Southport

Juvenile swallow, Crossens Inner Marsh

The weather looked okay so the last trip out of the month was to Southport to see what was about on Marshside and Crossens.

There were signs of Autumn abroad on a pleasant train journey out. Apples were on trackside trees, the beginning of leaf fall started to make woodpigeons and blue tits visible at railway stations and crowds of black-headed gulls danced for worms in fields as we passed.

Curlew, Marshside

There were still a few house martins hawking over Marshside Road though the starlings were flocking together for Winter. A couple of dozen curlews fed on the field with the woodpigeons and starlings.

Curlews, Marshside

Curlew, Marshside

Moorhens and a little egret rested on the bank of the drain and more little egrets were dotted about on the marsh. Aside from the starlings and a few house sparrows there weren't any small birds about and the only movement in the hedgerows were large whites, red admirals and a migrant hawker.

Little egret, Marshside

The Junction Pool was quiet, a dozen teal dozed while a few mallards had a bath.

Nels Hide is still not open so I didn't bother walking down.

Spoonbills, Marshside

I'd been wondering what the large white shapes over by Sandgrounders were. Despite my scepticism they turned out to be seven sleepy spoonbills. Every so often one or other would have a fidget, at least two were juveniles still with relatively small, grey spoons at the end of their bills.

Greylags, Canada geese and great black-back, Marshside

The pools by Sandgrounders were overwhelmed by a mixed flock of greylags and Canada geese. A few herring gulls, black-headed gulls, little egrets and a great black-back loafed on the banks.

Canada geese, starlings, herring gulls, little egrets, spoonbills and greylags, Marshside

At Sandgrounders there were a few teal and a common sandpiper on the main island. The only other waders in front of the hide were a few lapwings dotted about the banks in twos and threes. Out over on Polly's Pool a grey line looked to be black-tailed godwits. I'm glad I first saw the spoonbills from Marshside Road, looking at them end-on from the hide the size difference between them and the little egrets behind them wasn't anywhere near as obvious.

Marshside 

I walked on along the path by the Marine Drive as the clouds rolled in and it started to rain. There weren't many ducks about in the drains and creeks, just handfuls of mallards, shovelers and teals, the drakes emerging from their eclipse plumages. The teal were being very wary of a couple of juvenile herons and I couldn't say I blamed them. I could get better views of the waders on Polly's Pool, a dozen lapwings at one end and a line of about a hundred black-tailed godwits mostly in their Winter greys. It was high tide on the estuary but I couldn't find any other waders about. The only small birds were a few greenfinches and wrens

Marsh harrier, Marshside Outer Marsh

.Looking out over the outer marsh I could see a dark line of unidentifiable waders by the waterline and distant shelducks flying by in twos and threes. I'd eventually come to the conclusion that I wasn't going to be seeing anything else when a marsh harrier rose from the long grass, flew in a bit closer then veered off for Crossens Outer Marsh.

A kestrel perched on a fencepost on the border between Marshside and Crossens Inner Marsh so of course a heron had to land on that post.

This side of Crossens Inner Marsh was quiet with just a few tufted ducks, mallards and little egrets in the drains and creeks and a handful of lapwings dotted about in the grass.

It was even quieter on the Outer Marsh, just a few hawking swallows and a couple of young kestrels windhovering. There were a couple of dozen teal on the pools by the river, a taste of things to come. Another marsh harrier floated in from Banks and was greeted by carrion crows.

Ruffs, golden plover and lapwings, Crossens Inner Marsh

The rain was threatening to ease off so I decided to walk down the bund back to Marshside. The black-headed gulls and lapwings loading on the pools were accompanied by a golden plover and half a dozen busily-feeding ruffs. It was a pleasant change to see a golden plover close to in its breeding plumage.

Golden plover and lapwings, Crossens Inner Marsh

Swallows and martins, both house and sand, hawked low over the pools and the water treatment works. The numerous lumps on my head and hands confirm there was an abundance for them to be having a go at. Oddly, there weren't any wagtails about (the only wagtail of the day was a grey wagtail at Oxford Road Station).

Sand martin and swallows, Crossens Inner Marsh

Goldfinches twittered in the bushes and thistles either side of the drain by the bund. A good-sized mixed tit flock bouncing through the trees seemed to be as many blue tits as long-tailed tits and there were a few chiffchaffs along for the ride. Southern hawkers patrolled the bushes and occasionally chased after the common darters around the drain.

Juvenile swallow, Crossens Inner Marsh

I got the 44 from Marshside back into Southport and got the train home. The trackside buddleias at Wigan Wallgate were awash with red admirals.