This evening at Parkgate - at least three Short Eared Owls plus one ring tail Hen Harrier, lots of Egrets and a juvenile Great Crested Grebe. Large number of Pink Feet going out towards the estuary mouth at dusk. Also spotted two forum lurkers :)

Before that went to have a look at the amazing spectacle of the waders at Hoylake - speaking to the wardens they indicated that there had been quite a bit of disturbance today which is a real shame - we watched from the slipway and you could see and hear the massing birds without needing to venture onto the sands. Species included Golden Plover, Grey Plover, Bar Tailed Godwit, Knot, Sanderling and Dunlin [probably some rarer stuff mixed in but not picked out with bins!]. One Grey Plover was in near complete summer plumage - which got my interest for a few minutes!

on way back from north wales and BMW

One short-eared owl giving prolonged but distant views, great bird! really made our day

also had an extremely distant merlin on a post on the marsh (burton marsh I think). almost as distant as the scoters at Llandulas!!

A pleasant, raptor watching visit to the Wirral today with the Manx birder starting at Parkgate Donkey Stand where we found Kestrel, Buzzard and Merlin. We also found what was apparently the first male Hen Harrier of the winter that my sharp-eyed friend picked up as we were watching one of the Great-white Egrets. At the Old Baths, 2 ring tail Hen Harriers and a juv Marsh Harrier. At Denhall Lane a second Marsh Harrrier and 2 Short-eared Owls just before we left at 16.00.

Also good to see Jonathan Platt and Geoff Walton again.

-- Edited by sid ashton on Saturday 3rd of November 2012 09:46:24 AM

A pleasant late afternoon / evening around Burton Marsh.

Highlight was very close views of the juvenile Hobby which was flitting around and feeding on insects on some rocks. Apparently this bird looked very ill in the morning but seemed bright enough this afternoon though the choice of food may suggest otherwise. Also other highlights seen:

2 Merlins
9 Short-eared Owls
1 Buzzard
2 Kestrels
4 Stonechats
Great Spotted Woodpecker
2 Great White Egrets (flying in to roost) plus 113 Little Egrets

The fog cleared this afternoon revealing a perfect evening for owl activity. So it was down to Parkgate again. This evening it was the Short eared owl turn to put on a show. One spent half an hour hunting just out from the old baths, giving views down to about 100 metres . So plenty of video to look through. Just before it got dark, the Barn owl gave a brief view out from The Boathouse pub before dissapearing into the gloom.

LATE PM
burton to the harp in-seemed a long walk
Short Eared Owl-at least 16-5 off denhall lane far out,6 futher along towards the harp inn,and 5 towards parkgate from the harp inn
Hen Harrier-2 f/imm poss 1 Male but a long way out
stonechat-3
lots pf pink footed geese and Little Egret
Merlin-1
Peregrine-1

Parkgate at dusk this evening. Looked ideal conditions for owl hunting so had a quick look down at the old baths in the hope of Barn owl. Not 10 mins after arriving i was rewarded with a great view of one hunting out on the marsh. Just before leaving i saw a Short eared owl drop down30 yards out before flying towards me and skimming over my head by just a few feet.! Much to dark for video even , but got a brilliant view eye to eye.

Managed nine Short-eared owls this evening in one scan of the marsh. A merlin flew through and briefly landed on a post.

I spent the day in Wales but was on Burton Marsh at dawn. Not much around, nice views of a Green woodpecker by the sheep pens was as good as it got. Colin Wells told me my Paradise Shelduck is probably an Orinoco Goose! Looked a totally different bird with the sun on, rather than behind it, this morning! A Black Swan flew in whilst we watched too!

Denhall Lane/Burton Marsh, 2.00-6.30pm

Most of the marsh is still flooded from this week's high tides. Two Ruddy Shelduck and one Paradise Shelduck-type-thing were mixed in with a flock of Canada and Greylag Geese, and three Whooper Swans. Walked down to Burton Point - 30 Pinkfeet over, a Little Owl in the trees at the Point, two Merlins, a Hobby, Peregrine, rt Hen Harrier and a couple of Ravens. A Wheatear was by the sheep pens again. Back at Denhall Lane I waited for Short-eared Owls. I was a bit dubious as to whether any remained on the soaked marsh, but at least four birds were still present.

Nice to meet David Wilson, and to bump into Vivien Finn again.

PHIL GREENWOOD wrote:

---

Parkgate-high tide.

Short-eared Owl 1
Hen Harrier-ringtail 1
Merlin 1
Kestrel 1m
GtWhite Egret 1
Little Egrets 15+
Curlews
Redshanks
Oystercatchers
Pintails
Lapwings
Curlews
Shelducks
Wigeons
Teal

---

Hi Phil, Not sure how long you stayed at Parkagate, but while watching the single Great White Egret, which had been showing most of the time, in the area in front of the big white ship, some one picked up 2 more Great White Egrets that suddenly appeared directly in front of the car park. So there were infact 3 birds showing at the same time.

Parkgate-high tide.

Short-eared Owl 1
Hen Harrier-ringtail 1
Merlin 1
Kestrel 1m
GtWhite Egret 1
Little Egrets 15+
Curlews
Redshanks
Oystercatchers
Pintails
Lapwings
Curlews
Shelducks
Wigeons
Teal

Some light finch migration this morning around Burton Point with Brambling, Siskin and Redpoll all being heard, along with Chaffinches. A Wheatear was by the sheep pens. Eight species of raptors seen around the Wirrel today - Marsh Harrier, Hobby (both BMW), Peregrine, Merlin, Hen Harrier, Common Buzzard, Kestrel and Sparrowhawk (Burton Marsh). At Red Rocks I watched a female Merlin chase and catch a small, presumably migrating passerine well out to sea before flying ashore. Found two Little Owls at Burton Mere Wetlands, and eight Short-eared Owls out from Denhall Lane in the evening. Two Great White Egrets out in the morning, a single returned in the evening, though we left whilst egrets were still flighting in.

A very productive hour spent at dusk this evening.:

2 Kestrel hunting together
2 Short eared owl ( quartering a long way out on marsh.)
Ringtail Hen Harrier skimming over decca pools
Sparrowhawk
Peregrine falcon heading back towards Burton mere
Buzzard
The usual roosting of Little egrets: including 3 Great white egrets ( 2 together and 1 with a Little Egret)
20 ish Pied wagtail in recently turned over field

A great morning on the Wirral.
Hoylake:
3 Grey Plover,
1 Peregrine Falcon,
1 Sparrowhawk,
300 Oystercathcers
400 Redshank
250 Cormorant
150 Dunlin
200 Knot
30 Ringed Plover
50 Black Tailed Godwit
20 Shelducks

Parkgate:
1 Great White Egret
150+ Pink Footed Geese

Inner Marsh Farm:
3 Whooper Swans
20 Redshank
300 Teal

Burton Mere:
50 Black Tailed Godwit
10 Wigeon

Fifteen Short-eared Owls from Denhall Lane this evening, as soon as the sun went down behind the hills most of the owls disappeared. We turned our attention to the egrets coming in to roost and soon saw the Great White Egret that's been around for some time. But ten minutes later I noticed four egrets approaching - two Little and two more Great Whites!

Previously, we'd had fifteen minutes at Parkgate - two ring-tailed Hen Harriers, a Peregrine and 100+ Pinkfeet out on the marsh.

Spent a few hours down at Burton marshes this afternoon. First stop was the sheep dips where a Wheatear was spotted feeding from the barbed wire fencing at the back. Bit further along a Male and Female Stonechat found perching in the tall reeds. Arriving at Burton point i met Scott Reid and freind who were doing a days filming(hopefully) of some Hen harrier activity for a film he was making towards a degree. Anyhow i managed to find a single Little owl roosting in the tree near the cliff face much to the surprise of them. After that not a lot showed apart from distant Hen harrier out on the marsh. After a good chat sharing bird sightings from round and about, our attention was then drawn to the marsh hoping for raptors or owls, when Scott announced 3 large birds heading in high from the coast dropping gradually before heading sideways on to us, and landing . My initial reaction was swan due to the size and extending neck. Looking through a few record shots Scott took, swans they certainly were not. Hoping for another sighting of the possible Cranes we kept watch where they landed. Luckily i had the camera pointing as they took off low, again heading inland before landing again a few hundred yards further on. Giving me a fleeting glimpse and short video of them flying, distant but unmistakeable. A few others joined us now armed with scope we managed to pick all 3 feeding out in front of us giving a decent view. One we think was a juvenile with two adults. As i left at 4pm they were still showing. So all in all a good afternoons birding with a lifer for me, and on my local patch.

3 Common Cranes flew onto Burton marsh out from Burton point at 2pm. Still showing well at 4pm when i left.
Possibly 2 adults and 1 juvenile.

On Birdguides, Long-billed Dowitcher Burton Mere Wetlands RSPB Reserve

A couple of hours at Burton marsh/Burton point this afternoon.: Green woodpecker on grassy mound look-out gave a great view. Kestrel and Buzzard constantly hunting along road. Peregrine falcon over Burton point before speeding off towards Denhall lane. Hen harrier ringtail hunting over marsh on return to car.

sid ashton wrote:

---

Mark Rigby wrote:

---

Hi Joe,

I wouldnt think so. It's not a very high tide on Saturday. 8.8 metres at 1116hrs.

---

.....however the predicted wind speeds may help especially if the direction swings a bit more Northerly.

---

Went Hoylake anyhow and you were right it wasn't very high, still good numbers of Sanderling and Dunlin though. I talked to other birders who'd had Little Stint and Curlew Sand, but I had neither. Still a good day.

-- Edited by Joe Wynn on Sunday 30th of September 2012 08:24:22 AM

Mark Rigby wrote:

---

Hi Joe,

I wouldnt think so. It's not a very high tide on Saturday. 8.8 metres at 1116hrs.

---

.....however the predicted wind speeds may help especially if the direction swings a bit more Northerly.

Hi Joe,

I wouldnt think so. It's not a very high tide on Saturday. 8.8 metres at 1116hrs.

Does anyone think there'll be a good high-tide roost over saturday at hoylake?
Thanks,
Joe

It's getting to be a well trod route, Sid, up & down the M53!! Been up & down a few times recently, but as you say not unenjoyable, even when the main quarry fails to show. It's nice to see rarities when you go after them, but as long as we can appreciate all the birds on offer then we will never come away feeling let down. I too watched the fantastic display as one peregrine dived bombed that Redshank repeatedly, only for the Redshank to 'escape' at the very last second each time by ducking totally underwater!! Amazing

I returned for more photos too, and to hopefully see the White-rumped Sandpiper, but as you said, we all failed in both! The mystery peep has shown for the last 2 days, and the White-rumped Sand on Sunday, so another visit may eventually be on the cards. But, at the moment I'm covering at work for holiday leave, so no visits until at least next Sunday!!

Agree with all that Doc, a really pleasant day with nice weather and good company for my fourth visit to the Wirral this week - pity about the lack of birds.

Went specifcally in the hope of the Manx birder being able to photograph the Western/Semi-palmated Sandpiper and to get a look at the White-rumped Sandpiper. It did occur to me before we arrived with the clear conditions overnight the target birds may have flown on but the really low water was a bit of a surprise.

We too, eventually managed to pick up 2 Peregrins on the sand as well as one trying to take a Redshank. We also had Curlew Sandpiper and Little Stint but there was no repeat of Wednesday's showing of the mystery Sandpiper for me.

Popped up again today to try to connect with the White-rumped Sandpiper but no sign of that or the mystery peep. The tide was substantailly lower than previous days and no onshore wind meant that the wader flocks stayed distant & well dispersed. weekend increased useage of the beach also didn't help, but no complaints - its there for everyone to enjoy! There was at least 3 Curlew Sands in the flock & probably 2 Little Stints. Also the Peregrines gave fantastic aerial displays in the sunshine against an azure blue sky. Nice to meet so many local birders again, shame that the rarities didnt show.

Jane Turner, expert birder & local patcher, told me today that the tides will not be at all favourable for wader watching in the coming week, not terrible news for me as I'm tied up at work every day with not even a chance of throwing a sickie if anything turned up

21/09/2012 - 11.30am-3.30pm, at Hoylake with Jason Atkinson et al:

1 Semi-palmated/Western Sandpiper - personally leaning towards Semi-P
1 White-rumped Sandpiper - fantastically plucked out whilst we were there in deteriorating weather
5-6 Curlew Sandpipers - fresh juvs
1 Common Snipe - on the mud
10+ Grey Plovers
200+ Redshanks
400+ Curlews
500+ Ringed Plovers
700+ Sanderlings
800+ Oystercatchers
2000+ Dunlins
3000+ knots
1 Common Scoter
200+ Cormorants
50+ Sandwich Terns

Hi Doc and all,

We had a good time today - well until our intrepid lead birder decided to walk a mile in the rain to look at a white backside.

We must have been caught in a "twitch" by the number of folks around - nice to see you all - we had arranged to come before the bird was announced.

Still I am reliably advised that the bird in my scope was the disputed Sandpiper

It's good to see so many fellow birders, and my admiration to those who can pick out something different. I look forward to the confirmed ID in due course.

No use telling what we saw, as it was the same everyone else, but we did get the Grey plover on the mudflats at the Marine Lake.

Kind regards

Geoff

.... and now there's a White-rumped Sandpiper turned up in the same wader flock!! Latest on the mystery bird is that of 4 US experts to have studied the photos they are split 2 and 2!!

Hahahaha good answer Geoff!! Still there & showing today so you could have a chance to have a good look at it, plus the sand too

Doc Brewster wrote:

---

.... and now there's a White-rumped Sandpiper turned up in the same wader flock!! Latest on the mystery bird is that of 4 US experts to have studied the photos they are split 2 and 2!!

---

Without DNA evidence, I doubt we will we ever find out the true species if it's only a short stayer?

Without it, it's one word against the other it seems.

-- Edited by Phil Owen on Friday 21st of September 2012 06:02:33 PM

I would struggle to distinguish one" grain of Sand" from another, but if our lead birder spots it tomorrow I will let you know .

Ian McKerchar wrote:

---

............ Things aren't always that easy though...

---

Thanks Ian, you can say that again

It's just an opinion Sid, but I have found Semipalmated Sands to feed in a more busy 'surface picking' manner. Unfortunately I haven't seen enough Western Sands to really formulate a personal opinion.

That said of course, all waders can adjust their feeding manner to suit the habitat they are in, so perhaps a Semi-p could probe more if it were on the soft sand of Hoylake? Also, from your comment of it 'stitching' the ground, I have taken that to mean probing it, with the bill actually penetrating the sand? The rapid, rather methodical picking from the surface of Semi-p's could conceivably be termed 'sewing machine' like too, if you know what I mean?

Personally I wouldn't place too much relevance on it's feeding action, though I haven't studied it enough personally to back that up. As a supporting theory it perhaps has some weight but I expect the fact that the bird is still present today should finally clinch the identification, especially as field birders will now be pre-armed with the necessary identification information. Things aren't always that easy though...

hahaha, if the cap fits, Ian When I used to work in the info services I hated emails with sightings like C.Sand in them - Common Sand, Curlew Sand - which did I pick. Always ended up having to try to phone the birder to determine which species they meant! So I'm a convert!

No Sid, hadn't seen that thread. Its just that everyone's opinion matters, thats what I meant. Some so-called experts are self proclaimed & if they shout loud enough people listen, but your opinions are just as valid as their's

I did manage to see the bird today, albeit a little distantly & I concentrated more on taking pics rather than taking notes (sorry Ian, but just thought that it may all add to a conclusive ID in the end trouble is the pics weren't that good at that distance!!). The shape & jizz of the bird did look better for Semi-p than Western Sand on this viewing but earlier closer views produced stunning pics from Steve Young that show plumage features more akin to Western Sand This bird, of whichever species, seems to be around the overlap zone of features shown by these two species. My gut feeling was to err towards Semi-p on todays views but I will be going back on saturday to try to get closer views if I can.

Feedback from other quarters has Martin Garner putting his cap in the Semi-p court as well as several of the folk instrumental in finding it feeling the same. But..... we shall see...... or not...... watch this space!!! Can I echo Ian & Sid in their agreement that 'things arent always that easy though... '

p.s I am in no way an expert, I have never seen these species in their native habitat, have seen only 1 of each previously in the UK, so I bow to superior knowledge about this ID conundrum

-- Edited by Doc Brewster on Thursday 20th of September 2012 09:59:49 PM

Hi Doc, I guess that you are referring to my comments on another forum on the Semi-P/Western Sandpiper discussion which I chipped in with after one of the other contributors asked if there was any video footage of the bird available.

My reply was - "For what it's worth I was watching the bird for a good 15 minutes from about 20 - 30m from the end of Courtney Road and it was feeding like a Dunlin, "stitching" the ground quite unlike the Semi-P I was watching at Saltholme last year which was a much more leisurely feeder"

The response was "The Cley Western fed in a sowing machine fashion".

I further asked " Can anyone comment on the feeding behaviour of Semi-Ps - if it is a lot different to the sewing machine action could this be a pro Western pointer ??? There have been no other comments on this behaviour.

So Ian, of interest do you or anyone else on our fine forum have any thoughts on my question please.

Doc Brewster wrote:

---

(please note Ian that I am using the birds' names in full & not abbreviating - don't want to get on your wrong side )

---

You paint a terrible picture of me Paul , though in fairness if used on its own Semi-P could be for Plover too. In the context of a discussion where the species has been established initially in the post I don't think it's a problem.

Anyway, regarding the Semipalmated Sandpiper (hereafter Semi-P), its a worrying factor of modern birding for me that we reply so heavily on images for our identification. Don't get me wrong, they can be massively helpful and in some cases definitive but no one can deny they cannot mislead too. We just seem to reply less and less on our field views and others seem to give less credibility to them when we do divulge them. The first thing people ask you when you've found something is "did you get a photo of it" and that really quite annoys me. I was stuck in most of the day yesterday, finishing artwork for our 2011 county report and watched the images of the Semi-P develop on Surfbirds. First they were Semi-P, then, when someone sat in an office somewhere questioned the ID by photo, they were quickly edited to Western and then when the discussion developed further, they changed to possible Western or Western/Semi-P! Now, there's certainly no criticism of the original observers and these peeps can be very difficult to identify but it seems that much of the pro-Western views are coming from Internet based birders viewing photos and not from those experienced birders who saw in the field. Photos cannot replace good prolonged and careful field observation; they can assist and support but not replace, otherwise we might as well pack it all in! That said, when I first saw the photos I thought it immediately looked quite Western Sand like but admitted to having seen similar Semi-P's too, so I've no real opinion either way, I didn't see it and therefore am not in a good position to comment on it. I'll leave that to the birders who saw it and respect their opinions instead

Cracking bird whatever it turns out to be.

I've now had a chance to peruse various forums & discussion groups & see accounts by many observers and the concensus is that from photos alone the majority favour Semi-palmated Sandpiper but there are still a few in the Western Sandpiper camp. The overwhelming thoughts are that the bird in the flesh is the key to ID, so I am really hoping that it will turn up on high tide today & that my mouth will have recovered from a very painful tooth extraction due to a raging abscess yesterday Your input is useful, Sid, you have seen the bird in question and as such have more grounds to comment than many of us

(please note Ian that I am using the birds' names in full & not abbreviating - don't want to get on your wrong side )



-- Edited by Doc Brewster on Thursday 20th of September 2012 09:45:48 AM

Doc Brewster wrote:

---

..........I now am joining the pro Semi-palmated Sandpiper camp. Hope it is there tomorrow as no amount of looking at pics can beat seeing the bird in the flesh!!

---

Well I was watching the bird with Jason and had really close up views for about 15 minutes and I leave that one to the experts

Started my Wirral day at the Gunsite in the hope of catching up with some of the Leaches Petrels which I duly did and found 9 before the call came through about the Sandpiper. Whilst Sandpiper watching also a Peregrine put everything up before getting away with a small wader in its talons. Then moved down to Red Rocks looking for Skuas and duly picked up Arctic and Great as well as the bird I have looked for earlier in the week the juvenile Long-tailed Skua. Another interesting day on the Wirral

I think Allan is firmly back in the Semi-P camp Paul.
Plenty of pics are on my blog.

Cheers
Jason

Not seen by me personally but relaying the news of a find by my pal Allan Conlin. He found what was originally thought to be a Semi-palmated Sandpiper, and then re-identified as a Western Sandpiper, at Hoylake today. The Re-ID was done from the photos and the bird was seen over high tide from the N.end of Courtenay Rd, accessible from Barton Rd (Kings Gap area). If anyone is going tomorrow the Liverpool high tide time is approx 2.30pm, correcting the tide tables for BST!

I thought this would be of interest given the many folk going up the Wirral at the mo for seawatching

A couple of hours at Leasowe today over the high tide produced excellent close up views of -

1 Great Skua
1 Artic Skua
10+ Leach's Petrel
4 Sandwich Tern
100+ Oystercatchers
and numerous Cormorants, plus a variety of Gulls.

Cheers

Cheers mate. I hadn't looked at any pics until after posting earlier & having now looked I think there's photographic eveidence for both species, albeit some of these could be artifacts. I now am joining the pro Semi-palmated Sandpiper camp. Hope it is there tomorrow as no amount of looking at pics can beat seeing the bird in the flesh!!

-- Edited by Doc Brewster on Wednesday 19th of September 2012 10:25:30 PM

Leasowe from 12:00 - 2pm
15+ Leach's including a few lingering close inshore
Arctic Skua
8+ Bonxies including 1 over the car park
4+ Manxies
2 Fulmar
Razorbill
10+ Gannet
2 Kittiwake

Cheers
Jason

Seemed like good conditions so finally popped up the Wirral late morning. Best place was at Red Rocks, but shelter was in short supply, especially as the wind was incredibly gusty and a few short sharp showers whizzed through. The reward though was views of the long-staying juv Long-tailed Skua, a single Leach's Petrel, a Bonxie and an Arctic Skua, as well as several Gannets, a few Guillemots & a possible, very distant Manx Shearwater. Time constraints meant that I could only give it a couple of hours but I have heard that extra skuas & petrels were seen after I left. So all in all a good decision for my first 'autumn' sojurn up to the top of the Wirral

sid ashton wrote:

---

It may be of interest to one of my companions (you know who you are) that I didn't eat the full contents of my sandwich box just found a couple of uneaten biscuits

---

Those unusual Banana tasting ones ??

Thanks Chris - it was a longish day for the Manx Birder, John Barber and myself out on Hilbre Island today. We left West Kirby just after 09.00 and got back at about 16.00, obviously staying over high tide. The weather was kind and we saw some good stuff including several Wheatear, Grey Heron, Linnet, Goldfinch and Swallow on the island itself.

On the rocks/sand up to and post high water big numbers of Knot and Oystercatchers plus several Turnstone and c.25 Brent Geeese on Little Eye at high water.

On the sea; Fulmar, 2 Manx Shearwater, Common Scoters, Great Crested Grebe, Cormorant(lots), a single Shag, Gannets including several young birds, 5 - 6 but distant sightings of Diver species, Sandwich Terns, the usual Gulls and several Skua species sightings also very distant. We did have a very close in Great Skua giving a young gull a hard time which for us was the highlight of the day especially as the Skua lost interest in the Gull which flew off unscathed.

There were also lots of Grey Seals to be seen in the water all of the time we were out there.

It may be of interest to one of my companions (you know who you are) that I didn't eat the full contents of my sandwich box just found a couple of uneaten biscuits

-- Edited by sid ashton on Tuesday 18th of September 2012 10:18:32 AM

Nice to meet you Sid.good luck with the seawatch tomorrow!

Made an early start over to the Wirral today arriving at New Brighton at 06.45 in glorious sunshine looking for any birds that may have been coming out of the river early doors. Nothing too exciting - the House Martins were still buzzing around Pier House reminding me of the Little Swift's vist and there were a couple of Meadow Pipits on the rocks near the coast guard station. Similarly at the Gunsite - very quite. At Hoylake saw all of the birds on Mr Dorney's list plus a Yellow-legged Gull and a couple of Manx Shearwater before you arrived Chris.

At Inner Marsh Farm - 10 Spotted Redshank and the green wing-tagged Marsh Harrier.

Also good to see Jonathan Platt and Stephen Costa today.

Hoylake high tide 11-2.30

Grey plover(winter pl)
2 curlew sandpiper
c2000 dunlin
c500 ringed plover
c200 knot
c30 bar tailed godwit
c100 sanderling
c300 oystercatcher
c10 sandwich tern
c20 common gull
Peregrine
Gannet
Arctic skua