The last 2 days have witnessed increasing warbler activity.
On the 27th.10 Whitethroat and 2 Lesser Whitethroats, 2 male and a female Whinchat, a Grasshopper Warbler, 5 male and 3 female Wheatears and 14 Greenland-type Wheatears on Wheatear Corner at the corner of the coastroad and Marshside Road, 7 Sedge warbler, 2 Reed warbler, 4 Reed bunting as well as 12 Linnet, 2 Tree Pipits and 3 White wagtail were recorded.
Rainfords Haul Road overlooking the Ribble channel produced 5 Eiders, 2 Common Terns, 2 Peregrines (sat on the beach!), 90 ringed Plovers, numerous Dunlins and a spectacular flock of 950 Golden Plover that flying directly overhead.
Hirundines included 40+ Swallow, 6 House martin and 2 Sand martin.
Passerines included 2 Dunnock, a Song Thrush, 4 Wren, 2 Great tit, 6 Goldfinch, 2 Greenfinch and 37 House sparrow.
Waterbirds included 74 Shelduck, 44 Teal, 28 Wigeon, 14 Gadwall, 36 Mallard, 6 Pintail, 28 Shoveler, 33 Redshank, 42 Black-tailed godwit, 7 Ruff, 22 Avocet, 34 Lapwing, 2 Little grebe as well as 4 Little egret and 2 Grey heron.
Also a Kingfisher at the north end of the reserve - and there are still more than 500 Pinkfeet in the area.
Today one of the 12 Ruff on Sutton's Marsh was lekking.
6 Swifts and all 3 hirudines were present as well as a good count of singing warblers - 7 Blackcaps, 4 Sedge warbler, 4 Reed warbler, 6 Whitethroat, 5 Willow warbler, 3 Chiffchaff and a Garden Warbler, also three Tree Pipits.
A male Whinchat and two Greenland Wheatears were on the north side of the disused sandplant.
Is it any wonder that Hobby was prowling around!
From Sandgrounder's Hide at 6:30 am there were 19 Avocets, including 2 mating and being generally aggressive, chasing away the smaller birds such as the Moorhens and the Common Sandpiper. Also around were a pair of Teal, 12 Canada Geese, 1 Heron, 5 Tufted Ducks, 4 Moorhens, 2 Coots, 8 Shelducks, 2 Wigeon, 6 obvious Lapwings and probably many more, 2 Wigeons, 3 Black-tailed Godwits, 4 Oystercatchers and 140 Black-headed Gulls.