Trip reports

FORMBY POINT, Merseyside

Wednesday, 13 August 2008

On the way through the dunes we saw a male and female Linnet. We made our way towards the birds near the water's edge and were only troubled by one dog walker which sent the birds up but they soon settled down again. There were numerous clock work toys which turned out to be Sanderlings fading out of their summer plumage; other small waders were Dunlin, still with their dark bellies and Ringed Plover which took time to stand and stare instead of continuously working for food. There were many Sandwich Terns with some Common Terns amongst them. What at first I took to be a ridge of sand came into focus as a solid mass of Knot. Some Turnstones flew in and started feeding.

There were Cormorants continually flying past and Alan identified a couple of Skuas harassing the Terns in the distance. There were also Herring Gulls, Common Gulls, Black Headed Gulls and Great Black Backed Gulls. We also saw a couple of Oyster Catchers (the novice birder's favorite wader as we can positively identify it!)

On the way back through the dunes there were many butterflies and we thought we saw a Grayling on the path but we did not have a Butterfly expert among us. We did see some Stonechats, Buzzards and a Kestrel. A few Swift were still wheeling around before leaving our shores with some House Martins amongst them.

Leaving the beach we wandered off across the heath to the woods. We did not expect to see very much, a Great Tit in the pines, a flock of foraging Long Tailed Tits and a Great Spotted Woodpecker on a dead tree. The highlight of our wanderings was watching the antics of some Red Squirrels in the woodland near the church. There were some Crows and Jays around but it was very quiet being the end of the breeding season.

By Anne Rogers
Library Photograph: Sanderling