25/01/2015 Neston Sewage Works

Water Pipit: Today I finally bagged one of my bogey birds, I can't tell you how many hours I have spent looking through the fence at Neston Sewage Plant.






I arrived around 11.20 and waited with two other local birders who where there 20 minutes before me. The three of us spent about 40 minutes searching and only finding Pied and Grey Wagtail foraging around the circular treatment systems.

I decided to stay and wait another hour after the locals left for Burton Mere, I am glad I did as not long after they left a Rock Pipit turned up with a single Water Pipit. Almost as soon as I picked the water pip up it flew off but landed on a fence within the plant. I watched it for a few minutes while it fed just to the left of the fence that it was perching on, until it flew up on to an old lamp post then off out of sight. 

24/01/2015 Pilling Lane Ends, Lancs

Pomarine Skua: Its really good to be back from my weeks trip to Morocco, despite the cold winds and grey skies of Lancashire. I was really pleased that the long staying Pom was still showing well.




Thanks to Alan McBride for the directions however he didn't say that there would be a mile long walk involved!  When I arrived the bird had been spooked off yet again by another dog walker and it flew off right down to the bottom end of the path.






I didn't have to wait too long as the bird seemed to appear out of nowhere from the marsh and land a few yards in front of me as it took shelter behind a large piece of drift wood. Soon a small crowd of birders gathered around me and we watched it for about 45 minutes before it took off.




The bird flew out of sight and back down towards the dead bird it has been feeding on for a few days now. We all followed it back down the long path where it was feasting.

It's been a long time since I last saw a Pom, Shetland back when I was a Student, but I never had views like this.

04/01/2015 Rossall Point

Shore Lark:  I was hoping I would get another chance to see Fleetwood's Shore Lark before my festive break finished and I had to go back to work.

This was a lovely day trip with Gary and his better half Elise. I was keen to help Gary bag a few new birds and help him increase his list so we headed to Blackburn for the Great Northern Diver.

From there I drove across to Blackpool and with a small detour to check out the waste management roof for some nice white winged gulls.

We arrived at Rossall Point early afternoon and walked up past the receding high tide towards the bird which was more or less in the same place I saw it last time. 

However this time the bird came right up to the sea wall giving us all the best views. 

02/01/2015 London Wetland Centre

Ring-necked Parakeet: My first post of 2015 and there is no little Bustard or Harlequin Duck, but I can offer some nice London locals.

After a super New Years Eve watching the London fireworks then the London day parade Dawn and I headed across to Barnes to the LWWT.

Upon arriving the first bird we saw and heard were RN Parakeets, these were shooting around the visitor centre like one of the previous nights green fireworks.

Bittern: Our target bird was the Bittern that has been skulking around the reedbeds there for ages and once we had our parakeet fill we headed down to the Wild Side Hide where the Bittern can best be viewed.

After a short wait it was Dawn who picked up the almost invisible bird trying hard not to be seen.

I thought LWWT was great and well worth the visit however maybe because I am from the North or grew up with it, I think Martin Mere is better, the wildfowl and Swan Link Hide in my mind make Martin Mere WWT a really special place.