Psilos
Bird Journal |
Saturday June
17th 2006 |
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"When
birding is a bonus" |
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With my health being poor yet
again I have been out little since my trip to Northumberland. Therefore
when the sun shone this day I decided it was time to check out a few
places and get some fresh air. We had no real game plan and just drove
stopping whereever the fancy took us. Our first port of call was a path
on a trail near Formby. Here the path had high hedgerows
that were full of singing warblers and mature grass verges that were
full of butterflies and wild flowers. |
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Willow warblers could readily
be seen singing from the overhead wires. Getting the right angle from
such a height can be difficult though. Attempts to photograph them in
more natural surroundings failed as they quickly disappeared upon their
descent. |
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A little further along the
path and we came across a family party of Whitehtroat. Alarm calls were
flying everywhere and the juveniles where quickly learning the art of
keeping hidden. One little juvenile however wasnt quite fast enough
and I just managed a quick shot of him as he flitted through the undergrowth. |
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On a hot summers day I think no wildflower
could have been more fitting to be seen than the Hawkweed or Fox and
cub as it is locally known. Its intense orange red glow readily packs
a punch. This plant is often considered a pest by some but I think it
is quite charming. |
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By now the heat is steadily
climbing and it is time to move on. Marshside is our next port of call.
Here I was hoping to see the Avocets but from the main hide there was
only one adult showing and he quickly left. The occasional redshank
was the only other birds around. Plenty of young Avocets have been reported
but they are probably all down at Nells hide and I havent the strength
or the desire to walk all the way down there. Instead
we take a walk along the coast path. A sedge warbler can be heard singing
and so we go and investigate. The bird is singing from a favoured perch
right in the open. He is too tantalizing to pass by
and so whilst I sit on the sea wall my friend carefully finds a path
through the reed bed and hides close by. Amazingly the bird returns
and he is rewarded with some stunning views and photos. Me I just sat
and watched and soaked up the sun and just enjoyed... |
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Along the same path I opted
for easier subjects to point my lens at. With few birds close in to
photograph I got out my macro lens. There were plenty of Common Blue
butterflies around and I was hoping for a close up but this was not
to be. By the time I was ready every common blue in the area had disappeared!
Dont you just hate it when that happens? In the end I had to content
myself with a skipper who refused to show me his wings and plenty of
common whites. |
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It is early afternoon and most
of our water has gone. Time to move on again. This time to a known little
pub next to a canal. Here we can have a drink, sit, relax and let the
birds come to us. The first birds to arrive were of course two female
Mallards with their ducklings. |
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There was also a single pink
footed goose watching over the ducklings too. Very strange. |
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