Donations : Acorns
https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/GaryPrescott2022
Many thanks to . . .
Jayne Grosvenor, Jane & Andy Revell, Louise, Stuart Griffiths, M & D Shaw, Dave & Sue White, Janette Lowndes, Bart, Lise Hanson, Maria Hill, Phil V, Chris Elmer, Sue Murphy, Nicky, John Hague, Mike, Kimberley Bills, Norma Hines, Rob Gilbert, Julia, Colin Graham, Sarah Moreton, Lizzy, Lisa Hillier, Rob Leech, &P.
Donations : RSPB
https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/bikingbirdervii-2022
Many thanks to . . .
Nicky M, Terri Akers, Anne Beckett, Maria Hill, Mark Carter, P.
RSPB staff at Lochwinnoch RSPB Reserve
Time flies by when you're a cyclist on the road. . .
Can't believe it is a week since I last blogged.
Anyway, let's see. What's happened? What have I seen, who have I met and where have I been?
14-15th January 2022 Southport
Out early to try to see a Snow Goose, I arrive at the site of the last sighting, Plex Moss but no Snow Goose. Hundreds of Pink-footed Geese are close to the road, with lots more amongst some sheep being hidden somewhat by a line of Silver Birch trees.
Red-legged Partridge* is calling somewhere nearby and soon shows itself, bird number on the BIGBY list. More Red-legged Partridge are close by scuttling around a farm barnyard.
After waiting and searching for around an hour and a half, my cheers could be heard in the town centre, four miles away as a large flock of arriving Pink Feets contains the adult Snow Goose*.
Two birders arrive and we chat for an hour or so, Dave and Daniel Gornall.
The rest of my day I spend cycling to Marshside where I saw a female, ringtail, Hen Harrier,* which I almost totally failed to take a photograph of.
Up at at them next morning to . . . watch the cricket! Why do I punish myself? I awake confident of an England revival of sorts. Oh well, less said about the Test match the better.
Off to Banks with an unladen bike, heaven! I go through Hesketh Park and remember seeing my first Smew there back in the winter of 1977, a redhead.
Either pushing or cycling, I go along the high sea wall towards Banks afte passing an erratic boulder at Crossens. Back when I taught at a Secondary school, Christ the King, in Southport in 1977-8, I arranged to meet a group of sixth formers here for a morning's birding.
It is a beautifully sunny, windless day and a large number of Linnets* fly past with a few of them landing in the farside to me branches of a large tree.
Geese are out on the Marsh as I look towards Blackpool with its Tower and Rollercoaster prominent. The nearest flock of Geese are Canadas but behind them is a small group of four Barnacle Geese.*
The day really is fabulous weather-wise and with new birds going onto the list, a successful one too. After chatting about birds for half an hour or so and after a passing birder, Ken, telling me that I wasn't the Biking Birder, was I? LOL. When I gave him one of my business cards he said that he'd met before whilst I was on one of my past Biking Birder adventures. Interestingly his birding companion, Paul Sands, told us all about his career as a stain-glassed window maker.
I bid farewell to the trio and cycle a mile or so further along the seawall. Reaching an access point for cattle, two birders, a local expert Phil Johnson and Sheelagh from Cheshire are there and conversation ensues.
New birds for the BIGBY list too are there, Peregrine,* Merlin* and a flock of Twite* land briefly on rocks beside a nearby pool but all too soon fly away further down the seawall.
Peregrine
Back to the geese spot, a face I recognise turns out to be the famous and young, curly haired (I'm jealous!) Sam Viles of Birdwatch magazine and Birdguides. Sam tells me that the magazine is doing a large promotion of local birding. Music to my ears as a passionate Green Birder, I check out the article on Birdguides on returning to my hotel room.
Written by the superb birder, Josh Jones, the initiative could bring a lot more people to realise just how fabulous Green Birding locally, as advocated in the wonderful book, Green Birding by Richard Gregson.
Charity Pledges These are the names of people who have made a pledge to pay so much per bird species seen at the end of the year to either one of the charities I am supporting or to both.
Lee Dark, Mary & Brian Prescott, Joshua Prescott, Rebecca Prescott and Les Oxley-Stoker,
Massive thanks to everyone who has either made a donation or made a pledge. Wonderful.
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