Crossens and Marshside

Wigeon, Crossens Outer

A stroll around Crossens and Marshside on a windy day to have another look at the long-billed dowitcher (the first one I've actually liked as opposed to just ticked off in my list) and see what geese were about.

I started off a couple of stops down Elswick Road and took the cut through past the school and onto the path on the ridge towards Crossens. The dowitcher wasn't playing nice today, possibly because a female merlin was doing the rounds: at one point she shot off the marsh just to my left, sped down the ridge away from me and then down the length of the ditch towards the waterworks. Crossens Inner Marsh was thick with wigeon and teal, mostly bathing and sleeping.

Wigeon, Marshside

These black-tailed godwits had been fighting on and off for five minutes.

There were five Bewick's swans on Crossens Inner Marsh, including one juvenile. It's nice to have some within camera lens range, they're pretty scarce in Northwest England these days.

Bewick's swans, juvenile second left

Bewick's swans

On Crossens Outer Marsh the geese were very distant, all Canada or pink-footed geese no matter how hard I might wish for something more exotic.

Canada geese and pink-footed geese on Crossens Outer Marsh with the River Ribble and Lytham in the distance

I didn't get to see a Siberian stonechat on Monday but this rather nice European stonechat accompanied me most of the way along my walk along Marine Drive by Crossens Outer Marsh.

The regular great white egret was on Marshside Outer Marsh again.