Marshside

Long-tailed duck

That lousy view of the long-tailed duck at Marshside has been bugging me so I thought I'd have another crack at it. It's moved from the pool by Sandgrounders to the one by Hesketh Road, which is differently convenient to get to: the 40 bus from Southport town centre stops about a hundred yards away but is an hourly service. Of course, I could opt not to be so bone idle and walk down from the station but the dodgy knees are asserting themselves this week.

I got the train to Bolton and changed for the next Southport train, which happened to be the stopping service. Which was fine as I had all day and it gave me the chance to check out the fields full of black-headed gulls, jackdaws and woodpigeons. I got a bit giddy when I noticed a report of a cattle egret in Hoscar, which would be a train tick first (no, I don't have a train list, that way lies madness) then calmed down when I checked and found it was seen half a mile from the station. Buzzards floated off trackside trees, pheasants panicked out of embankments, mallards and teals dabbled in land drains. It was a gloomy sort of day but there was plenty about to see.

Pintail 

I got the 40 to Hesketh Road and walked down to the viewing platform near the end of the road. The teal, pintails and mallards were immediately obvious, the shovelers and wigeons easy to spot as I scanned round, you could close your eyes and find the greylags and pink-feet. A group of tufted ducks were busy feeding in the middle of the pool, scarcely up on the surface before bobbing back down again. I couldn't see the long-tailed duck for a long time and then only because it stopped feeding to spend a couple of minutes preening. As soon as it finished it was back underwater again, at least as busy as the tufted ducks but staying under for about twice the time.

Pintails 

Tufted ducks 

Long-tailed duck 

Long-tailed duck 
It was determined not to pose for the camera.

Beyond the pool the marsh was carpeted with lapwings and black-tailed godwits with a few curlews feeding on the higher ground. The waders were very skittish, bringing up big flocks of otherwise invisible starlings whenever they got spooked, but I couldn't find what kept putting them up.

Lapwings

Wigeons 

Greylags and wigeons

Wigeons

Wigeons 

Wigeons 

Wigeons 

Greylag and wigeons 

I took the path across the golf course to Marshside Road, giving me an opportunity to have a close look at a lot of wigeon and teal. And yes, I did look for American wigeons and green-winged teal, and no I didn't find any. There were a lot more drake wigeons in eclipse plumage than I'd seen on my last visit. The hedgerows were busy with long-tailed tits at the Hesketh Road end, goldfinches and pied wagtails at the Marshside Road end. The family of black swans were feeding on the marsh close to the fence by Marshside Road.

Pied wagtail 

Pied wagtail 

Black swan cygnet

Black swan cygnet 

Sutton's Marsh, on the right as you walk down Marshside Road, was deadly quiet, not even the usual starlings were about. It came as a relief when a dozen wigeon flew in and joined a lone black-tailed godwit feeding in the drain. Across the road was very different again, the flocks of lapwings and black-tailed godwits accompanied by a flock of golden plovers and a dozen ruffs. A pair of stonechats flew up onto tall dead stems the better to have a look at me just in case I needed to be sent on my way.

Lapwings, golden plovers and black-tailed godwits 

Stonechat 

As I walked down the path to Sandgrounders the pools looked quiet at first sight, a few mallards, tufted ducks and gadwalls by the banks and the usual great black-back loafing just behind. "There's a merlin sitting on the post over there," said a chap in passing. I glanced across the pool. So there was.

Merlin

A few shelducks, shovelers and teal dabbled on the pool in front of Sandgrounders and half a dozen black-tailed godwits waded knee-high as they fed.

Wren

As I left the hide a lady asked if I'd seen the female goldeneye that had just been reported. I confessed I'd missed it. It was on the far side of the pool just in front of me in plain sight.

Golden plovers

I didn't have the legs for the walk round to Crossens so I walked back up Marshside Road for the bus back into Southport. Something put all the waders up in a panic. I glanced back, the merlin was still sat on its post. I scanned round and this time I found the culprit as the young sparrowhawk caught a golden plover. And almost immediately was deprived of its meal by a pair of carrion crows. Which were then robbed by a great black-back. There's a reason why many young birds of prey fail to survive their first year: even if they catch something they can't guarantee it'll become a meal.

Teal

I had a long wait for the next train to Manchester and an even longer waiting for it to depart Wigan, the crew having been stranded by one of Northern's "short notice cancellations." I didn't let it spoil my day.

Heron