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.
Me that is, not the Wheatears – the first ones came through the coast at about the average time earlier this month, but I only bumped into my initial five of the year as I went to check the cattle on Ainsdale LNR today.
A fine party of three full adult males, one younger male and a female, darted about amongst the cowpats just beyond the access gate to the cattle enclosure behind the Pontins site.
I sat down hidden behind a low dune for five minutes and let them come to me – superb things, light in a darkening world.
My first Swallow through at Ainsdale yesterday, with a singing Willow Warbler down near the LNR/NNR border, although in the cold breeze today only a Chiffy braved conditions to sing.
Still feeling bad about the “double drive-by” episode last week when I afforded Crossens’ Waxwing duo only the briefest of gear changes and glimpses as I motored past, I went back today to pay my respects properly.
They were feeding in the same spot on Water Lane, generally low down in the shadows and oblivious to thundering traffic and pedestrians just a metre or so away from them.
Lovely things, their trilling calls were occasionally audible above the engine roar, and once or twice they flitted up to the top of the bushes, when the afternoon breeze played havoc with their “wig in a windtunnel” Trumpy hairdos.
I was surprised they could fly that high as they looked to have each consumed three times their bodyweight in sugary Hawthorn berries.
Tried a bit of video in the afternoon sun, which you can see on YouTube here – one minute there, the next hidden by a vehicle whizzing by.
A groundhog spiral brightened up by fresh spring sun, for a time anyway, justified a stroll at Marshside today.
At least one Water Pipit was out, and had the decency to stand still for a minute or so quite close under the bank on Crossens Outer – shame it was looking a bit the worst for wear during its transition into summer plumage.
Two Little Ringed Plovers – one under the pull-in at Crossens, the other down around Sandgrounders and across the road.
Chiffchaff singing on Hesketh Road, at the Sandplant (Goldcrests there too) and along the bank at Crossens.
I was hoping for a Wheatear as the first few came through last week, and plenty are in the north west now, but I had to make do with the scabby Water Pipit, an adult Spoonbill feeding beyond Polly’s Pool, Raven and Merlin, alongside large numbers of the regular waders and wildfowl… which was just fine.
Fine big tide today – they’re good all week really, and a lunchtime seawatch was ok. No surprises, but plenty of activity.
A few nice flotillas of Great Crested Grebes offshore, as is the way at this time of year, and plenty of winter plumage Red Throated Divers.
Two Razorbills were the first auks I’ve seen offshore here since the horrors of last summer’s bird flu outbreak, and it felt like spring Wheatears were just a few hours away as parties of Mipits bounded north over the waves.
Otherwise I gave the Crossens Waxwings a double drive-by on Water Lane at lunchtime yesterday, and mighty purrty they were too. For the purists who actually stopped and actually looked at them through binolikars, if it’s any consolation, I felt dirty afterwards.
Siskins still eating me out of house and home on the feeders at Dempsey Towers, with double figures most days, and after a conspicuous absence throughout the winter, two male and a female Blackcap have finally reappeared.
John Dempsey Birdblog 