Saturday 20 October 2018

Another morning at Marton Mere

The Safari and CR were going to have a day out on the Southside but news on the street was that where we were going to head off to was going to be seriously disturbed due to large machinery beginning work on some extensive habitat modifications - going to be really good when they're finished. However it did mean that had we rocked up there might have been little to see so Plan B was activated - go to Marton Mere, where else! Saved a few bob in petrol and a good hours traveling time too.
On the walk in through the wetlands it was three mornings out of three for the Cetti's Warbler but this time it was on the allotment side of the path rather than in the second pond along.
A Redwing called high above us and then dropped like a stone in to the adjacent scrub, also in the scrub was a flock of Long Tailed Tits which held a Coal Tit too. Then we bumped into RC and while chatting a couple of Siskins (MMLNR #85) went over us. From there we entered the reserve proper and we aimed for the Feeding Station. It was livelier than the previous couple of days with a whole pack of female Pheasants, several Chaffinches, Dunnocks, Robins, Blue and Great Tits. Mammal activity was provided by a flurry of Grey Squirrels.
A quick scan from the new Bittern viewing area didn't give us much other than a lot of Coots and certainly no Bitterns, the nearest we could get to a Bittern was a Heron stood motionless on the reed edge away on the far side of the mere.
Moving on to the Fylde Bird Club hide a pair of Mallards were asleep on the 'goalposts' and a nicely moulting through drake Teal swam past a little way beyond them.
A movement through the tops of the reeds to our right had us squealing 'Bittern' (191, MMLNR #86) in a very overexcited voice. CR fired off a burst of shots but was too eager and didn't let his lens focus on it we on the other hand fared even worse - for some inexplicable reason our camera refused to do anything.
Too eager a Bittern by CR - he won't thank us for posting this image!
The darned thing flew right past us almost giving us a wave as it went - why oh why did our camera throw a moody??? We had a little fiddle with some of the knobs and buttons and not two or three minutes later pointed the lens at a passing gull - no problems, Common Gull committed to the SD card - now why didn't that happen earlier????? So concerned were we with the state of our camera we didn't realise it was a Common Gull until we reviewed the pic to check all was hunky dory, wrongly we'd assumed it was a Black Headed Gull. But then we've told you a hundred times never assume nothin unless told to in a Maths or Physics exam and now you know why!
Two Water Rails scuttled their way through the reeds and across the gaps between them but too quickly, two Cetti's Warblers argued loudly with other either side of the hide but as ever declined to show themselves. 
We'd been hearing Skylarks all morning but some louder calls from lower birds had us looking skywards to find a flock of 10 birds coming towards us.




A couple more each of Cetti's Warblers and Water Rails were heard along the embankment but still no sight nor sound of any Bearded Tits yet.
Further round CR's keen eyes picked out a few ladybirds and then cluster of Harlequin Ladybirds sunning themselves on a fence post.
We found a few more scattered around on the surrounding vegetation too. We'd been reading about the 'Invasion of Killer Ladybirds' all over the nonsense press and social media but these are the first we've seen for some time.
It was sunny and warm by now, warm enough to bring a few butterflies, at least three Red Admirals and a couple of Speckled Woods.
Great Spotted Woodpecker and Buzzard best of the rest on a relatively quiet morning.
With time to spare and the sun out it woulda been a sin to waste it. But where to go? CR suggested Stanley Park and why not it was less than a five minute drive away. 
We walked round the lakeside looking for any Mediterranean Gulls roosting up on the rail, none again - not seen one there for far too long now, where are they all? 
Perhaps more unusual was the almost complete lack of birds along the woodland part of the lakeside walk. Out on the lake there's a huge ominous swathe of Azolla. Monty fell through it thinking it was solid 'grass' when he tried to reach someone's lost football - oops he won't be doing that again - - frightened himself he did. In the bits of open water we saw some sleeping Shovelers, several Gadwall and some Tufted Ducks.
Along the roadside we came across a Great Crested Grebe which started fishing.
And at last it was close enough when it caught a Perch for us to get our best shot of one with a fish so far.
The grebe must have still been hungry after its meal as it continued fishing for some time all in a very small area but sisn't catch anything else.
It was then we heard a Ring Necked Parakeet call from the other side of the lake so off we went. By the time we'd walked round there other birders/photographers told us it had flown off and they were interesting their lenses with a couple a couple of Grey Squirrels tucking in to food they'd pout down for them. They are very habituated to people and dogs showing no fear so we were able to frame fillers from as close as the big lens would allow, shame the sun wasn't reaching this shady area low down under the trees now.
They might be unwanted aliens and some Pine Martens and Goshawks might not go amiss but lots of folk love em and are able to interact with them on a very personal level so maybe they're not THAT bad.


Also horrendously popular are those other aliens the Ring Necked Parakeets which reappeared while everyone was concentrating on the Grey Squirrels. Yes we really do have bright green aliens - no really we really do have real aliens that are really really green.
Almost arty bright green framed by the red leaves of the maple tree
Best of the rest was a Great Spotted Woodpecker that kept itself mostly high in the tree-tops and round the wrong side of the woodwork.


Where to next? A safari up north again tomorrow.

In the meantime let us know who the well loved aliens are in your outback.


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