A Nice Surprise...

Well I had a day out with my Dad today, with no specific species in mind that I wanted to photograph, so I just snapped what ever I came across, which included one of my favourite birds the Peregrine falcon, that came swooping over head chasing an unsuspecting little Ruff stunning it into a nearby dyke that luckily surviving the terrifying experience with nothing but bad memories and I also managed capture not quite my favourite butterfly but a stunning one none the less in the form of a Brimstone,

I hope that you like them...

Brimstone Butterfly

Peregrine Falcon

After looking at these photos, I noticed that this particular bird is ringed with a red ring on its right leg and what looks like a gold ring on its left leg, I don't no if this will have been ringed locally or somewhere else but if anyone has any info. I would love to know

Anyway I hope that you enjoy the blog,

thanks always Lee Harrison

I'm back continued...

Well as I couldn't fit all my lables on one post, I've had to over run onto two... I hope you like these just as much...

Sunsets

House Sparrow

Pied Wagtail

Rook

Jackdaw

Peregrine Falcon

Buzzard

Red Kite

Herring gull

Lesser Black Backed gull

Well thansk for stopping by and please keep checking in for my other holidat posts,

Thanks always Lee Harrison

Eventually Wednesday Arrives...

I had a fantastic day out on Wednesday, with 3 brand new ticks, I've been that busy going though the 400+ pics that I took on my day out and college work I have had no time to write this blog... But here it is eventually...

I started off at 9am parking up at Crossens and walking down to Sandgrounders in hope of getting a few pics. of the Sedge Warblers and Whitethroat, even though I waited for nearly 2 hours at different bramble patches the Sedgy proved elusive to photograph, although a flock of 7 Swift came swirling over head and a slightly more co-operative Whitethroat came and landed close by singing in a tree...

Swift

Whitethroat

Eventually reaching the hides almost 2 hours after I had set off, I had a brief look in Sandgrounders where nothing much was going on before heading off to Nells to see of the Little Stint and Curlew sandpiper where around, I got settled and started scanning around with instant results as Peregrine came soring over, sending the Blackwits in to histerics before stooping through the centre of the flock creating panic.

Peregrine Falcon

Black Tailed Godwits (Panicking)

As I sat there, my belly started to rumble "umm dinner time" I thought and I think the birds must of had the same idea, Peregrines chasing the Blackwits soon after a large female Spawk came cruising over taking specific interest in the house martins darting around and then unusually a large and what I can only presume was a very hungry GBB gull came soaring in and continued to chase a poor little Oyster Catcher in circles around the marsh

Sparrowhalk

GBB chasing Oyster Catcher

After this exciting start, thing started to settle down, all the raptors disappeared leaving me to try and scope out these little waders, I scoped, I scoped and I Scoped but nothing, no Ringed Plover, no Dunlin, not even a Redshank.... I sat there for an hour before I saw anything and then it all happened, "Zoom" 2 common sand came flying onto a nearby island with a single Ruff then a beautiful White Wag. came to join them...

Common Sandpiper

Ruff (sorry About the Pics)

White Wagtail (again Sorry about the pics)

Shortly after "flit" a Redshank appeared and then I noticed a small wader fly into the back of the marsh and there it was, the bird I'd been waiting for, a beautiful Curlew Sandpiper "Woo Hoo a First" showing fantastically between a small group of Backwits and a single Redshank:-

Curlew Sandpiper

As you can see in the 2nd and 3rd Pics you can see both Redshank and more importantly the fantastic Curlew Sandpiper.

As I wondered back, not much around so I decided to have a wonder around the sand plant were I picked up this beautiful male Wheatear who quite happily posed for about 30 second whilst I took a few snaps...

Wheatear

And Last but not least on the way home I stoped off at Martin Mere where I didn't see much, 3 Ring Plover, a Single Redshank and the usual wildfowl that you might expect, so at a last minuet decision I chose to have a walk down Curlew lane to see if the yellow Wags. had settled in yet. This is a bird that I can never remember seen although my Mum and Dad tell me that I saw 1 as a child so I class this next entry as a first,

Yes as you guessed I found them... Well after waiting 30min., I found a single Yellow Wag. on its own, the pic isn't anything to be desire but here my first every sighting and record shot of a Yellow Wagtail...

Yellow Wagtail

Yep... This is all I got of it but it but a massive smile on my face because I also caught up with a flock of Corn Bunting Whilst I was down there which accounted to another 2 new ticks for my life... Woooooooooooo hooooooooooo...

Anyway I hop that you like my blog and I hope that you will visit again;

Thanks always Lee Harrison.

Easter Monday Magic, It Truly Was Eggselent...

Right, that's enough of double entendre, down to the serious stuff, I headed up to Leighton moss on Monday, hoping to have a bit of luck and we did, as we approached a fabulous female Marsh Harrier rose up along side of our car giving great views, we pulled up and had dinner, no more than two minuets had pass when a Peregrine came soring across closely followed by a buzzard and then a marsh tit appeared singing in a near by tree... An amazing start, putting us in a good mood for the rest of the day, as we checked the sighting book we heard news that a Gargany was showing well at Grizdale hide, so in hope of a new tick we headed down, 1 hour past but nothing, it felt like we were the only ones not to see it but as we left the hide, we were treated to some beautiful views of both male and female Marsh Harrier cruising over the read beds, the first of many.

Marsh Harrier

We decided to have a stroll down to Public hide but nothing really showing except both Marsh Harriers again and a gorgeous Willow Warbler singing high in a tree top...

Willow Warbler

As we headed back, we heard new that a Spoonbill had dropped in at the back of the moss, so we went on mission to find it, which turned out to be the easiest mission of the day, we walked the public footpath across the back of the moss and the first field we came to, there it was showing beautifully at the back of the reeds, to far to get any good pics but here's a record pic. just for the sake of it:-

Trust me it's a Spoonbill

After this beautiful and unexpected surprise we decided to see if we can finish off the day off with some views of the Peregrines at Warton Crag and we weren't disapointed, one sat on the nest and one sat there eating what we think was a Pigeon and Ravens feeding chicks on the nest, in the second and third pics you can see the chicks heads popping over the edge and then the Male Peregrine deciding to to take flight and going for a cruise... Here are a few pics that made me happy so I hope that you like them as well:-

Raven

Peregrine Falcon

Anyway thankyou for visiting my blog, I hope that you like what you see and that you will visit again.

Thanks always Lee Harrison.