Rob Creek wrote:

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Early afternoon, couldnt stop long, working!

- 11 Twite flighty on saltmarsh opposite Marshside / Hesketh Rd
- 1 male Hen Harrier distantly on stump? towards Crossens Outer Marsh
- 1 very obliging female type Merlin on a trough also near Crossens OM

Plenty of usuals about.
- Pink-footed Geese
- Pintail
- Shoveler
- Wigeon
- Teal
- Black-tailed Godwit
- no sign for me of the female Scaup thats been at JP recently

Also something flew over me calling near junction pool and over towards the salt marsh. Sparrow-like and sounded like a mix between a loud cheap and a chirp, I didnt get that good a look at it to ID it as it was heading away from me.

-- Edited by Rob Creek on Thursday 3rd of January 2019 06:26:08 PM

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Well thats interesting, Ive just checked emails, BirdGuides have reported a male Hen Harrier behind the sand works a little earlier than I was there, I bet it was giving good views before I arrived.
Theyve also reported a Lapland Bunting calling flying over Marshside a little later than I was there. I wonder if thats what I heard?

From 10.00 until 14.30 today.  Sunny, dry but cold.  Highlights: 2 x Merlin; Twite; Sandpiper; Curlew; Black Tailed Godwit.  

Thurs 27th Dec

2nd visit here and what a splendid place it is. Didn't spend long enough to get accurate counts of some of the species, but there were certainly lots to see

- 1000+ Lapwing
- 300+ Golden Plover
- 200+ Black-tailed Godwit
- 40+ Redshank
- 50+ Pintail
- 100+ Pink-footed Goose (with many more out on the Estuary side)
- 10+ Little Egret
- Merlin (great views of it hunting)
- c40 Twite in flocks of 30 and c10
- c5 Great Black-backed Gull
- 2 Raven
- 10+ Curlew
- Lots of Teal, Shoveler, Mallard, Wigeon, Shellduck, Canada Goose, Herring and Common Gull plus 100s of Starling

I only wish that I could have spent the whole day there as there appeared to be 1000s of waders along the seashore

-- Edited by Charles Farrell on Saturday 29th of December 2018 02:04:27 AM

Late list from yesterday; from Fairclough pool to Crossens. Beautiful day, especially in the afternoon, and plenty to see, as usual:

Goldfinch, linnet, greenfinch, meadow pipit, pied wagtail, skylark (lots)
1,300+ starling, including a nice mini-murmuration over the out marsh late on (unfortunately not enough time to stop and watch, as I was late for my train, as usual)
2 raven
500+ teal
30+ shoveler
27 gadwall
1,500+ wigeon (majority on Crossens)
12+ pintail
25+ tufted duck
4 shelduck
1,000+ pink-footed geese
32 golden plover
c250 lapwing
1 dunlin
2 snipe
6+ redshank
250+ black-tailed godwit
8+ curlew
8 cattle egret
6 little egret
3 grey heron
3 great black-backed gull (all distant on out marsh)
1 merlin
1 kestrel
1 marsh harrier

Around the mudflats at the bottom of Fairway, where it meets Marine Drive, a single twite heard calling, though I couldn't find it. Also around here plenty of skylark, lots of shelduck, a single golden plover and a few each of snipe, redshank, curlew and little egret.

This wigeon, seen from the Sandgrounders Hide, had me baffled for ages. It was only when I got the photos home and zoomed in that I could confirm that it's a wigeon with a very pale head and some curious family background. For a couple of hours there I'd been hoping that what I suspected was a duck of dodgy parentage might turn out to have been my first American wigeon of the year. Ah well

(Heavily-cropped photo)

 

Hesketh Rd Platform
4 Cattle Egrets with 2 Little Egrets.

Pink Footed Geese everywhere, had really arrived en masse

 

-- Edited by John O'Neill on Tuesday 25th of September 2018 09:01:39 PM

Saturday 15th September

Arrived at Crossens Marsh early afternoon ended up staying a few hours.

I observed c60-70 Golden Plover resting on the inner marsh, with around 5 or 6 other birders present. Not an easy task with lots of young Lapwing mixed in sitting low in the marsh grass, having short sometimes invisible flattened crests and looking like Golden Plovers with the obvious pale stripe above the eye. A couple of GP's stood out and people were debating them but I was fairly certain they were just GP's. But then one popped up and started preening and this one was good for it, the American Golden Plover.
Whilst in my scope I let some have a look and got the others on to it and it was confirmed. Not been seen since around 10.30am and it had finally shown mid-afternoon.

I got my iPhone to my scope for a digiscoped shot but suddenly everything was flushed, a flock of around 15-20 Ring-necked Parakeets just beyond them had somehow managed to put the lot up. They were joined by more Golden Plover and we were joined by more birders as they'd been contacted by some present. Eventually the flock came down a bit closer and I thought this will be a lot tougher now there's probably well over 100 birds but within a few minutes I had it again at closer range. Again I'd got people on to it and it was looking good for a record shot but you know it's not your day when everything gets flushed just as you get your camera out.
Then just to rub it in, a couple came over to me and said "thankyou for that mate...we managed this digiscoped record shot"
I was proper miffed! Then another guy said the one he was watching was another American Golden Plover but different to the one I was watching. I know that 2 were seen a few days earlier but I couldn't confirm 2 on this afternoon.

They eventually landed and a couple more GP's stood out but in this instance I think they were just GP's. A few more birders turned up and were throwing their opinion about that nobody had seen it since the morning, then a msg from Birdguides saying the American GP had shown again was quickly followed by an Erroneous report. This annoyed me as I kind of assumed these late arrivals had informed Birdguides of their opinion that it hadn't been seen. I suppose I put 2+2 together etc.
I know what I saw in my mind was good, and others saw it, and got a record shot.

- Black-tailed Godwits 2000+
- Ruff possibly 15+ dotted around
- Pink-footed Goose c250+ (on inner and outer marsh)

Hesketh Rd Platform
5pm

Cattle Egret , more or less full summer plumage, showing really well on much reduced water in front of viewing platform. A Little Egret adjacent for easy comparison.

1 or 2 Ringed Plover. 3 Snipe.

The Glossy Ibis was in front of the Halfway Point screen around lunchtime today. Its fairly close to the screen but moves in and out of the vegetation. Full species list:

Shelduck
Black-tailed Godwit
Lapwing
Swift
Tufted Duck
Mallard
Gadwall
Coot
Mute Swan
Little Egret
Avocet
Greylag Goose
Black-headed Gull
Herring Gull
Grey Heron
Wood Pigeon
Canada Goose
Swallow
Redshank
Dabchick
Magpie
Buzzard
Shoveler
Wigeon
Skylark
Moorhen
Sedge Warbler
Whitethroat
Chaffinch
Goldfinch
Starling
Carrion Crow
Oystercatcher

Hesketh Rd Platform

2 Glossy Ibis in with the big flock of Black Tailed Godwits. Quite distant but one flew a bit closer. before landing out of sight in long vegetation.

10 + Ruff many in variations of Summer colours

Early morning, Highlights

Garganey 1m
Ruff c20, 1m in full breeding plumage
Curlew Sandpiper 3, 1m in breeding plum age, Poor quality phonescoped image attached




-- Edited by Mark Burgess on Sunday 6th of May 2018 12:01:06 PM

Delivering in Southport today so took a mid-afternoon tacho break at Marshside.

Of note...
- just missed 2 Glossy Ibis by minutes, they dropped in and flew off
- 1 Great White Egret from Sangrounders hide
- 1 Spoonbill - a very brief sight of its head and bill in a distantchannel
- 2 Little Egrets
- Plenty of Avocets
- Black-tailed Godwits in good numbers
- 1 Ruff dressed in black
- 2 Sedge Warbler
- 2 Common Whitethroat
- 1 Chiffchaff
- 2 Skylark
- 2 Linnet
- 1 Kestrel
- 5 Common Swift
- 1 Swallow

Usual Gulls and Ducks around...and also an odd looking Swallow that was flying near Nel's hide but it flew over the banking before I got in the hide and when I picked it up again it was flying away and distant. Looked interesting but it wasn't a good view.

Thoroughly enjoyable day spent around here today; birds not put up at any point I saw, so no doubt numbers far higher for some species than I was able to note.
Marshside main (afternoon):

Meadow pipit, skylark
700+ teal
120+ shoveler
6 gadwall
90+ pintail
c2,000 wigeon
c50 tufted duck
10 pochard
40+ shelduck (more on outmarshes)
2,000+ pink-footed geese (mainly on outmarshes)
18 mute swan
1 little grebe
40+ golden plover
c400 lapwing
5+ dunlin
2 redshank
2 snipe
c20 black-tailed godwit
13 (I think) avocet
7 oystercatcher
8+ little egret
3 grey heron
2 common gull
3 great black-backed gull
1 kestrel
1 buzzard

Crossens inner & outer marshes (just an hour or so, late afternoon):

Meadow pipit, pied wagtail, starling
73+ teal
840+ wigeon
11 shelduck
450+ pink-footed geese
31 golden plover
400+ lapwing
3 little stint (inner marsh, in front of sewerage works)
80+ dunlin
6+ redshank
160+ black-tailed godwit
1 curlew
4 little egret
2 great black-backed gull
1 kestrel

Beach and mudflats at the bottom of Fairway (late morning); tide well out, so pretty quiet (though worth the effort):

c50 twite
9+ skylark
57 shelduck
20 knot (including one with yellow tag below ankle, and yellow ring above, which I couldn't read, unfortunately)
70 - 100 redshank
2 snipe
2 curlew

Afternoon here over the high tide .. 1000s of birds

80+ Twite
60+ Skylark
Rock/water Pipit flew over
Stonechat
Big numbers of Lapwing, Redshank, Curlew, Dunlin, Oystercatcher and Golden Plover
2 knot close in
80 Bar tailed Godwit
1000+ Black tailed Godwit
Merlin
Peregrine
Barn Owl
3 Buzzard
Great White Egret

Plus loads of Pinkfeet, wigeon, Pintail, Gadwall etc

Went today with Malcolm to look for the Long-billed Dowitcher, after 2 hours searching Malcolm managed to find it from Nells hide
Cheers Ian

Long-billed Dowitcher, two showing really well.

A very late post, I was there the same day (Tuesday 10th) as Mark (below) but had a little more time so stayed for a while longer.

On arrival at Crossen's Inner Marsh the Golden Plover flock were still present but had taken flight not long after Mark had left and the American Golden Plover was nowhere to be seen. I had a good search of the Inner & outer marshes which both held plovers but to no avail. I found a couple of Ruff but nothing else out of the ordinary. Still it was nice birding to the backdrop of calling Pink-footed Geese again, I never tire of that. After a while I headed up to Banks but no sign of the Little Owls up there, still it gave me an excuse to pop into the Parker microbrewery on the same lane to pick up a couple of bottles of beer for teatime!

The I headed back to Marshside where at Crossen's Inner Marsh the American Golden Plover had been refound. This bird was a brighter bird that the one I saw in Wales two days earlier, again being a juvenile despite originally being put out as an adult. A report of the Long-billed Dowitcher being still on the marsh had onlookers confused as no-one in the group on the road had seen it. However my 'Sherlock Holmes-ian' powers of deduction saw a couple of birders a way along the grass bund at the back of Crossen's Inner Marsh so I set off to where they were with, amazingly, only 2 other birders for company who shared my deductions! As we approached a birder leaving confirmed that the bird was down that way so we continued on. Finally we found it hunkered down, roosting low on the bank of a pool, out of view and far from the road indeed. Slowly several other birders twigged that we were on it and joined us whereupon the Long-billed Dowitcher flew into the open onto a pool and gave fabulous views as it preened not far from the bund. Having left my camera gear in the car I snapped a record shot through the scope on my phone (see attached). Having a fair amount of time but not unlimited I headed home with the 2 yankee waders under my belt (not literally!).

Since the day Mark & I were there there have been no further sightings of either bird at Marshside RSPB.

Day spent around here today; highlights:

Plenty of goldfinch, meadow pipit and skylark.
1 linnet
1 wheatear
120+ teal
60+ shoveler
40+ wigeon
c20 gadwall
3 pintail
2 shelduck
400+ pink-footed geese (many arriving later on)
3 mute swan
c250 lapwing
6 snipe
25+ redshank
4 ruff
1,000+ black-tailed godwit
5 cattle egret (together as per photo below; lovely sight)
5 little egret
2 grey heron
1 common gull
1 sparrowhawk
1 - 3 kestrel

Mudflats at the end of the path from the sand works; large flock of waders (c1,000) put up when still distant, appeared 80% knot and 20% dunlin, but can't be sure. Positively ID'd:

2 grey plover
4 dunlin
300+ knot
3 redshank
300+ oystercatcher
1 curlew
1 little egret
c30 great black-backed gull

Crossens inner and outer marshes:

Goldfinch, pied wagtail, hundreds of starling.
120+ teal
60+ wigeon
2 shoveler
15+ golden plover
400+ lapwing
1 dunlin
1 curlew sandpiper (inner marsh, seen from in front of sewage works)
11+ snipe
18+ ruff
50+ black-tailed godwit
1 curlew
1 kestrel

12.00-16.00

Beach Area (Edge of Salt Marsh) : 6 Grey Plovers, 2 Grey Wagtails, 3 Kestrels and 6 Little Egrets.

Former Sand Works : 12 Meadow Pipits and 200+ Goldfinches.

Nels Hide area : 18 Ruff, 1 Sparrowhawk and 800+ Black Tailed Godwits.

2 Swallows by Sandgrounders were the only hirundines seen.

6 pink-footed geese dropped in at 12.20 this afternoon [first of the year]
2 cattle egret already there.

12.00-16.00

Site of old sand works : 6 Linnets.

Sandgrounders : 1 Cattle Egret, 1 Common Sandpiper, 4 Little Egrets, 60+ Black tailed Godwits, 7 Shelducks, 5 Redshanks and 2 Oystercatchers.

Junction Pool/Nels Hide

1 Cattle Egret showing really well on the Junction Pool, it then moved to join the cattle on the dry mud in front of Nels Hide.

It then followed the cattle as they moved into the tall grass towards Hesketh Road, and so became difficult to see. 2 White Wagtails were also on the dry mud.

Early morning in surprisingly chilly breezy conditions.

Saltmarsh good numbers of skylark and meadow pipit around the sand works, also a wheatear and ringed plover in this area.

Suttons Marsh area - sedge warblers showing very well along the Marshside Road stretch, whitethroat, avocets with well-grown young, 2 x little egret, 1 x very striking male ruff with cinnamon plumage, good numbers of oystercatcher, lapwing, shelduck and plenty of well-grown black-headed gull chicks ambling around from the Sandgrounders viewpoint.

~5pm from around RSPB visitor centre

Similar to below, but:
- 3 Cattle Egret (possibly from Lytham, where there were 10 recently but I saw 7 today)
- 4 Little Egret
- 1 Spoonbill (asleep - who'd have guessed)
- 4 Med Gulls (1 1cy, 1 2/3cy, 2 ad "preparing for the next generation")
- sev Swallow

Thursday 6th April.
A driver absence meant I had to cover the Southport route, a welcome change which saw me taking a tacho break at Marshside.

Of note amongst the mayhem of 100's of Black-headed Gulls...

- 5 Mediterranean Gulls
There were 2 pairs seen from Sandgrounders and then a 5th bird appeared which lead me to think there was probably a 6th bird nearby.
Only 1 bird had full white primaries, the other 4 had black on.
- 20+ Avocet
- 150+ Black-tailed Godwit from Nel's
- 1 Dunlin
- 4 Twite flew infront of me near car park
- Linnet / Skylark / Meadow Pipit around
- 1 House Martin over the car park
- 1 Cattle Egret distant at Nel's...still !
- 2 Little Egret
- Pink-footed Geese still out on Crossens Marsh plus I saw a lone Canada Goose which as yet I've not identified but I had my suspicions regarding certain features as to whether it was the Todd's that keeps being reported, but they could well be features that may possibly be shown in the variation of normal Canada Geese. So for now it's a Canada Goose!