Plagued by good weather?

The Safari has had little time for keeping you all up to date with our goings-on of late, what with good weather meaning we've been out n about a lot and some serious family stuff to contend with there's not been much time for putting finger to keyboard.

So here's a very swift catch up of what's been about

Swift (155, PYLC #124) - rubbishy pic taken at Lunt Meadows which we hope to improve on but they do seem to be horrendously scarce round these parts this year.

Sedge Warbler (PYLC #125) Lunt Meadows again

Grey Partridge (156) a pair seen as we drove out of Lunt Meadows and unable to get a pic, the Little Owls in the nearby barn weren't one show - AGAIN!!!

A stunning full sum plum Black Necked Grebe 157, PYLC #126) rocked up on a local park lake and was thoroughly enjoyed by hordes of birders showing down to point black range while the resident Mute Swans, Grey Lag Geese, other waterflowl and Herons were oblivious to its presence.

Aquatic Emu?

Not far away non-feathered interest was found in the form of a male Great Crested Newt

What's left of Stanley Park, after some horrifically late tree felling including probably illegally taking down a tree with an active nest box containing eggs on it, held host to unseen Redstart and Spotted Flycatcher but we did catch up with the Garden Warblers (158, PYLC #127) thanks to TS waving us over and later in the day we managed to twitch but not photograph a Wood Warbler (159) not far from Base Camp on the North Blackpool Pond Trail. A pair of Swallows (PYLC #128) posed nicely at the start of the road on the way back, another species that seems to be horrendously low in numbers in their usual haunts so far this season - just late or a winter/migration catastrophe somewhere...we hope it's the former...

A rare trip into town gave us the opportunity to take a quick snap of a Lesser Black Backed Gull (PYLC #129) but the local Peregrines were nowhere to be seen.

Whinchats (160, PYLC #130) were all the rage in early May and we eventually caught up with a pair on Lawson's Wetland/Marton Mere getting very wet feet in the process, the dry spell hadn't really dried out the wetlands that much!

Whitethroats (PYLC #131) have done an excellent job of avoiding our lens and this grotty attempt is the only passable pic we've got of one so far this season and it's really not that good.

Having seen but not photographed the Spoonbills at Marshside on the Southside we did a little better with the recent two Glossy Ibises (161, PYLC #132) although the light and distance were 'challenging'!

At Base Camp the moth trapping has been dire although a 'New for Garden' Marbled Coronet was big surprise and the rarely captured Pebble Prominent is always a treat.

Marbled Coronet

Pebble Prominent

This afternoon we joined the Living Seas LWT team at Rossall Tower for their monthly seawatch and picked up a few Grey Seals, surprisingly late for our first of the year, and at least seven and probably eight Harbour Porpoises including a pod of three that was caught up by a fourth. Sadly all a bit distant for the majority of other watchers without scopes to get a good look at but well worth the two hour session...and we're in joint charge of the next one!

Well that's it for your quick catch up, hope you enjoyed it.

Where to next? An earlyish jaunt to the hills out east in the morning

In the meantime let us know who's not where they should be yet in your outback.