Today I took a wander through Witch Wood. Admittedly it was more of a quick walk than a 'wander' as I wanted to get to the estuary and make the most of the light! Most notable birds were:
Blackap
Long-tailed Tit
Chiffchaff
Greenfinch
Nuthatch
Great Tit
Wren
The estuary was a hive of activity and the light was just nice. There were a few mixed flocks of Ringed Plover and Dunlin (c200) flying constantly, twisting and then turning back on themselves. They would drop for a matter of seconds then repeat the process again. This unsettled behaviour was interesting to watch. Most of their activity was around the cocklers boats and vehicles on the water line. The Dunlin were all in breeding plumage showing that lovely dark patch on the underparts. The Ringed Plover were a pleasure to see in such numbers. The large numbers of Eider I've been getting used to seeing were absent from the Southport shore - I just saw two in flight. I checkout the scrubby / concrete area near the RNLI shop for Wheatear but no joy. There were however 5 red-breasted Linnet. A walk down the Jetty gave me good views of a beautiful Bar-tailed Godwit in breeding plumage and two Whooper Swan! According to the Fylde Bird Report 2012 - the WeBS count for Whooper in April for that area was 0 and only 1 in the 2011 report. I didn't have the camera so couldn't get any pictures of the Barwit or Linnet so a poor phone scoped picture of the Whooper Swans will have to suffice.
Blackap
Long-tailed Tit
Chiffchaff
Greenfinch
Nuthatch
Great Tit
Wren
The estuary was a hive of activity and the light was just nice. There were a few mixed flocks of Ringed Plover and Dunlin (c200) flying constantly, twisting and then turning back on themselves. They would drop for a matter of seconds then repeat the process again. This unsettled behaviour was interesting to watch. Most of their activity was around the cocklers boats and vehicles on the water line. The Dunlin were all in breeding plumage showing that lovely dark patch on the underparts. The Ringed Plover were a pleasure to see in such numbers. The large numbers of Eider I've been getting used to seeing were absent from the Southport shore - I just saw two in flight. I checkout the scrubby / concrete area near the RNLI shop for Wheatear but no joy. There were however 5 red-breasted Linnet. A walk down the Jetty gave me good views of a beautiful Bar-tailed Godwit in breeding plumage and two Whooper Swan! According to the Fylde Bird Report 2012 - the WeBS count for Whooper in April for that area was 0 and only 1 in the 2011 report. I didn't have the camera so couldn't get any pictures of the Barwit or Linnet so a poor phone scoped picture of the Whooper Swans will have to suffice.
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