"Pinkie" time

A bit grotty again this morning. That seems to be the pattern of the weather at the moment, poor starts then clearing up a little later in the day when all the birds are that bit harder to find and I get home to my pottering or jobs to do.

I still needed to see the big brute digger in action and even though the bird blogs are full of pictures, how nice to get a feel of what the birds and the birders are going to get out of this. Yes I did see it close up, a mighty impressive bit of kit, probably a bit more expensive than the average farm tractor as I watched it cut a 500yard swathe through the old salt marsh in a matter of minutes guided by the tripod mounted laser. The sandy ditches created yesterday were already full of overnight rain. A group of a few dozen Swallows quickly latched onto the opportunities created as they flew around and through the clouds of earthy debris the machine spewed out.

An overhead Merlin had obviously been hanging around where the flock of 70 plus Goldfinch fed on a good thistle crop. Nice to see such a flock, but where are all the Linnets again?



Walking through the fields flushed about 10 Skylarks together with at least half a dozen Meadow Pipits although I am sure more would be hugging the ground against the wind.

My first Pink-footed Geese of the year appeared in the form of two single birds “ank-anking” as they flew in a south west direction. Now it's definitely Autumn. Pinkies just seem to get earlier each year, in fact there is probably a gap of only three months when I don’t see them.

Although the light was pretty poor, promises of blue, I managed a picture of a windblown Pied Wagtail on edge of the track, the only photo I grabbed all morning.

On the way back south I called into Lane Ends, the marsh shrouded in murky light and mizzle to see 1200 Lapwings and half as many Curlew, 140 Shelduck, and a lone Little Egret. Not a morning for walking to Pilling Water or Fluke Hall.

Maybe soon the sun will shine and I will get a full morning birding in?