Mere Sands Wood and RSPB Marshside 02/12/17

Twenty-seven members and friends set off from Stockport for the trip over to the west Lancashire coast. The journey was mostly in fog and the only birds of note were a Kestrel and a pair of Goosander on the River Douglas as we approached Rufford. 

Arriving at a damp Mere Sands Wood the group split up to explore this Lancashire Wildlife Trust nature reserve. The pools all held good numbers of duck with Teal, Tufted Duck and Mallard being well represented. Smaller numbers of Wigeon, Shoveler and Pochard were present but we only found one Goosander, a stunning male bird that was actively fishing. Grey Heron, Canada Geese and Cormorant were in attendance and both Little and Great-crested Grebe were also recorded. 

 A very damp & misty Mere Sands Wood

A few skeins of Pink-footed Geese noisily passed overhead and in the tree- lined edges of the pools a couple of Jays chased each other through the branches. At one of the feeding stations we found Nuthatch and Treecreeper as well as the usual members of the tit family. Goldcrest and Chaffinch were widespread and we found the occasional small flock of Redwings. Both Mistle and Song Thrush were recorded but no Fieldfare this year. 

Brian and Kevin were fortunate to flush a Woodcock and watched the bird fly away amongst the trees. Mark spotted a flock of over-flying Golden Plover. Looking out over the fields at the south edge of the reserve we scoped Stock Dove and more Pink-footed Geese in the adjacent farmland. A small flock of Skylark were accompanied by a couple of Pied Wagtail. 

Great Crested Grebe

A Grey Wagtail was the final bird to be added to the list before we returned to the coach for the onward journey to RSPB Marshside. 

The coach dropped us off at Southport Pier as Twite had been recently recorded in the area. Most people alighted and took the walk along the sea front. The tide was far out and we immediately picked up Shelduck, Oystercatcher, Redshank and Curlew on the mudflats. Sure enough we soon found a sizeable flock of small birds, they were very mobile and only a few individuals in our group managed good views. Twite, Linnet and Snow Bunting were all identified amongst the flighty flock. 

A quick look over the adjacent Marine Lake produced Gadwall and Goldeneye to add to the days list and a handful of Greenfinch were in the area. Mute Swans and Coot were plentiful. All the commoner gull species were represented with many bathing and preening in the water. 

View from Nel's Hide, Marshside

Walking on to RSPB Marshside we found good numbers of Pintails in the flooded fields, with the males looking particularly pristine in the early afternoon light. A large flock of Black-tailed Godwits were accompanied by Redshank, Lapwing, Snipe and at least one Knot. Tufted Duck, Wigeon and other duck were in attendance but duck numbers did seem generally down on previous visits. Out on the salt marsh, along with more Pink-footed Geese we easily identified several Little Egrets feeding in the pools. More difficult were distant raptors perched up on fence posts and tree stumps. Over the course of the afternoon Peregrine, Short-eared Owl, Buzzard and Merlin were identified but views were never great. At the north end, looking out towards Banks Marsh, a distant Marsh Harrier was watched. The only raptors that gave good views were a couple of Kestrels hunting next to the road. 

A total of 85 species was a good record for a trip to the Lancashire coast.

Species list:
Mute Swan
Pink-footed Goose
Greylag Goose
Canada Goose
Shelduck
Mallard
Gadwall
Pintail
Shoveler
Wigeon
Teal
Pochard
Tufted Duck
Goldeneye
Goosander
Pheasant
Little Grebe
Great-crested Grebe
Cormorant
Little Egret
Grey Heron
Marsh Harried
Buzzard
Kestrel
Merlin
Peregrine
Moorhen
Coot
Oystercatcher
Ringed Plover
Golden Plover
Grey Plover
Lapwing
Knot
Sanderling
Dunlin
Redshank
Black-tailed Godwit
Bar-tailed Godwit
Woodcock
Curlew
Snipe
Black-headed Gull
Common Gull
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Stock Dove
Woodpigeon
Collared Dove
Short-eared Owl
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Skylark
Meadow Pipit
Pied Wagtail
Grey Wagtail
Dunnock
Robin
Stonechat
Song Thrush
Redwing
Mistle Thrush
Blackbird
Goldcrest
Wren
Great Tit
Coal Tit
Blue Tit
Long-tailed Tit
Nuthatch
Treecreeper
Magpie
Jay
Jackdaw
Rook
Carrion Crow
Starling
House Sparrow
Chaffinch
Linnet
Twite
Goldfinch
Greenfinch
Reed Bunting
Snow Bunting

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