Hesketh Out Marsh & Marshside - 3rd December 2010

The plan was to have a good look around Hesketh Out Marsh then head up to Marshside to both see what was about and try my new lens out but with the temperature at -8 when I left home I wasn't for stopping out for long! I spent about an hour or so at each place and called in at Preston docks on the way back to see if I could catch up with the Iceland Gull again.

At HOM there seemed to be plenty of Meadow Pipits around, Reed Bunting, Goldfinch 2 Kestrel and 3 Song Thrush. Curlew and the odd Redshank were the only waders I managed to see and a single Little Egret as I left the reserve. The supprise of the trip was this Barn Owl which I watched for 15 minutes as it searched for a meal along the path.

After watching the Barn Owl I decided to head back to the car to thaw out and make my way up to Marshside. No one seemed to ba around when I got there so I headed around the Sand Plant to see if there was anything showing. A large flock of 20+ Greenfinch, Goldfinch and again plenty of Meadow Pipit. The only raptor to make an appearance was a male Kestrel which was a dissapointment after last year but there's plenty of time yet. I sat for about 45 minutes behind the sand plant watching the Pink-footed Geese come and go hoping to pick something out but as usual no such luck.

 ABOVE AND BELOW PINK-FOOTED GEESE AT MARSHSIDE 

Brockholes Nature Reserve - 21st July 2010

We met Mike down at Brockholes at 18.30 with the hope of getting some photographs of a White-letter Hairstreak. The rain had abated and the sun began to shine (we live in the north west you know!) so we thought they might have made an appearance but even with the warm sun there were very few butterflies flying. We did manage Large White, Meadow Brown, Gatekeeper and a Peacock the first I've seen this year.

The bonus was a lifer for Reece when I spotted a Barn Owl hunting on the River Ribble side of the compound. We continued our search for butterflies and Dragonflies around the bottom end of No1 pit when the Barn Owl made a re-appearance hunting over the east side before moving over the pit towards the Lancashire way. I managed a few distant record shots, the first I've taken of my favorite owl.

BARN OWL OVER NO 1 PIT AT BROCKHOLES NATURE RESERVE

We did manage to see a Brown Hawker hawking flies by the zebra crossing on the approach road to the reserve but as anyone who tried to photograph dragonflies in flight knows it is near impossible thus mine all hit the delete button!