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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