Bit of shakey camera work of the Speke Hall NT Great-tailed Grackle in full on display mode! Heartbreaking to see him putting so much energy into a fruitless search for a mate when the closest female is 4000 miles away!
##LancsBirding #UKBIRDING @nationaltrust.org.uk @mbblerc.bsky.social
Great-tailed Grackle hopelessly singing away at Speke Hall NT today.
Also, Redstart, Garden Warbler, and good numbers of W Warbler, Blackcap, Chiffchaff & Whitethroat.
Yellow-bellied Slider sunning itself on the Moat Pond.
@nationaltrust.org.uk
@mbblerc.bsky.social
The morning dog walks @ Riveroaks Meadows, Otterspool have been alive with migrating & breeding birds lately; 2 Cettis Warblers, 8 Greenfinch territories, Ring Ouzel, Whitethroats, Blackcaps, Chiff Chaffs, Meadow Pipits, Sand Martins & Siskins...not bad for a small urban plot! @mbblerc.bsky.social
Some of the inquisitive Grey Seals at #Hilbre Island recently, seeing them here, always takes me back to the excitement of coming to the island for the first time as a kid; such a wonderful isolated place and a stones throw from the city too! #Mammals #Seals #Sealife #Wirral #Wildlife
Purple Toothwort, Ramsons, Chinese Bramble, and Shining Cranesbill recorded for #wildflowerhour whilst knocking about South Liverpool this weekend. @mbblerc.bsky.social #Botany #Wildflowers
Yep, lots of blackcaps and the GW were grounded after a prolonged shower. I'm surprised the PF hung about for a 2nd day...but who knows 👍
Female Pied Flycatcher for its second day at Festival Gardens, great local find by @wordsanddeeds.bsky.social
#LancsBirding #UKBIRDING
Perfect conditions for birding at Hilbre Island today, over the tide we had 50+ Sandwich Tern, 80+ PB Brents, 4 Eider, 100+ Scoter, 2 RT Diver, Guillemot, Goosander, 5 White Wags, 10 Sand Martin, Swallow, Gannet & the resident Rock Pipits. #Hilbre #CAWOS #UKBirding #WirralBirding
WeBS count sunday! It is lovely to have the sun back on the WeBS surveys ...small numbers of curlew, teal & redshank linger along Oglet Shore, with buzzards, lapwings & skylark displaying overhead, wheatears on the fields & Cettis exploding into song! @webs-gsmp.bsky.social @mbblerc.bsky.social
I'm so happy that Aigburth has voted with its head firmly screwed on! ✌️ #greenparty #Aigburth #byelection
First reptile survey of the year for NMARG and struck gold with a Slow Worm! Spring has definitely sprung!! #reptiles #herpetology #NMARG #Wildlife @mbblerc.bsky.social
Had a good walk around Oglet today; hoping for my 1st wheatear of year; no joy. 2 Whimbrell, 40 Curlew, 3 Cettis, SE Owl, 2 Sparrowhawk, Buzzard, Chiffchaffs & Common Lizard were nice to see.
Cilla is fast becoming ever present on my birding jaunts! #LancsBirding #UKBIRDING @mbblerc.bsky.social
The reedbeds at Garston Coastal Reserve looking amazing in the sun this afternoon! #Liverpool #Merseyside #Garston #RiverMersey
The Great-tailed Grackle showing well this evening at Speke Hall NT...belting out its oddball song! #LancsBirding #UKBirding #NationalTrust #SpekeHall #Grackle
The Great-tailed Grackle continues its extended stay @nationaltrust.org.uk Speke Hall; great to catchnup with @leeworth8.bsky.social & @birderjack.bsky.social too. Singing and displaying to magpies, with some magpies and jackdaw mimicking too...crazy!
youtu.be/sfVa8nOajbE?...
Tuesday at dusk...must be the same one...just on tbe other side of the woods 👍
Popped to #SpekeHall to catch the Great-tailed Grackle go to roost; nice to see the finder @birderjack.bsky.social enjoying its extended stay on her patch @birdguides.bsky.social
Toads heading to the ponds on the business park; rescued a few from getting splatted on the roads! @mbblerc.bsky.social
Spring in the air today, birds singing, blackthorn blooming and picnicking by the river! #Mersey #Spring
Signs of spring in South Liverpool, Coots, Parakeets & Stock Doves already nesting in Sefton & Greenbank Parks. Also Tawny Owl, Redwings, 4 Shoveler & a Gadwall seen #Lancsbirding #UKBIRDING
After 5 hours of hard slog the Great-tailed Grackle finally gave itself up @nationaltrust.org.uk Speke Hall & later on the adj business park; great find by @birderjack.bsky.social + woodcock, siskins, repolls & bee orchid rosettes on the business park @mbblerc.bsky.social @birdguides.bsky.social
Nice day on the Dee Marshes today, 14 Marsh Harriers, Hen Harrier, Barn Owl, Short-eared Owl, Tawny Owl, 2 Sparrowhawks, 3 Kestrels, 12 Great White Egrets, Cettis Warblers, Willow Tit, Water Rail to name a few #UKBIRDING #WirralBirding @rspbburtonmere.bsky.social
We were in the Cairngorms...so it would have been rude not to 😅
Looking through old notebooks and stumbled across this memory from a #twitch with Mike Brown! Scops Owl @rspbscotland.bsky.social Loch of Strathbeg, in Aug 2004. The bird had been taken into care on an oil rig, & later released at the reserve; we arrived just in time for the release! #UKBIRDING
youtube.com/watch?v=CX5C...
youtu.be/F7hJ11nWeRE?...
A lovely day spent at Leighton Moss #RSPB. We struck lucky & watched Connors first ever Otters; a female & 2 young fishing (& playing) for around 45 mins. Plenty of birds too, 4 White-fronted Geese, Marsh Harrier, Scaup, GW Egret, Bearded & Marsh Tit, winter thrushes @rspb.bsky.social #Lancsbirding
A bit of hard graft with North Merseyside ARG on the Sefton Coast SSSI yesterday... clearing scrub regrowth on a south facing Sand Lizard bank and opening up an associated watercourse. Knackered!
Finished for the year this afternoon & made a dash to Foryd Bay, Caernarfon for the drake Bufflehead...I made the right decision, had the bird to myself in front of a stunning sunset!
Lovely site, full of waders streaming in and flocks of PB Brents out in the bay.
In Southport today, so it would have been rude not to have a look at the Snow Goose and Smew...I only just caught up with the goose as it was flushed by an eFoil surfer! @mbblerc.bsky.social
Feeling privileged to peek at the Wildcat breeding facilities at Rewilding Coombeshead this week...all systems go & gearing up for the green light on English & Welsh releases in the near future! #rewilding #rewildingbritain #rewildingcoombeshead #Scottishwildcats #wildcats
