Monday 28th July 2014

Weather; Light westerly wind, cloudy at first sunny later. Warm.

Offshore today at Leasowe were 33 Gannets, 3 Great-crested Grebes, 43 Common Scoter, 15 Common, 14 Sandwich Terns and an adult Mediterranian Gull.
Wader numbers and variety continue to grow. 50 Sanderling were present, all adults, together with 35 Dunlin, a Bar-tailed Godwit, over 100 Redshanks, 50 Turnstones and the usual Greenshank. Autumn passerine migration is starting to pick up with Willow Warblers, as usual, in the vanguard. 5 individuals were present in coastal scrub including 3 juveniles resplendent in their canary-yellow garb.
A juvenile Yellow Wagtail was in the paddocks yesterday.

Juvenile Reed Warbler  EW.

The local Reed Warblers appear to have had a good breeding season. Chestnut-washed juveniles well outnumber the paler looking adults, many of the latter still being in song and carrying food.

Adult Reed Warbler.  EW

Observers DH, EW.