Local birding at its best!

Digiscoped shots of Snipe at Pennington Flash this morning

Buzzard, Highfield Lane, Winwick

Yellow Wagtail, Houghton Green Flash. Apalling photo but I don't care - it's great to see them back!

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Even though I spent the day just messing around with bits of birding in between chores, it seems to have been a fabulous day. Maybe its because I am starting to chill out after working long hours recently, maybe its because Spring is here. Who knows; anyway I have picked up some superb birds today.

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I started this morning with a quick mooch around Waterworks and Highfield Lanes. Three pairs of Grey Partridges and 3 Yellowhammers were in various fields and 7 Stock Doves. Best were five Brown Hares, two of which had a game of kiss chase near the car before engaging in a quickie! A Buzzard flushed from a bush on Highfield Lane and briefly hovered by the car while it got going. At HGF were eight Black-necked and 14 Great Crested Grebes along with the sole drake Wigeon. Off then to Penny.

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I drive round to the Slag Lane end first and spent 15 mins or so wandering around the trees nr the car park. Five Willow Warblers, 3 Chiffchaffs and 2 Blackcaps all singing was the result. Over at the bay a Common Tern was perched on No. 7 buoy with the drake Scaup just behind it. All three Black-necked Grebes were still around with lots of Tufties and a pair of Ruddy Ducks.

Later at the main flash 4 Snipes were feeding nr Horrocks Hide. On the spit were a Dunlin, a Common Sandpiper and 7 Black-tailed Godwits. The latter, typically, were all asleep.

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In the garden today the highlight was a Willow Warbler. This makes three warbler species in the garden in a week, though unlike the Blackcap and the Chiffchaff, Willow Warblers are relatively regular in my garden at this time of year. They seem to like the buds on the Silver Birch tree which is just where I found this one. A Dunnock is also now incubating in the laurel hedge and male Reed Bunting and Song Thrush also showed up.

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Mid afternoon and I managed to fit in a quick zoom round Rixton moss. Eight Wheatears were in a field at the back of the farm off Prospect Lane though they were distant. A pair of Grey Partridges, 25 Linnets and a White Wagtail were in the field by the tip. Over 140 Lesser Black-backed Gulls were present on the tip - I don't recall seeing another gull species. Around the lanes I counted seven singing Corn Buntings (plus three on Holcroft Hall Lane on the way over) and a second pair of Grey Partridges were in a field off Holly Bush Lane. A Buzzard flew over and a couple of Reed Buntings and 4 Yellowhammers fizzed around. Opposite Wood Farm a large flock of little brown jobs turned out to be another 100+ Linnets. Scanning around revealed another 30 birds perched in a tree with 8 Fieldfares - a total of 155+ Linnets!

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Late afternoon I had another quick visit to HGF. Four Swallows were perched on the wires nr the kennels and the Oystercatchers have moved into the field behind Midhops. It's strange they haven't yet ventured over to the usual breeding field off Highfield Lane. I've been constantly checking the sw corner of the pool over the last few days and tonight it paid off when I spotted my target - a male Yellow Wagtail. It was soon joined by a second male - the two had a spat and flew off. All in all, a pleasant and productive day birding locally.