Martin Mere

Black-tailed godwit, Martin Mere

The weather, and the birdwatching, was good for a final fling before birdwatching purdah.

From Marsh Moss Lane

Skylarks, reed buntings and goldfinches were singing along Marsh Moss Lane and a small flock of fieldfares flitted between the trees. Walking along the path by the side of Martin Mere (a lot drier than on my last visit!) a pair of greylag geese in the field honked their disapproval of me, a chiffchaff sang from the entrance to the reedbed walk and I was surprised to find a pair of stonechats in the rough near the ditch.

Martin Mere itself was showing signs of transition, with fewer whooper swans than last time and more avocets and ruffs. Most of the geese were greylags though there were a couple of small flocks of pink-footed geese in the fields beyond. The long-staying tundra bean goose eluded me completely. Plenty of pintails and wigeon about and quite a few pochard on the mere.

Female pintail from the Discovery Hide

Pair of pintail from the Discovery Hide

Ruff,  from the Raines Observatory
Not often I see one swimming

Female chaffinch by the Kingfisher Hide

Blackbird from the Kingfisher Hide

Wigeon and greylags from the Ron Barker Hide

Walking back from the Ron Barker hide I thought I'd have a look to see if the tawny owl was roosting in "the usual tree" at the corner by Tarslcough Lane. Much to my astonishment, it was, albeit tucked well into the ivy so that only a bit of its belly and a foot could be seen. I think the tree sparrows must have been busy nest building as they were heard far more often than they were seen.

Leaving Martin Mere there was a group of lesser black-backed gulls pretty far out in one of the fields along Tarlscough Lane. One bird was a good candidate for intermedius, with no contrast between the black on its wings and the wing tips even when it stretched its wings out.

Winter Hill from Red Cat Lane

Winter was still lingering on with flocks of fieldfares in the stubble fields, redwings in one of the horse paddocks on Red Cat Lane and a small herd of whooper swans on one of the distant carrot fields. Lots of skylarks and starlings but no corn buntings to be seen. A pair of red-legged partridges ran off from the roadside as I passed the last of the houses before the approach into Burscough.

Red-legged partridges, Red Cat Lane