Thursday 27 October 2022

Another day of poor timing!

 A light south wind all day. Plenty of sunshine, but also heavy showers.

Pink-Footed goose 5 skeins flew towards fields beyond Meldon Rd before 08:00 (Janet)
Middleton Nature Reserve (Janet)
Just a few sightings while exercising dogs:
Jay 1
Pheasant 1
Roe deer 2 small individuals

South shore high water 13:00 (MD)
I couldn't get out till just after high water today, the saltmarsh was already covered, but I did expect the odd Jack Snipe to still be around the edge, but none.
Common Snipe 2
Linnet 55
Wigeon 41
Mallard 1
Rock Pipit 2
Whooper Swan 1 flew low to SE just after I had reached my car and put my camera away!

Common Darter 2 in Nature Park

Imperial Rd (MD)
Great White Egret 1 - technically this is a "seen from" the recording area, as it was in the field just east of Imperial Rd which is the eastern boundary of the recording area. It was amongst a heard of cows. Unfortunately, at that point the farmer turned up to round the cows up and flushed it before I could get a good shot. This was about the best I managed as it flew off towards the Lune.
Great White Egret

This clip is awful of the Egret as it flew further and further away, but does give a good impression of the clamour that modern cattle herding results in. The farmer turned up in a beeping jeep (not an expletive, the jeep was constantly beeping its horn), plus a barking dog. I have to say it proved very effective, but I'm not sure Rowdy Yates would have approved! (Sorry to post readers who are under 70, to whom that reference will mean absolutely nothing......but that's what Google is for).

Stonechat 1 female/immature flew across the road (from outside to inside the recording area). Unfortunately I couldn't relocate 

Buzzard 2 calling to each other from the trees. This is one of them, I could hear a couple of returning calls from the second bird, but they weren't captured by my camera.

It was the Magpie's turn to harass them today
Common Darter 4 males

Heysham skear (MD)
I just had a quick look on the ebbing tide before it became too dark
Great Crested Grebe 2
Red-breasted Merganser 9. The males have already started their courtship displays, there were three following one female.
Eider 6 (3male)
Little Egret 16
Knot one flock of 130