Only found out I was on this route when I got into work so didnt have my scope!
Suttons Marsh. - 3 Cattle Egret with Cattle. 1 at first then 2 more popped up.
Crossens Outer Marsh - 2 Curlew Sandpiper - 1 White Wagtail with Pieds - 1 ringtail Hen Harrier - 1 Marsh Harrier - 1 Fieldfare percned On fence post - few Redwings over
Also of note the usuals... - 100s Pink-footed Geese - 100s Black-tailed Godwits - Dunlin / Knot - Skylarks over
- 1 slightly odd looking Snipe but limited optics with me so couldve been totally normal with closer views
-- Edited by Rob Creek on Tuesday 20th of October 2020 05:00:58 PM
- 5 Twite flying around near sailing club - 1 Cattle Egret with Little Egrets on saltmarsh opp Hesketh Rd - 2 Curlew Sandpiper On Crossens Inner Marsh - 1 probable White Wagtail (CIM) tough one but looked ok - 1 Ringtail Hen Harrier (CIM) - 1 male Hen Harrier distantly towards Banks Marsh
Also of note... - 3 Redwings over - 1 Knot on Crossens Inner Marsh - 1 Ringed Plover (CIM) - 100s Black-tailed Godwits (mostly at Hesketh Rd) - 100s Pink-footed Geese
Plus usual Waterfowl that youd expect to see.
-- Edited by Rob Creek on Saturday 17th of October 2020 02:38:27 PM
Grey Phalarope had been reported at Nels, but a birder in the car park told me the finder had observed it flying away but flew into some fencing, toppled down and hadn?t been seen in a while. There seemed to be quite a few birders heading to Nels so I gave it a miss for obvious reasons. The bird was seen again a little later.
Nothing at Junction Pool a all Nothing at Sandgrounders screen
I drove to the Wildfowlers pull in and scanned Crossens Inner Marsh. 2 separate birders were present including the finder of the Phalarope who confirmed the fence story. He soon left and it was just 2 of us observing.
- 100s Black-tailed Godwits - 1 Green Sandpiper - 8 Twite moving through (Singles feeding on ground with Linnets) - 5 Swallow from Pull-in - Skylarks / Meadow Pipits over - 5 Ruff initially, 2 more dropped in - 1 possible Curlew Sandpiper stood near Godwits, not 100% as it didnt lift its head but size / colour seemed ok?? - Teal with white facial spot at base of bill, domed head peaking towards rear of crown, looked unusual but there was one similar in Yorkshire a couple weeks ago, reported as Blue-winged Teal it was later reidentified as a Eurasian. I suspect this one is a Eurasian too.
Rob Creek said
Sat Sep 12 12:40 AM, 2020
Friday 11th Sept
The Southport route, a good opportunity for tacho break birding. Nice to chat with the 2 Lancs birders (who Ive met before) that read the forum.
- 21 Cattle Egret 9 with Cattle on Suttons Marsh (Firstly seen from Sandgrounders screen, I double checked from Marshside Rd) 2 on Rimmers Marsh (In between Hesketh Rd and Nels) 10 on marsh opposite Sandgrounders (Some were obscured but eventually gave themselves up)
Little Egrets were fairly numerous too hence why I double checked them. I managed some images, one showing the 10 together and another showing 8 of the 9 with Cattle. There were adults showing the orangey crest on the head, and an immature showing a slightly darker bill.
- 1 probable Garganey, female briefly just beyond Junction Pool - 4 Curlew Sandpiper, briefly on Crossens Inner Marsh before being flushed - c4-500 Black-tailed Godwits ?? - 2 Ruff Crossens Inner Marsh - 1 Peregrine patrolling the area
Apologies for delay but just got my internet back.
Long billed Dowitcher in full summer plumage with large group of Black tailed Godwits on Polly's Pool.
The godwits are also still in their summer finery, so despite an obvious size difference the dowitcher was difficult to make out.
Thankfully a birder already had the bird in view on their scope, so they kindly point out the exact spot for me to view it through mine.
A scope, or large telephoto lens is essential if the bird remains around Polly's Pool.
I believe the bird has remained there over the weekend, and has been around the site for some time now.
Avocets and Dunlin were also amongst the waders on Polly's Pool, whilst a Kestrel and a Sparrowhawk patrolled the salt marsh.
Both hides and the toilets were still shut on Friday, but the carpark is now open.
Rob Creek said
Sun Apr 12 11:04 AM, 2020
Thursday 9th April
Delivering in Southport mid-afternoon.
Usual Wildfowl, Waders, Gulls and Little Egrets from Hesketh Rd platform and then from Junction Pool screen.
Wildfowlers Pull-in. It was a high tide early afternoon so when I arrived around 2.30pm most of Crossens Outer Marsh was still covered in a significant amount of water. Pink-footed Geese were still present in massive numbers right across the full breadth of the marsh but were quite far out due to the water, only a few small groups were near enough to scan through, I didnt see anything unusual.
Also of note... - 7 Black-tailed Godwits nice and close below the pull-in - 6 Ringed Plover dropped in - 1 White Wagtail
Rob Creek said
Sun Apr 5 1:23 AM, 2020
Friday 3rd April.
Working round the corner so dropped in at Hesketh Rd viewpoint and the Wildfowlers Pull-in early afternoon en-route to next job. Numbers not counted but a good showing from the Wildfowl.
-- Edited by Rob Creek on Sunday 5th of April 2020 12:34:17 AM
Ian McKerchar said
Mon Mar 23 3:34 PM, 2020
Can we not use fully abbreviated location names please!
I appreciate some of them are along winded to type out but many (most!) users won’t have the foggiest idea what they allude to and in another couple of weeks, any post explaining what they do mean will be long buried!
Rob Creek said
Mon Mar 23 2:28 PM, 2020
Sunday morning visit whilst Michelle was having a Mothers Day lie-in with Lucas.
Some good birds around, of note...
- 1 Eurasian Spoonbill spotted it feeding on Suttons Marsh towards Sandgrounders hide from WfPi about 8.15am, presumably an adult - head plumes blowing in the wind, went for a closer look a bit later but had flown off around 9.30am. - 1 Greenland White-fronted Goose From WfPi on COM - 3 Barnacle Geese distant on COM - 1 Water Pipit with Meadows below WfPi, dark legs + head turning slate grey - 2 White Wagtail below WfPi, always difficult but looked good to me - 1 Merlin from WfPi, chasing Pipits/Wagtails - 1 Scaup (female) at Junction Pool, nearly missed her tucked in at first - 13 Avocet on Rimmers Marsh near JP - Black-tailed Godwits everywhere - Todds Canada Goose on Banks Marsh but then no more than 500yds away were a couple more Canada Geese but that said I think I got the right one??
Also of note there mustve been a mini influx of Chiffchaff. I had 8 incl one at the WfPi, 2 at Old Hollow Farm at Banks Marsh both singing, then no less than 5 in c500yds along the Marine Drive path from Sandgrounders.
Lots of the usual stuff too incl...c20+ Little Egret, Golden Plover, Wigeon, Teal, Skylark, etc Not bad in approx 2.5hrs visit
Steven Nelson said
Sat Mar 21 6:22 PM, 2020
Just to add to what Rob said about viewing the GB Brant, I saw it from the embankment looking west from the access point onto the sea wall at the farm at end of Marsh Rd, Banks. I walked west (2 field lengths) down to a row of trees and viewed from there. The geese were still distant at the west end of Banks Marsh and they get hidden in the grass. When its head is down feeding it is hard to pick out but eventually it will raise its head and have a wander around. The same geese flock is (was!) viewable from Marine Drive at the pull-in and I was able to pick out the Barnacles from here as well as from Banks Marsh but not the Brant. But I did get the two Greenland Whitefronts from here. But again some patience needed to find these as well. Couldnt find the GW Teal though or Water Pipit
Rob Creek said
Sat Mar 21 9:14 AM, 2020
May I offer a little bit of advice (if it helps) for anyone trying for the Brant etc or who may be unfamiliar with the area, dont expect to just rock up and land on it, like Steve says below- you need patience, it could be anywhere over those marshes, hidden in the 1000s of Pink-footed Geese. The WfPi is on Marine Drive on the Crossens Outer Marsh (COM) side of the road, you are looking out over COM and more distantly the western end of Banks Marsh (BM) you cant see the rest of BM thats how vast it. Someone was sat on the embankment / sea wall opposite Marine Drive and they put out directions to look towards Blackpool tower so I tried to estimate where the bird was and I got lucky, its being reported at the west end of BM again this morning. The Green-winged Teal could be anywhere in the network of channels between the sea wall and the sluice on COM and stays hidden for hours. Its a fine day so bright light and a bit of heat haze might be against you, good luck!
Rob Creek said
Sat Mar 21 9:08 AM, 2020
Had to do the Southport run on Thursday so called in at the Wildfowlers Pull-in (WfPi)
- Brief view of the Grey-bellied Brant at distance but it soon dissipated into the heat haze, yes the sun was out and it made for difficult viewing. Similar to what happened last year when I last saw it.
- 6 Barnacle Geese possibly a few more but distant - Pink-footed Geese in abundance - 1 Hen Harrier (male) briefly and distant
- No sign of the Green-winged Teal, reported in the channels at Wildfowlers pull-in, only Eurasian Teal for me, it is there just very elusive. - No sign of the Water Pipit, c10 Meadow Pipits, all had pale pinky orange legs.
Usual Redhanks, Little Egrets, etc
Steven Nelson said
Fri Mar 20 10:07 PM, 2020
Highlights from Marshside, Crossens and Banks Marshes today.
Banks Marsh: Grey-bellied Brant - distant and took patience to find 6 Barnacle Geese - also distant Large flocks of Pink-feet 1 Spotted Redshank - winter plumaged bird feeding with Redshanks 1 White Wagtail feeding with Pied Wagtails 1 Merlin 1 Peregrine 2 Whooper Swans
Crossens Outer Marsh: 2 Greenland White-fronted Geese with the Pink-feet
Marshside RSPB: Lots of Avocets Large numbers of Wigeon, Teal & Black-tailed Godwit 4 Pintail Big flock of Golden Plover 2 Stonechat- both males around old sand whining compound.
53 species overall
-- Edited by Steven Nelson on Friday 20th of March 2020 10:10:15 PM
Mark Burgess said
Sun Feb 2 6:06 PM, 2020
Great views of the Long-billed Dowitcher, as below report 50yds out from metal access gate at the end of Glencoyne Drive Also from the same location 6 Bewick's Swan, 5 adults and 1 juvenile 3 Greater Scaup 1 male and 2 female from Hesketh road raised platform
Lez Fairclough said
Mon Jan 27 10:02 PM, 2020
Finally got to see the Long-Billed Dowitcher which was showing really well at 2pm only 50yds out from the end of Glencoyne Drive on Crossens Inner Marsh
Also viewed from here were 2 Curlew, 5 Redshank & at least 300 Golden Plover
On Crossens Outer Marsh were 5 Little Egret & reports of 4 Tundra Bean Goose
Long Billed Dowitcher was giving good views from 10.30am on Crossens Inner Marsh. Only a minutes walk from the end of Glencoyne Drive.
Many Golden Plover, Lapwing and Black Tailed Godwit around too, with 2 Little Egret.
Lez Fairclough said
Sat Jan 25 1:02 AM, 2020
After reading 2 weeks worth of Long - Billed Dowitcher sightings & being unable to get there due to family commitments, I finally went to Marshside RSPB early afternoon expecting to see this rarity, only to be told by a fellow birder that it had been spooked by a Peregrine 2 hours earlier & hadn't been relocated since - very frustrating !!! However I did see approx 100 Golden Plover & 2 Little Egret along with many Black Tailed Godwit but due to the excess lying water on the marsh most birds were very distant and towards the central areas of Inner Crossens.
Mike Berry said
Thu Jan 23 11:41 PM, 2020
Mediterranean gull close to Nell's hide with Black Headed Gull close by for comparison. Three scaup showing well at the same location.
Another catch up post (see Leighton Moss post for reason!).
On 18/1/20 I managed a trip out to Marshide to catch up with a few birds for the year. First on the list was the Long-billed Dowitcher (pic attached) in its usual spot on the far side of Crossens Inner Marsh (from the hide) accessed through the housing estate at the end of Glencoyne Drive where there is sufficient parking for several cars. A kind birder, me having explained my lack of sight in two eyes, let me look at a perched Merlin through his scope rather than me having to find it in mine. I didn't need fantastic vision though to see and ID the hundreds of Golden Plover that took to the air along with several Black-tailed Godwits.
Next stop was Gravel Lane in Banks, despite the birders I met at Marshside saying that they had been there already with no luck. I did a bit of searching and found 2 Cattle Egrets, neither in their usual horse paddock though. One was in the field opposite the paddock along Dobiners Lane, right next to the caravans. The other was in the margins of the ploughed fields over the other side of Gravel Lane. Again on a short time budget I had to return home after half a day.
My first Long billed dowitcher was 11/2 years ago and that was brief and very distant. So it may come as no surprise I made an effort to go to Marshside for this morning...... and I'm glad I did!
37 species seen in just 2 hours! That's all I could really spare for this trip.
Highlights include....
Golden plovers Curlew Black tailed godwit Redshank Oystercatcher Lapwings Little grebe x2 Pintail Common gulls Great black backed gull
And of course, the star bird: Long billed dowitcher which gave belting views (when he woke up breifly) and a picture!!!!
Went to see the Long-Billed Dowitcher today in absolutely terrible conditions..........but again well worth it and a lifer for me. If you want to see it (noticed no one has put where it is) don't go to Marshsides main parking. When you come to the roundabout don't take the Marshside turning take the one before (thinks its Preston Road but not sure) you will come to a BP garage turn right after the garage then second right (Glencoyne Drive) follow this to the end and you can park on the left. there is an opening to the walk way and its 20 yards in front of you as you climb up to the path. Its been there for around 4 days now so see no reason why it would leave this spot. Pics added and good luck
Yesterday I used the much improved train service from Bolton to Southport. Then walked along the front to Marshside. The highlights were:
A flock of c50 Twite on the shore, north of the pier. A female Merlin allowing close views near the visitor centre. c1000 Lapwing and c200 Golden Plover constantly being put up by unseen raptor(s). Finally, I came across several birders, one of whom had found a Long-billed Dowitcher which gave very good views.
Charles Farrell said
Sat Dec 28 1:45 AM, 2019
27-Dec-19: (11:15 - 13:30):
Fairly clear most of the time but dull and overcast: Plenty of Geese and Raptors around, but lack of time and the sometimes low misty conditions meant I didnt see as much as I had hoped.
From the Visitors Centre: - 100s of Pink-footed Goose, Greylag Goose and Wigeon - 1 Sparrowhawk - 2 Kestrel - 1 Little Grebe - Flock of 300+ Golden Plover few over, as did a smaller flock of BT Godwits - 4 Little Egret 100s of Gulls but too distant for my scope. Plenty of Shelduck, Teal, Wigeon, Mallard and Shoveler.
Crossens Outer Marsh etc: - 1 Merlin (but up to 3 reported in recent days) - 1 very distant Peregrine perched up - 1+ Marsh Harrier (very distant) - 100s of Pink-footed Goose, Greylag Goose and Wigeon - 3 Curlew - 5 Little Egret - Stonechat - Reed Bunting - Many 100s of small waders out towards the waters edge Sparrowhawk. Great White Egret and 2 Hen Harrier seen by others
Elsewhere: 2 Scaup + Something/Scaup cross from the hide in front of Nel's Pool - reported by others c70 Twite reported near the Pier
Lez Fairclough said
Mon Dec 9 8:06 PM, 2019
Two very nice but icy wind cold hours mid afternoon
100+ of both Pintail & Wigeon & quite a few Shelduck & Shoveler all from Nel's Hide
2 Linnet's in trees on coast road with a couple of Kestrel's hovering above
3 Little Egrets, 1 Great White Egret & a solitary Redshank on salt marsh across road from Sandgrounders Hide(visitor centre)
PLEASE NOTE:- As from 1st December 2019 the car park is now a non-cash pay & display - up to 2 hrs = £1.50 over 2 hrs = £3.00
with RSPB members & Blue Badge holders Free
Chris Harper said
Sun Dec 8 8:02 PM, 2019
9.45-11.30 today with High Peak RSPB group
2 female Scaup from Nel's. Also male Hen Harrier opposite hide on the marsh.
Also Kestrel, Raven, 2 Pochard, 100s of Black Tailed Godwit and Golden Plover. Plus Pintail, Teal, Shoveler, Gadwall, Little Egret, Linnet, Skylark
Did not leave myself enough time to investigate further
John Williams said
Thu Nov 14 11:41 PM, 2019
10.00-13.30
After the recent rain the water level on the marsh both at Sandgrounders and in front of Nels Hide
was very high, although the usual Black Tailed Godwits and Lapwings found the odd unflooded spot
to settle on, as did 3 Curlews. Large numbers of Wigeon, Teal, Shoveler and Mallard appeared to relish
the flood, and in front of Nels Hide plenty of Pintail did too. The only rapters seen were 3 Kestrels.
4 Grey Herons were around the reserve, and 1 of these gave a demo in front of Sandgrounders on how
to catch, kill and eat a vole. 70 Tufted Ducks and a single drake Pochard were on the junction pool, but
there was no sign of the previously reported Scaup.
Rob Creek said
Fri Nov 8 4:33 PM, 2019
John Watson wrote:
ecl male rather than female, perhaps ?
Hi John, Something Id thought about before posting, and in my view from what I saw in the field... mainly overall brown hues to the plumage, the head was chocolate brown rather blackish, the lack of whitish tones to the flanks, and the amount of white around the base of the bill (from what was on show) all seemed to suggest female to me. Had it not been pouring with rain, maybe the mantle vermiculations mightve stood out a bit more to possibly add to the identification. A female is still being reported there today too so I stand by my sighting of a female, if Im wrong of course then you know me I will gladly stand corrected.
John Watson said
Fri Nov 8 9:46 AM, 2019
ecl male rather than female, perhaps ?
Rob Creek said
Fri Nov 8 12:38 AM, 2019
Thursday 7th Nov
Doing the Southport round so called in on my break early afternoon.
- 1 Greater Scaup (female) Literally walked over to Junction Pool, started scanning the Tufted Duck and she stood out. She was the biggest one amongst them!
- 16 Twite On the salt marsh not far from the sailing club. A Black-headed Gull put them up and they flew further out.
Also the note... - lots of Pink-footed Geese on the marsh - Black-tailed Godwits - 1 Common Snipe - 2 Little Egret
A fantastic view of a buzzard in flight was seen during the journey to Marshside.
Once we arrived, Me and my mother went ahead to the Nels hide and it was packed! Thankfully, it wasn't too long before a seat was available for us and we were on the Red necked phalarope straight away without knowing exactly where it was. This was both our main highlight of the day.
The phalarope was always feeding next to a duck, likely because the ducks (first, Pintail, next shoveler, teal, etc) were stirring up the insects and bringing the grubs to the surface too. As my mother said, she was sure this phalarope had too much coffee this morning because watching him, he was restless and hyper - much more so than last years grey phalarope from Crosby Marina.
Other highlights included:
Cattle egret Pintail Shelduck Black tailed godwit (flock of about a thousand at least outside the hide) Ruff Redshank Kestrel Great white egret (when just setting off for home on the saltmarsh)
So two lifers today, but I suffered afterwards with a headache due to the travelling, but very well worth it and I enjoyed much of it - But, saying that, I will be very glad to get back to my preferred normal birding!
Over 1000 pick footed geese today with one Brent goose in amongst them (see pic not the best) around 1000 Black-Tailed Godwits and 3 Curlew Sandpipers and on the Island in front of Nells Hide 10 Cattle Egrets with 1 Little Egret (see picture) Kingfisher flew by. Great day indeed
There was a noticeable trickle of southbound Swallows along the edge of the saltmarsh.
There was also a trickle of Pink Footed Geese arriving in small groups.
Viewable from Nels Hide :
5 Cattle Egrets, 3 Little Egrets, 1 Ruff, 17 Black Tailed Godwits and 1 Oystercatcher.
The junction pool was largely empty apart from a couple of Moorhens etc.
Quite a few drake Mallards are now fully out of eclipse plumage.
John Williams said
Sun Jul 14 4:27 PM, 2019
10.00-12.30
Sandgrounders area :
2 Common Sandpipers, 1 Green Sandpiper, 1 Little Ringed Plover, 1 Grey Wagtail, 1 Buzzard,
3 Linnets, 3 Little Egrets, 30 Dunlin, 2 Sedge Warblers, 1 singing Common Whitethroat and 2 Little Grebes.
Junction Pool :
1 Glossy Ibis and 60+ Black Tailed Godwits.
The area in front of Nels Hide has now dried up completely and is devoid of birdlife,
There is still a small pool below the Hesketh Road platform, but only a few gulls and Lapwings were on it.
Charles Farrell said
Sat Jul 6 11:49 PM, 2019
Sat 6th July: (12:10 - 16:15)
Arrived around midday and walked up to the Junction Pool Viewpoint to find the Glossy Ibis just about 20m away and then a Cattle Egret in the long grass with the cattle - 2 year ticks, was a nice start
After 30 mins here I walked down to Nels's hide where I spent 90 mins and then on to the Visitor centre for the remainder of my stay.
A good selection of birds on show, though certainly numbers wises, the vsiitor centre hide was the most productive.
Noteworthy birds
- Glossy Ibis - exclusively at the Junction Pool - Cattle Egret - also exclusively at the Junction Pool - Great Egret - 2 north of the visitor centre in reedbeds and possibly a 3 out on the marsh - Little Egret - quite mobile and seen from all viewpoints - Black-Tailed Godwit - around 1000 in front of the visitor centre in the surrounding Marsh - Green Sandpiper - 1 at Nells Hide - Knot - 1 in summer plumage seen from Nells Hide - but also a flock of c12 reported from the Visitor Centre - c6 Avocet - at least 2 pair with chicks, from Junction Viewpoint - c16 Dunlin from the visitor Centre
Other waders including Oystercatcher, Redshank, Lapwing.
Plenty of Swifts and Hirundines of all varieties. Some lovely summer-plumaged Linnets and a few juv Lapwing, Shelduck etc Around 50 species in all.
Richard Thew said
Mon Jul 1 12:35 PM, 2019
I've had the morning free so I went to Marshside for a few hours and it was well worth it and 40 species (with many skipped due to time).
I started off in Nels hide and a glossy ibis was quickly seen but at a distance. During the next hour I got cattle egret, little egret, summer plumage redshanks, black tailed godwits and even a spotted redshank.
When I was debating to see what else was around the reserve, a fox appeared on the left and to my suprise - the glossy ibis suddenly appeared right in front of me!! He only stayed for 2 minutes and it is by far the best view I've ever had!!!!
Also noteworthy was...
Little grebe - juvenile Avocet Black headed gull juveniles Common gull Oystercatcher Reed warbler And a reserve 1st for me (for on the main part of the reserve) and that was a small flock of knots!
Hi Rob,
It defo does look like a Honey Buzzard but the head looks too large and its difficult to see long tail. Anyone any thoughts on this?
Osprey, Or 2nd year common buzzard maybe?
Any more pics?
Birdwatching of photos is hard, in the field as you saw it you get a better feel for what it is always. So you are probably right.
Matt
Rob Smith said
Tue Jun 18 7:27 PM, 2019
Popped in to see the Glossy Ibis but it wasn't around or visible instead ended up watching a Honey Buzzard which arrived from the east and spent some time circling/soaring over the marshes, nice!
Despite the distance & haze my bridge camera managed to catch the main features
After a wet morning on my patch, when the sun came out I fancied a trip out. So on news I nipped over to Marshside RSPB and started searching. I quickly found the bird I had come to see, in the shape of the Glossy Ibis. It was feeding over along the edge of a ditch near School Pool on Sutton's Marsh. Several Little Egrets were also present on here. With not a lot of time I had to be satisfied with what I had seen and head home to beat the traffic.
Chris Harper said
Sun May 26 7:03 PM, 2019
Glossy Ibis showed well on and off ftom Nel's hide between 12 and 1 today. Often mobbed by some of the many Black Tailed Godwit. Also 2 Sedge Warbler. 4 young Avocet and 2 Dunlin.
Yellow Wagtail on Crossens marsh was best of the rest.
-- Edited by Chris Harper on Sunday 26th of May 2019 07:08:31 PM
-- Edited by Chris Harper on Sunday 26th of May 2019 07:57:27 PM
Called in here after visiting Lunt Meadows. Very pleasant afternoon. 47 species recorded, the best of which were: Spoonbill, Reeve, Common Sandpiper, 2 Dunlin in summer plumage,(Nels Pool) Wood Sandpiper (Halfway Pool) Little Gull ( Rainford's Pool) Wheatear (Old Sandworks) Greenshank (Crossens Marsh - on one of the drainage channels from Marine Drive)
John Williams said
Sat May 11 5:31 PM, 2019
10.00-15.00
Area around former sand works : 1f Wheatear, 1m Linnet, 1 Sedge Warbler and 1 overflying Peregrine.
Crossens Marsh : 60 Pink Footed Geese (Single skein flew in from the North).
Junction Pool : 2 Common Sandpipers with a group of Dunlin and Black Tailed Godwits.
Pied Flycatcher in Hesketh Park today -still in situ at 7.15pm
Richard Thew said
Wed Apr 10 4:39 PM, 2019
A very interesting day out, with 50 species seen and witha few surprises too!!
First up- due to the sunny weather, I went around the back path first and did a full loop around that way.
Avocets are still in good numbers. Little grebe Pintail. Snipe. House Martin. A few interesting looking ruffs were seen. A small flock of siskins were a big suprise!
At the Saltmarsh was.
Pink footed geese Barnacle geese Sparrowhawk Little egret 7 white wagtails (Both attached are males. The sharp border from black to grey on the back of the neck is just one of a few key pointers to seperate from Pied wagtails. The difference in grey tone in the pictures is due to the light angle.) A merlin which flew past me very close before landing at a distance. A female wheatear but distant Linnets landed close in front of me whilst I sat on the mound . Elsewhere
Shoveler Usual redshanks and black tailed godwit Mediterranean gull And a Spoonbill!!!
I ran out of time to Finnish at the viewing platform and i had to skip finding a calling willow warbler.
Ta!
-- Edited by Richard Thew on Wednesday 10th of April 2019 08:27:06 PM
Banks Marsh. - 1 (possible) Grey-bellied Brant Bit distant out on the marsh and a lot of heat haze affecting visibility as the sun was beaming down. It stood out amongst the Pink-footed Geese and you could see that it appeared slightly different to a Black Brant, so well wait to see what the verdict is but Im glad I made the effort to go and Hesketh see it.
Not sure how many Pink-footeds there were but they seemed to up in the 1000s and ranged across the whole of Banks Marsh looking over towards Hesketh Out Marsh.
-- Edited by Rob Creek on Monday 8th of April 2019 02:15:13 PM
Forgot to mention the Atlantic Canada Goose was also present on Saturday. Judging by comments I heard on Sunday...I thought Id clarify that this bird is the Todds from a few weeks ago. It totally confused me when the info services put it out again but as Atlantic. Our ferals are Atlantic and the way it was being reported lead me to believe it was a genuine vagrant Atlantic but a different subspecies to the Todds but I found out a few weeks ago it is the very same individual. Im still confused as the Todds Latin name is Branta Canadensis Interior but the Atlantic has a Latin name Branta Canadensis Canadensis.
Work that one out!
Rob Creek said
Mon Apr 8 2:09 PM, 2019
Sunday 7th April.
Banks Marsh... couldnt resist the urge to go again and try for better views of the Grey-bellied Brant! There was less heat haze so it made for slightly better viewing. Managed some digiscoped images of it.
Other birds of note... - 3 White Wagtail - 2 Wheatear (1m/1f) Not sure if these Wheatear were Greenland race, appeared fairly large, long legged, and the orangey buff extended from the throat all the way down to the underbelly. Totally different to the ones over near Plex Moss.
Nice to see Ian Igglesden again, and then Paul Baker turned up, and then my brother turned up with my spare keys as Id accidentally dropped them onto the boot rim and as the boot lid closed it pressed the lock button constantly and car went into shutdown mode with the deadbolts, immobiliser, the lot!
-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Monday 8th of April 2019 03:01:46 PM
Banks Marsh. - 1 (possible) Grey-bellied Brant Bit distant out on the marsh and a lot of heat haze affecting visibility as the sun was beaming down. It stood out amongst the Pink-footed Geese and you could see that it appeared slightly different to a Black Brant, so well wait to see what the verdict is but Im glad I made the effort to go and Hesketh see it.
Not sure how many Pink-footeds there were but they seemed to up in the 1000s and ranged across the whole of Banks Marsh looking over towards Hesketh Out Marsh.
-- Edited by Rob Creek on Monday 8th of April 2019 02:15:13 PM
Shannon Llewellyn said
Sun Mar 31 10:26 PM, 2019
Lovely day spent around here today, with plenty to be seen; Fairclough pool to Crossens:
Linnet, meadow pipit (loads, especially on Crossens outer), pied wagtail, skylark. 1 ring ouzel 170+ teal 30+ gadwall 80+ shoveler 6 pintail 12 wigeon 40+ tufted duck 1 pochard (female) 70+ shelduck Several 000 pink-footed geese, mainly distant on Crossens outer 4 barnacle geese 17 mute swan 5 little grebe c50 golden plover 120+ lapwing 29 ruff (mainly on Crossens inner, showing superbly well) 45+ redshank c600 black-tailed godwit 44 avocet 15 oystercatcher 2 curlew 4 little egret 5 great black-backed gull 1 merlin
4 wheatear on the beach at the bottom of Fairway, and a sparrowhawk seen in Southport town centre.
Monday 19th Oct.
Only found out I was on this route when I got into work so didnt have my scope!
Suttons Marsh.
- 3 Cattle Egret with Cattle. 1 at first then 2 more popped up.
Crossens Outer Marsh
- 2 Curlew Sandpiper
- 1 White Wagtail with Pieds
- 1 ringtail Hen Harrier
- 1 Marsh Harrier
- 1 Fieldfare percned On fence post
- few Redwings over
Also of note the usuals...
- 100s Pink-footed Geese
- 100s Black-tailed Godwits
- Dunlin / Knot
- Skylarks over
- 1 slightly odd looking Snipe but limited optics with me so couldve been totally normal with closer views
-- Edited by Rob Creek on Tuesday 20th of October 2020 05:00:58 PM
Southport route and a tacho break looming...
- 5 Twite flying around near sailing club
- 1 Cattle Egret with Little Egrets on saltmarsh opp Hesketh Rd
- 2 Curlew Sandpiper On Crossens Inner Marsh
- 1 probable White Wagtail (CIM) tough one but looked ok
- 1 Ringtail Hen Harrier (CIM)
- 1 male Hen Harrier distantly towards Banks Marsh
Also of note...
- 3 Redwings over
- 1 Knot on Crossens Inner Marsh
- 1 Ringed Plover (CIM)
- 100s Black-tailed Godwits (mostly at Hesketh Rd)
- 100s Pink-footed Geese
Plus usual Waterfowl that youd expect to see.
-- Edited by Rob Creek on Saturday 17th of October 2020 02:38:27 PM
Southport route, called in early afternoon.
Grey Phalarope had been reported at Nels, but a birder in the car park told me the finder had observed it flying away but flew into some fencing, toppled down and hadn?t been seen in a while. There seemed to be quite a few birders heading to Nels so I gave it a miss for obvious reasons.
The bird was seen again a little later.
Nothing at Junction Pool a all
Nothing at Sandgrounders screen
I drove to the Wildfowlers pull in and scanned Crossens Inner Marsh.
2 separate birders were present including the finder of the Phalarope who confirmed the fence story. He soon left and it was just 2 of us observing.
- 100s Black-tailed Godwits
- 1 Green Sandpiper
- 8 Twite moving through
(Singles feeding on ground with Linnets)
- 5 Swallow from Pull-in
- Skylarks / Meadow Pipits over
- 5 Ruff initially, 2 more dropped in
- 1 possible Curlew Sandpiper stood near Godwits, not 100% as it didnt lift its head but size / colour seemed ok??
- Teal with white facial spot at base of bill, domed head peaking towards rear of crown, looked unusual but there was one similar in Yorkshire a couple weeks ago, reported as Blue-winged Teal it was later reidentified as a Eurasian. I suspect this one is a Eurasian too.
The Southport route, a good opportunity for tacho break birding.
Nice to chat with the 2 Lancs birders (who Ive met before) that read the forum.
- 21 Cattle Egret
9 with Cattle on Suttons Marsh
(Firstly seen from Sandgrounders screen, I double checked from Marshside Rd)
2 on Rimmers Marsh
(In between Hesketh Rd and Nels)
10 on marsh opposite Sandgrounders
(Some were obscured but eventually gave themselves up)
Little Egrets were fairly numerous too hence why I double checked them. I managed some images, one showing the 10 together and another showing 8 of the 9 with Cattle.
There were adults showing the orangey crest on the head, and an immature showing a slightly darker bill.
- 1 probable Garganey, female briefly just beyond Junction Pool
- 4 Curlew Sandpiper, briefly on Crossens Inner Marsh before being flushed
- c4-500 Black-tailed Godwits ??
- 2 Ruff Crossens Inner Marsh
- 1 Peregrine patrolling the area
Apologies for delay but just got my internet back.
Long billed Dowitcher in full summer plumage with large group of Black tailed Godwits on Polly's Pool.
The godwits are also still in their summer finery, so despite an obvious size difference the dowitcher was difficult to make out.
Thankfully a birder already had the bird in view on their scope, so they kindly point out the exact spot for me to view it through mine.
A scope, or large telephoto lens is essential if the bird remains around Polly's Pool.
I believe the bird has remained there over the weekend, and has been around the site for some time now.
Avocets and Dunlin were also amongst the waders on Polly's Pool, whilst a Kestrel and a Sparrowhawk patrolled the salt marsh.
Both hides and the toilets were still shut on Friday, but the carpark is now open.
Delivering in Southport mid-afternoon.
Usual Wildfowl, Waders, Gulls and Little Egrets from Hesketh Rd platform and then from Junction Pool screen.
Wildfowlers Pull-in.
It was a high tide early afternoon so when I arrived around 2.30pm most of Crossens Outer Marsh was still covered in a significant amount of water.
Pink-footed Geese were still present in massive numbers right across the full breadth of the marsh but were quite far out due to the water, only a few small groups were near enough to scan through, I didnt see anything unusual.
Also of note...
- 7 Black-tailed Godwits nice and close below the pull-in
- 6 Ringed Plover dropped in
- 1 White Wagtail
Friday 3rd April.
Working round the corner so dropped in at Hesketh Rd viewpoint and the Wildfowlers Pull-in early afternoon en-route to next job. Numbers not counted but a good showing from the Wildfowl.
- Mute Swans
- Greylags
- Canada Geese
- Pink-footed Geese
- Barnacle Geese
- Shelduck
- Mallard
- Gadwall
- Eurasian Wigeon
- Eurasian Teal
- Shoveler
- Pintail
- Tufted Duck
- Cormorant
- Black-tailed Godwit
- Avocet
- Oystercatcher
- Redshank
- Curlew
- Lapwing
- Little Grebe
- Little Egret
- Herring Gull
- Lesser Black-backed Gull
- Great Black-backed Gull
- Black-headed Gull
- Meadow Pipit
- Skylark
- Reed Bunting
- Kestrel
- Common Buzzard
Can we not use fully abbreviated location names please!
I appreciate some of them are along winded to type out but many (most!) users won’t have the foggiest idea what they allude to and in another couple of weeks, any post explaining what they do mean will be long buried!
Some good birds around, of note...
- 1 Eurasian Spoonbill spotted it feeding on Suttons Marsh towards Sandgrounders hide from WfPi about 8.15am, presumably an adult - head plumes blowing in the wind, went for a closer look a bit later but had flown off around 9.30am.
- 1 Greenland White-fronted Goose From WfPi on COM
- 3 Barnacle Geese distant on COM
- 1 Water Pipit with Meadows below WfPi, dark legs + head turning slate grey
- 2 White Wagtail below WfPi, always difficult but looked good to me
- 1 Merlin from WfPi, chasing Pipits/Wagtails
- 1 Scaup (female) at Junction Pool, nearly missed her tucked in at first
- 13 Avocet on Rimmers Marsh near JP
- Black-tailed Godwits everywhere
- Todds Canada Goose on Banks Marsh but then no more than 500yds away were a couple more Canada Geese but that said I think I got the right one??
Also of note there mustve been a mini influx of Chiffchaff. I had 8 incl one at the WfPi, 2 at Old Hollow Farm at Banks Marsh both singing, then no less than 5 in c500yds along the Marine Drive path from Sandgrounders.
Lots of the usual stuff too incl...c20+ Little Egret, Golden Plover, Wigeon, Teal, Skylark, etc
Not bad in approx 2.5hrs visit
Couldnt find the GW Teal though or Water Pipit
The WfPi is on Marine Drive on the Crossens Outer Marsh (COM) side of the road, you are looking out over COM and more distantly the western end of Banks Marsh (BM) you cant see the rest of BM thats how vast it.
Someone was sat on the embankment / sea wall opposite Marine Drive and they put out directions to look towards Blackpool tower so I tried to estimate where the bird was and I got lucky, its being reported at the west end of BM again this morning.
The Green-winged Teal could be anywhere in the network of channels between the sea wall and the sluice on COM and stays hidden for hours. Its a fine day so bright light and a bit of heat haze might be against you, good luck!
- Brief view of the Grey-bellied Brant at distance but it soon dissipated into the heat haze, yes the sun was out and it made for difficult viewing. Similar to what happened last year when I last saw it.
- 6 Barnacle Geese possibly a few more but distant
- Pink-footed Geese in abundance
- 1 Hen Harrier (male) briefly and distant
- No sign of the Green-winged Teal, reported in the channels at Wildfowlers pull-in, only Eurasian Teal for me, it is there just very elusive.
- No sign of the Water Pipit, c10 Meadow Pipits, all had pale pinky orange legs.
Usual Redhanks, Little Egrets, etc
Banks Marsh:
Grey-bellied Brant - distant and took patience to find
6 Barnacle Geese - also distant
Large flocks of Pink-feet
1 Spotted Redshank - winter plumaged bird feeding with Redshanks
1 White Wagtail feeding with Pied Wagtails
1 Merlin
1 Peregrine
2 Whooper Swans
Crossens Outer Marsh:
2 Greenland White-fronted Geese with the Pink-feet
Marshside RSPB:
Lots of Avocets
Large numbers of Wigeon, Teal & Black-tailed Godwit
4 Pintail
Big flock of Golden Plover
2 Stonechat- both males around old sand whining compound.
53 species overall
-- Edited by Steven Nelson on Friday 20th of March 2020 10:10:15 PM
Great views of the Long-billed Dowitcher, as below report 50yds out from metal access gate at the end of Glencoyne Drive
Also from the same location 6 Bewick's Swan, 5 adults and 1 juvenile
3 Greater Scaup 1 male and 2 female from Hesketh road raised platform
Finally got to see the Long-Billed Dowitcher which was showing really well at 2pm only 50yds out from the end of Glencoyne Drive on Crossens Inner Marsh
Also viewed from here were 2 Curlew, 5 Redshank & at least 300 Golden Plover
On Crossens Outer Marsh were 5 Little Egret & reports of 4 Tundra Bean Goose
Long Billed Dowitcher was giving good views from 10.30am on Crossens Inner Marsh. Only a minutes walk from the end of Glencoyne Drive.
Many Golden Plover, Lapwing and Black Tailed Godwit around too, with 2 Little Egret.
After reading 2 weeks worth of Long - Billed Dowitcher sightings & being unable to get there due to family commitments, I finally went to Marshside RSPB early afternoon expecting to see this rarity, only to be told by a fellow birder that it had been spooked by a Peregrine 2 hours earlier & hadn't been relocated since - very frustrating !!! However I did see approx 100 Golden Plover & 2 Little Egret along with many Black Tailed Godwit but due to the excess lying water on the marsh most birds were very distant and towards the central areas of Inner Crossens.
Three scaup showing well at the same location.
Another catch up post (see Leighton Moss post for reason!).
On 18/1/20 I managed a trip out to Marshide to catch up with a few birds for the year. First on the list was the Long-billed Dowitcher (pic attached) in its usual spot on the far side of Crossens Inner Marsh (from the hide) accessed through the housing estate at the end of Glencoyne Drive where there is sufficient parking for several cars. A kind birder, me having explained my lack of sight in two eyes, let me look at a perched Merlin through his scope rather than me having to find it in mine. I didn't need fantastic vision though to see and ID the hundreds of Golden Plover that took to the air along with several Black-tailed Godwits.
Next stop was Gravel Lane in Banks, despite the birders I met at Marshside saying that they had been there already with no luck. I did a bit of searching and found 2 Cattle Egrets, neither in their usual horse paddock though. One was in the field opposite the paddock along Dobiners Lane, right next to the caravans. The other was in the margins of the ploughed fields over the other side of Gravel Lane. Again on a short time budget I had to return home after half a day.
37 species seen in just 2 hours! That's all I could really spare for this trip.
Highlights include....
Golden plovers
Curlew
Black tailed godwit
Redshank
Oystercatcher
Lapwings
Little grebe x2
Pintail
Common gulls
Great black backed gull
And of course, the star bird:
Long billed dowitcher which gave belting views (when he woke up breifly) and a picture!!!!
Ta!
Os map ref: SD366 206 (behind Glencoyne Drive)
The highlights were:
A flock of c50 Twite on the shore, north of the pier.
A female Merlin allowing close views near the visitor centre.
c1000 Lapwing and c200 Golden Plover constantly being put up by unseen raptor(s).
Finally, I came across several birders, one of whom had found a Long-billed Dowitcher which gave very good views.
Fairly clear most of the time but dull and overcast: Plenty of Geese and Raptors around, but lack of time and the sometimes low misty conditions meant I didnt see as much as I had hoped.
From the Visitors Centre:
- 100s of Pink-footed Goose, Greylag Goose and Wigeon
- 1 Sparrowhawk
- 2 Kestrel
- 1 Little Grebe
- Flock of 300+ Golden Plover few over, as did a smaller flock of BT Godwits
- 4 Little Egret
100s of Gulls but too distant for my scope. Plenty of Shelduck, Teal, Wigeon, Mallard and Shoveler.
Crossens Outer Marsh etc:
- 1 Merlin (but up to 3 reported in recent days)
- 1 very distant Peregrine perched up
- 1+ Marsh Harrier (very distant)
- 100s of Pink-footed Goose, Greylag Goose and Wigeon
- 3 Curlew
- 5 Little Egret
- Stonechat
- Reed Bunting
- Many 100s of small waders out towards the waters edge
Sparrowhawk. Great White Egret and 2 Hen Harrier seen by others
Elsewhere:
2 Scaup + Something/Scaup cross from the hide in front of Nel's Pool - reported by others
c70 Twite reported near the Pier
Two very nice but icy wind cold hours mid afternoon
100+ of both Pintail & Wigeon & quite a few Shelduck & Shoveler all from Nel's Hide
2 Linnet's in trees on coast road with a couple of Kestrel's hovering above
3 Little Egrets, 1 Great White Egret & a solitary Redshank on salt marsh across road from Sandgrounders Hide(visitor centre)
PLEASE NOTE:- As from 1st December 2019 the car park is now a non-cash pay & display - up to 2 hrs = £1.50 over 2 hrs = £3.00
with RSPB members & Blue Badge holders Free
9.45-11.30 today with High Peak RSPB group
2 female Scaup from Nel's. Also male Hen Harrier opposite hide on the marsh.
Also Kestrel, Raven, 2 Pochard, 100s of Black Tailed Godwit and Golden Plover. Plus Pintail, Teal, Shoveler, Gadwall, Little Egret, Linnet, Skylark
- 200+ Pink-footed Geese
- 80+ Wigeon
- 80+ Pintail
- 40+Teal
- c30 Shoveler
- Skylark
- Kestrel
- c12 Twite
- 3+ Little Egret
Did not leave myself enough time to investigate further
After the recent rain the water level on the marsh both at Sandgrounders and in front of Nels Hide
was very high, although the usual Black Tailed Godwits and Lapwings found the odd unflooded spot
to settle on, as did 3 Curlews. Large numbers of Wigeon, Teal, Shoveler and Mallard appeared to relish
the flood, and in front of Nels Hide plenty of Pintail did too. The only rapters seen were 3 Kestrels.
4 Grey Herons were around the reserve, and 1 of these gave a demo in front of Sandgrounders on how
to catch, kill and eat a vole. 70 Tufted Ducks and a single drake Pochard were on the junction pool, but
there was no sign of the previously reported Scaup.
Hi John,
Something Id thought about before posting, and in my view from what I saw in the field... mainly overall brown hues to the plumage, the head was chocolate brown rather blackish, the lack of whitish tones to the flanks, and the amount of white around the base of the bill (from what was on show) all seemed to suggest female to me. Had it not been pouring with rain, maybe the mantle vermiculations mightve stood out a bit more to possibly add to the identification.
A female is still being reported there today too so I stand by my sighting of a female, if Im wrong of course then you know me I will gladly stand corrected.
Doing the Southport round so called in on my break early afternoon.
- 1 Greater Scaup (female)
Literally walked over to Junction Pool, started scanning the Tufted Duck and she stood out. She was the biggest one amongst them!
- 16 Twite
On the salt marsh not far from the sailing club. A Black-headed Gull put them up and they flew further out.
Also the note...
- lots of Pink-footed Geese on the marsh
- Black-tailed Godwits
- 1 Common Snipe
- 2 Little Egret
A fantastic view of a buzzard in flight was seen during the journey to Marshside.
Once we arrived, Me and my mother went ahead to the Nels hide and it was packed! Thankfully, it wasn't too long before a seat was available for us and we were on the Red necked phalarope straight away without knowing exactly where it was. This was both our main highlight of the day.
The phalarope was always feeding next to a duck, likely because the ducks (first, Pintail, next shoveler, teal, etc) were stirring up the insects and bringing the grubs to the surface too. As my mother said, she was sure this phalarope had too much coffee this morning because watching him, he was restless and hyper - much more so than last years grey phalarope from Crosby Marina.
Other highlights included:
Cattle egret
Pintail
Shelduck
Black tailed godwit (flock of about a thousand at least outside the hide)
Ruff
Redshank
Kestrel
Great white egret (when just setting off for home on the saltmarsh)
So two lifers today, but I suffered afterwards with a headache due to the travelling, but very well worth it and I enjoyed much of it - But, saying that, I will be very glad to get back to my preferred normal birding!
Ta!
9000 pink-footed geese newly arrived
10 cattle egrets
1200 black-tailed godwits
knot and ruff evident
Area around old sand works :
1 Rock Pipit, 4 Linnets, 6 Meadow Pipits, 10 "Alba" Wagtails and a charm of 10 Goldfinches.
1 Peregrine and 1 Kestrel in flight over the saltmarsh.
Sandgrounders :
3 Goldcrests, 1 Ruddy Shelduck, 4 Curlews, 50+ Black Tailed Godwits.
There was a noticeable trickle of southbound Swallows along the edge of the saltmarsh.
There was also a trickle of Pink Footed Geese arriving in small groups.
Viewable from Nels Hide :
5 Cattle Egrets, 3 Little Egrets, 1 Ruff, 17 Black Tailed Godwits and 1 Oystercatcher.
The junction pool was largely empty apart from a couple of Moorhens etc.
Quite a few drake Mallards are now fully out of eclipse plumage.
Sandgrounders area :
2 Common Sandpipers, 1 Green Sandpiper, 1 Little Ringed Plover, 1 Grey Wagtail, 1 Buzzard,
3 Linnets, 3 Little Egrets, 30 Dunlin, 2 Sedge Warblers, 1 singing Common Whitethroat and 2 Little Grebes.
Junction Pool :
1 Glossy Ibis and 60+ Black Tailed Godwits.
The area in front of Nels Hide has now dried up completely and is devoid of birdlife,
There is still a small pool below the Hesketh Road platform, but only a few gulls and Lapwings were on it.
Arrived around midday and walked up to the Junction Pool Viewpoint to find the Glossy Ibis just about 20m away and then a Cattle Egret in the long grass with the cattle - 2 year ticks, was a nice start
After 30 mins here I walked down to Nels's hide where I spent 90 mins and then on to the Visitor centre for the remainder of my stay.
A good selection of birds on show, though certainly numbers wises, the vsiitor centre hide was the most productive.
Noteworthy birds
- Glossy Ibis - exclusively at the Junction Pool
- Cattle Egret - also exclusively at the Junction Pool
- Great Egret - 2 north of the visitor centre in reedbeds and possibly a 3 out on the marsh
- Little Egret - quite mobile and seen from all viewpoints
- Black-Tailed Godwit - around 1000 in front of the visitor centre in the surrounding Marsh
- Green Sandpiper - 1 at Nells Hide
- Knot - 1 in summer plumage seen from Nells Hide - but also a flock of c12 reported from the Visitor Centre
- c6 Avocet - at least 2 pair with chicks, from Junction Viewpoint
- c16 Dunlin from the visitor Centre
Other waders including Oystercatcher, Redshank, Lapwing.
Plenty of Swifts and Hirundines of all varieties. Some lovely summer-plumaged Linnets and a few juv Lapwing, Shelduck etc Around 50 species in all.
I started off in Nels hide and a glossy ibis was quickly seen but at a distance. During the next hour I got cattle egret, little egret, summer plumage redshanks, black tailed godwits and even a spotted redshank.
When I was debating to see what else was around the reserve, a fox appeared on the left and to my suprise - the glossy ibis suddenly appeared right in front of me!! He only stayed for 2 minutes and it is by far the best view I've ever had!!!!
Also noteworthy was...
Little grebe - juvenile
Avocet
Black headed gull juveniles
Common gull
Oystercatcher
Reed warbler
And a reserve 1st for me (for on the main part of the reserve) and that was a small flock of knots!
Ta!
Popped in to see the Glossy Ibis but it wasn't around or visible instead ended up watching a Honey Buzzard which arrived from the east and spent some time circling/soaring over the marshes, nice!
Despite the distance & haze my bridge camera managed to catch the main features
After a wet morning on my patch, when the sun came out I fancied a trip out. So on news I nipped over to Marshside RSPB and started searching. I quickly found the bird I had come to see, in the shape of the Glossy Ibis. It was feeding over along the edge of a ditch near School Pool on Sutton's Marsh. Several Little Egrets were also present on here. With not a lot of time I had to be satisfied with what I had seen and head home to beat the traffic.
Glossy Ibis showed well on and off ftom Nel's hide between 12 and 1 today. Often mobbed by some of the many Black Tailed Godwit. Also 2 Sedge Warbler. 4 young Avocet and 2 Dunlin.
Yellow Wagtail on Crossens marsh was best of the rest.
-- Edited by Chris Harper on Sunday 26th of May 2019 07:08:31 PM
-- Edited by Chris Harper on Sunday 26th of May 2019 07:57:27 PM
Called in here after visiting Lunt Meadows.
Very pleasant afternoon. 47 species recorded, the best of which were:
Spoonbill, Reeve, Common Sandpiper, 2 Dunlin in summer plumage,(Nels Pool)
Wood Sandpiper (Halfway Pool)
Little Gull ( Rainford's Pool)
Wheatear (Old Sandworks)
Greenshank (Crossens Marsh - on one of the drainage channels from Marine Drive)
Area around former sand works : 1f Wheatear, 1m Linnet, 1 Sedge Warbler and 1 overflying Peregrine.
Crossens Marsh : 60 Pink Footed Geese (Single skein flew in from the North).
Junction Pool : 2 Common Sandpipers with a group of Dunlin and Black Tailed Godwits.
Hesketh Road : 1 Curlew Sandpiper (With Dunlin), 1m Linnet and 2 Sedge Warblers.
First up- due to the sunny weather, I went around the back path first and did a full loop around that way.
Avocets are still in good numbers.
Little grebe
Pintail.
Snipe.
House Martin.
A few interesting looking ruffs were seen.
A small flock of siskins were a big suprise!
At the Saltmarsh was.
Pink footed geese
Barnacle geese
Sparrowhawk
Little egret
7 white wagtails (Both attached are males. The sharp border from black to grey on the back of the neck is just one of a few key pointers to seperate from Pied wagtails. The difference in grey tone in the pictures is due to the light angle.)
A merlin which flew past me very close before landing at a distance.
A female wheatear but distant
Linnets landed close in front of me whilst I sat on the mound
.
Elsewhere
Shoveler
Usual redshanks and black tailed godwit
Mediterranean gull
And a Spoonbill!!!
I ran out of time to Finnish at the viewing platform and i had to skip finding a calling willow warbler.
Ta!
-- Edited by Richard Thew on Wednesday 10th of April 2019 08:27:06 PM
Forgot to mention the Atlantic Canada Goose was also present on Saturday.
Judging by comments I heard on Sunday...I thought Id clarify that this bird is the Todds from a few weeks ago. It totally confused me when the info services put it out again but as Atlantic.
Our ferals are Atlantic and the way it was being reported lead me to believe it was a genuine vagrant Atlantic but a different subspecies to the Todds but I found out a few weeks ago it is the very same individual.
Im still confused as the Todds Latin name is Branta Canadensis Interior but the Atlantic has a Latin name Branta Canadensis Canadensis.
Work that one out!
Sunday 7th April.
Banks Marsh... couldnt resist the urge to go again and try for better views of the Grey-bellied Brant!
There was less heat haze so it made for slightly better viewing.
Managed some digiscoped images of it.
Other birds of note...
- 3 White Wagtail
- 2 Wheatear (1m/1f)
Not sure if these Wheatear were Greenland race, appeared fairly large, long legged, and the orangey buff extended from the throat all the way down to the underbelly. Totally different to the ones over near Plex Moss.
Nice to see Ian Igglesden again, and then Paul Baker turned up, and then my brother turned up with my spare keys as Id accidentally dropped them onto the boot rim and as the boot lid closed it pressed the lock button constantly and car went into shutdown mode with the deadbolts, immobiliser, the lot!
-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Monday 8th of April 2019 03:01:46 PM
Nice to see Rob and Sonja Adderley as always.
Banks Marsh.
- 1 (possible) Grey-bellied Brant
Bit distant out on the marsh and a lot of heat haze affecting visibility as the sun was beaming down. It stood out amongst the Pink-footed Geese and you could see that it appeared slightly different to a Black Brant, so well wait to see what the verdict is but Im glad I made the effort to go and Hesketh see it.
Not sure how many Pink-footeds there were but they seemed to up in the 1000s and ranged across the whole of Banks Marsh looking over towards Hesketh Out Marsh.
-- Edited by Rob Creek on Monday 8th of April 2019 02:15:13 PM
Linnet, meadow pipit (loads, especially on Crossens outer), pied wagtail, skylark.
1 ring ouzel
170+ teal
30+ gadwall
80+ shoveler
6 pintail
12 wigeon
40+ tufted duck
1 pochard (female)
70+ shelduck
Several 000 pink-footed geese, mainly distant on Crossens outer
4 barnacle geese
17 mute swan
5 little grebe
c50 golden plover
120+ lapwing
29 ruff (mainly on Crossens inner, showing superbly well)
45+ redshank
c600 black-tailed godwit
44 avocet
15 oystercatcher
2 curlew
4 little egret
5 great black-backed gull
1 merlin
4 wheatear on the beach at the bottom of Fairway, and a sparrowhawk seen in Southport town centre.