This morning - 5.30-11.00am - Rising tide

Decent passage of Common and much smaller numbers of Arctic terns in the first hour. Later it was mainly Sandwich, although quite a few Common terns remained on or around the beach. A Black Tern appeared at 9.20am, picking morsels off the surface of the sea along with Common Terns and a single juvenile Kittiwake. I did have views around 6.00am of a very pale tern that landed briefly on the beach. It may have been a Roseate but it was simply too far and too dark for me to be anything like sure.

Two Arctic Skuas put in appearances first thing, one a pale morph, one a dark. The dark morph pursued a Black-headed Gull up the beach, eventually giving up and landing briefly on the sand. Usual Gannets and Scoters also seen and at least four Grey Seals were present.

Saturday 11th August - 5.15-7.45am

Seawatching was garbage, a few distant Scoter flocks but no skuas. Managed 73 Manx Shearwaters, all between 7.00-7.20am, and most of those in a large group of c50. Eight Great Crested Grebes, 2 Grey Seals and 2 Dolphins.

Most unusual sighting, and something I've never seen before whilst seawatching - a Black Swan heading north!

I've had a couple of early morning seawatching sessions at Ainsdale over the last few days as some of the reports coming from there recently have been 'interesting'.

Saturday 4th August - 5.30-7.00am - Low tide
Gannet - 24
Common Scoter - 240
Manx Shearwater - 10
Great Crested Grebe - 1
Arctic Skua - 2 (1 pale, 1 dark)

I had a further skua species that was lurking way out on the sea and ambushing passing terns, quite possibly one of the Arctics I'd seen earlier.

Wednesday 8th August - 5.10-6.45am - Ebbing tide
Gannet - 12 (stopped counting after a while as there was no clear passage, most birds were simply hunting the area)
Common Scoter - 34 close in early, many distant birds moving south later
Manx Shearwater - 296
Great Crested Grebe - 3
Arctic Skua - 3 (1 pale, 2 dark)
Mediterranean Gull - 1 (juv)

Two Grey Seals present on both days.

Surprising numbers of Manxies early on, and relatively close - a group of 55 landed on the sea (I also had another very distant group feeding on the sea numbering anything from 50-100)

Many terns were landing on the beach half a mile south of where I was watching so, when I spotted what I thought were two skuas just off-shore from them, I drove my car down. When I arrived I realised it was a pale morph Arctic Skua (almost certainly the one I'd seen earlier) mobbing a Peregrine! The Peregrine only lost it's tormentor when it started stooping at Oystercatchers.

Driving down the rain sodden prom at Weld Road today and picked up the Glaucous Gull flying parallel with the car! My best "from a moving car moment" so far :) Cue quick drive round the next roundabout and the fastest lens change I've ever managed: to get a record shot as it flew about ten feet over my head.

I think I'm in trouble though as my nine year old now wants to do a year list [Tawny Owl last night and Glauc today seem to have inspired her] and I've always resisted year lists before...

Just up the coast a bit this morning at Weld Road - Birkdale Beach [thanks Sid] , having a quiet walk along the shore - too early for dog walkers - thankfully! No be-horned shore larks but Mippits, wide selection of gulls, sanderling, grey plover, knot, pied wags, little egrets and the best bit - roving flocks of twite [lifer] and linnet but one flock of around thirty twite with only one linnet in with them - I was expecting it to be the other way round. There were at least four colour ringed twite but sadly due to the poor light this morning I can't call any in as I can't be 100% on the combinations.

-- Edited by Pete Welch on Saturday 5th of December 2009 09:49:27 PM

-- Edited by Pete Welch on Sunday 6th of December 2009 09:26:01 AM