Spring Southport

Downholland Moss 25th April
I couldn't wait for the weekend, The news of loads of good stuff in the Southport area amde my week really drag.
Whimbrel, a bird I haven't seen for a few years now, here in numbers 18. Tons of Wheatears.
I missed a cracking picture of a very close Corn Bunting by milli seconds, the tease. Whitethroats here and there. short drive over to..

Plex Moss.
20 odd Whimbrel here, but the star bird is the Cattle Egret. Upto this morning there was 2. A small flock of yellowhammers also.

Marshide Southport.
Wader city, Avocets aplenty, Black Tailed Godwit plenty. All the usual too included, Redshank, Lapwing, Golden Plover, Ring Plover, but news comes to us while in the hide, that a Little Stint, and 3 Curlew Sandpipers are showing down the road. A long walk, and I have found the birds in seconds - Sorted. While everyone is looking at the peeps, A little Grebe is feeding it's young a few feet away, camera out snap, snap, well about 30 snaps, stunning..
Also my first House Martin, Singing Sedge Warblers all over the reserve too.

A couple of days latter, I write my car off in an accident. Wife breaks her collar bone and we are both are bruised. So I don't know when I will be out next.

Watergrove Reservoir

Last week I had an accident during which I managed to break my binoculars. I should get them back in a month. Crikey! Birding without ‘bins’ is?..well. So I am restricting myself to only local sites, and there is no closer than Watergrove Reservoir, Wardle SD908178. Watergrove is one of those sites that isn’t exactly stuffed with birds. Some days you could walk miles and struggle to see 10 species. But hey we are in May. So, with just my scope and camera, I take the car 0.4 miles to the res. The car park is packed with dog walkers – not a good sign. Dogs are magnets to photographers who may have waited patiently for ages to get close to there subject, only for fido to come bounding over to set everything up in the air..Grrr!!. So I chose to take to the hills. These are grazing hills, with sheep and there new lambs about. Along the many walls you will find Meadow Pipits, and Wheatears. Look carefully and you may see one of the many Little Owls on look out for a fat juicy worm.
This year seems to be an excellent year for shorebirds. Whimbrel, Sanderling and Bar-tailed Godwit have paid a visits. By the waters edge, some irregular visitors are just crying out to be digiscoped. Ringed and Little Ringed Plover allow me to get close to them. Common Sandpiper where less obliging.