A third bite of the cherry

Marshside Outer Marsh 

It was a bright, sunny morning and that pallid harrier was taunting me. I headed for Southport for another go.

I got the 44 and got off at Elswick Road. There were more pink-feet on the marshes either side of Marshside Road, plenty of Canada geese and greylags and about a dozen curlews. Something brought up the lapwings on the marsh opposite Sandgrounders, it turned out to be a juvenile great black-back. As I approached the junction a sparrowhawk flying less than a foot above the marsh scared up a flock of goldfinches and linnets. At the corner a robin and a Cetti's warbler told me to get on my way.

Marshside Outer Marsh from the sand plant

Crossing the road I joined the crowd at the sand plant and scanned over the marsh. At first sight it looked empty but I soon spotted meadow pipits and skylarks flitting about. Out on the estuary shelducks flew upstream and a few dozen small waders, either dunlins or knots but far too distant for me to tell which, wheeled around before settling down out of sight beyond the marsh.

Today's reports said that the harrier was showing best from McCarthy's so I started that way. Way over towards Crossens River a buzzard was wheeling high over the marsh, much closer to hand a male kestrel hovered not much over head height over the marsh. I spotted two very distant female-type marsh harriers floating over the marsh in opposite directions.

I was halfway to McCarthy's when I noticed a raptor heading this way, flying fast and direct and skimming over the tall grass. From first sight in was a harrier of some kind and the way it was flying pretty much eliminated marsh harrier. It quickly became apparent it was a ring-tail harrier and the bright ginger underparts wasn't a good fit for a hen harrier. It was now flying parallel to me, I was getting a good side-on look at the bird a couple of hundred yards away. What had first impressed me most was the paleness of the head, which was misleading because now I was getting a better look the head itself wasn't excessively pale, I had been registering the pale collar made to look all the paler by the dark gingery brown top of the shoulders. I had me the pallid harrier.

I think I got about half a minute's view before the bird shot off beyond the sand plant out of view. It had been too far out for me to get a photo with my kit but I would hope someone in the group by the sand plant had some luck with it. I was happy enough, I'd seen the bird and could recognise what had been needed for the identification. And a nice bird it had been, too. Last year I'd seen my first Montagu's harrier here, this year a pallid harrier. I suppose it would be being cheeky to hope for a Northern harrier next year.

Shovelers and gadwalls

I bobbed over to Sandgrounders for a quick nosy. It was pretty much as per the other day but half a dozen redshanks had joined the black-tailed godwits at the hide and a rather gingery looking wader with the lapwings turned out to be a juvenile ruff.

Little egrets, mallards and wigeons

Dewberry flowers, still game

It was blowing for rain as I stepped out of Sandgrounders. I took the hint. I got to the bus stop and just had time to see if the bus was coming and there it was in front of me. I sat on the train home watching the pouring rain.