Merseyside

Female reed bunting, Crosby Marine Lake

I decided to have another day at the seaside, this time a visit to Crosby Marina to see if I could find the long-tailed duck that's been there for the past few days then moving on to someplace else, the choice depending on how I was feeling.

The staff at the ticket barrier at Liverpool South Parkway were phenomenally apologetic (and a bit upset) that there was a quarter hour delay because the next train to Southport had been delayed. As I explained, life on Northern Rail means that a quarter of an hour is more or less on time. Waiting for the Southport train here is generally good for a bit of birdwatching: the bushes and trees on either side usually have at least a couple of singing robins and mixed tit flocks bouncing through them. Five greenfinches were feeding on the brambles and a small charm of goldfinches were feeding up in the alders. There was a three minute soap opera on the opposite platform involving two male robins courting a female while a male dunnock lurked in the background.

The long-tailed duck was on the little boating pond by Crosby Marine Lake. A neat little duck, barely bigger than the black-headed gulls it was swimming with.

Female long-tailed duck, Crosby Marine Lake

Black-headed gull, Crosby Marine Lake
The splash just behind is the long-tailed duck diving out of sight so I couldn't get a photo showing how small she was.

There was a lot of activity on the dunes near the pond, mostly crows and gulls fighting over scraps thrown by dog walkers. There were a couple of skylarks but none of the usual meadow pipits. A reed bunting jumped up from the path and into a patch of sea buckthorn as I walked past.

Female reed bunting, Crosby Marine Lake

The tide was receding so most of the waders on the beach were distant figures. Most were redshanks and oystercatchers, a few curlews were dotted about and a dozen or so sanderlings were playing in the surf.

Walking along the outside of the fence around Seaforth Nature Reserve it turned out that all the meadow pipits were feeding on the close-cropped turf with the rabbits and pied wagtails.

I took the train up from Waterloo to Hall Road and walked down to the north end of Crosby Beach at Burbo Bank. The starlings in the car park were incredibly tame, barely bothering to move out of the way of people and scarcely at all for any dog larger than a Jack Russell.

Starling, Burbo Bank Car Park by Crosby Beach

Starling, Burbo Bank Car Park by Crosby Beach

The tide was well out by now so the only waders close enough to identify were a few curlews and a couple of redshanks.

I decided to call it quits at this point, it was getting a bit late for nipping up to Southport to see if there were any twite by the sailing club. I've plans on visiting Banks Marsh, I'll have a look for them then.