With the mist lifting this morning, I began to notice a few Fieldfares and Redwings moving south over the dunes at Ainsdale.
The “Ainsdale Common Scoter Scarf” was too far out and the tide way too low to consider ‘scoping, so when a Swallow zoomed past the tower just before lunch I decided the best option was probably a stroll in the dunes.
The Swallow, a young bird, was still hawking for insects around the top of Slack 170 when I got there (the first big open area south of Ainsdale Discovery Centre), and a few Skylarks were moving high enough up in the grey to rule out local traffic.
Another Fieldfare dropped in out the sky.
Just a handful of Mipits though, and to be expected Reed Buntings, but I could hear Stonechats calling, so went to the bottom end of the bone-dry slack, where two males were chasing each other, as a young bird “wheeze-chack-chacked” constantly.
The males never stopped a weird “slow motion” circling chase all the time I was there.
The brighter bird never gained on the other, or tried to, they just kept circling in some kinda loonball chat conga.
Go figure.
John,
Another Shorty for you. Cabin Hill frontals this afternoon at 14.30hrs. One gliding south towards Altcar Rifle Range mobbed by two Carrion Crows.
A few other bits and pieces in the Cabin Hill/Range Lane area: Obvious influx of Blackbirds (10+) very wild and flighty. About 15 Redwings in Hawthorn bushes, male Stonechat, Buzzard, Kestrel, male Sparrowhawk, plus the usual mixed tit flocks, with Long-tailed dominant.
The Cabin Hill slacks are bone dry of course. Nick O’Keeffe (Edge Hill) measured the water table at Devil’s Hole recently as 48cm below ground level!
Gone are the days when I used to count Snipe and Jack Snipe at Cabin Hill in November!
Phil
LikeLike
Marshside 07/11/15
200+ Pink Footed Geese
7 Little Egret
2 Grey Heron
1 Peregrine
2 Pied Wagtail
1 Skylark
600+ Lapwing
LikeLike