02/02/2020 Ribble & Alt Estuaries

Purple Heron: I love my job, I really do, but being stuck in the office for a week with no survey work scheduled in isn't good for the soul.  So it was good to get out and with some good mates, Gary and Tobie and do some local birding.

We headed south early morning to Ashton flashes in Northwich, were I was hoping to get better views of the Sibe stonechat. After looking in the wrong area for about an hour Dan Foy turned up without any binoculars or a camera spotted the bird in the north east corner - you can't make this stuff up!

The bird was showing much better and much more closer. We had our fill, grabbed a McDonalds then headed north to Pilling near Preston.

This time our target bird was the long staying purple heron which again put on a better show then the first time I saw it. The heron was foraging in the open in the middle of a field.

Barn Owl: We were also treated to a brilliant barn owl coming out of its roost from the nearby sheds. This bird is probably the most photographed wild barn owl in the north west and although it quickly disappeared after we saw it, I think I will have to come back and try again with it.

The purple heron seems like it's being a little more mobile and foraging further away from its favorite ditch, one day soon it might just go for good!

Long-billed Dowitcher: Next stop, Southport where we bumped in to some local legends, John Dempsey and Graham Clarkson who were busy searching for some barnacle geese across the marsh. 

We however were interested ins seeing another long stayer, the dowitcher who was in pretty much the precise location to when I saw the bird back on the 11th of January, the day after it turned up.

The bird was happily feeding amongst a group of mallard and appeared to be the only wader in the area except for some distant curlew and redshank.

Our last stop before we lost the light was to Martin Mere, were we bagged the Tundra bean goose before getting kicked out by the surely staff members who were obviously keen to clock off on time and with no exceptions!!. Forget the fact Gary and Tobie paid almost £30 for an hour and a half visit.

11/01/2020 RSPB Marshside, Southport

Long-billed Dowitcher: Its always good when there's a decent local bird to twitch, the news of this bird came through late afternoon yesterday and I it would be rude not to go over and see it.

This is my third LBD but possibly the best showing of the three. Upon arriving the bird was roosting behind some vegetation before being spooked.

It then got picked up by the expert eyes of Mark Nightingale as it fed along a distant ditch.

Here are some dodgy phone scope images of the bird when it was further up the ditch. The bird eventually came a lot closer.

Unfortunately I missed out on the white triangular patch above its tail and white uppertail-covers the bird exhibits in flight, all I ended up with from the flight shots were blurry brown blobs streaking across the sky!

Note to self, must try harder!

Spurn Migration Festival

Wryneck: What a weekend and what a place, this was my second Spurn Migration Festival and this time I went with some of the north west lads, Patrick Damion, Iggo and Tony Broom, unfortunately Neil was unable to attend.






I arrived a little later then the others as I was working away that week carrying out autumn bird surveys in Norfolk.

Upon my arrival I headed over to Sandy Beaches caravan Park to see the Wryneck and meet up with a Iggo and Patrick.  Here we watched the bird carry out some unusual behaviour as it flew upon to the Perennial Sow Thistle and started to eat the aphids straight from the stems.

The bird was present in this area the whole weekend.

 Long-billed Dowitcher: Apart from the Wryneck and and full of migrant birds like redstarts and Pied Flycatchers there wasn't much else to be seen and we spend a few hours searching and hoping for something great to drop in.





Black Redstart: Well our preys were answered as a heavy but small shower passed over us which allowed a Long-billed Dowitcher to drop in.






This was what everyone was waiting for as as soon as news reach us we set off to see it, along with every other person at Spurn.

We had some excellent views before heading off in search of our own finds.

01/10/2012 Burton Mere Wetlands

Long-Billed Dowitcher: I had a phone call this afternoon from somebody on Burton Mere Wetlands while I was on the reserve working, they were saying they think they have found a Long-Billed Dowitcher but needed some identification help as they were not 100%.

 So me and Dan rallied the troops and headed down to see, it was among several Black-Tailed Godwits. Another lifer, made up!


Other highlights from the past few days at Burton Mere Wetlands are: Golden Plover, Greenshank, Hen and Marsh Harrier.