My First Swallow

The forecast for last Saturday morning looked good for an early Spring fall, or so I thought. High pressure dominating with an easterly airflow and a front coming in from the Irish see with rain before dawn. Conditions that looked as though they might dump a few Wheatears and maybe, just maybe, a Ring Ouzel. It was not to be.

At 6.30 a.m. I was at Fleetwood Marsh Nature Park looking for migrants, and all I did was look for migrants without seeing any. The usual were on the pools; 28 Coot, 5 Little Grebes, 12 Tufted Ducks, female Goldeneye, 3 Great Crested Grebes and a pair of Ruddy Ducks. And that was about your lot!

The main pool at Fleetwood Marsh NP

I then moved to the coast and had a trawl round Rossall School. It was here that I realised my mistake and thought that maybe I should have been seawatching at Rossall Point as it was quite breezy. I found out later from Ian that at Rossall there had been a decent passage of Razorbills. Anyway I was sure I would have a few migrants here. I checked all the hedges including the south hedge below.

I did have one summer migrant and that was a single Swallow that battled north. Other than that it was very quiet.

Easter weekend is coming up with the potential of four days birding if the weather is okay, but before that I have Hawkwind, supported by Girlschool, to look forward to tomorrow night in Bolton.