Another backdated post and I’m getting bored of these! Although this one contains quite a few things that I was very excited about at the time!

A couple of trips to Ainsdale Beach looking at high tide wader roosts:

Ainsdale August 12, 2014
Vdunlin
Ringed plover red legs
Oystercatcher
Sanderling? Black and white on back
Knot? Bigger with peach front
Larger grey with long bills. Bar tails?
A couple sanderling types with almost white heads

… and from the 14th:

M
20+ to with 2-3 turnstone
Knots bright bellies also some white bellied? Scaly backs on mass of birds that I think are knots
Knots are waddly. N
Knot size pale with dark eye stripe?
Sanderling with peach wash. Photo 1:32 pm mistly Knots in front of me, godwits at back.
Lots of sandwich
Grey plover
Common gull?

I managed to get to grips with these birds, and I think this post will probably turn up valid life ticks for Turnstone, Knot and Common Gull (I’d surely seen the latter before but it was around this time I really learned to recognise them). Probably barwit too.

From Martin Mere:

My first glimpse of a Kingfisher was on August 21st, as well as extremely distant views of Yellow Wagtails (dots in the bushes, really) as well as good views of Marsh Harrier, Buzzard and Kestrel.

Martin mere August 27, 2014
Great kingfisher
Little stint
Kestrel kill
Marsh harriers
Greenshank

Better views of Kingfishers from the Ron Barker hide. Also my first Little Stint, which was very distant and really I could only see that a smaller wader was standing next to a summer plumage Dunlin. Three juvenile Marsh Harriers were resident at the time and visible on many visits.

From Burton Mere, August 21: Spectacular views of a Kingfisher hovering and perching in multiple places from both the big windows of the Visitor Centre and one of the hides. Also a Spotted Redshank with some breeding plumage left and a glimpse of a Peregrine flashing by.