Photos:
Buff-breasted Sandpiper, Frodsham Marsh. Awful record shot in wind and rain.
Ringed Plover, Sanderling and Dunlin at Bowness.
Whimbrel and Bar-tailed Godwit at Morecambe.
Thursday 12th May
After work today I visited a very windy Rixton. The Lesser Whitethroat sang briefly and a distant Cuckoo was heard. Seem to be almost tripping over Cuckoos at the moment. The Shelduck pair were present on the tip pool and I found a single Wheatear in Holly Bush Lane. One Common Tern was incubating while the other loafed about on pool 1.
HGF was practically dead with a single House Martin (the first here this year I think) the only bird worth reporting.
Friday 13th May
Had a wander around the old training camp in Glazebrook at lunch. There were lots of singing warblers and I also saw a Jay and a female Cuckoo flitting about. Two Oystercatchers flew over the garden today.
Saturday 14th May
This morning I headed north for my first visit to Bowness. Instead of headingt straight for the skua watch point, I spent some time scanning the shingle between Bowness and Port Carlisle, looking for the Broad-billed Sandpiper. There were eventually at least 30 birders looking for it and one local confirmed he had seen it early on am. However there was nothing doing. It was interesting sifting through the mixed flock of 800+ Dunlin and 300+ Ringed Plover. The former seem to come in all sorts of shapes and sizes including some very whitish looking individuals. There has been lots of chatter recently about Dunlin races – as far as I can see you are on a hiding to nothing trying to pigeon hole a particular bird into one of these races. A Turnstone and a couple of Sanderlings were also welcome.
At the skua point I rolled up just as the regulars were leaving with disgusted looks and mutterings about bugger all and the wind too westerly. I did give it a go but saw nothing. To aggravate the situation, I found out that Radio One were doing some kind of road show in Carlisle which completely clogged up all the roads and severely delayed my journey back.
Late afternoon I took Bill for a walk by the river at Halton. It was windy and the river was well up so not much about – a single Dipper was seen.
Sunday 15th May
Headed off to Heysham first thing for a sea watch over the incoming tide. I plonked myself down and virtually the first bird I saw was a skua. As soon as I saw it I thought Pom – it passed a Herring Gull which gave good size comparisons. Unfortunately it was just a bit too far to be 100% certain and it didn’t come any closer. Another birder also saw this bird and had the same impression as me but erred on the side of caution. Soon after a dark morph skua was seen flying directly away from me – I never got a good side-on look and this one went unidentified, as did the next very distant dark morph skua. They were both probably Arctics but you never know. I then got onto a close in pale morph Arctic Skua. Also seen on the sea watch were at least 25 Gannets, a blogging Red-throated Diver, 3 Eiders and a single Sandwich Tern.
I then headed off to Morecambe to check out the groynes. Typically at the moment there was little on the groynes until the top end. At Scalestone Point I found 4 Whimbrel and 7 Eider while a large congregation at Teal Bay produced 5 Bar-tailed Godwits and a further 19 Whimbrels.
Early afternoon it was whizzing it down so we left the van and headed home. I quickly zoomed off to Frodsham where a Buff-breasted Sandpiper had been reported. I parked up at the bottom of No.6 tank in the rain and headed up the path while numerous grinning birders passed me heading in the opposite direction. Fortunately the bird was still present and was feeding with a Ringed Plover. Riggers, Mike Chorley and John Rayner were there watching it and put me onto the bird. It was great to see the bird even though the conditions were atrocious. The structure of the bird was interesting – it looked to me like two mounds of dough with the smaller stuck at the end of the larger and 2 sticks for legs! When it stood up it looked avery smart bird though. At one point Karen rang me – after I had finished chatting I looked up to find John et all had gone and so had the bird! Little Ringed and Ringed Plovers plus an Avocet were also seen and a Cuckoo as I walked back down the path.
After work today I visited a very windy Rixton. The Lesser Whitethroat sang briefly and a distant Cuckoo was heard. Seem to be almost tripping over Cuckoos at the moment. The Shelduck pair were present on the tip pool and I found a single Wheatear in Holly Bush Lane. One Common Tern was incubating while the other loafed about on pool 1.
HGF was practically dead with a single House Martin (the first here this year I think) the only bird worth reporting.
Friday 13th May
Had a wander around the old training camp in Glazebrook at lunch. There were lots of singing warblers and I also saw a Jay and a female Cuckoo flitting about. Two Oystercatchers flew over the garden today.
Saturday 14th May
This morning I headed north for my first visit to Bowness. Instead of headingt straight for the skua watch point, I spent some time scanning the shingle between Bowness and Port Carlisle, looking for the Broad-billed Sandpiper. There were eventually at least 30 birders looking for it and one local confirmed he had seen it early on am. However there was nothing doing. It was interesting sifting through the mixed flock of 800+ Dunlin and 300+ Ringed Plover. The former seem to come in all sorts of shapes and sizes including some very whitish looking individuals. There has been lots of chatter recently about Dunlin races – as far as I can see you are on a hiding to nothing trying to pigeon hole a particular bird into one of these races. A Turnstone and a couple of Sanderlings were also welcome.
At the skua point I rolled up just as the regulars were leaving with disgusted looks and mutterings about bugger all and the wind too westerly. I did give it a go but saw nothing. To aggravate the situation, I found out that Radio One were doing some kind of road show in Carlisle which completely clogged up all the roads and severely delayed my journey back.
Late afternoon I took Bill for a walk by the river at Halton. It was windy and the river was well up so not much about – a single Dipper was seen.
Sunday 15th May
Headed off to Heysham first thing for a sea watch over the incoming tide. I plonked myself down and virtually the first bird I saw was a skua. As soon as I saw it I thought Pom – it passed a Herring Gull which gave good size comparisons. Unfortunately it was just a bit too far to be 100% certain and it didn’t come any closer. Another birder also saw this bird and had the same impression as me but erred on the side of caution. Soon after a dark morph skua was seen flying directly away from me – I never got a good side-on look and this one went unidentified, as did the next very distant dark morph skua. They were both probably Arctics but you never know. I then got onto a close in pale morph Arctic Skua. Also seen on the sea watch were at least 25 Gannets, a blogging Red-throated Diver, 3 Eiders and a single Sandwich Tern.
I then headed off to Morecambe to check out the groynes. Typically at the moment there was little on the groynes until the top end. At Scalestone Point I found 4 Whimbrel and 7 Eider while a large congregation at Teal Bay produced 5 Bar-tailed Godwits and a further 19 Whimbrels.
Early afternoon it was whizzing it down so we left the van and headed home. I quickly zoomed off to Frodsham where a Buff-breasted Sandpiper had been reported. I parked up at the bottom of No.6 tank in the rain and headed up the path while numerous grinning birders passed me heading in the opposite direction. Fortunately the bird was still present and was feeding with a Ringed Plover. Riggers, Mike Chorley and John Rayner were there watching it and put me onto the bird. It was great to see the bird even though the conditions were atrocious. The structure of the bird was interesting – it looked to me like two mounds of dough with the smaller stuck at the end of the larger and 2 sticks for legs! When it stood up it looked avery smart bird though. At one point Karen rang me – after I had finished chatting I looked up to find John et all had gone and so had the bird! Little Ringed and Ringed Plovers plus an Avocet were also seen and a Cuckoo as I walked back down the path.
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