Pomarine Skua and Great Grey Shrike

Yesterday me and Dave went birding in West Lancashire. First off was the juvenile Pomarine Skua at Pilling. Great close views of a great seabird. Also present were a flock of around 100 Twite and an adult Mediterraean Gull. Next up were all 3 species of swans at  near Upper Thurnham. It was really nice to see a small group of Bewick Swans a species that eluded us last year and are only present in small numbers in the North of England. We finished off seeing the long staying Great Grey Shrike at Lytham moss.
At home in the garden I am seeing a Goldcrest daily probably the same bird that came last winter and spotted a single Lesser Redpoll a few days ago. Lets hope he returns with his friends!

Glossy Ibis!

Went to Leighton Moss ( again!!)  and were straight onto the Glossy Ibis showing very well near the rail crossing. We then went onto Heysham and got decent views of the juvenile Glaucous Gull and got some useful tips from local birder Pete Cook about where to go for the best views of the harbour. Then it was onto Fleetwood marine lake for the Long Tailed Duck. We also had the best views of a pair of Red Breasted Mergansers I have ever had!
Before returning home myself and cousin Dave decided to check out Marton mere. There were plenty of Teal, Pochard, and Wigeon. We also glimpsed a distant Sparrowhawk. Talking to some local birders they mentioned that a pair of Bewick Swans had been seen in a field close by and sure enough we located them along with 2 Mute Swans.
Overall an excellent day out in good warm conditions and a total of 4 new species to add to our lists.