Baby blackbirds

A blackbird nest right outside the front door, with four little cuties inside!

A trip to the beach

On Wednesday I spent a few hours on the beach at Formby Point near Liverpool and found all kinds of marine creatures. There were hundreds of razor shells, prickly and common cockles, worms, swimming crabs, shrimp, mermaid's purses, whelk eggs and even a baby plaice. I've got a lot to learn about sandy shores but it was a great way to start.

Birding at Point of Ayr

Point of Ayr is the Northern-most tip of the Dee estuary on the Welsh side. In the sand dunes is Wales' only breeding population of the rare natterjack toad. But I went to see the birds in the estuary and salt marsh.

Although the best time to go to Point of Ayr is in winter, to see the over-wintering birds, it was still a very enjoyable few hours in early May. There were abundant sky larks, which are one of my very favourite birds, with lots of males singing high in the air then floating slowly down to the ground and disappearing into the vegetation. I saw a curlew, with it's slender decurved beak, feeding in a muddy channel through the marsh, and oyster catchers feeding in the mud of the estuary. There were lots of swallows, back from a winter in Africa. I also heard chaffinch and greenfinch in the scrub bordering the holiday village of Talacre.

I'll definitely be back one evening to listen out for the natterjack toads calling in the dunes, and maybe be lucky enough to see some too.