Prescot Reservoirs,
Loadsa gulls. Lovely.

Blizzard conditions gave the reservoirs a very festive feel today. The snow covered surroundings were very picturesque but the sight of 5000 herring gulls was absolutely amazing. No3 res was completely full, every bit of water was full of herring gulls plus 1000 black headed gulls. The now empty no4 res had a roost of 1500 herring gulls. These estimates are really on the conservative side and I am sure there were more than the numbers I have stated but I wasn't going to count them.I would say that 90% of them were adults. Probably a combination of the severe weather conditions and the tip at Moore not working today. Certainly the most gulls I have ever seen on the reservoirs.
A couple of adult yellow leggeds and a leucistic herring gull was what I could pick out of them in the couple of hours I had with them.

An interesting 1st w gull
A leucistic herring gull

A dark eyed argenteus

A dark eyed argenteus

A very pale 2nd w herring gull

A faded 1st w herring gull

Prescot reservoirs,
An adult caspian gull was present today with an adult med gull, 2 adult and a 1stw yellow legged gull. 2000 herring gulls gave me plenty to look through in the bitterly cold weather.

77 tufted duck, 11 pochard, 9 goldeneye, 6 shoveller,17 teal, 1 great crested grebe, 12 little grebe,1 dunlin and 1 snipe.

Adult caspian gull

Adult caspian gull

Adult caspian gull

Adult caspian gull

Adult med gull
Dunlin

Adult yellow legged gull
Snipe

Prescot reservoiors,


A nice pair of red crested pochard graced the reservoirs today. Found by Chris D they were very wary birds keeping as far away from any observers as possible. They were feeding by diving 20ft or so to the bottom of the reservoirs to reach the weed and then surfacing with big clumps. Arriving just as some nasty freezing weather on the east coast and the near continent hit. These birds were gone the next day.

Prescot Reserviors

Chris D reports an adult caspian gull today.

Prescot reservoirs,

An adult winter slavonian grebe was found by BH on the partially drained no4 reservoir . An knot was an excellent bird also today in amongst the lapwings.

Southport and Seaforth,

Finally caught up with this very smart shore lark just north of the green beach after dipping yesterday. Later a yellow legged gull showed well at seaforth.

Burton Marsh,
Plenty of good birds on show today, with 3 merlins, ringtail hen harrier, short eared owl, peregrine and kestrel showing well. Good numbers of finches and thrushes in the hedgerows also.

Seaforth NR,

The Queen Mary 2 enters the Mersey.

Prescot reservoirs,

A couple of adult yellow legged gulls have been regular this month and the ring billed gull has been dropping in most days.

Seaforth Nr,

Definitely one of my favourite birds black redstart and this male was an absolute stunner in the sunshine today.

Seaforth NR.
Very wet all day today but this 5th Lancashire record of Little bunting brightened up the day. Dipped on this yesterday . A great find by Tony C.

Burton Marsh,

After the IMF visit I walked along the track towards the firing range and it was very productive. A couple of juvenile hobbies , a ringtail hen harrier, peregrine, buzzard and kestrel all showed very well and whinchats , stonechats and wheatears sat on any available post or thistle. 20 little egrets were dotted about on the salt marsh. An excellent day in the warm autumnal sunshine.

Dowitcher double act put on a show.
A visit to Inner marsh farm RSPB reserve today. The two juvenile long billed dowitchers showed very well in the October sunshine with a curlew sandpiper , a couple of greenshank and a trio of ruff as a supporting cast.