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Light and shade | John Dempsey Birdblog
That cold north easterly was doing no-one any favours this morning as the sun skulked behind a stubborn bank of cloud while I gave Marshside a once over, and cursed the fickle weather of early spring. Less than 24 hours before Commas and Peacocks were tottering about in the garden at Dempsey Towers. Any butterfly…
Shake a leg. | John Dempsey Birdblog
M'learned friend Mike Stocker informs me that the Little Ringed Plover I bumped into at Marshside this lunchtime (a Wheatear-aspiration fuelled detour on the way to a job), was 11 days earlier than the first bird last year. The LRP was pattering about on the big mudbank off Sandgrounders Hide just before 1pm - there'll…
It’s the little things… | John Dempsey Birdblog
In an upended world, it's the little things that keep us going. So there I was in Somerset again this morning, scouring Steart Marshes WWT for the tiniest wader on the planet, so diminutive it's apparently even teeny weenier than the combined wit, intelligence and humanity of the current residents of Pennsylvania Avenue (well, Least…
The Least I could do | John Dempsey Birdblog
More hours on the tarmac, this time down country to Somerset, long before dawn broke on another cold, grey day. Elvis channelled by a Belfast postman - keep driving. Some type of non-linear time epiphany while stuck in the inevitable M5/M6 rush-hour log-jam (Yam Yam carbon monoxide levels'll do that everytime) - keep driving. Waving…
Expectation & reality | John Dempsey Birdblog
I'd looked forward to a lovely quivering orange tail, black mask and big white wing-flashes set off by a charcoal body, vibrant enough to brighten any murky January day. The male Black Redstart at New Brighton had all those features, but all too briefly, as it swept up into an alcove on the hulking massif…
Sticky fingers | John Dempsey Birdblog
My battered old p900 has shed some of its plastic grips leaving just the adhesive that once held things together, meaning sticky fingers as I tried to snap the drake Ringed-necked Duck at Victoria Park in St Helens this morning. We're all losing bits as the years advance I guess, until we eventually fade away.…
A slight thaw | John Dempsey Birdblog
The Snow Bunting was still signing autographs on a busy Southport beach this morning - I left her doing her thing and headed up to Crossens. Although temperatures had rallied, the creeks and channels were still choked with ice at Marshside and numbers of birds were correspondingly low. A Barnacle Goose was with Pinks, but…
Deja Poo | John Dempsey Birdblog
Another two days staking out the fragrant vistas of Ham Hill water treatment works in Kent on Friday and Saturday failed to yield the hoped for results. Alders and settling tanks walls devoid of Yellow Warbler will take some time to dissolve at the back of my optic nerve, and the sensation of sub-zero numbed…
Barley Sugars | John Dempsey Birdblog
When I was a tiny little fella many moons ago I would hide in the gap between the fridge and the kitchen wall whenever priests came to visit the house (a normal occurrence in those far-off days). My Nan, although a devout lady, clearly approved of my tactics and would reward my skulking with a…
Almost | John Dempsey Birdblog
A few white flecks short of summer, this Black-headed Gull was looking dapper on Crosby beach this morning, despite the fierce north westerly ripping across the sands as the tide turned. A colour-ringed individual, "248L" is a local, ringed as a four-year-old bird last year at Ainsdale, and encountered a few times there, but I…
Let sleeping Scaup lie. | John Dempsey Birdblog
Dozing amongst the Tufties at Junction Pool, this young male Scaup was a diversion on a quiet afternoon. Merlin and Great White Egret through, and while the reserve was quietish north of Marshside Rd, a pleasing roost of 1,500+ Goldies, with 600 or so Lapwings, Ruff, Curlew, Blackwits and Dunlin was like a blast from…
That time again | John Dempsey Birdblog
A quick detour to Southport beach today for the usual November point-blank Snow Buntery - although this one has appeared a week or so earlier than in 2023. It's tempting to wonder if the bunting is a returning bird (and it is passing similar to the wintering one last year), but without sticking a colour…
Transpennine transatlantic | John Dempsey Birdblog
Long time standing in a leafy cul-de-sac in West Yorkshire with Neill Hunt, Graham Clarkson and Andy Pryce today, but the sun was shining and the curiously named burg of Shelf came good after three hours. I'd picked the boys up for the short drive over the Pennines (innoculations - check, passports - check) and…
Recce | John Dempsey Birdblog
With a guided walk to lead on Friday, I took the opportunity for a recce at Birkdale LNR today, in marginally brighter conditions. Still total cloud cover, but good numbers of Fieldfare (50+) and Redwing (19) were flickering about in noisy flocks from one clump of scrub to another, scoffing Holly and Hawthorn berries. A…
Whackamole | John Dempsey Birdblog
Playing "Whackamole" with a diving female Goldeneye on the Sandplant lagoon made a change from attempting the same futile exercise with the Long-tailed Duck in the November gloom at Marshside today. The latter was still diving away off Hesketh Road platform, rarely staying up long enough for me to find it, let alone focus the…
Setting suns | John Dempsey Birdblog
Enjoyed some truly shadowy views of the Long-tailed Duck at Marshside this evening with Graham Clarkson as the bird happily dived in one of the flooded lagoons out on the saltmarsh. A look from the screen at Sandgrounders had proved fruitless as dusk gathered (seem to be making a habit of this crepuscular birding), but…
Night skies | John Dempsey Birdblog
I was hoping for another gawp at the comet tonight before it fades in the western skies after I enjoyed reasonable views as it plumed towards the horizon on Thursday. The northern lights, big ol' Hunter's Supermoon and a streaky comet over my garden in just one week - not too shabby. It looked promising…
Gone pishing… | John Dempsey Birdblog
A pleasant enough lunchtime walk out to scope Sea Buckthorn burn sites for this winter at Ainsdale got far better after a sneaky bit of pishing. A passing flock of Long-tailed and Great Tits had me all vocal in the willows west of Sands Lake today, especially after a Chiffy started calling back and flicked…
North east winds | John Dempsey Birdblog
With a fine run of north east winds forecast and the excitement at Flamboro' last weekend, heading to Spurn for a coupla days was the obvious course of action, given the excellent hospitality of Neill Hunt. I drove over early hours on Wednesday morning, pulling up at Sammy's Point as large groups of Redwings called…
Most kind Amy, most kind. | John Dempsey Birdblog
I should have asked Amy's full name as she graciously allowed me to snatch phone pics off the back of her camera this afternoon. But I was too busy gawping at the Pale-legged Leaf Warbler as it paused in the tangle of branches by Bempton's feeding station this afternoon. Amy clearly understood fieldcraft, patiently crouching…
Good different | John Dempsey Birdblog
I always look forward to monthly survey duties around the mouth of the Alt and today had plenty of variety as I counted the waders, gulls and wildfowl. Things didn't start off too well as a Peregrine sailed up from the south, scaring the Bejaysus out of all the birds and totally taking the piss…
Spurned again. | John Dempsey Birdblog
Glorious wall to wall Autumn sun was welcoming at Spurn when I arrived for the weekend yesterday, checking out Sammy's Point before giving Kilnsea, Beacon Lane, the Triangle and the Warren several laps. Out from 7.30am, a steady series of encounters with friends old and new and good autumn birds made it a privilege to…
Geese all day | John Dempsey Birdblog
Fine big ol' moon rising this evening, but still Pink Feet were audible at 8pm as they rose from Plex and Downholland Moss and drifted out to roost presumably on the beach at Birkdale. I was off work today and hacking back the garden in glorious autumn sun (all very Red Admiral and Migrant Hawker),…
Peat-free phalarope. | John Dempsey Birdblog
A most elegant find by Steve Riley at Marshside this afternoon when he dug up this super graceful Wilson's Phalarope cavorting on the Junction Pool. Rumour has it that he was on his way to buy peat-free compost and detoured - this is not the first time he has scored big time at the marsh…
Autumn on the horizon | John Dempsey Birdblog
Glorious weather and blue skies for three days at Spurn, where common east coast migrants began to appear, waders dropped into Kilnsea Wetlands and Beacon Ponds, and t felt more autumnal each day. Many thanks to Neill Hunt for putting me up and wandering the recording area from 7am till teatime each day. Pied and…
Thin | John Dempsey Birdblog
A few more southerly speeding Swifts through today - one over the garden at Dempsey Towers and a party of three elsewhere in Ainsdale were enough to prompt me to see if I could find some more. Yesterday evening I had 16 over the garden in 45 minutes but despite checking a few sites that…
Hour out of life | John Dempsey Birdblog
A brisk westerly gusting to 30mph coupled with a morning high tide (albeit a low high) in August had potential today, so I gave Ainsdale an hour. Potential unrealised - just a handful of Gannets south and approximately 700 Common Scoter offshore with locally commuting Sarnie Terns. Marshside had Common Sand and Marsh Harrier, Southern…
Shapes | John Dempsey Birdblog
Even while roosting there is a vibrancy about terns returning to Ainsdale beach for the post-breeding gatherings that are a late summer feature of the site. 121 Sandwich Terns with a single Common Tern at lunchtime today, their calls travelling right the way up the beach. I watched them from range, papping the birds with…
They still got it… | John Dempsey Birdblog
Even allowing for the lateness of the season, a mere five singing Corn Buntings on Plex this afternoon felt a worryingly low count. Their numbers have been down here for some time, although I confess on my last visit there were still Pink Feet about, so I hardly qualify as a regular observer this year.…
Overshooting | John Dempsey Birdblog
Only 50 miles east of where I was supposed to be, I spent a few hours at Spurn yesterday, before circling back to my correct destination - hey, if birds can overshoot, why can't I? With a very strong westerly tearing across the place it was a bit quiet, and while I hoped for a…
Surrealism | John Dempsey Birdblog
High summer is always a bit flaky on the marsh, especially when the sun comes out - a rare event this year that left corvids gasping today. A quick look out from the Junction Pool corner could only be described as weird. I still can't get used to feral Black Swans and their brood, but…
Night royalty. | John Dempsey Birdblog
So lucky to have Tawny Owls as neighbours for more than twenty years here at Dempsey Towers. Most of the time they are disembodied calls, hoots and shrieks hidden in the night, or youngsters "branching", but sometimes our mundane life path and their mystic world intersects. At this time of year the owls are often…
What they do. | John Dempsey Birdblog
Spent an hour or two down at Nels Hide this afternoon - two of the lingering Garganey were doing what they do best - lurking in the vegetation, snoozing and preening. Can't blame 'em for that - when they did emerge a Lesser Black Back swooped down on them with murderous intent. Gargellys must be…
Bandit at seven o’clock!! | John Dempsey Birdblog
I was lucky two ways when I encountered the stunning male Red Backed Shrike on Sunday evening along the path between Beacon Lane and the Listening Dish at Spurn. The evening sun was low behind the masked bandit, but a cool north east wind meant the shrike had to face into the breeze to avoid…
Blue Monday | John Dempsey Birdblog
My dislike of twitches in residential areas is well documented, but when the tubby blueberry muffin of fate appears on garden feeders in Whitburn, well, County Durham here I come…. Staying at Spurn this week (more on that later), so after bumping into an early morning Osprey and relocating the Green Winged Teal, I got…
Redpoll for lunch, Temminck’s for tea. | John Dempsey Birdblog
Quite sad that a buzzing Redpoll in a birch sapling was the best bird of a lunchtime stroll in Ainsdale LNR cattle enclosure today, but there you go. Their numbers seem to have dropped off a cliff (the only significant flock I've had this spring was at Larkhill Meadows in Formby a fortnight ago), which…
Marsh | John Dempsey Birdblog
Two Whinchats held me for an inordinately long time at the Hesketh Rd platform today, but the warm wind promised the off-chance of something more unusual as I watched 'em. The female and sub-adult male Whinchats were flycatching in the SSSI ditch reedbed, occasionally perching along the fenceline, while the resident Cetti's Warbler blasted out…
Ringing on the “B” of the Bang | John Dempsey Birdblog
Exciting to see a successful catch of Knot off the Green Beach today after a number of super-high tides and adverse weather conditions had prevented earlier attempts this year. When the cannon nets fire, the team is up against the clock to process the birds in as short a period of time as possible. Hours…
Black and white | John Dempsey Birdblog
Pesky science robbed me of the last Collared Fly at Spurn - cue grumpy old man fist shakin’ n hollering “curse you DNA!!!!” There were no such difficulties with the sparkling first summer male trapped and ringed yesterday and thankfully still cavorting along the hedgerow in North Field this morning. Mitochondrial mullarkey not necessary with…
Warmed up nicely | John Dempsey Birdblog
The first hot day of the year saw the summer arrivals finally performing properly at Ainsdale LNR today, before the mercury plummets again tomorrow. Redpolls buzzing north (I had at least 15 at Larkhill Meadows in Formby yesterday evening, but have only seen three through my garden so far) and one, possibly two, Tree Pipit…