Two Whinchats held me for an inordinately long time at the Hesketh Rd platform today, but the warm wind promised the off-chance of something more unusual as I watched ’em.
The female and sub-adult male Whinchats were flycatching in the SSSI ditch reedbed, occasionally perching along the fenceline, while the resident Cetti’s Warbler blasted out its greatest hit, competing with Reed Warblers, Whitethroat and Percy Sledges, and a Magpie gorged on local amphibians – a bad day to be a Common Toad.
Not the most colourful of individuals, the chats did a passable imitation of Sedge Warblers in the reeds.
Wheatear, Stonechats and LRP further up the road, and Med Gulls in the Polly’s Pool gull colony.
At least three Ravens were patrolling the outer marsh, drawing the ire of freaked out Lapwing parents.
Exciting to see a successful catch of Knot off the Green Beach today after a number of super-high tides and adverse weather conditions had prevented earlier attempts this year.
When the cannon nets fire, the team is up against the clock to process the birds in as short a period of time as possible.
Hours of waiting to fire before a sprint on the “B of the Bang”.
With the South West Lancs Ringing Group represented by legends Pete and Ian, a crew of ringers from across the North West and North Wales put in the effort to set the nets early doors, fire and then in a frenzied blur of activity, safely ring, flag, weigh, age, sex and release a couple of hundred Knot back onto the sands.
The welfare of these birds always comes first.
You can record a sighting of one of these birds if you encounter one at https://cr-birding.org/
To find out more about colour-ringed Knot, not just from the Sefton Coast, but from all over Europe, read the excellent paper by Rose Maciewicz and Peter Knight, who were there again today, recording as they do on every suitable tide here.
The ringing project at Ainsdale uses orange flags – this year some have white lettering, others black, above a plain green ring on the left leg with a BTO ring on the right.
Who knows what else this research will reveal in the coming years?
Approximately 475 Knot, 110 Dunlin and single Ringed and Grey Plover trapped and ringed today.
This youngster below will presumably be getting its togs on for a summer on the beach between Ainsdale and Birkdale, rather than pushing north with the brick red adults.
Pesky science robbed me of the last Collared Flycatcher at Spurn – cue grumpy old man fist shakin’ n hollering “curse you DNA!!!!”
There were no such difficulties with the sparkling first summer male trapped and ringed yesterday and thankfully still cavorting along the hedgerow in North Field this morning.
Mitochondrial mullarkey not necessary with this beauty.
So over I popped to spend an hour or two with the striking little gem as it zipped about the hawthorns, spoiled for feeding choice as the temperature rose and more and more insects took to the air.
The Collared Fly snatched them all with ease and still came back for more.
Excellent stewarding by the Spurn Obs team meant the bird was never hassled and everyone enjoyed a nice chilled twitch – a rare experience these days…
I watched the sprite for about 90 minutes before taking in a circuit down to the Canal Zone and back in strengthening sun.
Wonderful bird, but Spurn was a little quiet apart from that – a Barn Owl was hunting the fields as I watched the flycatcher and Whimbrel and Greenshank called as they passed through.
The Triangle had Yellow and White Wags, Wheatear and Whinchat, Percy Sledges and Reed Warblers were singing away along the Canal Path and a Lesser Whitethroat rattled opposite the Bluebell.
Swallows hurtled up the Humber and dark bellied Brents were barking out on the mud.
I should have gone up to look at the Flamboro’ Stonechat after that, but watching folk chasing chatshit for DNA testing wasn’t that appealing. Save it for another day.
The first hot day of the year saw the summer arrivals finally performing properly at Ainsdale LNR today, before the mercury plummets again tomorrow.
Redpolls buzzing north (I had at least 15 at Larkhill Meadows in Formby yesterday evening, but have only seen three through my garden so far) and one, possibly two, Tree Pipit panting in the cattle enclosures today.
My first male Whinchat of the year was flycatching from hawthorns in an area favoured by them every spring, one of my most eagerly anticipated returning migrants, especially since numbers have declined so much.
After three weeks of sulking in the scrub, grumpily chuntering in the shadows the Whitethroats clambered up onto exposed song posts at last, mad as ever, and a Grasshopper Warbler back on its usual territory found its voice after a week of weak reeling.
Wheatears still moving, but only in small numbers, and out on Plex, Yellow Wagtails and pullus Lapwing are pleasing diversions as I play my annual April/May long game.
Anyone else worried about how few singing Corn Bunts there are out there this year?
I’ve only had three singing males so far.
Good to feel the sun on my back as Whinchats do the business again though….
The biting wind meant it felt more like February than April over the tide at Ainsdale today, but a quick seawatch made a change from the futility of willing migrants through the arctic-chilled dune system.
My first Manx Shearwater of the year (a single bird heading south at range) was the only thing of note offshore, while Willow Warblers, Whitethroats, Swallow, Sand Martin and Greenland Wheatears continued to look baffled by the low temperatures at my back – and in my face as the wind picked up….
Ainsdale, 1230-1330, 26.4.24, NWly f3, tide high 1303, 8.9m:
The wind had a keen edge to it once the sun went in this afternoon and spring shut down again at Marshside.
I huddled down to watch three second year Little Gulls on Crossens Inner as they swept up and down the main ditch, frustratingly distant in the poor light, but mesmerising to observe as they stalled and hovered, snatching morsels of food from the drain’s surface.
They got plenty of hassle from Black headed Gulls and briefly a Med Gull had a go too (there were at least seven Meds in the gull colony this afternoon), and the Little Gulls landed only briefly a full zoom’s distance away from the bank.
Certainly more songsters about today – Cetti’s, Sedge, Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff and Blackcap singing away, with Swift, Swallows and House Martins through, Wheatears and White Wags and a Marsh Harrier hunting the outer marsh.
Thousands of Pink Feet between Crossens Outer and Banks, too far out to work.
The monthly survey between Hall Road and Hightown was blighted by the apparently unending westerly winds of the past week – even in the sun it was bitter enough to turn a Whimbrel’s legs blue.
Four humbug heads shivered in the teeth of the wind over the tide before moving up the coast to feed.
Next stop North Moss Lane?
If you are visiting this stretch of the coast over the tide never walk onto the rubble itself – you just flush roosting birds, and please don’t directly loom above the debris as you’re silhouetted and again either flush waders or stop them coming into roost.
The fun fieldcrafty thing to do is hunker down (it’s what hands and knees are for) on the path above before the tide, and don’t move till after the tide has receded.
If birders can’t do it right how can we expect dogwalkers etc to keep a distance?
Birds first, pictures second. Simple.
It may sound obvious, but you’d be surprised the number of SLR wielding folk I’ve spoken to here after they’ve sent roosting waders skittering off by getting too close.
Rant over.
As the tide fell back the Oycs, Turnstones and Redshanks moved out towards newly exposed feeding areas and a few pairs of Sandwich Terns wafted past.
With the gales provoking a big Starfish wreck along the coast this last week there were good numbers of gulls feeding in the shallows, with adults looking pristine in the hard light, and I was hoping the Iceland Gull that visited Seaforth recently may rock up, but no joy.
Once a regular winterer now a rare bird on our coast.
The wind eased a bit in the afternoon up at Ainsdale, Willow Warblers began to sing and a few Swallows went through.
Gotta warm up soon surely???
Windypops Whimbrel videos on YouTube here and here.
The loud “sweeet” call was audible above the constant traffic drone as the Yellow Wagtail bounded over the road by Crossens Outer before pitching back down on to the marsh amongst a carpet of White Wagtails.
At least 70 White Wags there this afternoon, with Little Ringed Plover and a particularly fine and particularly pink Water Pipit.
Thousands of Pink Feet are on Crossens Outer and Banks Marsh at the moment, and the equally colourful but slightly more dubious Red Breasted Goose hobbled about at long range amongst the Pinks.
Shamefully, this is the first time I’ve caught up with Hopalong since it started touring the area a few months ago.
Swallows and Sand Martins going through and at least one Spoonbill on Crossens Inner.
The marsh is always spectacular in spring, with plenty of birds – a quick stop-off at Sandgrounders produced more Little Ringed Plover, a Common Sandpiper and at least three Med Gulls amongst the scattered nesting territories of the squawking Black Headed Gulls and usual waders.
The two drake Scaup were still at Fairclough’s Pool.
Seems to be one of those springs that creeps in gradually this year – Willow Warblers have been singing in the dunes for almost three weeks now, but they were finally starting to get showy today.
No sense of a major arrival of a range of species yet, just a slow build of birds sneaking onto territory, and classic spring migrants lipping through.
Plenty of Willow Warblers sitting up high on singing posts, and they have now been joined by scatty Whitethroats too.
Thought I heard a Tree Pipit at lunchtime, but it wasn’t that close.
A few Swallows trickling through today, and Wheatears tazzing about at Weld Rd, including a ringed bird.
Sandwich Terns are regular offshore now and after work I finally found time to go and have a look at the drake Scaup formation swimming team off Hesketh Road.
Looking as splendid as they always do, the young male Ring Ouzel foraged on a distant dune slope on Ainsdale LNR earlier today.
Not wanting to spook this most wary of spring migrants I watched from 200m range as the bird probed the mosses and sand on the dune ridge – moving in a creeping, furtive fashion rather than displaying the bounding steps and upright gait of other thrushes.
Wild as ever, the ouzel powered over the dune ridge and into the scrub on frosty wings, where closer inspection revealed it to be a youngster with a blotchy bib rather a pristine adult male.
But who’s complaining?
Diabolically bad handheld zoom video clip of it on YouTube here. Sorry. There’s always a branch in the way with these critters.
More Willow Warblers today – up to nine in song and outnumbering Chiffchaffs 3:1 for the time being anyway.
John Dempsey Birdblog 