Ferruginous Duck and Glaucous Gull

Spent a few hours birding this afternoon. Had a look at the Ferruginous Duck at Pugney CP and then went to Anglers CP were the small gull roost produced a very nice juvenile Glaucous Gull. Also seen were a Barn Owl , lots of noisy Tree Sparrows, and some Whooper Swans

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!

Sparrowhawk

Stunning views of a female Sparrowhawk feeding on a pigeon he must have just caught at Martin Mere. Also lots of Whooper Swans

Iceland

Fantastic long weekend in Iceland with my family. Birds were not our priority but saw plenty of Raven in Reykjavik. Lots of Eider, Whooper swan, Iceland and Glaucous Gulls, singing  Redwing and Snow Bunting. As well as all the amazing geology, the Aurora Borealis seen on our last night were breathtaking.

Martin Mere and Parkgate

Myself and Dave had a great day out in the winter sunshine heading to Martin Mere and Parkgate Marsh. We were straight onto 9 Corn Buntings at Martin Mere but I could get any shots as the sun was behind them. We headed into the reserve and had great views of a roosting Tawny Owl. There were good numbers of Whooper Swan, Wigeon, Pintail, and Pinkfooted Goose. There were 3 Peregrine looking like two adults and a juvenile and we watched the large female eating a freshly caught Teal. Before leaving we went back to see if we could see any more Corn Buntings and we were rewarded with a flock of around 25, one of which flew to a nearby bush allowing some decent shots. We then headed to Parkgate on the Dee estuary and had excellent views of several female Hen Harriers plus 2 Merlin one of which chased a small bird up onto the sky and swooped at it several times but didn't catch its prey

20131130 103731 from Anthony Capuano on Vimeo.

Peregrine at Martin Mere from Anthony Capuano on Vimeo.



Corn Bunting at Martin Mere from Anthony Capuano on Vimeo.



Corn Bunting at Martin Mere from Anthony Capuano on Vimeo.