American wigeon {left hand bird}There is nothing better than birding back home on my local territory in Lancashire.. Fair enough, North wales has its sites and its birding, but birding on home ground always beckons..
As most of you know, I am doing a big yearlist this year with the target being 300 plus - hopefully. During last week, a few decent birds turned up back home which I wouldn't have minded getting on the yearlist.. So...... Myself and Alex set off on saturday morning {13th March} around 8am and headed for lancs..
Targets for today were:
- American Wigeon
- Long-billed dowitcher
- Spoonbill
First stop was Martin mere for the American wigeon. After a search around the area, it eventually flew in out of a ditch with 500 or so other Eurasion wigeon and landed on the pool viewed from Ron Barker hide and showed quite well.. Job done! Snap snap and moved on..
Next stop was for the Long-billed dowitcher at Old Hollows farm in Banks near Southport. Searched high and low amongst the pools but to no avail. The bird coincidently wasn't reported on saturday so it had probably moved on somewhere or was somewhere out there.. Oh well.. I am bound to pick one up sometime this year anyway..
Little owl on the old barn on the left hand side of the road driving towards Hesketh out marsh was nice... Just one yeartick so far..
No sign of the Bean geese out on Plex moss at 2pm. They were however seen later on in the afternoon on Plex moss, but I can assure you they were not there when we were there.. I had already seen these birds a week or so ago and knew exactly where to look.
That was Lancs done so we moved off and over to the Parkgate marsh where the Spoonbill was hiding out somewhere.. On arrival, a brisk wind was blowing.. Little egrets everywhere... Picked up some Cod and chips from the chippy and sat in the car and funnily enough, picked out the Spoonbill from the car.. The bird was quite distant but nice scope views were had..
Yearlist tally was 166 with American wigeon and Spoonbill new for the year.. Back in Bangor for a respectable time of 7pm..
Not a bad day really ...
As most of you know, I am doing a big yearlist this year with the target being 300 plus - hopefully. During last week, a few decent birds turned up back home which I wouldn't have minded getting on the yearlist.. So...... Myself and Alex set off on saturday morning {13th March} around 8am and headed for lancs..
Targets for today were:- American Wigeon
- Long-billed dowitcher
- Spoonbill
First stop was Martin mere for the American wigeon. After a search around the area, it eventually flew in out of a ditch with 500 or so other Eurasion wigeon and landed on the pool viewed from Ron Barker hide and showed quite well.. Job done! Snap snap and moved on..
Next stop was for the Long-billed dowitcher at Old Hollows farm in Banks near Southport. Searched high and low amongst the pools but to no avail. The bird coincidently wasn't reported on saturday so it had probably moved on somewhere or was somewhere out there.. Oh well.. I am bound to pick one up sometime this year anyway..
Little owl on the old barn on the left hand side of the road driving towards Hesketh out marsh was nice... Just one yeartick so far..
No sign of the Bean geese out on Plex moss at 2pm. They were however seen later on in the afternoon on Plex moss, but I can assure you they were not there when we were there.. I had already seen these birds a week or so ago and knew exactly where to look.
That was Lancs done so we moved off and over to the Parkgate marsh where the Spoonbill was hiding out somewhere.. On arrival, a brisk wind was blowing.. Little egrets everywhere... Picked up some Cod and chips from the chippy and sat in the car and funnily enough, picked out the Spoonbill from the car.. The bird was quite distant but nice scope views were had..Yearlist tally was 166 with American wigeon and Spoonbill new for the year.. Back in Bangor for a respectable time of 7pm..Not a bad day really ...
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