Billinge Hill

Crossbill 1 south over beacon.
Meadow Pipit 300+ south over beacon in groups of up to 10 in 90 minute period this morning.
Skylark 100+ south over beacon in groups of up to 10 in 90 minute period this morning.
Wheatear 1 in horse paddocks.
Swallow 1 south over beacon.
Siskin 1+ over beacon.
Chaffinch 50 south over beacon.
Lesser Black Back Gull 50 south over beacon.
Buzzard 2
Sparrowhawk 2
Goldcrest 3
Great Spotted Woodpecker 2 flying around beacon.

It was a very impressive morning on Billinge Hill, with huge skies, giant clouds, a stiff breeze and heavy squals. Through it all there was an almost constant stream of Meadow Pipits passing over the beacon in small groups, all heading south. The pipit passage had already started when I arrived, but it took the Skylarks a little longer to get going, but once they did they were nearly as numerous. Plenty of other birds apparently passing over as well, such as Chaffinches, Lesser Black Backs and a single Crossbill.

Eccleston Mere

Willow Tit 1
Goldcrest 3
Kingfisher 1

Solitary Sandpiper Nateby

Solitary Sandpiper 1

I'm not sure how many records there have been for Solitary Sandpiper on mainland Britain, but there can't be more than a handful, and probably most of what there have been are from Cornwall. I couldn't resist the opportunity to add this species to my North West list and what a great little bird it was, a bit browner than I had expected, and it was indeed solitary, being the only bird on a flooded field at Nateby near Garstang.

This is the 33rd accepted record of the species in Britain, and most of the others were on islands, especially the Isle of Scilly. Unsurprisingly it is the first in Lancashire.

Billinge Hill

7:45am - 9:15am

Crossbill 1 over beacon south
Pintail 9 over beacon south west
Siskin 10+ over beacon south west
Meadow Pipit 50+ over beacon south
Chiffchaff 1
Goldcrest 4
Bullfinch 3
Yellowhammmer 30
Skylark 50
Song Thrush 5 over beacon south
Jay 5

Billinge Hill

Lesser Redpoll 1 over the beacon
Skylark 60 mainly in one flock around the horse paddocks
Meadow Pipit 50 including 30 in a flock near the horse paddocks
Chiffchaff 1
Yellowhammer 40 mainly flying around the beacon
Tree Sparrow 20
Goldcrest 3
Linnet 40
Bullfinch 1
Jay 2
Great Spotted Woodpecker 1 over beacon
Nuthatch 1

Migrant moths

I had a couple of species of migrant moths last night, Silver Y (2) and this Dark Swordgrass. Hoping for a migrant hawkmoth tonight!

Martin Mere

Pectoral Sandpiper 1
Red Kite 1
Willow Tit 1
Marsh Harrier 1 female
Tawny Owl 1
Kingfisher 1
Ruff 35
Pink-footed Goose 3500

Another tremendous visit to Martin Mere! I saw the Kite first from the Ron Barker hide, both in flight and later sitting on a fence post. The light was perfect, you could see every detail through the scope, and in the early morning sunlight there was no heat haze. Then about an hour later I saw it again even more spectacularly from the United Utilities hide as it flew across Woodend Marsh. While I was in the UU hide, I managed to pick out a Pectoral Sandpiper on Woodend Marsh, though it was a bit distant.

On my way back to the Ron Barker hide, I called in briefly at the Raines hide, and found the Pec Sand now right in front of the hide with a flock of juvenile Ruff!


Red Kite (left). Not the greatest photo in the World, but I quite like it. I think it shows the size diffrence between the kite and the Carrion Crow which is mobbing it. The photo on the right is of the Pectoral Sandpiper. Again it won't win any prizes, but worth noting the size difference between the Ruffs (left 2 birds), Reeve (2nd right) and Pec Sand (extreme right). It has been hanging around with the Ruffs for a couple of days......