ON A ROLL
Sunday 5th December saw the last of this century's field trips for the Society, the venue being Marton Mere on the outskirts of Blackpool. After a couple of days of abysmal weather we were blest with a cold frosty morning and a little sunshine. Five dedicated members set off in search of birds. What might we see?
We weren't disappointed by the selection on the mere - Great Crested Grebe, Cormorant, Heron, Mute Swan, Pintail, Shoveler, Wigeon, Teal, Goldeneye, Pochard, Tufted Duck, Ruddy Duck and a lovely drake Mandarin (Good start!)
After a few minutes in the second hide we were lucky enough to see a Water Rail come into view and scuttle across a large gap in the reeds in front of us (Getting better!) As we walked around the far side of the mere, two Snipe took off in front of us. Then just a few yards further on a Stonechat scolded us from the top of a reed (This could be our lucky day!) |
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The sun disappeared behind a cloud, which proceeded to unload its contents. Fortunately a nearby hide afforded shelter. After a couple of minutes in the hide, a Bittern flapped its way lazily in front of us, before landing in the reeds just to the left. We were able to watch it perform classic Bittern manoeuvres for several minutes before it finally disappeared into the reeds. (We're on a roll!)
Surely it couldn't get any better than this, or could it? Lots of small birds were seen including Goldcrest, a charm of Goldfinch, and a good-sized flock of Fieldfare. Nearly ready to leave, we decided to see if there was anything along the back of the reserve. Bingo! There in a bush just a few yards from us, watching the world go by, was a superb Long-eared Owl. (The icing on the cake!)
All this in just 3½ hours. In total we had 54 species - well worth crawling out of bed for on a cold December morning!
Nora West