One week in

The Safari has been out n about in the gloom this week hitting off the new year's wildlife lists. our mammal list at the end of the week stands at a massive two, the ubiquitous Grey Squirrel being first on to the page in the notebook, seen at just about every site we've been to with more than one tree but the other species was more of a surprise so early in the year a Harbour Porpoise quite close in on the morning of the 3rd just breaking the surface of a flat calm grey sea a couple of times before disappearing. As soon as we reached the top of the cliff on Monty's dog walk we felt the sea looked 'porpoisy' and it only took us a couple of minutes scanning to find it, at first we were looking too far out!

The mammal tally will surely grow but we're back in the bird photo challenge with Monika and her friends from Washington state and other places so we've been concentrating on getting a few birds submitted to the SD card - the dingy grey January days haven't produced the best of pics but some of the more dodgy ones can be replaced at a later date hopefully. So far we've managed 34 species out of 78 recorded. It should be 35 but for some reason we didn't lift the camera when a Barn Owl flew within a few yards of us at Hesketh Out Marsh RSPB reserve the other afternoon - in broad daylight (such as it was) as well. Think we were just so engrossed and mesmerised watching it in the bins that there was no thought of the camera. That sounds like good old fashioned bird watching! The memories are etched into our mind and we'll fondly recall the trip out with our Southside friends for many years to come - who needs an SD  card?

The general rule for the Challenge is to photograph as many species as possible and hopefully more than everyone else...that's not going to happen in our case as others in the group live in more ornithologically diverse areas than we do and others have trips abroad or at least to different biomes within their continent lined up. But then the challenge is also to beat your previous year's tally so we have a target of 180 species, and/or achieve a higher strike rate, % species photographed out of your total year list. The aim is also to get better or different photos from your previous attempts. And then this year Monika has come up with a new rule - No 'hand of man' so no birds on feeders, wires, fence posts in the backgound, buildings, birds sporting rings etc etc etc - - just to make it a tad more trickier.

Here's a selection of what we've managed so far

Female Blackbird at Marton Mere - in the sunshine!!!

Water Rail at Marton Mere - sunny but in the shade - - this one nearly caught us out lucky to have captured one so early in the year

Mute Swan over Lawson's Wetland - different to our previous year's efforts as it's in the air not on the water

Moorhen at Marton Mere

Teal at Marton Mere

Wood Pigeon at Lawson's Wetland - and that was the last we saw of the sunshine for the rest of the week

Herring Gull paddling for worms close to Base Camp

Starlings approaching North Pier to roost - a tiny portion of an enormous flock joining the guestimated 20000 already present - but sadly no murmurations again

A chilly morning in Stanley Park gave us five Ring Necked Parakeets - the other one is out of frame by several yards

There's been a nasty bloom of the invasive alien Azolla in the park lake which is showing no sign of abating but this pair of Shovelers don't seem to be bothered by it

Great Tits in Stanley Park

Mugged by a Robin in Stanley Park

Canada Goose in Stanley Park

Black Headed Gull in Stanley Park

Tufted Duck in Stanley Park

As mentioned early we'd met up with our Southside friends, the original plan was to join them at a flock of Waxwings in Liverpool but news on the way was that they'd had no joy despite extensive searching and attracting the attention of the local Boys in Blue so they'd decide to make tracks to Southport where we diverted to en-route and met them at Marshide RSPB reserve. 

They arrived only minutes before we did and had lined up a nice Merlin for us.

A little too distant in the grotty light but it's on a post so can't count for our new rules challenge

Fortunately AB spotted another raptor, which turned out to be another Merlin, sat on a lump of driftwood - which does count - on the marsh across the road - - unfortunately it was about ten times further away.

Rubbish pic but at least it counts - one to replaced ASAP!

Pintail at Marshside RSPB

After a goody shuffy round Marshside we decamped to the other RSPB reserve Hesketh Out Marsh a few miles away after the gang had scoffed in to a very tasty portions of chips n gravy/curry from the Chinese chippy opposite Booths in Hesketh Bank - mucho recommended by all - - we'd brought pies and cheese n ham butties with us so didn't partake of chips - - they did look and smell temptingly good though.

At HOM the light was horrendous and the pools mostly devoid of birds, apparently earlier in the morning, when the tide was in, there'd been a good selection of waders and waterfowl to perise and enjoy. We could only manage a few Redshank, Lapwings and distant Black Tailed Godwits. And the flock of Wigeon which holds the American Wigeon somehow didn't give up its interloper despite others having seen it that day, we've even seen pics of it taken from where we ere stood...dohhhhh...and then the aforementioned Barn Owl happened. But hey-ho who needs pics when there's good fun going on and good birds to be seen, even if there were no Bewick's Swans in the two flocks of Whooper Swans we scanned - we;d seen one earlier at Marshide but it was a long way off and spent all the time we were there fast asleep so not much more than a slightly smaller white blob than the sleeping Mute Swan sitting next to it.

Earlier in the week we dipped the Snow Buntings at Starr Gate and nearly did again today. We were on our last walk up along the beach to the Christmas Tree some one has 'planted' on the edge of the dunes - we'd done the walk three times already - when one of the other two birders looking for them called us over. Success - he'd found them in a deep blow-out in the high dunes when they flew past him on to the strandline on the beach. Quite close to the Chtristmas tree we were going to turn back at - phewwwwww!

The three of us enjoyed close views as they picked out seeds from among the Mason Worm casts and bits of dried seaweed. The other two birders left and after a few more minuted the birds flew well out on to the beach where they continued to find seeds on another but much reduced strandline.

Snow Bunting at Starr Gate today bringing our PYLC 2019 tally to 34 - Really pleased they've come back for another winter - are they the same birds as last year???

 While walking upu and down the beach as usual we kept our eyes peeled for anything of note in the strandlines. Lots and lots and lots of Mason Worm casts and not a lot else but it did strike us that there were more Mermaid's Purses than we normally see and that all those were Thornback Ray egg-cases, no Lesser Spotted Catshark cases at all, or at leaset none that we spotted. And then we came across this cluster where a little depression in the sand had made a shallow pool that they'd got trapped in, never seen anything like this concentration of them before, there's two dozen in the pic and others out of shot top and bottom.

Apologies for the blurry bit - rain on the phone-cam lens we guess

That's the wonder of wildlife, you never know what you're going to find. Yes we struck lucky with the Snow Buntings, our target for the day but we nearly missed out on them and yet we had no idea when we left Base Camp we'd see that cluster of mermaid's purses, the like of which we've never seen before - isn't nature great!

Where to next? A safari up north with CR tomorrow, not sure exactly where yet but hopefully the natiral world will provide some goodies and some surprises. 

In the meantime let us know who's all clustered up in your outback

We're still in the planning stage of the YouTube Vlog, trying to work out logistics of bins, scopes, cameras, phones etc etc and the format it's going to take so please 'bear with' as they say in the telly.

"You shoulda been here five minutes ago"

The Safari had arranged to meet GB from the tram for a jaunt out with CR but before his tram arrived we had half an hour up n down the prom with Monty. The wind was a howlin and the drying sand was being whipped around the top of the sandbanks in a myriad of infinite ever changing patterns. We really like watching this, we find it mesmerising, could stand there for hours - not so pleasant to walk through though; unless you like your boots filling with sand that is.

From the top of the cliffs below us along the bottom of the cliff along the Lower Walk we saw a few Meadow Pipits, fewer than in recent visits when there have been over a dozen, less than half that today. A bit too far away and the wind was buffeting us all over the shop.

The tram arrived and GB alighted and off we went to pick up CR for the day's adventure to the south east.

An hour or so later we were dashing from the car to the first hide at Pennington Flash desperate to get under cover before the latest batch of weather landed.

It was rough out there!

Most of the wildlife was hunkering down out of the way of the ferocious squalls, a few Lapwings and a herd of Canada Geese stood out braving the weather as did three Herons although they did wimp out and tried to find some cover. 

It took a while but eventually the torrential rain  eased giving us enough time to dart round to the shelter of Bunting Hide and once there the rain started again. The place was heaving with most of the usual subjects, Blue and Great Tits, Moorhens and Magpies, Robins and Chaffinches, and a Grey Squirrel or two. A couple of pairs of Bullfinches dashed in and out, always good to see but there were no Long Tailed Tits, Wrens, Water Rails, Goldfinches or Greenfinches and only one Stock Dove.

Looks like it's worn the fur off its nose trying to stick its beak through the anti-squirrel mesh around the feeders

 A couple of Reed Buntings were around too.

The main event soon turned up, the site's speciality a couple of Willow Tits. Always good to see this sadly increasingly scarce bird and here is probably the best place there is especially outside the breeding season...like now! This one had found a stash of food in a crack in the feeding 'slab'.

If there's a way of telling them apart from Marsh Tits from a photo here's a more typical view of a Willow Tit down a hole.

Again a gap in the weather allowed us to scarper quickly round the trail to the next hide hopefully escaping a drenching. 

Gadwall, Shoveler, a few more Canada Geese and a couple of Goosanders were on the next pool but we saw very little on the walk round there. GB spotted a bit of movement in the rough grass at the edge of the pool and closer inspection revealed a sleeping wisp of Snipe - are they a 'wisp' when they are on the ground or does the expression only apply when they are in flight?

Still not a Kingfisher to been seen on the conveniently placed posts and perches though. Time to high tail it round to the next hide. Very little there apart from a Heron and a couple of Teal but the wind was rattling uncomfortably through the windows bringing driving rain with it. Time to escape to the next hide where the wind was taking the rain over the top from behind us so it a good deal more comfortable. "You shoulda been here a few minutes ago, the Kingfisher was just there", said the lad we sat next to. "Don't worry, it'll be back, it's been back and forth several times this morning"

No we didn't see it - sat thee for well over half an hour - not a sniff of the little Bobby Dazzler. Half a dozen Herons lazed around doing very little, occasionally shifting position to another vantage point but not really doing  any fishing.

By now our butties were beckoning us back to the car park. We opened the car got our butties out and were just about to take a chomp out of our doorstep cheese n pickle when we saw the unmistakable translucent white wing tip of a Mediterranean Gull land about 100 yards away among a gaggle of Black Headed Gulls and Mallard ducks waiting for any punters to launch the tail end of their butties or a few chips from their car windows. Temporarily abandoning our butty and walking closer we found it in the middle of the group. What a beauty! as John Wilson would say. We were saddened to hear of his passing (even after our anti-fishing rant in our previous post) as we spent a lot of time (probably too much) in his shop in Norwich when we were at uni in the late 70s.

What a beaut!!! There's not a better bird in the book

We thought about edging closer to try to get a 'frame filler' and see if we could get some detail from the ring but a bloke got out of his car skirted carefully around the flock, he didn't disturb them but five yards from the bin he launch his bag of rubbish into the bin like a basketball player and flushed everything...dohhh.

There's that translucent white wingtip

Result though - wasn't expecting to find one of those.

After butties we were back out on the trails and went to the Bunting Hide again, this time it was deadly quiet, all the food had been eaten and didn't all the birds know it. CR tried chucking out some seed he'd brought but it only brought in a couple or three Magpies and a Grey Squirrel. We soon moved on. The Herons were now trying to see how deep they could wade without floating. There were two of them doing this for no apparent reason.

On a strategically placed perch but not a Kingfisher. Only pigeons can drink like this as no other birds can suck!

A flock of Long Tailed Tits flew in front of the window and in to the shrub on our left. Always a joy to see these tiny tots.

A couple came in and told us they'd been watching a Kingfisher not five minutes ago back at the first hide we visited. We had to go - - arriving a few minutes later after a scurry down the trail we got there; "you shoulda been here five minutes ago" greeted us as we came through the door. "It's been coming and going all afternoon". Nothing for it but to sit and wait. And then at last a flash of blue! There it was sitting on a conveniently placed branch right in front of us. Trouble was the wind was blowing the branch around like something off Strictly Come Dancing. Luckily Kingfishers have gyroscopic heads and it was stone dead still even though its body was wiggling around like a maggot on a hook. We totally missed the second bird that GB saw which made our bird fly off only moments after this pic as taken.

Not perfect but our best Kingfisher pic so far by far

We had a look at the gulls coming in to roost but the light was poor and against us. One stood out as being a Kodiak Grey Scale darker than the others no matter what angle it was at, so definitely darker than the others around it. Take your eye off it for a few minutes and look away and you re-find it very quickly again it was that different.

Not sure what it is, those little white primary tips (and is that a bit of the end of P6 or a worn tertial?) bill looks dull too so we're guessing at a sub-adult Herring Gull possibly with a more Northern lineage - any thoughts anyone.

The nearest buoy had a very pale headed gull sat on it. Again 'only' a Herring Gull judging by the speckly coverts.

And that was the end of the light. Time to head back to Base Camp - - and we didn't get wet all day - how did we manage that???.

A great day out on safari with great mates.

Where to next? Safari's will be very weather dependent this coming week. No doubt we'll be out somewhere sometime during the week but where we'll be is another question altogether.

In the meantime who's doing the Bobby Dazzling in your outback.

Here there and everywhere

The Safari could do with a little less time out in the field taking photos and more time sat at the puter processing the 1000s we've not caught up with and writing about them - err no actually we're quite happy to be out n about on safari in all weathers!

However we have been busy out in the fields this week.

We went back Over Wyre with CR for another try for the Turtle Dove and after a short wait we found it when a flock of Collared Doves flew from a line of large conifers and some settled in an isolated Hawthorn bush.

Three species of pigeon in one bush

Shame about the shadow

With the Turtle Dove (109, PYLC #85) and not much else around on the marshes we headed for another look at the Twite flock on the slipway at Knott End but they had been replaced by a gang of workmen with a big digger breaking concrete so were nowhere to be seen. All was not lost though as CR can now heartily recommend the village pie shop - Top quality scram for not a lot of loot!

From there we drove north stopping at Lane Ends to eat our lunch and where there were only a few very distant Pink Footed Geese and no sign of the recent Brent Goose.

Conder Green gave us little except a Little Grebe and a pair of Lesser Black Backed Gulls that looked like they may have taken over the tern nesting raft - they'll probably eat all the Avocet and Common Tern eggs/chicks on the other islands if they stay there which won't be good - - apart from for their own chicks that is.

Cracking views of Teal in the creeks and a few Redshank were down there too.

A Kestrel hovered over the marsh

From there we drove the lanes down to the estuary passing herds of Whooper and Mute Swans on the way but seeing very little else in the fields and roadside ditches. The field behind the car park held at least 40 Skylarks which although not singing were getting in the mood for spring with lots of aerial chases and excitable twittering.

The tide was coming in quickly and concentrating Redshanks, Oystercatchers, and Turnstones on the rapidly diminishing shoreline, further out on Plover Scar there was a tidy flock of Wigeon and beyond them outside the light surf a small flock of Eiders (PYLC #86)

The fields were disappointingly quite but in the distance we could see a number of dots so we drove round to investigate, lots of Lapwings and Starlings, a good number of Dunlin feeding around a flood while the tide was in and covering the mud flats and a few Curlews and Redshanks, up the hill were three Brown Hares sitting quietly no doubt waiting to go mad next week in March. No sign of any Golden Plovers which is what we were hoping might have been there. 

We headed back inland to the farmland feeding stations, the first had no food, the second already had a birders car parked up. The light was awful looking towards the table and spread of seeds on the ground but we did see a Yellowhammer (110) and numerous Tree Sparrows. When another car full of  birders arrived we left and decided to go further inland still to investigate the River Brock at Bilsborough. A good move it was much milder away from the wind of the coast and flat fields. But our drive took us through the back lanes and one of those appropriately named Back Lane that we didn't travel along but weren't far from had had a Red Kite we learned later - doh if only we'd known at the time would have only been a minor detour.

The river soon gave up its quarry, a Dipper (111, PYLC #87)

We followed it's progress along the brook and caught up wit hit on the way back too

No sign of this stretch of river's other specialities, the Kingfisher or Grey Wagtail though.

The following day we were in Stanley Park with a family group looking at the birds to be found there using a game of Bird Bingo. We didn't have a camera with us, these pics are from KQ's phone.

Ring Necked Parakeet high in the branches

Here's what we found:-
A pair of Great crested grebes doing their courtship dance
Herons on their nests
Mute swans
Canada geese 2
Mallards
Shoveler 1 male
Tufted ducks
Moorhens 2
Coots
Common gulls 2
Black headed gulls - who's heads are actually brown have a close look next time you see them
Herring gulls
Feral pigeons
Woodpigeons
Ring necked parakeets - pair wit hthe female poking her head out of the nest hole...are there eggs in there yet?
Pied wagtail 1
Wrens
Robins
Blackbird 1 male
Blue tits
Great tits
Nuthatch at least 2
Treecreepers 2
Magpies
and
Carrion crows Some notable missing species especially Cormorant and Gadwall but that's birding for you; you never know what are and aren't going to spot.

Our next safari was back to Pennington Flash, not been for four years then twice in a week. This time we were with GB. It wasn't quite as lively as last week with CR but it was still good.

A Little Egret on one of the pools was unexpected (By us used to seeing them at the coast at least - we don't know if they are regular there)

There were a few Gadwall here too

The feeding station wasn't quite a lively as last week but there was still plenty of interest going on. No Water Rails or Willow Tits today but other odd stuff instead.

Stars of the show!

This Chaffinch spent ages sat like this - but what's it doing, it looks like Anting or sunbathing behaviour but on a cold day in late February there's certainly no ants and there wasn't anything by way of  sunshine either????? It flew up from here on to a mossy branch and continued to snuggle down pressing its wings and wrapping its tail tightly round the branch for many miutes - really odd. We've had a look in a couple of books and can't find any reference to it, not looked in Ian Newton's 'Finches' yet which is on the top shelf above our head as we type.

Answers on a post card please...

Any food in here?

What you lookin at?

 Keeping an eye on the tangle of vegetation at the back of the feeding station for the Water Rail had us find this unusually marked Moorhen showing a bit of leucism

What a cracking looking bird, but then if they all looked like that we say a 'normal' one was a cracking looking bird - well they are anyway aren't they!

Stock Doves are lookers too in an understated sort of way.

The closest pool to the feeding station only gave us a rather distant male Pochard today

But it did have a little shimmy

Friday morning saw us back on more familiar territory with CR, Marton Mere. Good sunshine but a cool wind and not too many birds.

A couple of Skylarks (MMLNR #55) went north overhead as we walked across the field and a Song Thrush (MMLNR #56) sang from the scrub by the gate. 

A couple of Lesser Black Backed Gulls (MMLNR #57) were on the water as we walked past Ice Station Zebra not daring to venture in in the cold wind!

The Bird Club hide gave us the best photo opportunities, but the Cetti's Warbler singing just below us refused to show itself.

Shovelers

Common Gull

Black Headed Gull

Herring Gull

From the platform in the south east corner of the mere we got lovely views of several Gadwall.

Along the embankment we counted 26 Fieldfares in the fields to the east and got an awful distant pic for the Challenge (PYLC #88) when they flew up on to the wires.

You can tell they are Fieldfares - right?

A quick look in the north east corner had us find a Jack Snipe (112, MMLNR 57) and then two Snipe (MMLNR #58) - We've never had Jack Snipe before Snipe there on our year lists before!!! 

The scrub areas were quiet until right up by the gate when we spotted a Kestrel hunting, it was in great light but by the time we'd raised our cameras it had swung round to hunt a different part of the scrub wit hthe sun now right behind it - shouldn't have bothered pressing the shutter button really, it took a lot of processing to get this poor image.

So a cracking week out on safari.

Where to next? The 'Beast from the East' is due at the weekend bringing some challenging weather next week but we're hoping to see a 'Beast from the North' on Sunday...and who knows where we'll end up on safari during the week any plans we make could be weather affected.

In the meantime let us know who's trying to enjoy the limp winter sun in your outback.