Lancashire mosslands and coast

Whilst scanning a good looking dotterel field which had at least 25 wheatears and 4 white wagtail feeding a peregrine falcon came in low over the field scattering everything as it persued a pheasant. It flew straight at us and then raced past only a couple of metres away at head hieght. A brilliant view of this impressive, powerful falcon as it hunted its quarry at eye level.

There were plenty of corn buntings singing along the roadside and a flock of about 150 common gull were flying east across downholland moss and probably a migrant flock.The local jackdaws found the cows a good source of nesting material plucking the cow hair from the hide.

Onto plex moss and the couple of cattle egret were showing well near the caravan park. Looking well in thier breeding plumage. A little further on a good flock of 59 whimbrel were feeding. No sign of the recent hooded crow.

A stroll around sands lake had chiffchaff , willow warbler and whitethroat singing. A small group of lesser redpoll were in the willows.

At marshside 3 swifts were my first of the year as were the sedge warblers singing in the scrub. A walk around the sand plant only produced a couple of wheatears. Big swirls of waders on the edge of the marsh as a peregrine terrorised them.

From nels hide a curlew sandpiper approaching full summer plumage was nice and a little stint was amongst the dunlin. A flock of 50 ringed plover drifted onto the marsh to join the blackwits and dunlin A few little egrets were around the marsh.