Morning glory

I got to Marshside just before sunrise this morning and the first bird I saw was a superb barn owl hunting in front of the car park and then flying over the road onto Sutton's. c.2200 pink-feet lifted off Rimmer's and headed straight out to graze the adjacent saltmarsh. The Ribble pink-foot roost held c.12100 birds, these drifted inland in dribs and drabs through the morning providing a constant spectacle. I manged to get my first redwing (just one) and fieldfare (two) of the autumn, but other than a couple of goldcrests in the sandworks vis mig wasn't really happening. Two great white egrets dropped on the western end of Banks marsh together and I counted 26 little egrets there, with ten very distant whooper swans on the edge of the marsh. Other birders I enjoyed the company of were playful Pete, Mad Dog and Carlos The Mild.; big Davey Mallett joined us later on. It was the first time this autumn I've managed to see the sexy seven raptors; kestrel, sparrowhawk, buzzard, female marsh harrier, female hen harrier; at least three merlins and three peregrines - all busily doing there thing out on the saltmarsh, with at least two different peregrines bombing over Sutton's and Crossens inner scaring the life out of the hiige flocks of teal, wigeon, black-tailed godwits and lapwings. A glorious morning with a beautiful sunrise, good company and amazing birds.

Sunrise over North Meols

 

Mad Dog, Carlos The Mild & Playful Pete at the summit of Mount Clarko

 

Pink-feet dropping onto Sutton's with Winter Hill in the background