After a couple of extremely wet and windy grey days spent in Salford and watching the Cormorant in the quays trying to keep balance in the wind on one of the buoys rather like an inexperienced trick unicyclist I did manage to make it up to Martin Mere for a visit. However in keeping with the weather this last weekend it was blowing an absolute gale and pretty much everything had it's head down trying to keep some feathers attached and opening any hide window risked almost being blown backwards off the benches. The only life to be seen on and around the water being a huge number of Shell Duck and smaller numbers of Avocet, Oystercatcher and Lapwing. So the only place to get out of the wind and actually see anything was the little hide over looking the small reed pool with bird feeders either side which yielded Blue Tit, Robin, Chaffinch, Green Finch, Goldfinch and a solitary Great Spotted Woodpecker which animatedly defended it's chosen feeder against any small bird that decided sharing was the done thing.
Last night back down at the home patch of Upton Warren it was rather sunny and pleasant and we were graced by the Kingfisher which obligingly came and perched in the reeds for about 15 minutes or so without moving at all, not even a single dive. Less obligingly it decided to perch on the well shaded side of the reeds in the lowering sun and well out of the light needed to get any half decent photographs. Normally the Kingfisher settles on the other side in the light for around 5 minutes and after several dives speeds off.
The Hobby was back (just a solitary one) but it stayed far to the left of the water perched in one of the dead trees and although it was there for over an hour and was still there when we left for the night it hadn't taken flight once, so no spectacle over the water as previously experienced over the last week with the three Hobby that have been present. Apart from that nothing out of the ordinary, a couple of the regular Grey Heron, a solitary Cormorant, three Ruddy duck (two male - one female), three Oystercatcher on the far side, seven Tufted Duck, two Lapwing, several Greater Crested Grebe and the usual Mute Swans and six cygnets, Canada Geese, Mallard and Black Headed Gull.
Not the best photograph of the Great Spotter Woodpecker at Martin Mere but it was the best I could manage in the half-light under the heavy tree canopy.
Below one of the Grey Heron at Upton Warren that came down into the reeds infront of the hide last night.
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