Monday 25 October 2010

Until the Spring.....I presume

I was working in the centre of Bootle early yesterday morning, from about 5:3o am to be precise! Happily for me there was plenty of visible migration to keep me occupied, with, 25 Fieldfares, 100+ Redwing, 200+ Chaffinch, 5 Redpoll, 2 Siskin, 30+ Pied Wagtail, 120+ Jackdaw passing over, also Perregrine and Sparrowhawk, but the icing on the cake was two huge flocks of Pink Feet moving SW between 8:55am and 9:15am, containing at least 4000 birds, the first flock containing 2500 birds at 8:55am, to my delight (and bemusement of passers by) held a RED-BREASTED GOOSE, presumably the bird that has recently been seen on the mosses.

Due to the direction these birds where heading, I wouldn't be surprised if they where taking the next step down to East Anglia (although I have seen them heading in all sorts of odd directions over the city in the past). If a Red Breasted Goose turns up in Norfolk any time soon I'm having it!

Also, we visited Hoylake and West Kirby for a walk with Dylan on Saturday, managed to get his first Little Egret (5 in total) on the Saltmarsh, pair of Stonechats in the dunes, 5 Red Breasted Mergansers and 2 Great-Crested Grebes on the Marine Lake.


Sunday 3 October 2010

Always watching

I was in Lydiate (just off the Southport Road) today, and to my surprise a Kingfisher flew through the culldisack where I was working, a strange sight to say the least; yet I suppose it is quite close to the canal. Also there Buzzard, Sparrowhawk, Grey Wagtail, Grey Heron, and good numbers of House Martins.
Buzzard over Switch Island too.