Martin Mere

Fieldfare

It was a nice morning so I thought I'd have a wander round Martin Mere. The changes to the train timetables mean that the service from Oxford Road to Southport is back (yay!) but it leaves ten minutes before my local train gets in to Oxford Road (boo!), but the connection to Wigan's still OK and now connects with an all-stations stopping train to Southport. Which means I can now get off at New Lane, wander down to Martin Mere then walk down to Burscough Bridge Station where there's a train every half hour so I'm not constantly watching the clock while I'm birdwatching. So that seems like a good development.

The walk down Marsh Moss Lane from New Lane Station was mostly notable for the large flock of fieldfares splitting their time between the Winter stubble in the fields and the tops of the roadside trees. There were a few redwings and a couple of song thrushes in the trees, too. On the approach to Martin Mere there was a smaller flock of fieldfares which included a couple of mistle thrushes.

Inside Martin Mere, which was unsurprisingly busy, the mere itself was heaving with all the usual suspects. It was nice to see half a dozen pochard amongst the crowds, they seemed to have abandoned the mere for the Harrier Hide pool last Winter.

Black-tailed godwit

Whooper swan

Ruff

Pink-footed geese
Using the feet and the alula (the "bastard wing" or "thumb") as air brakes

Pink-footed geese

Pink-footed goose

Pintail

I didn't have much luck with raptors, just two buzzards sitting in trees on the far side of the mere.

Buzzard
I like the acccidental "Ladybird Book" feel of this picture.

It was nice to see a willow tit on the feeders by the Janet Kear Hide. Apparently it's been around a few weeks, fingers crossed a few more will join it and settle in.

By the time I set off home it had clouded over and the sun was going down. Scan as I may the fields along Red Cat Lane I had no luck finding any barn owls or little owls in the twilight but there were more large flocks of fieldfares settling down in the trees and more incoming pink-footed geese.

Sunset on Red Cat Lane

A lovely day out, marred only by Northern Rail having yet another Monday meltdown on the way home.