Two Shags Christmas Morning..., 25th December 2008

...And they were both adults flying west. I know what you were all thinking; you thought that I had gone all school boy humourish on you didn't you? I sort of wish that I could have had the Shags on 1st January as it would have been a good start for my year list as I don't always record them every year at Fleetwood.

I had to get out this morning as it always gives me satisfaction to get 25th December in my notebook. I think the reason for this is that it almost conveys a sense of normality at a time when the world seems to go mad with the nonsense of Christmas. Thank f*ck it's over for another year!

It dawned quite murky at Rossall Point this morning. One of those mornings where it was difficult to differentiate the sea with the sky and birds on the sea looked as though they were swimming in the sky! Most surreal! Anyway because of this murkiness I didn't see a great deal other than the two Shags of course.

A few waders were on the shore including 379 Oystercatchers, 66 Sanderlings, single Turnstone and 29 Ringed Plovers. You will see below the results of my efforts to photograph Oystercatcher and Ringed Plover. As the usual the 'bird scarers' were out. One guy said good morning to me, climbed over the sea wall down across the beach and walked his dog straight through some roosting Oystercatchers. Bastard!

On the sea it was very quiet, or should I say that I could see knob all because of the mist. However, I did have 2 Eiders and 3 Red-breasted Mergansers. The morning was completed by 17 Linnets feeding along the tidal wrack. I did attempt a few photographs but they were even more awful than those above!