Monday 1 June 2009

Sunny at the Flash

Phew what a scorcher, the sun certainly came out for us on Sunday, as did half of the population of Leigh who joined our birdwatching party of 15 for a Sunday stroll round the Flash.
The bunting hide never fails to please, and we got some great close up sightings of some wonderful finches, namely Bullfinches including some hungry youngsters.
On the lagoons we observed the diminutive Little Ringed Plovers and Lapwings with their dainty chicks and to our surprise something totally different a pike meandering it’s way down the ditch right in front of the hide.
Painted ladies danced round the grasslands (no doubt part of the mass migration recently noted in the newspapers), and they were joined by Whites, Common blues and Speckled wood butterflies. As for the dragons we had 4 spotted chaser, blue tailed & red damselfly’s.

Total bird count for the day was a 'not to be crowed at' 49: Greenfinch, Dunnock, Canada goose, Mallard, Mute swan, Coot, Tufted duck, Magpie, Goldfinch, Widgeon, Bullfinch, Great tit, Robin, Moorhen, Blackbird, Chaffinch, Great spotted woodpecker, Black headed gull, Blue tit, Reed bunting, Little ringed plover, Grey heron, Gadwall, Woodpigeon, Lapwing, Little grebe, Swift, House martin, Whitethroat, Carrion crow, Feral pigeon, Sedge warbler, Pochard, Great crested grebe, Ruddy duck, Shoveler, Kestrel, Blackcap, Buzzard, Common tern, Oystercatcher, Lesser black backed gull, Mistle thrush, Pied wagtail, Long tailed tit, Wren, Chiffchaff, Reed warbler, Collared dove.