Golden Days

They're back. Golden Plover all over Marshside one at lunchtime, at last.
Went to Ainsdale at 3 for the high tide. Although only a 7.5m I thought I might find the wader roost to tick Grey Plover, but I couldn't find any waders !!
I went to the top of a dune at the Ecocentre and did a bit of sea watching.
Counted 11 Great Crested Grebes and 1 Common Scoter, which seemed strange, I've always seen them in small flocks before, but it couldn't have been anything else.
Also strange was a Mute Swan on the tide line !! with a small gull roost, it looked very out of place.
Then I stopped at Marshside to scan for Short Eared Owl from Mount Baker.
What I think was a Buzzard was 'parked up' on a log a fair way off. I picked up 2 Peregrine, one a pristine male, and a Kestrel on the logs, but no Owls.
I think I try Low Meadows as Graham facebooked to say he'd had 2 there on Sunday.

Once Bittern

 I convinced Jean that it would be a good day out to go and look for the otters at Leighton Moss after the routine Saturday shopping. So we packed a picnic and arrived about noon. Having devoured the picnic in the carpark we set off to Lilian's hide via the feeders which had the usual full set of Tits, Bull, Chaff, Gold and Green Finches.
Smew had been promised at Lilian's along with Green Winged Teal, but true to form, neither appeared after we'd arrived !!
So we decided to look for otters along the causeway. We'd been in Public hide about 10 minutes ticking off the usual ducks, when a Bittern flew across in front of us and landed beside the hide giving us brilliant, if brief, views of a fantastic bird.
Five otters had been present during the morning, but the closest we got a spraint pointed out to us by a warden on one of the bridges.
Lower hide gave us another Bittern flyby, but, from the direction it came, I suspect it was the same bird we'd seen at Public earlier.
Too many people in the hides, too much noise and bustle for us today.
41 species ticked in 2 hours without  trying too hard. 

Twite right

Gotcha at last !!!
40+ Twite in flight at the end of Hesketh Road at lunchtime today, pushed off the strandline by the high tide.
By the time I'd parked and walked back, I couldn't relocate them on the ground, unfortunately.
Still, a ticks, a tick, and I've been looking for them since Christmas !!!

Short Eared Owls about now as well from the Sand Plant, I'll have a look tomorrow.

Year list stands on 111, best January on record, 105 last year, but I feel I've got alot more 'easy' birds in this year's list. Still to find Jay, Gold and Grey Plover which should be easy.

Not bitten

Dropped into Mere Sands at dinnertime yesterday to look for the Bittern that had been reported a couple of days ago.
No Bittern for me after an hour staring at the reeds from Rufford hide, but plenty of Goosander, possibly upto about 20. All the usual Mere Sands species ticked, Great Crested Grebe, Bullfinch.....
Then onto Martin Mere for the Brambling, again dipped, but Willow Tit was showing well from Janet Kear hide.

Today I thought I'd look for Grey Plover on the high tide at Birkdale or Ainsdale, so I stopped at Weld Road at diinertime. The great JD was there looking at both Glaucoud Gulls together on the shrimper's track, one now obviously much whiter tha the other. Wilst I was talking to him he put me onto a Jack Snipe flying high over the green beach.
No waders on the beach here, perhaps a better chance at Ainsdale, but when I got there it was raining again, so I gave up for today, maybe try again tomorrow if the weather is better.

Legs Eleven (or two)

Spent half an hour, at lunchtime today, staring at legs !!!
Over a thousand pink and just one orange pair !!!
Attached to a Bean Goose on Plex Moss.
That took some finding, but another year tick, along with a pair of Grey Partridge.

Stopping off at Weld Road to look for Twite, again,
there was the original Glaucous Gull sitting on the path next to a Herring Gull for comparison.

It's leg was better, but it still seemed a bit under the weather, although it looked to be feeding ok.
Definitely a different bird than the one I had at weekend, that one was much more active.
The comparison with the Herring Gull was nice, slightly bigger, but a lot more bulky and barrel chested.

Drive by

On the way in this morning there was a large flock of geese on the field next to Martin Mere. Probably had the beans with them, but I couldn't find a safe place to stop and they'd gone by lunch.
So I thought I'd have a look at Lock Lane, Sollom having seen a flock of fieldfare and redwing at Windmill Farm corner earlier. It looks like it could be a good site, but today I got more redwing feeding on ivy berries.
The first song thrush of the year was in the garden when I got home.

The Seagull At Last

Got it !!

The Glaucous Gull that's been at Weld Road for nearly a month now, I had it last year but needed it on this year's list.
I went for a walk with Jean on the beach at Weld Road as it was a lovely crisp sunny day, as we set off towards the boardwalk, I scanned the gull roost with binoculars as the tide was about an hour from high. There didn't seem anything big enough for a Glauc, until they all got spooked by a large white winged and tailed Gull. Yes, that's it, I went for my scope for a better look, but by the time I got back somebody had sent their dog out and all the gulls had moved south, so we decided to collect our dog and go to Mere Sands.

The car park was almost full, but first stop was Lancaster hide to see if the Water Rail was still showing.
I was the only person in, so it was nice and quiet, and I was careful as I approached the window. I had only just arrived when the Rail appeared on the tray.
Brilliant views, but the camera's in the car !!!

It was eventually chased off by a Moorhen, so we walked round the trail and had Nuthatch on the feed trays round the back. Took the camera for the Rail before we went home, it came back again, a bit dark for photos, but you can just make it out as it shoots back towards the reeds.
Too many people to stay too long today.