Birchwood Pool Redhead

Moore Nature Reserve has certainly been producing the goods lately and it kicked off the new year with a flurry of goodies...the flock of Waxwing were still around early January but better still a female (redhead) Smew seems to have taken up a winter residence on Birchwood Pool. Having played it cool I took my chance whence chance came and nipped down to the old stomping ground for a gander. It was still there showing superbly from the Eastend Hide (don't actually know what this one is called) diving alot in amongst the gaggle of other ducks.

That's only my second ever for my old patch the last 03/01/1996 or first one if you see what I mean was on Moore Quarry just by the Manchester Ship Canal swing bridge (a Moss Side 1st) just over the patch boundary I know but Dad and I always counted Moore Quarry as being in the Moss Side area. I suppose you could say this is an up grade of the earlier record.

Unfortunately no Waxwings on show, left that one a bit too late!

Today I was birding Heysham (in the snow!) and located a few of its regulars.
The  huge Twite flock that feeds on an endless supply of niger seed (provided by Heysham Bird Obs) on the North pier.

T'other bird of interest was an adult winter Med Gull begging for scraps off the local maggot danglers who were fishing from the North jetty/pier where there's signs saying 'No Fishing' derrr!

from the car window...

This guy wears a plastic ring, I think this individual is the one ringed in the Czech Republic? must be foreign lorry assisted.
A good lunch hour was rounded off with a superb full English in the nearby Half Moon Cafe with its great view of the beach, covered with feeding waders...sorted!


TTFN