Another beautiful afternoon locally with plenty of birds out on the Ribble Marshes once again. The marauding G.B.B. Gull was at it again this afternoon, flushing the Wigeon out of the Entrance Pool at Newton Marsh but at least it revealed just how many wildfowl were out there. At least 80 Teal and 30 Shoveler were put up by the gull and 12+ Mallard is a good count here in fact, Single Shelduck and Little Egret at the back of the pool where the fields were covered in Lapwings (1500+), Black-tailed Godwits (250+), Redshanks, Curlews and 50+ Golden Plovers. A flock of 22 Stock Doves was a welcome sight out on the stubble but still only a couple of Corn Buntings and nothing of note near the water treatment works apart from a pair of Red-legged Partridges.
I'd left it a bit late but I did pay a visit to Warton Bank in hope of Hen Harrier. The "Messiah" Maurice Jones had seen a male but all I could manage was the Glossy Ibis, Merlin, Peregrine and a flock of 250+ Golden Plover. I'll have another go this weekend. No wild swans again but not too surprising as they all seem to be south of the Ribble at the moment (counts of 800 or so Whoopers achieved recently on the mosses down there).
Still a few Waxwings knocking about in Preston although I didn't see any as I drove through the favoured sites today. Can't remember when winter birding was this good on the Ribble of late.
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