I started the day well yesterday, as me and Mike "the cockney" Brown where sticking to a tight schedule we managed to tick the Waxwing flock on the junction of Scotland Road and Leeds Street in the city centre, without stopping the car! A sacrilege for sure! Maybe I will catch up with them during the next few days, I wonder if they where the birds I saw over the University of Liverpool during December?
We then had a quick look for the flock in Norris Green, but couldn't repeat the drive by pattern! Mike had 70 birds there on Townsend Avenue the day before. The birds I reported in Bootle during December are still around in that area too, there is plenty to go around!
We then had a quick look for the flock in Norris Green, but couldn't repeat the drive by pattern! Mike had 70 birds there on Townsend Avenue the day before. The birds I reported in Bootle during December are still around in that area too, there is plenty to go around!
We traveled up to Preston Docks to catch up with the long staying Iceland Gull, a rarity nowadays away from areas like Moore and its adjacent tip, the bird duly obliged and could also potentially had been ticked from the car! How is it that so many decent birds over the years have been found near Macdonalds? Does this point to a higher than average rate of obesity within the birdwatching community?
We made are way up to Fairhaven Lake, Lytham St Annes,to see the Red Necked Grebe. The bird was in its usual area in the East corner of the lake and showed really well. Also on the salt marsh adjacent to the lake; a flock of 70 Twite (according to the RSPB visitors centre there has been 300 reported).
Our next stop was Lytham Crematorium for the resident Ring-Necked Parakeets, we easily found 4 of the birds, due to their ear splitting calls! 4 pairs of these great birds bred here last year, and with one of the 4 birds present yesterday a 1st winter bird; they seem to be doing well, especially if they can handle the last couple of winters, good luck to them I say. One of the male birds was actively displaying and calling, and according to a couple of local birders; they are already carrying nesting material! Now if these critters think spring is on the way, it really must be!
When leaving the Crem at the bottom of the access road where it meets the main road, we had a flock of at least 12 Waxwings fly past us, I have never known a winter like it for this species, its hard not to see them at the moment!
One last look at the Iceland Gull on the way back rounded the day off nicely.
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