Sunday 28 August 2011

Minutes only

The Safari didn't have much time to do much birding/wildlife-ing today, too much time spent scoffing delicious scram in the cosy surroundings of an 18th C inn with some good friends.

On arrival the creeks were too full and a walk down the old railway line overlooking the salt marsh provided little, although the Sea Asters were looking fine and dandy. a lot of Mute Swans and a few Curlews were out on the marsh. A Sparrowhawk soared over the river upsetting a hundred or more lapwings which fled to the far side of the estuary.

After an extended lunch we had another quick look over the creeks and the pool. Again only a few minutes of looking but a Small Tortoiseshell and a Green Veined White braved the stiff and chilly wind.

On the mud we saw a moulting Spotted Redshank with a few of its commoner cousins. Three Comon Sandpipers were sat together with a Lapwing.

At the pool there was nothing doing, it would probably have been better to check this when the tide was high and more birds would be roosting there. But as we got back in the car a Peregrine screamed low over the marsh flushing loads and after a tense high speed chase a Redshank escaped with its life and, unlike us, the Peregrine went hungry.

Where to next? Out and about somewhere not too far away, sadly deffo not as far as the Citrine Wagtail found today only a mile or so from where we were getting drowned yesterday - the amount of rain that fell in Liverpool made the national news - 9mm (nearly half an inch) in an hour and we were sat out fishing in it...no wonder we thought it was a bit wet!

In the meantime let us know what escaped in your outback.

No pics again today but tbh we didn't take any.

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