Southport scorchio

Tufted duckling

It was a day that looked cloudy but wasn't. The smoke haze hung over Stretford and Manchester like a mist. The plan yesterday has been to nip over to Marbury Country Park to chase after the Caspian tern that spent most of the day there but the combination of heat, pollen and smoke laid me low after an atrocious night's sleep where I'd have been better not sleeping at all. Today I would run away from the smoke, I decided, and have a day at the seaside.

For once I had the sense to sit on the Northern side of the train to Southport and not melt my face off before arrival. We left the smoke behind just after Bolton and arrived in Southport to clear blue skies and a pleasantly fresh breeze that let me pretend it wasn't Very Hot.

Walking down Marshside Road most of the marshes were given to woodpigeons, starlings and house sparrows, the roadsides the haunt of goldfinches, a couple of whitethroats and a sedge warbler, as well as rather a lot of meadow browns, peacocks and a bewildering medley of assorted bees. I'm nearly up to speed on the bumblebees and carders so long as I've got a crib to check my guesses, I'm well out of my depth with the rest. House martins hawked high over the dry marshes, swifts low over the areas of greener grasses where the ground still held some moisture. The cattle had been split into two herds, one waiting by the roadside to be told where they were to be deployed, the other being taken to graze by the stretch of cracked mud that should be Polly's Pool. 

Part of the herd that crops the marshes

There was water only in the deepest drains at the end of the road, the others, and Junction Pool, were dry. Most of the birdlife was concentrated at this end of the marsh. Canada geese and a few greylags pottered about, a small crowd of gulls littered the area near Sandgrounders, black-headed gulls near the pools, herring gulls and a few lesser black-backs on the dry marsh.

Little egrets

Heron

A large bird in the distance caught my eye as it flew over the salt marsh into the estuary. Thinking it a marsh harrier I was puzzled when I got the binoculars and saw that it had a pale belly and head. I don't see ospreys often enough in places I wasn't already expecting to see them, the penny's always slow to drop.

Greenfinch

The verges by Marine Drive were busy with butterflies and bees. Greenfinches sang in the hawthorn bushes by the marsh, goldfinches from the trees on the sand plant across the road. Swifts darted low over the road and I was becoming very grateful to that cooling wind. There was a kerfuffle on the marsh, lapwings and black-headed gulls rising up and half a dozen curlews flying away. I couldn't see the cause and the remaining birds settled down almost immediately. Perhaps the heat was getting to them, too.

The excellent year for painted ladies continues

Common blues

The lagoon by Sandgrounders was busy with black-headed gulls, coots, Canada geese, mallards and cormorants and I almost missed the couple of spoonbills asleep in the corner.

Black-headed gulls, black-tailed godwits, herring gulls and Canada geese

Tufted duckling

There was a limited amount of water in front of Sandgrounders. Tufted ducks, mallards and shovelers made the most of it. One mallard had a couple of tiny ducklings with her. The tufted ducklings were striking out own their own, barked to attention every so often by their mother. Lapwings and ruffs bustled about the water margins, all the small figures fidgeting about on the banks were either starlings or goldfinches. Thick bands of densely packed black-headed gulls and black-tailed godwits loafed on the dried mud beyond. Most of the adult godwits were still in breeding russets and gingers though some were already showing signs of moulting. The youngsters caused me to look twice as besides being in non-breeding greys and beiges they were significantly smaller than the adults and with slightly shorter bills.

Ruff

Despite being so late in the late session this lapwing kept giving come-hither signals to passing males.

Tufted duck

Black-headed gulls, black-tailed godwits, herring gulls and Canada geese

Black-headed gulls, black-tailed godwits, herring gulls and Canada geese

Canada geese and spoonbills

On the way out of Sandgrounders I got a better view of the spoonbills on the lagoon. Out over the salt marsh skylarks flew in and out of the long grass and herring gulls fussed about on the shore of the estuary. A female marsh harrier flew in from the estuary and started hunting over the distant marsh before floating off in the direction of Banks Marsh.

Poppies

Peacock

I decided against having a long walk round, I was feeling the heat somewhat. I headed back to Southport for the mid-afternoon train back so I'd be able to avoid the rush hour. As I walked up Marshside Road a brute of an immature great black-back flew into Sutton's Marsh. Give it a few months' experience and it'll be putting the fear of God into the flocks by the pools.

Starlings on the fog bell

And then there was the journey home…

The train back to Oxford Road struggled to get past a slow canter and finally gave up the ghost in Bolton. Luckily, I thought at the time, the next train into Manchester wasn't one of the ones cancelled due to signalling problems so I got in half an hour later than planned but still three-quarters of an hour too early for the train home so I got off at Deansgate for the 255 back to Stretford. This is not the year Manchester City Centre avoids having it's annual Midsummer transportation meltdown. One of the reasons I disapprove of replacing train services with trams, besides the years' worth of travel disruption, is that for all their myriad, obvious faults the rail networks aren't shut one month out of every twelve for repairs. The city centre gridlock and the additional demand on the bus services meant that the bus was heaving and running forty minutes late by the time it got to Deansgate. The driver collapsed with heat stroke in Old Trafford and had to be carried off into the bus shelter for to be given air and water by passengers. The 256 which was running forty-four minutes late was right behind, so I got that home. Which sounds heartless but I would have been no damn use to the driver.