RSPB Marshside & Martin Mere

      Had a trip out to RSPB Marshside and Martin Mere at Southport
      with the Huddersfield & Halifax RSPB group and had a really good
      day and what a nice set of people they are, they made me very welcome
      and were very friendly and helped me all day with ID's and let me look
      through their scopes, got talking to two great blokes on the coach Mike
      from Gomersall and Linford from Scholes felt like I'd known them for
      years, Mike got his scope viewed on to 2 Peregrine Falcons m&f and let
      me have a look so was well chuffed.

      Marshside-:

      Marshside had plenty of birdlife but all at a distance so the pics aren't the
      best and it was very dark and gloomy, first sighting was a Sparrowhawk on
      lamppost on the motorway but at Marshside it was 10+ Oystercatchers and
      Bar Tailed Godwit, lots of Shelduck and even some Skylark in the marsh,
      50+ Pink Footed Geese flew in and landed but were spooked when a Merlin
      flew low over them, 1000's of Knot & Dunlin were doing a murmaration
      with Blackpool Tower in the background and 50+ Cormorants having a
      meeting at the edge of the beach rest of birds seen were-:

     Whooper Swans, Pintails, Curlews, Little Egrets, Lapwings, Herons,
     Greylags, Goldeneye, Scaup, Shovellers, Tufted Duck, Pochard, Wigeon,
     Little Grebe, Goldfinch, Pied Wagtails and some I've forgotten and all in the
     first hour.

               Martin Mere-:

                Wasn't expecting much here as it was full of screaming kids but how
                wrong I was, nearly every wader and duck you could imagine in one
                place is here and when dusk arrived it was amazing especially at the
                outer hides, 2 Buzzards soaring, 3 Barn Owls hunting which was
                fantastic to see, 2 Marsh Harriers spooking all the geese, 2 Tawny
                Owls roosting and even a Ruff  turned up on the water I bet its even
                better at this place midweek. 1000's of Whoopers here but didn't spot
                a Bewick.