Southbound to the long distance marshes

The Safari has been out n about trying to increase our tally for our Challenge, our target for March is just six new species now that the Law of Diminishing Returns has kicked in after our ridiculously fast start in January and coninuing succcess in February. Last week's pair of Lesser Scaup were a nice 'bonus bird', one that was completely off the radar so to speak, so we now only have five to get from our March 'target list'. One of those is Purple Sandpiper, they've successfully eluded us all winter so far so with an errand to run up Fleetwood way it was time for (yet) another attempt for them. We hoped that the raising tide would mean that there would be waders on the beach close to the sea wall but when we arrived...disaster! The crew building ther new sea defences had their giant Tonka toys out on the sands building giant mud pies and so not a wader, or anything else, to be seen. No Purple Sandipers here for us today so we concentrated on the golf course behind the sae wall hoping we might get some better Skylark shots or even fluke an early Wheatear, the latter's median date of arrival is next weekend so one could pop up at any moment. One didn't and all the Skylarks were either too far away or exaulting from on high up in the ether but at least there were a couple of Stonechats and a few Meadow Pipits to keep us entertained.

On the way back we saw that the rapidly rising tide had forced the Tonka toys to higher ground and back to their compound. With much of the beach now under water we had a quick look at the wader roost on the island in the Marine Lake. There were loads of Turnstones, and many more on the bankside being fed handouts from a lovely lady armed with hundredweights of bird food. No sign of any Purple Sandpipers for us...again, or should that be as usual?

The tides are huge this week - the biggest of the year, well over 10m, so we had already arranged to meet IH down on the Dee estuary at Parkgate Marsh, famed for it's high tide birding spectacles. Picking up CR on the way we hit the motorways; M55 - heavy rain, nothing doing, M6 - still raining lots of spray, lots of traffic, nothing doing, M56 - brightening up, less traffic, a Buzzard off to the left, then another one oh no wait - - that's a Red Kite said CR. Excellent, our very first Chrshire Red Kite - if only we had a dash cam it would probaly have been recorded and perhaps a usable still made for our Challenge. While driving you're very much supposed to keep your eyes on the road and your hands on the wheel unless you're a birder in which case it's one eye on the road the other scanning for anything moving either side of the road and one hand ready at the firing of a neuron to point a distant bird. We arrived bang on time and sliding into a side street in the village saw IH's car already parked there. 

As we walked down towards the promenade we could see that the sea was still way way out so we'd have a bit of a wait before the action happened. We'd arranged to meet IH in the Old Baths car park and walking into there saw a familiar face, not IH at first but renowned wildlife cameraman and film maker Simon King and next to him...we had a little giggle, was IH, who has told us several times in the past he's never been keen on SK for no particular reason - he just prefers other wildlife film makers. Anyways we joined up with IH and chatted away. We asked SK's helper if he'd brought a net to whisk out any Water Rails struggling to get up the wall and onto dry land when the tide came in - he shook his head and that was about the end of the conversation between him and us. We got the impression SK had him reined in as a spotter and needed to be concentrating not engaging with the riff-raff. 

The tide began to rise and the birds on the outer marsh became increasing agitated, Thousands of Pink Footed Geese, more egrets than the Danube and Ebro deltas, Curlews, Redshank, a twinkling flock of Golden Plovers all in the air together, the sight and more-so the sound was fantastic.

We scanned left and right but could only find a couple of distant Marsh Harriers, other than an overhead Kestrel hanging about where were all the raptors? We were hoping for Peregrines, Merlin, Hen Harrier and Short Eared Owl and hopefully the latter two or even three would be close enough for some pics. Skylark song filled the air amid the pip-it calls of Meadow Pipits, a pair of Stonechats hoped around the tall vegetation beside the car park as did a flock of Goldfinches and a couple of Reed Buntings flitted in and out of the Hawthorn bush to our right never landing on the right twig for their pic to be taken. As the tide inexorably rose we heard the chew-chew-chew of a distant Greenshank flost over the increasingly watery scene. The pool in front of us began to enlarge as the tide reached it bringing in a flock of Redshank wanting to roost on its still dry margins, where they'd come from was now well under water.

Then, off to our right, we saw an unusual sight, three small boats were making their way towards us. We've not been here very often over the years but have never seen anyone out boating before. One of them passed right in front of us.

The tide was now racing in towards us all bubbling, gurgling and slooshing. Unseen birds began to flee, first some previously hidden Snipe, then a Jack Snipe and then a second which dropped down right under our noses but hid under dense vegetation...not for long two minutes later it was washed out by the rushing water, too quick for us to even think about raising the camera. The tzide hit the wall the other side of our toes as a couple of Redshank raced past on a clump of floating vegetation - they were still feeding! Our still photo doesn't give any indication of the immense speed their little raft was travelling.

Herons, Great White Egrets, Little Egrets and a plethora of gulls looked for the best postions in which to pounce on the swimming or drowning small mammals, of which we only saw a small vole which made it to safety.

Remember earlier we'd asked SK's helper if he'd brought a net? Well he should have done - it was needed. A Water Rail did indeed appear just as predicted right below our feet and in desperate need of somewhere dry to climb out on to.

Point blank views were had by all.

The tide turned, SK and his helper left and we still hadn't seen a Hen Harrier. Short Eared Owl or a Merlin, just two Marsh Harriers, we didn't even hear the cronking of any Ravens all morning. On the flotsam and jetsam floating around on the ebbing waters several pipits, Skylarks and Reed Buntings poked about. SK's position was taken by a friendly lady who was scanning these hoping to pick out a Water Pipit. They were a little distant and tricky hopping in and out of clumps of half submerged vegetation. She thought she'd found one but when we had a scan with IH's scope could only find Meadow Pipits and then a single Rock Pipit, which we were able to get her on to but it wan't what she'd seen a few minutes earlier. We continued to scan, using a washed up milk bottle as a landmark, and persistance paid off, we found, or should that be re-found, the missing Water Pipit, far too distant for 'proper' photographs it looked much better in the 'flesh'. It's still a bit moulty and the dark streak along the flank above its leg is actually wind ruffled feathers, it was a lot 'cleaner' than this pic suggests. #119.

A quick lunch was eaten before IH suggested heading out of town and going a couple of miles up the coast to look for the Brent Geese that hang around Hilbre Island. It would be good to explore this area again; we've not been since saw a Great Northern Diver on West Kirby marine lake probably in the early 90's and not been over onto Hilbre Island since the early 80's.

As soon as we got to the beach we had a scan of the sea, the tide was dropping fast here now and there was plenty of mud exposed. Over towards the main island there was a flock of Brent Geese bobbing about on the water but far far far too far to even think about a photo. But scanning further to the right we found another flock, this time on the mud a good bit nearer. A slippery shoreline walk took us that way, we could see the strandline left by the tide we'd just watched well up the bank on our inland side. Where we were walking would have been waist deep only an hour or so ago. We reached two enclosed ponds, dug for Natterjack Toads, which was the limit of our exploration as none of us were shod in the necessary wellies or waders to get any further. The Brent Geese were still a bit distant but at least now identifiable. #120.

The walk back gave us a pair of Stonechats, the female landed extremely close to us but soon scarpered, the male was more obliging landing on the fence seperating us lowly minions from the Royal Liverpool golf course.

A wander round the giant 'infinity pool' that is West Kirby marine lake with its water level walkway followed. There was very little on the lake, according to IH there are often Goldeneys, Red Breasted Mergansers and more but perhaps today's extremely high tide had made them seek more sheltered waters. Walk round we did. A group of Turnstones was photogenic on the rocks but got flushed by young mums with prams and toddlers before we could get there. A nearby group of Knot were settled enough though.

Once our circumnavigation of the lake was completed it was mid-afternoon and time to head back to the car and then back to Base Camp. A rather spectacular day out!

The following day we were back in Fleetwood, this time with a different plan. The tide would be more out but still coming in so we rightly or wrongly assumed the heavy machinery would be on the beach again so we attacked from the southern end of the golf course for a change. The walk out we did on the golf course side of the sea wall. Not much doing appart from singing Skylarks and a few flitting Meadow Pipits until we got about two thirds of the way to the Observation Tower when we started to find group of Skylarks with the odd Meadow Pipit thrown in feeding on the golf course fairways. It looked like there might have been a hatch of some insects that was attracting them. We tried some pics hoping for an improvement on our previous Challenge effort but they were more or less useless, probably not even as good as we already had, everything was too far away really.

Three Linnets were flushed by a dog walker before we saw them just ahead of us on the track and two pairs of Stonechats were similarly flighty for the same reason.

We reached the tower and saw the water was beginning to reach the wall back where we had come from so walked back along the prom to see if, in the absence of Tonka toys, there were any waders moving back on to the drier areas of the remaining beach...there was...one Turnstone and a bit further on one Ringed Plover. Because we'd parked the car at the bottom end of the golf course for a change it meant we had to cover the new seawall and its huge boulder protection. We've occasionally seen waders roosting here before during high tides and before long came across a small group of Turnstones...and with them were...wait for it.....not one but two Purple Sandpipers...yippeee...at last! Needless to say we filled our boots #121.

Shame the light was so iffy but hey ho you can't have it all your own way all the time.

Where to next? Local safaris for the foreseeeable mostly in search of the newly arrived Wheatear.

In the meantime let us know who's turned up in the nick of time in your outback.