Burton marsh at dawn from Denhall lane to Burton point : 2 Grasshopper warbler. 9 Wheatear at Burton point. 1 Stonechat male. 2 Reed warbler. 2 Meadow pipit. 1 Kestrel. Also numerous Reed bunting, Sedge warbler, Whitethroat, Little egret + Swallow.
Temminick's Stint showed really well at Parkgate this evening and the size was striking when a Pied Wagtail went past - the Wagtail looked bigger!
Thanks also to Doc Brewster who helped put people onto the stint and let my daughter have a look through his scope - she was much more enthusiastic when she'd seen the stint at 40x magnification!
Thanks for the kind comments Pete, nice to meet so many enthusiastic birders (inc you & your daughter!!) to see a beautifully plumaged cracking little bird. LRP also present at Donkey Stand plus 2 Wheatears too. An all too short visit meaning that I didn't get to treat myself to fish n chips or an ice cream!!!
Burton marsh -Denhall lane at dusk :
1 Short-eared owl near decca pools. flew briefly overhead, then over trees towards ness gardens.
2 Grasshopper warbler .
3 Sedge warbler.
1 Whitethroat. all very vocal at 9.pm. also 5 Little egret heading to roost at Burton mere.
Temminick's Stint showed really well at Parkgate this evening and the size was striking when a Pied Wagtail went past - the Wagtail looked bigger!
Thanks also to Doc Brewster who helped put people onto the stint and let my daughter have a look through his scope - she was much more enthusiastic when she'd seen the stint at 40x magnification!
Yes Mike, a similar thing happened to the Great white Egret at Burton Mere Wetlands yesterday only it was Swallows and Lapwings giving it grief there as it was just sitting minding its own business
Some interesting behaviour this morning at Parkgate. The Great White Egret (GWE) flew in to Boathouse Flash area, disappeared for a while and then reappeared near the Black-headed Gull (BHG) colony. Immediatle the gulls began mobbing the egret which responded by stretching its neck upwards and stabbing up at mobbing birds. It then went and stood next to the nearby Spoonbill which had up to now been completely ignored by the gulls despite being asleep in their midst. The Spoonbill started to get mobbed and looked a bit ruffled, however when it moved away from the GWE, the gulls ignored it again. The GWE eventually took the hint and moved away.
20 minutes later the GWE came back for seconds and the gulls responded accordingly. This time the egret moved next to an adult Grey Heron which had also been previously ignored and was now on the receiving end. The heron seemed to realise the egret was the source of the problem and drove it off - the mobbing stopped instantly.
I never at any time go an impression tha the egret was targetting the gull colony and am intrigued as to why the response to the egret and not the heron?
5 Wheatear 2 Redpoll 1 Grasshopper warbler 1 Whimbrel (on groyne) 1 Ringed plover plenty Sandwich tern showing off diving for fish 3 Dunlin 1 Grey partridge (side of duck pond!) surprise find. good numbers of Skylark, Reed warbler, Sedge warbler and Whitethroat. Cracking little reserve and would have liked to have been here on Wednesday.!
69 Wheatear, mainly in the horse paddocks west of the lighthouse but also good numbers in the coastal field by the car park.
Lesser Whitethroat by the lighthouse.
3 male Whinchat in the horse paddocks, with a male Yellow Wagtail, 2 White Wagtail and a Short-eared Owl which flew through, alighting very briefly on the ground.
Sedge Warbler and 2 Reed Warbler in the reeds with a reeling Grasshopper Warbler.
Really good family visit to Burton Mere this afternoon - mainly as my better half wanted to see the Bluebells in the woods along the entrance road - which were well in flower! Quick visit to reserve proper saw lots of interesting birds highlights being:
Sand Martins, House Martins and Swallows literally feet away as they hunted over the deck in front of reception Great Spotted Woodpeckers x2 on the feeders Yellow Wagtails x2 White Wagtail x1 Avocet x20 Black Tailed Godwit flock Spotted Redshank in nearly full summer plumage x7
and it was also good to listen to the herons and egrets in the heronry which were making fantastic noises - even if they were difficult to see!
-- Edited by Pete Welch on Saturday 28th of April 2012 06:14:46 PM
-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Saturday 28th of April 2012 06:35:32 PM
Great morning at Burton Mere Wetlands this morning as 2 whimbrel were present on the reserve (1 still is) also, tree sparrow, yellow wagtail, hen harrier, ruff (x15) and spotted redshank (x8)
Early start at parkgate and the spoonbill was showing really well at the 'New' flash opposite the picnic tables(not sure if this is donkey stand flash).there from 7.30 to 8.00 preening/roosting then worked its way down the marsh towards the old baths car park.also feeding close by were 8 white wagtail and a pair of pied wagtail.leasowe was a bit if a washout(for me at least)but skylark meadow pipit and linnet present.nipped Burton mere on the way back and there were 5 male ruff with one in particular in advanced breeding )plumage(though no 'ruff' on show).also 5 spotted redshank present with one bird looking to be in full breeding plumage.good numbers of avocet and black tailed godwit also.
3 probably 4 Tree Pipits, showing really well in the first horse paddock with good numbers of Meadow Pipit. Single White Wagtail 8 Wheatear 3 Blackcap (one giving superb snatches of Sedge Warbler song!) Good flock of Linnets with apparently still 2 Twite amongst them but they were too flightly for us today.
* This fantastic area is now under serious threat from development due to the windfarm project and plans are underway to fill in many of the ponds and remove much of the valuable trees and scrub from the area which will then be built on. More information will be posted here as and when we have it but until then please be aware that you assistance may be called upon
Once the showers stopped quite a pleasant afternoon on the Wirral. At Parkgate the long staying Spoonbill was present as well as a ring-tail Hen Harrier but none of yesterday's reported Short-eared Owls were to be seen. A similar story at Burton Marsh with the lack of Owls. Then to Burton Mere Wetlands reserve - by which time the sun was setting making viewing tricky looking west (as might be expected ) but was able to pick up 6 Avocets, a mixed flock of Swallows, Sand Martins and my first House Martins of the year.
A quick tour of Rivacre country park this afternon.: pair of Grey wagtail on brook. 2 Great spotted woodpecker drumming very loudly at the very top of dead trees. Nuthatch. Treecreeper. Chiffchaff. Jay. Carrion crow acting very agitated low in a tree, not moving even when i got quite close. Couldnt find any reason for this. Plus all the usuals. Lastly, and most surprisingly was a weasel running along the brook bank. A first sighting for me, and certainly didnt expect to see one here.!
Hi Alan Good to meet you - I was in the hide at IMF looking for the Spot Reds
Had an excellent day myself up T'Wirral. Met up with Goostrey birder, Sheila, and at Leasowe we managed to get excellent views (eventually) of at least 3 Twite in the horse paddocks with the Linnet flock. We also had 2 Common Lizards on the bank at the seaward side of the paddocks - shows how warm it was today!!
Together we then had stunning views of the male Ring Ouzel at Red Rocks, got some nice photos too as it fed in the sun on ivy berries. Then a nip down to IMF where we had 4 Spotted Redshanks & 3 Ruff along with 30+Black-tailed Godwits and a couple of Pintail. From the top path a flock of 10+Avocets could be scoped over on the Burton Mere Wetlands side of the reserve.
Burton Marsh from Denhall lane to decca pools. : 3 Wheatear...pair in trees near decca pools...1 male on barbed wire near fishery entrance...several Little egret plus the usual suspects.
After a lovely Sunday roast in The Boathouse had a stroll down the parade. Lots of birders but not much reported. Spoonbill showed throughout and plenty of Little Egrets, which pleased mother!
Cheers Jason
-- Edited by JasonAtkinson on Sunday 11th of March 2012 09:53:06 PM
Bit of a Wirral Wander today starting at Burton Marsh - short stop while waiting for Inner Marsh Farm gates to open, going on to Red Rocks and finishing at New Brighton. Deliberately missing out on a visit to Parkgate - seems that about 1000 people were at the Old Baths yesterday for the RSPB high tide event despite the forecast unfavourable weather conditions
Burton Marsh of note:- Stonecahat (pr), Pink-footed Geese (lots but distant), several Little Egrets.
Inner Marsh:- Knot (15), Spotted Redshank (4), Greenshank (1), Common Gull (8) plus several Teal, Gadwall, Pintail and Black-tailed Godwit (one or two coming into summer plummage).
Red Rocks:- no sign of the reported Black Redstart but on the water around Little Eye 25 -30 Brent Geese.
New Brighton:- on the marine lake pontoon a full deck comprising Redshank, Turnstone, Dunlin, Sanderling (2) and Purple Sandpiper (10 counted, there may have been more in the mass of birds).
went for 10m tide at Parkgate with joey today, there was one Merlin lingering around the waters edge and a peregrine went over which was later seen further down by the wind turbines. lots of skylarks and meadow pipits, also two hen harriers (ringtail) one of which was probably the same one we saw at Burton mere earlier. the spoonbill was showing well from the roadside and the usual stuff.
i also went for the high tide today,was there with phil kelly from 8-2.30pm.
raptors throughout the day seen on several occasions...
hen harrier (ring tailed) peregrine falcon merlin kestrel no short eared owls.
good views off the spoonbill first at the donkey stand flash,then again later near the car park. as joeys post, 2 ravens being mobbed by 2 crows. 1 red breasted merganser at the donkey stand flash. plus oystercatchers, lapwings, snipe, black tailed godwits, redshanks. lots off little egrets around lots off skylarks & meadow pipits plus all the usual stuff around.
Went for the 10m+ high tide today which peaked around 12.30
It seems like it was much the same as yesterday with the high tide preventing the full advancement of the tide. The sightings included:
2, though possibly 4 hen harriers (all ringtail) At least 1 merlin that was favouring a branch fairly far out onto the marsh that stuck out at a 45 degree angle A peregrine flew over and then another was seen harassing waders in front of the wind turbines, though this could have been the same bird. A short eared owl was briefly seen by another birder The spoonbill showed well from the one of the roadside pools And 2 Raven were being mobbed by 2 Carrion Crow
Although it was disappointing that the tide didn't overwhelm the marsh, it was still a good day
-- Edited by Joey Eccles on Saturday 10th of March 2012 07:55:59 PM
Yeah, I was a bit disappointed with the 9.9m high tide at Parkgate today - I didn't see any more than what I usually see here (as listed in the last but one post without the Merlin) and I thought the water would come a lot closer. Apparently high pressure suppresses the tide and it looks set to be the same for the weekend. However, tomorrow's high tide is 10m and so the 'show' may be a little better.
The highlight for me was the Spoonbill which flew very close for a few seconds before disappearing into the marsh again.
A quick circuit of Rivacre woods this afternoon produced: Pair Grey wagtails 3 Buzzards Great spotted woodpecker Nuthatch Treecreeper 4 Goldcrest Song thrush 17 species
A couple of hours spent in glorious sunshine on Hilbre this morning, before the crowds arrived, to see the Brent Geese. Also present were Purple Sandpiper,Turnstone,Oystercatcher,Knot,Curlew and Redshank.
Great day out on the Wirral today, went to visit and friend over there and ended up spending the at Burton Wetlands, Parkgate and Hoylake.
Saw the Great White Egret at Burton, quite a number of little egrets too, loads of mostly unidentified waders at Hoylake, I need to go there when the tide is a lot further in, even though I went at high tide. Certainly a great area to go birding.
-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Tuesday 28th of February 2012 09:28:54 PM
A nice afternoon walk around Rivacre country park this afternoon in spring like conditions. Pair of Grey wagtails on brook Nuthatch Treecreeper Long tailed, Great and Blue tits G.S. woodpecker Goldfinch and Greenfinch Jay Grey heron over pond which contained masses of frog spawn and about a dozen frogs making more while i watched.!
A few hours well spent at Parkgate this afternoon,highlights..... Great white egret showing well, 2 spoonbills feeding in pools, several hundred pinkfoot geese, dozen + little egrets, Curlews,oystercatchers and redshank, Flock of about 10 birds,which I am about 95% certain were twite, 1 ring-tail hen harrier, All followed by the best fish and chips on the wirral,and an Irn Bru flavoured ice cream
Parkgate:
Had a quick look at old baths this afternoon. Spoonbill giving great views feeding in the pool, and the Great white egret further out on the marsh. Both a first me.! Also redwings, song thrush, linnets and green finch in horse paddock.
GWE and Spoonbill showing well from Parkgate car park late afternoon - latter flying around a bit. A Short-eared Owl showed spectacularly well, periodically hunting in front of the car park and then perching up. Also Peregrine, Merlin, 12+ Little Egrets, 110+ Pink-footed Geese and one, possibly two Ring-tail Hen Harriers
Visited Parkgate on morning of 16th - 1 Spoonbill (viewed behind the pools, directly in front of car park), 1 Merlin, 1 ringtail Hen Harrier. Dee Estuary website suggests the Great White Egret is still around but I missed out. Moved on to West Kirby Boating Lake, where I never fail to find a Red Breasted Merganser.
After Marbury Park this morning Mr Barber and I headed over to Parkgate - present from Donkey stand Flash were 1 Spoonbill, 1 Hen Harrier (fem) and a big flock of Pink-footed Geese on the marsh.
Late posting for yesterday. Turnstone, Ringed Plover, Curlew, Redshank, Knot, Dunlin, Grey Plover, Oystercatcher - by West Kirby Sailing Club as tide approached. Bar- tailed Godwit, Sanderling, Cormorant, Shelduck plus more of the above - at Hoylake, where one handsome Grey Plover was almost into summer plumage. A Peregrine was seen perched - at Parkgate
Used to work in Wigan, Mike so am familiar with that grip. Took me a while, though, to work out that when my colleagues asked me if I fancied a "babby's yed" they were really offering me a steak pudding!
Em and I decided to make the best of a clear, sunny day with a chill east wind by going for lunch at the Boathouse at Parkgate. Not a birding trip but the usual nice, incidental sightings.
First had an hours walk from Denhall lane, past the Harp pub and on beyond the reed beds. Two Stonechats, 2 Little Egrets, a Hen Harrier, a flock of 70 Curlew and a close fly-by by a Merlin were good sightings.
From the Boathouse, over a nice steak and a glass of Cabernet we had close views of both Hen Harrier, Short-eared Owl, Merlin and another 5 Little Egrets.
Cheers David
Sounds like a civilised spot of birding David
Following the steak and wine you should now move on to more advanced skills. How about wandering around Wigan Flashes while practising the inverse Wigan pie grip on a meat and potato!
-- Edited by Mike Baron on Wednesday 8th of February 2012 09:58:50 PM
Em and I decided to make the best of a clear, sunny day with a chill east wind by going for lunch at the Boathouse at Parkgate. Not a birding trip but the usual nice, incidental sightings.
First had an hours walk from Denhall lane, past the Harp pub and on beyond the reed beds. Two Stonechats, 2 Little Egrets, a Hen Harrier, a flock of 70 Curlew and a close fly-by by a Merlin were good sightings.
From the Boathouse, over a nice steak and a glass of Cabernet we had close views of both Hen Harrier, Short-eared Owl, Merlin and another 5 Little Egrets.
A short family visit to the Wirral this afternoon produced of interest:-
c. 30 White-fronted Geese over Puddington Lane just south of Burton Mere Wetlands. At Burton Point on the marsh, 3 Short-eared Owls one really close over the reed beds and a Great white Egret. Finally at Parkgate old baths a second Great white Egret, another close in Short-eared Owl and a ring tail Hen Harrier. Not bad for a gloomy afternoon
neston to quayside(harp inn) to burton mere wetlands. good day despite the strong winds, 61 species seen throughout the day. the walk through neston produced a male sparrowhawk harrasing a small flock off starlings. quayside at 9.20am straight onto a peregrine falcon at close range flying down low spooking all the curlews,redshanks and passerines that were around,no kill though.plenty off little egrets about,no signs off great white egret (probably at parkgate where i never went). picked up a distant ringed tailed hen harrier,but later on the way back about 4pm had 2 ring taileds at close range on denhall lane,also had 2 merlins and another peregrine here. no signs off any short eared owls (dont blame them). then onto burton mere wetlands.....
) but was able to pick up 6 Avocets, a mixed flock of Swallows, Sand Martins and my first House Martins of the year.