The Mystery of the Levitating Redshank - 13 April 2013

I never check any source of bird news before making the trip to Pennington Flash. Why? Simply because it's the kind of place that just never disappoints and almost anything can drop in there, so a decent days birding is a given.

Apart from my local patch, Pennington Flash is the only place that I keep a list for and I didn't wait long today before adding a Kittiwake to the list. It was not an easy pick at the far end of the spit, particularly amid the surrounding chaos of the Black-headed Gulls, but its plain black wing-tips and shorter legs distinguished it from a couple of nearby Common Gulls.

The spit also held the usual number of Cormorant, a Little Ringed Plover, Redshank, Lapwing, Mallard, Woodpigeon, Magpie, Crow and Pied Wagtail. And a large number of Swallows flashed over in u-turns before heading out again across the midge strewn waters.

Out on the flash were Mute Swan, Canada Geese, Teal, Gadwall and a pair of Goldeneye. I love Goldeneye and I crave a decent photo of a male but I always seem to get a distant bird - fair light, or vice-versa. I fear I may need to invest in a camo-canoe!

Next I had a look at the 'fairy-tale world' of the Bunting Hide feeding station. Where notable additions were Willow Tit, Bullfinch and my first Pennington Brambling. Also, Great, Blue and Long-tailed Tit, Reed Bunting, Robin (pictured), Greenfinch, Wren, Dunnock and Stock Dove.

I grabbed a picnic table in a sunny spot for some lunch before taking the circular tour of the hides that face out onto the idyllic lagoons. These hold plenty of birds and today I had Grey Heron, Goosander, Coot, Moorhen, Shelduck, Black-tailed Godwit, Great Crested Grebe, Snipe, Tufted Duck, Shoveler and Blackbird.

Brilliant Kingfisher territory this is too but alas, not today. Ah well, just the 42 species then.

Unless of course, I can count the mysterious levitating Redshank as a sub-species...

Kangaroo Redshank - Tringa totanus Levioso

 A distant male Goldeneye on the Flash

Mere Sands Wood - 15 March 2012

Another Trip to Mere Sands Wood today with the intention of ignoring the Bittern hide until later in the day and having a good walk around, spending some time in the other hides. However, the plan went out of the window in the car-park at 9:00am when two guys arrived from Yorkshire to see the Bittern. I took them to the hide, put them in prime position and pointed out where it was usually seen. I stayed with them for a while to give them some confidence that it would show. It did take a couple of hours before I spotted it in the far reeds and as I was explaining where they could see it, it took flight and flew low over the water directly towards us. What a view! It wandered around for about an hour and came very close to the hide.

I moved on and was pleasantly surprised to find the pair of Goldeneye still there on the other side of The Hollow. I also saw a pair of Great Crested Grebe building a nest on the edge of the sunken tree, well one of them was working hard, probably an optimistic male. Far too early surely!

Back to the visitor centre and a mug of coffee which I took into the Lancaster hide, where a good number of Reed Bunting were showing. A Water Rail popped out for a while to round my day off nicely.

If you haven't been to MSW you are missing a little gem.

Bittern showing well for its Yorkshire visitors

Male Goldeneye feeding on The Hollow

Some people wait for hours and never see this Water Rail - I guess I just get lucky!