Tide Up

Hello- Dan here.

A Spring high tide which covered the saltmarshes prompted a walk along Dawson's Bank, from where 2 wheatears, a common sandpiper, a greenshank and 2 skylarks were seen feeding along the high water mark.

A green sandpiper was feeding on the little-frequented Bank Pool, and a late-ish swift was hawking over the large expanse of tidal water. It, or another, was in the company of house martins elsewhere in the parish later in the afternoon.

A stoat was hot on the heels of a rabbit down the cycle track. A peregrine was hot on the heels of five dunlins over the estuary. Two snipes and a green sandpiper were at point 8 on the site map.

DH

Gull Bank Holiday

Dan reporting for the parish posse.

The Aldcliffe Boys (and girl) were out in force around midday, but the same can't really be said for the birds.

However, between us we managed few migrant species including a wheatear, a grasshopper warbler (an adult, on colouration), a black-tailed godwit, two greenshanks, and five wigeon.

A high-tide Gull Bank wasn't much cop for gulls, since the roost was repeatedly dispersed by pesky jet-skiers.

The Wildfowler's Pools had a green sandpiper, a few teals and a snipe.
 
 

Sunday

Blustery morning and heavy showers added to the autumnal feel and it's still August. Few more Coot on Freeman’s, 15, along with Little Grebe. 4 Buzzard were seen near the pylons, and a Grasshopper Warbler and Whitethroat. 4 Little Egret on the salt marsh.

Steve

Muddy Migrants

Dan here.

The fly-ridden mud of the 'Flood' attracted a few juvenile invertebrate-lovers today, such as this swallow, little ringed plover, and also a wheatear.

Fifteen black-tailed godwits flew through, two green sandpipers lingered and a greenshank was on the estuary. A stock dove was noted. Five little egrets were on the saltmarsh.

A party of six buzzards wheeled overhead.

DH.

Shifting Sands

Dan here.

Some hirundine passage here on a cool, still and otherwise quiet morning.

The presence of local and off-passage house martins and swallows blurred the picture for those two species, but sand martins were simple enough, with 85 South-East along the Eastern edge of the estuary between 0830 and 0930.

Other visible SE-bound migration included a grey wagtail, a swift and 8 meadow pipits.

As in recent days, a few lesser and common whitethroats, blackcaps and particularly chiffchaffs in the hedgerows.

Two green sandipers were seen at the Wildfowler's Pools, and four greenshanks and a common sandpiper were just upstream of the pylons.

Two peregrines were keeping the peewits aloft early on.

DH

Some interesting sightings today from  JWB/BT LDBWS. Especially Little Egrets
 FREEMANs POOL: Grey Heron-6.Mute Swan-2.Coot-9.
Gadwall.Little Grebe.-8 (inc:pr in
plumage still feeding one young)
Kingfisher. (2/3circuits of the pool &
hovering over the island).
(Hedgerow). LTTits-flock of 17 (in with them )
Blue Tit-5 Coal Tit-3.Dunnock.Wren.
WILDFOWL POOL: Teal-3.Green Sandpiper.
ALDCLIFFE MARSH: Little Egret-9 (also 1 on Heaton Marsh)
Canada Geese-230+ Greylag Geese-c150+
Cormorant-5.Grey Heron-2.
Steve