Panic sets in for a short moment.......

Ever had one of those days when you think you've found something special and then dismiss it as something not so special and then ahve those nagging doubts.................................Well it happened to us yesterday. Allan, Frank and yours truly had spent a fruitless few hours searching for early migrants on the N Wirral coast in blustery conditions when the other two decided to head in land towards Carr Lane, Moreton. I carried on the fruitless search with Molly until a phone call from Frank had me racing back to the car. The lads had found an odd looking alba Wagtail with extensive white in the wings. Arriving at the site it took us another few minutes to relocate the bird. it was odd looking and had virtually all white primaries, greater & median coverts as well as a very white head. Hmm - my first thoughts were Amur but it couldn't be could it?

With the weather closing in we all left. Arriving home I started looking at the texts and there right before my eyes was a picture looking exactly like our bird - an Amur Wagtail. Oh shit! have we coked up? A quick phone cal to Allan & Frank to see if they'd noted the all improtant flank colour (none of us had!) and I was back in the car with camera heading up the M53!

We found the bird fairly quickly but then it flew to a more distant field where a few distant shots were managed. Then it flew and was never seen again as it departed over the distant houses. Unfortunately for us the bird had grey flanks - the one factor we hadn't noted. Oh well.

Closer to home I've been out and about in the local area hunting for something new or unusual. The hours spent out in the field resulted in a new addition to the local 'patch' list with a hen Pheasant being seen early Friday morning.

Spring passage has started with small numbers of Skylarks and Meadow Pipits being heard flying overhead. More evidence of this came with the first spring Lesser Redpoll in Stanney Woods where the resident Marsh Tit(s) are now in full song.