Dotterel on Plex Moss
Many thanks to Phil Boardman for offering this great flight shot of the Plex Moss Dotterel he took yesterday, stood next to me, Jason and Bones who were getting poor results with digiscoping! Phil has more great shots on his flickr stream including this shot of the Crosby Pallid Swift.
Pallid Swift by Phil Boardman
See the Latest Sightings page for news on the status of both these birds.
26th April: Sedge Warbler at Marshside, Gropper & Grey Seal on the Wirral
I spent most of the day counting gulls and ducks for the Wetland Bird Survey; I fired off this quick shot of a Sedgie just as I was heading home. The original was not quite in focus, very flat, washed out, and lacking contrast. I seldom do any processing other than cropping and perhaps a tiny tweak of exposure, but I cranked up the curve in this using some very rudimentary software and got this effect. Let’s call it art. Or crap!
Meanwhile, Jason went to the Wirral and did some proper digiscoping, starting with this Grasshopper Warbler at Leasowe …
… and then this Grey Seal at Hilbre
April 22nd, Kestrel at Marshside
Another very fleeting visit with Django, the dog, tonight. Little to photograph except the resident Kestrel once again, who poses for me very readily. I think he has one eye on Django as a likely snack. The midges had similar thoughts about me.
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21st April, Marshside: Whinchat
My mooching around the house all day, being off work sick, was clearly too much for the family, who persuaded me that a bit of fresh air would do me good, and dumped me and the dog at the end of Marshside Road some time after 6pm. Rumours of a Great White Egret having flown over at 5pm were quickly scotched by a phone call, which also advised that the Spotted Redshank was still viewable from Nel’s at the time it was locked up, and sure enough it was ‘scopable even from Junction Pool but a photo was out of the question. So the highlight of this short visit was this Whinchat. Having seen, but failed to get a decent image of, the bird in the sandplant on Saturday, this one was at least eventually sufficiently obliging for me to get these record shots. A probable Tree Pipit flew over the sandplant, which had plenty of Wheatear around.
Freshfield Dune Heath, 19th April
One day Freshfield Dune Heath will turn up something spectacular: today was not that day. At times it can seem seem strangely bereft of birds, and today was just such a day. However, this Willow Warbler perched up nicely for me, and I had a great close flight view of a Crossbill with a very rufous belly, and saw my first Orange-Tip butterfly of the year.
Willow Warbler by Simon
Otherwise, 3 Common Buzzards, 2 Kestrels, loads of Linnet, 40+ Jackdaws, and plenty of Chiffchaffs, a few Blackcaps, and the usual woodland birds in the trees at the periphery of the site. Since I was last there, loads of ponds have been dug, presumably in the name of conservation. The Linnets were making use of these to drink, it being a fine, hot, April afternoon.
Willow Warbler by Simon
Marshside, April 18th
Little Grebe by Jason
Wheatear by Jason
Wheatear by Jason
Avocets by Jason
Black-tailed Godwit by Simon
Lapwing by Simon
Kestrel at Marshside
Easter Monday, from the bench at the Marshside Rd junction.
More from Jason …
A few more from Jason’s Flickr collection, starting with a stunning Skylark at Meols on the Wirral last weekend.
This Snow Bunting was at Red Rocks in February 2008
Curlew Sandpiper
Curlew Sandpiper, originally uploaded by simonglinn.
From October 2006, not the bird that was on Rimmer’s Marsh earlier this week but similar plumage and photographed in precisely the same location. Photos cropped from original taken with a Coolpix 995, no other processing.
Welcome …
This blog originally had a grand purpose for birding around Marshside and beyond. The map and info Pages section is still useful for that, but for rolling news of sightings and general discussion that purpose has perhaps been overtaken by the ease of use of other web developments, and I’d particularly recommend taking a look at the Ribble Estuary Nature Facebook Group.
These pages are now a repository for me to share photos and videos of my birding in and around Merseyside and occasionally further afield, and to provide me with an outlet for the occasional rant. You’ll find digiscoped photos and videos with a bit of reportage as the main posts; some useful birding info and resources are in the static Pages section.
Short form url: http://ow.ly/3b5PK
For other, more regular, blogs I recommend that everyone keeps a daily eye on John Dempsey’s Birdblog – probably the best online birding journal in the world (Theakston’s Best please, John …) as well as other local blogs of which there are links below. Of these, Colin Bushell’s Ribble to Amazon is currently the most regularly and enthusiatically updated and carries most useful information.
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Comments & Sightings
jstannage on Discussion Frank Whitney on Latest Sightings Simon Glinn on Moore and Pennington Flas… Roger John LITTLE on Moore and Pennington Flas… phil boardman on Latest Sightings Simon Glinn on Latest Sightings Simon Glinn on Latest Sightings Simon Glinn on Latest Sightings Frank Whitney on Latest Sightings Frank Whitney on Latest Sightings
Blogroll
- Another Place ~ Pete Kinsella
- Bill Aspin ~ Brockholes
- Brockholes Sightings Facebook
- Colin Bushell’s Blog
- Dave Bickerton’s Blog
- Dee Estuary Sightings
- Hilbre Island Blog
- Manchester Sightings
- Martin Mere Sightings
- Menzie Birding
- Mike Watson ~ E. Lancs
- Moore N.R. Sightings
- North Wales Sightings
- Paul Shenton ~ Flintshire
- South Liverpool Birder
- St Helens Sightings
- Steve Tomlinson
- Tony Conway ~ Seaforth
- Wirral Birder
The Big Websites
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Flickr Photos
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