Quicky in the sun

Nipped out for a few minutes this morning while the sun shone. I parked down Curlew Lane and soked up the singing Corn Buntings on the telegraph wires - a lovely sound from a rather dull, if enigmatic bird. As usual plenty of Whooper Swans and Pink-footed Geese on both Tarlscough Moss and Burscough Moss; no time to look through them though. Good to chat to Andy Bunting who pulled over. Andy gave me some ideas regarding the patchwork challenge recording area. Cheers Andy! 

 A typical West Lancs drive past view of Corn Buntings.....

A very quick walk (more exercise than birding) around Mere Sands Wood was great in the sun. Bird highlights were the usual gathering of wildfowl and a Chiffchaff roving about with a big flock of Long-tailed Tits, which also contained Goldcrests and a Treecreeper. Bull finches were showing well at the Lancaster hide and I managed a couple of reasonable shots (for me anyway!). Bumped into a lad who works at Tesco in Burscough, he was carrying a pair of bins and so I pointed out the Chiffchaff to him. Turns out he's on a conservation course at Myerscough College and is doing a study of the Red Squirrels in the wood -ace! He was telling me he's from Kenya, nice chap, hope his studies get him out of Tesco.... 

Male Bullfinch

Female Bullfinch

Male Chaffinch

A new dog breed for the year in the wood; a pair of Gordon Setters. Also a Manchester Terrier as I was driving home through Rufford; 85 on the dog year list - sad but true. 

Wonderful WeBS day

As I was driving across the moos to the count site this morning I was distracted by a spindly legend jogger - it was my old mucker Sinesy.  I pulled over and he mentioned an funny animal he'd seen dead on the pavement up the road.  We set off to look for it and duly found and particularly we'll rotted and rancid medium sized mustelid.  We had a good look at it and concluded it was a Mink - have a look at the photo and see what you think.

Rancid Mink? Or some other rotting mustelid?

I dropped Jim off and headed across New Cut Lane counting 180 Whooper Swans on the moss there,  couldn't stop though - waders to count.

It was truly beautiful weather today on the Lancashire Coast at Birkdale; I'm not using the dodgy 1970s rebranding " The Sefton Coast", either the Lancashire Coast or Southport Coast for me! Anyway, little wind, no rain and warm sunshine makes for good WeBS counting weather and also good weather for locals to get out and about walking dogs.  

Chris Hughes joined me on my BIrkdale sector and Dave Fletcher headed towards Southport Pier and Brian Hopkins took care of AInsdale.  A group of 60 PInk-footed Geese on the rapidly expanding green beach were typical of a growing trend and a male Stonechat was good to see. 

Chris and I headed south along the beach enjoying the warm sunshine in our faces and enjoyed watching the growing wader roost we were tasked to count.  Count we did,  the following totals adding to an enjoyable walk;  Dunlin 5130,  Knot 2780,  Sanderling 173, Grey Plover 374,  Bar-tailed Godwit 230 and Oystercatcher 745. No Cormorants was a major surprise give the regular four figure counts over the past couple of winters, but I did notice reports of big numbers in the RIbble counted on the Fylde side by Stephen Dunstan recently. A Merlin blasted through putting all the waders up and I was pleased to see a couple of dog walkers show real restraint and stop their dogs charging through the flocks - made a nice change.

One of the dog walkers leaving the wader roost alone today

Waders coming into the roost thick  and fast

Flockage

Post counting I drove Marshside and regretted not being able to marvel at the water bird spectacle (I see Chris Fyles had two drake Hen Harriers there this afternoon),  I felt the same way as I drove down Fish Lane noticing thousands of PInk-feet on Tarlscough Moss - can't count everything or look through every flock through eh? This did remind me though what a bird rich are I'm in the middle of; I wouldn't swap it for anywhere in the world.

Headed out again with the family this afternoon and took a walk down Southport Pier. Lovely. 

from Southport Pier looking south

Pier tram

Mrs C and the rascals

Marine Lake bridge

Looking towards Marshside from the Pier

Piscivores Park

Hesketh Park is one of my old 1970s playgrounds, a great place for a good mess about then and now. The only scarce bird I've ever seen in there was a Yellow-browed Warbler found by Dominic Rigby back in the late 1980s. I still nip,in there from time to time usually with the kids, as their is a decent and clean playground. Anyway, I was on an errand is Southport yesterday so I had half an hour pottering in the park, I was keen to see the Goosander that's been on the lake since November; it wasn't hard to find - tucked up on the bank, fast asleep with mallards. 

Goosander, Hesketh Park, Southport. 15/01/14. 

Cormorants are are one of those birds that seem to split opinion; folk either seem to love them or loathe them. I'm okay with them, they bring back happy childhood memories of counting them on the breakwater in Southport Marine Lake when I was a lad. They're certainly doing well locally, WeBS counts of well over 2000 in the Ribble nowadays, I expect to see over 1000 in my sector on the beach at Birkdale during the WeBS count this coming Sunday. Great to see some in the park, I guess they and the Goosander are finding plenty of fish in the lake. 

One of the happy and fulfilled Cormorants on Hesketh Park lake. 15/01/14. 

The final fish eater showing on the lake was a fine breeding plumage Grey Heron, no doubt looking to be fit for the soon to commence laying season. 

Grey Heron, Hesketh Park. 15/01/14. 

The park also proved, as ever, to be popular with dog walkers and I added Wire-haired Fox Terrier, Shar pei, Akita, Yorkshire Terrier and German short-haired Pointer to my canine year list - just over 60 if you're interested! 

A very brief stop at Marshside on the way home provided me with distant views of the Lind staying first winter Ross's Goose and the most amazing bird spectacle, with thousand and thousands of waterfowl covering the flooded fields of Marshside and Crossens. 

 Ross's Goose RSPB Marshside. 15/01/14. 

A small part of the Marshide spectacle

Funny ducks, funny day

Nipped down the road to Martin Mere again today for work reasons. I had a chat with a couple of the staff about a neurotic crowned-crane and a young flamingo. Generally all good though. I took a couple snaps while I wandered around, while doing so I noticed a familiar hybrids duck that I've seen on Southport Marine lake a couple of time and also at Martin Mere earlier this winter. He's a funny looking beast and I'm certain he's a mallard x red-crested pochard hybrid. 

Drake mallard x red-crested pochard hybrid (free-flying and not of WWT origin) Martin Mere 14/01/14. 

Captive drake bufflehead. My favourite duck species, beautiful, tiny and full of character. I've seen them in the USA a few times. 

Juvenile drake comb duck (captive, Martin Mere).

Grey crowned-crane (captive, Martin Mere).

As usual when I'm at Martin Mere I nipped into the Infocus shop to say hello to Andy Bunting and get the up to date reserve info. Andy was otherwise engaged but it was a pleasure to bump into Chris Galvin from Opticron (top man - a birding Evertonian!) who was demonstrating a new Opticron product - a tiny ED zoom scope. I had a look at it and I have to say I was very impressed. Do take a look when you're next in Infocus. 

Chris Galvin showing off his brilliant new Opticron product. 

I finished my duties at Martin Mere and headed over to Mere Sands Wood for a lunchtime walk, adding pied wagtail, great black-backed gull and chiffchaff to the Patchwork Challenge year list. Plenty of goosanders, gadwalls and over 400 teal present so a pleasant walk. Also had nice views of nuthatch, some of the other common woodland birds and a cracking Dandie Dinmont Terrier (dog year list now on 59) 

Nuthatch at Mere Sands Wood. 14/01/14. 

Fatballs, hoodies, spuds and mud

I looked up from my computer screen this morning and noticed some movement on my fatballs out in the garden; a male Blackcap was eagerly picking away at the fatballs, much to my delight. I've had a couple of singing spring migrants briefly in the garden but this male was the first winter record for the garden in over ten years of being here. Nice. 

Male Blackcap (taken through conservatory glass)

Late morning I nipped down the road to Martin Mere to meet with staff there and discuss some work stuff. I took the opportunity to use my dinner break there and enjoyed watching the captive Hooded Mergansers displaying - mentalists! 

Drake Hooded Merganser doing his stuff

Same Hoody, different angle

After enjoying the Hooded Mergansers I popped into the Infocus shop for a chat with Andy Bunting to discuss Patchwork Challenge. Then on to have a look at the Whoopers from the Hale hide. Lots there feeding on waste spuds donated by local farmers. Some of them get rather dirty....

Filthy faced Whooper.

King of the castle? 

Local Pain, Local Gain

Three bites of the outdoor cherry today. First was an early walk across the local stubble with Marty. I counted 49 Yellowhammers and c.50 Meadow Pipits come out of the stubble. The Yellowhammer count was the highest in the Burscough area for a couple of years. 

The second trip out was with Samuel and Jim Sines, one of my birding pals. Samuel isn't keen on being cold or birding so not a great combination really....

Samuel giving Jim so birding tips early into our walk

Two barm pots having a tussle over a branch

Nothing unusual at Mere Sands Wood although a couple of very common species were added to the Patchwork Challenge list; Song Thrush and Mistle Thrush. Plenty of Goosanders and Gadwall again and a single Little Egret. Things got unsatisfactory for Samuel as we trudged round, he demanded I carry him - which I resolutely refused to do and this led him pretty much blow his stack. These things happen....

Gutted to see the Rufford Hide had been vandalised (not by Samuel). What is wrong with folk? Hope LWT can  afford to put right the damage. Very annoying. 

Nice to see Dave Mallett and his partner Jo and baby Holly when we returned back to the visitor centre. Lovely folk. Jo bakes especially good cakes! That reminds me about food - my mate Jim in the proprietor of Master McGrath's restaurant, in Scarisbrick - half way between Ormskirk and Southport on the main road. Always a great welcome and great food. I thoroughly recommend it. That's a fiver please Jim.

 

 Interesting to see the hazel catkins out in the wood. 

My third and final trip out was over to Hundred End and Hesketh Out Marsh to catch up with some local wildfowl. 

One of six Bewick's Swans at Hundred End with c.180 Whooper Swans 

Hovering male Kestrel at Hesketh Out Marsh with Emmanuel and Holy Trinity church towers

Truly awful record shot of redhead Smew at Hesketh Out Marsh

After a few minutes perusing the estuary wildfowl I got cold and being soft I headed home via Curlew Lane adding Peregrine to the patch list - not a bad day out and about. 

Relaxed Saturday

No birding on Saturday due to the two Fs; Family and Football. 

Both the boys attend WLM Taekwhondo. Jacob is doing well, he's a green belt with blue stripe, whereas Samuel hasn't graded yet - he's only four.

 Samuel in his new uniform

Both boys had a good training session. Jacob and I sped off to Goodison afterwards. 

We always walk down Leighton St on the way to Goodison. It's now part of the pre fans ritual. Leighton Baines, Leighton Moss; it's all good. 

Jacob caught a T shirt, that they were firing into the crowd prematch. He donated it to me seeing as it's a men's XL. He caught two Everton mints too. He was happy enough even before kick-off, as were most of the crowd when Aiden McGeady was unveiled as the latest part of Roberto's blue revolution. 

I love Goodison with the floodlights on, it's a special atmosphere. 

The game itself was quality. Good, attacking, quick football from the Tofffees.  We should have scored more and Norwich could also have had at least one. However three points were well deserved. Barry and McCarthy were excellent in midfield and Stones class at the back. Barry's finish was explosive and the free kick Mirallas scored was simply sublime. Happy days at Goodison.  Long may it continue.