Appleton Reservoir, Warrington

Common sandpiper 1
House martin 1
Sand martin 20
Swallow 10
Tufted duck 16

Houghton Green Flash, Winwick

Little ringed plover 4
White wagtail 1

White wagtail

Little ringed plover

Pied wagtail

Appleton Reservoir, Warrington

Common sandpiper 3
Blackcap 1 m
Swallow 15
House martin 4
Sand martin 30
Willow warbler 10 singing

Year: 183 (Common sandpiper)

Common sandpiper

Swallows and sand martins.

Gull fest at Seaforth

Despite the dire conditions, rain and strong, chilly winds we had a great couple of hours at Seaforth where we saw the New Brighton laughing gull which has recently taken to roosting on the causeway at Seaforth, though often still returning to the marina at New Brighton. While we were in the hide a huge 1st winter glaucous gull dropped in, while at the other end of the size scale, up to four little gulls were picking insects off the water. Also here a female scaup and a fly over sanderling.

Year 182: (Little gull, scaup) This time last year I was on 199.

Laughing gull. Interestingly, just like at New Brighton, it completely ignored the majority of other gulls at Seaforth, prefering to spend its time with the waders.

Glaucous gull.

Little gull.

Female scaup with female pochard.

Burton Mere Wetlands

House martin 1
Sand martin 4
Swallow 1
Egyptian goose 2
Little ringed plover 1
Spotted redshank 8 (in partial summer plumage)
Dunlin 5

Year 180: (House martin, Egyptian goose)

Mistletoe

Mistletoe on hawthorn, near Ludlow. I don't know of it from anywhere in the North West, but there was quite a lot of it on my journey home between Hereford and Shrewsbury.

Mistletoe isn't a climber like ivy, it's parasitic and penetrates the host, growing inside it absorbing nutrients.

More from Glamorgan and a Bonaparte's Gull

I spent most of today surveying for goshawk in a Welsh valley, but when the surveying was done, I went back to Cardiff Bay to see if I could find the Bonaparte's gull that had been reported again yesterday.

It was another day of bright blue skies and warm sunshine in South Wales, and on a day like this, sitting on top of a hill and overlooking the valley, my past life of sitting in an office and staring at a computer screen and worrying about code and databases and other I.T. irrelavances seemed a million miles away. I'd recommend a career change to anybody!

After a slow start, I finally spotted a huge grey looking raptor, a female goshawk. I saw it through the telescope flying through the woods at speed before perching briefly in a pine and then shooting off again. Only a brief view but a start. Eventually I managed several views of individual birds, but best of all I had excellent scope views of a pair displaying. I've seen them closer in the past but I don't think I've ever seen them quite so well. The female was awesome!

Then it was on to Cardiff Bay. The Bonaparte's gull had been seen at Cardiff Bay Wetlands NR yesterday, but I decided to start off on the other side of the bay, at Prospect Place, because I reasoned that the light would be better, but also because you get a great view of the bay and Cardiff from here. My luck was in, I got straight onto the bird, the only adult black-headed type that I could see, I watched it as it hawked for insects over the water. My 5th Bonaparte's gull in the UK and my second at Cardiff.

Finally I headed to Taff's Mead Emabankment near the centre of the city to look for an Iceland gull which has been seen almost daily recently, but this proved one bird too far and I had to come away disappointed, but not before I had seen two Ravens on the roof of the Millennium Stadium.

Year: 178 (Goshawk, Bonaparte's gull)

Bonaparte's gull. Prior to yesterday it had been missing for a few days and I thought it had gone, so I was delighted to catch up with it today.

Picking insects of the water. I hope it's sticking to the speed limit!

 

Millennium Stadium ravens.

Ash tree in flower.

Puple moor grass Molinia caerulea. In summer this species does indeed look purple, but these are last years dead bits which give the moor its characteristic white appearance at this time of year.

Displaying siskin.

Tadpoles!

Glamorgan

Another glorious day in South Wales, it seems that spring has finally arrived. I picked up three year ticks in quick succession today, swallow, blackcap and willow warbler. Also lots of primroses in flower.

Year 176: (swallow, blackcap, willow warbler)

Around Cardiff Bay

It was a glorious day in South Wales and Cardiff Bay looked great in the spring sunshine. Highlight of the day was a cracking adult ring-billed gull which I found in the centre of the bay this evening, complete with ringed bill and bright red orbital eye ring. A stunning bird, but too distant for photographs. No sign of either of the two Bonaparte's gull today.


Drake lesser scaup, Cardiff Bay wetlands.



The long staying little bunting is still showing well at Forest Farm, and is now in really nice plumage, with bright chestnut cheeks and a bright white throat and white eye ring.




Cardiff Bay wetlands NR.

Cardiff Bay from Prospect Place, looking towards Cardiff Bay Wetlands.

Also today, female red-crested pochard.

Year 173: (Lesser scaup, red-crested pochard)

Bempton Cliffs and Flamborough Head

We had a glorious day at Flamborough Head and Bempton Cliffs, once I recovered from the shock of having forgotton both my binoculars and camera. There were thousands of gannets and auks on the cliffs, even a few puffins which I thought were meant to arrive a little later in the month.

Year 171: (Puffin, razorbill, tree sparrow)

Bempton cliffs.

A small part of the 12,000+ gannet colony at Bempton cliffs.

Flamborough Head.

Just like buses....

Three weeks ago I saw my first otter at Leighton Moss in 35 years, and today, on my very next visit we saw another! This time it was much closer and from the Lower Hide.

Also today, about five beared tits along the causeway, where we also saw the first brimstone butterflies of the year, three sand martins from Lillians and about three marsh harriers. At the Allan pools there were about 30 avocets and 800 black-tailed godwits.

Year 169 (Sand martin, beared tit). This time last year I was on 181.

Otter.

Avocets

Lapwing

Snipe

Male marsh harrier.