Stonechats in the dunes as to be expected today, but the sun was a brief relief from the murk.
A morning cutting out Sea Buckthorn at Ainsdale revealed the usual winter flyovers, while this afternoon I was out checking on the cows.
This year we have Belted Galloways and Shorthorns on the dunes at Ainsdale and Birkdale – these are the heifers that were grazing at Lunt over the summer.
Docile, but dog walkers are reminded to keep their pets well away from them and under control, as you would anywhere in the countryside where livestock are grazing.
A few Snipe in the slacks as I searched for the beasts (small cows, big nature reserve), with two Redpolls at least still in the birches of the sheep enclosure and best of all a plump Woodcock batting along over the dune ridges before dropping into cover again.
Several Fieldfare, Song Thrush and the usual daily Common Buzzard around our skipyard behind Pontins at dawn and dusk.
Up to seven Skylarks foraging in the tideline north of Shore Road, but I haven’t seen Jack Taylor’s Snow Bunting, which he found late afternoon last Wednesday… it may still be around as Snow Bunts have a habit of trundling off into the frontal dunes and out of sight quite often at Ainsdale.
Here’s hoping.
Two big flocks of Pinkfeet located on the mosses this afternoon. The north side of Plex Moss Lane had about 6000 on grass. I searched them from the car for half-an-hour before two people on foot with umbrellas inadvertently flushed the lot to the east. I didn’t find any other species but it was a big flock! Later, Altcar Moss had about 2200 but too distant to do much with.
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Thanks Phil, there were approximately 1,000 feeding between the Pheasant pub and Hightown this morning. Couldn’t stop as I on the way to a job.
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Think they all flew over our house, possibly Martin Mere bound, just as it got dark…
Just prior to that a rather splendid though quite small male sparrow hawk spent ten minutes scoping out our bird feeders from the top of the privet hedge. If he was relying on them to produce his dinner, he went away disappointed.
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Can’t beat a fine male Sprawk.
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