see what was with them. Stymied by an obscene number of dogs, some actually chasing the birds, I buggered off on to the dunes and watched a Whitethroat performing display flights repeatedly. I don’t often have my scope on the dunes, so I was pleased to be able to use it to get lovely views of the Whitethroat and a very fine Linnet.
Read More…- May 24, 2015 Good day at Martin Mere
We started with a cruise along Curlew Lane near Martin Mere, where two pairs of Yellow Wagtails were flitting around the fields on either side of the roads. Close views from the car, and what lovely little birds they are.
Read More…- May 24, 2015 Marshside MEGA!
Following on from our afternoon at Martin Mere—and tasty burgers—we dropped in to Marshside to bump up the day’s total in the gathering gloom. The first bird we saw on Rainford’s Lagoon was a Great Crested Grebe; reasonably common at other nearby locations (such as the estuary and the sea!) this is nontheless an extremely rare bird on the reserve itself. Probably poorly?
Read More…- May 26, 2015 On Capitalisation
I’ve struggled to decide how to correctly capitalise species names on this blog, but finally made my decisions.
Read More…- May 27, 2015 A few birds from Haskayne and Plex Moss
A quick visit to a Haskayne Cuttng that was largely devoid of life in horrid weather was followed by sightings of Merlin and Mistle Thrush on Plex Moss on the way home.
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