Saturday, 1 April 2017

Weather: SW-2 heavy rain , clear and sunny later.

 Heavy rain throughout the morning did little to encourage birders to venture out. However a couple of determined souls pushed through and completed a couple of early morning circuits of the Lighthouse paddocks. Up to 6 Wheatear, 12 Chiffchaff and a Blackcap had arrived over night. The rain stopped about mid day, the sun forced through and so the quality of birding picked up. A splendid male Ring Ouzel was located by a visiting Bird Group from Liverpool around mid day. A typical arrival date for this species at the Lighthouse, this handsome male strutted his stuff in one of the eastern paddocks for around an hour before being spooked and flying off high. This will no doubt be the Ring Ouzel of the spring, we expect a good number during the course of the spring.

At 2pm one lucky observer saw our first Osprey of the year flying over the coastal paddocks and continuing North over the sea towards the Lancashire coast.

Other migrants today included, 250 Meadow Pipit, 1 Siskin, 20 Goldfinch, 6 Pied Wagtail, 4 Stonechat and a further 8 Wheatear. 98 Curlew were recorded roosting in the flooded inland fields where 4 Teal were also present.

A fantastic early spring day with lots of migration. With a high pressure system positioning itself over the near continent next week we are hopeful of further days of exciting migration.
 
Ring Ouzel (Allan Conlin)

Ring Ouzel (Allan Conlin)

Wheatear, (Tim Kinch)





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