Thanks for all that, Paul and Sid! That resolves matters.

Not able to get down to Meols this week but nevertheless I have thoroughly

enjoyed viewing the many excellent photos  of the Pied Wheatear.

With regard to the queries raised by some birders yesterday, I consider they were worthy of mention.

Keith Mills wrote:

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Today, there has been suggestions on line,that the Pied Wheater at Meols

could possibly be an Eastern (race) Black- eared Wheater.

As far as I can gather, this query is based on the tail markings.

 

 

 

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Sid is spot on Keith, having studied articles folk more learned than me have decided that the tail markings are within the range of variation for Pied and that the rest of the suite of features on the Meols bird do match Pied Wheatear rather than Black-eared. Pity really as Black-eared would be a lifer whereas this Pied is just (!!!) a yeartick

So this is a bona fide bird sightings post, I'm adding a camera picture rather than the low res phone one as below. And the bird was still present later in the afternoon, but with winds forecast and heavy rain the weather may play a part in it staying much longer.

Keith Mills wrote:

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Today, there has been suggestions on line,that the Pied Wheater at Meols

could possibly be an Eastern (race) Black- eared Wheater.

As far as I can gather, this query is based on the tail markings.

 

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 Keith if you get the chance to go over and have a look at the bird yourself, if you haven't already been, the following article may help you to decide whichever species you believe it to be.

https://merseybirders.webs.com/docum...tear%20and.pdf

Today, there has been suggestions on line,that the Pied Wheater at Meols

could possibly be an Eastern (race) Black- eared Wheater.

As far as I can gather, this query is based on the tail markings.

Superb close views of the Pied Wheatear this morning until just after 11 30am when I left.  It was on the wall all the time I was there and still there as I departed.

 Nice to meet with Tim Wilcox and thanks again Doc for your directions...they worked a treat.  It was only a short walk from Meols station. 

A litter stunner and well worth the effort.

For John, and everyone else, the Pied Wheatear is still present at Dove Point this morning. Seeing as how I start work at 10am I couldn't resist a trip up to see it myself!

I was up at 6am and on the road at 6.50am (big breakfast  ) to head the relatively short jouney up the Wirral. Taking Dovepoint Road I was soon at Dove Point itself and joined the already largish throng of birders assembled on site. The news was that the bird had dropped over the seawall onto the beach 10mins earlier. After a 15min or so wait it appeared up on the wall exactly where I was stood, I couldn't have chosen a better spot. It was even, at times, too close to digiscope and get the whole bird in shot! The bird then showed very well for the next 45mins, although it regularly dropped over onto the beach out of sight. The birders present just stayed back to allow it to return to the wall when it was ready, a good tactic as it did so several times.

A couple of things were seen/mentioned whilst I was there. Firstly, mealworms are being put down for the bird, which is slightly controversial and has been blamed in the past for birds becoming too tame/complacent and then being predated. Seeing as how it was finding natural food a-plenty yesterday I'm not sure that feeding mealworms is a good idea. As was said on site it is a ploy to get photos and everyone who goes will see that it is unecessary with this bird as it shows well enough without supplementary feeding. Another incident was a near fight between a birder and a member of the public out for a walk. The walker flushed the bird and a very heated argument began, we thought it may escalate but luckily it didn't and whilst they were arguing the bird appeared again on the wall in front of me so all was forgotten! Ah well, it made for an exciting twitch and I made it back to Focalpoint in 30mins to open up half an hour early!!

Good luck to all who go, I've attached a low res shot from my phone hand-held against my Leica APO 77 to show how easy it is to get pics of the bird.

Thank Doc...just what I needed   l just hope the idiots don't see it off.

JohnT

John, if you are getting off at Meols Station walk down the hill to where Dovepoint Rd is on your right. Follow it down to the end where you reach Meols Parade (and the water!). Turn right and walk along there and that is Dove Point. The bird seems to be on the seawall so just look for the birders! As the road turns inland a slipway goes down to the beach, so it may get down there, especially following reports of it being chased around a bit today (I've not been there but later in the afternoon there was a post on a forum saying that at least 3 photographers were chasing it and it flew inland to the houses, there was then a plea for folk to stay back from the bird).

Hi all, can anyone give me the exact location of Dove Point ...I have found a Dove point road and presume it near there. I will going by train so will be on foot. Many thanks Fingers crossed its stays tonight.

Doc Brewster wrote:

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Pied Wheatear still present & showing well this morning at Dove Point, Meols. Working a 5 day stretch at mo so no chance for me! But seen one in UK and don't keep a Cheshire list so I'm chilled 

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I managed a trip over to Dove Point this morning, arriving at 07.30 - the Pied Wheatear has to be a candidate for "my best bird from a moving car" - it was on the sea wall about 3m away from where I pulled in to park!!

A cracking little bird that was taking insects for most of the 2 hours that I was there, when it wasn't posing for photographs .  Also watched a Peregrine chasing, catching and devouring an unlucky Knot just as the tide was rising.

Nice to see several familiar faces and to meet forum members Marks Jarrett and Burgess.

Pied Wheatear still present & showing well this morning at Dove Point, Meols. Working a 5 day stretch at mo so no chance for me! But seen one in UK and don't keep a Cheshire list so I'm chilled 

A not overly productive few hours from 13:00-15:00 from New Brighton.

Highlights were a Little Gull and single Sandwich Tern. Also many Oystercatcher and Turnstone with 4 Redshank. 

Went up to the top of the Wrral today on a day off and given the favourable weather forecast for sewatching. Couldn't get there until late am due to prior commitments.

Started at New Brighton, watching the R.Mersey mouth from a shelter near Fort Perch Rock. Best bird was an adult Little Gull. Also saw a Guillemot, 3 Sandwich Terns, 5 Black-tailed Godwits, and several Turnstone flying about. Given the lack of the target species myself and a birding pal moved over to Leasowe Gunsites car park, which had a better chance due to wind direction. From here we saw up to 3 Leach's Petrels and a cracking close juvenile Long-tailed Skua, boh species being seen no further out than the tideline. Out at sea at least 8 Manx Shearwaters flew past as well as another Guillemot and on the beach a lone Bar-tailed Godwit. All the latter were viewed with a scope from the car, then only way to watch from Gunsites in such windy conditions!

Edit: Apologies, should have put this on the Burton Wetlands RSPB thread. Late news for Sat 15th:

The Spotted Crake showed very well throughout the day.
Preening Water Rail at IMF
A good selection of waders with Green Sandpiper, Ruffs, Black-tailed Godwits, Lapwings, Greenshanks (2), Redshanks, Spotted Redshank (5), Dunlin, Curlew Sandpiper (2)
4 Heron sp. including Cattle Egret and 3 Great White Egrets (Burton Point)
A magnificent flock of 630 Pintail on one scrape was best of the waterfowl
Raptors represented by Peregrine, Kestrel, Merlin, Buzzard, Sparrowhawk and Marsh Harrier

Cheers, John


-- Edited by John Rayner on Monday 17th of September 2018 06:28:34 PM

Originally posted today by Paul Beachcroft:

Kestrel seen hovering by side of the motorway at junction 1, (Wallasey), of the M53 at 16.15 yesterday, Friday 07th September.

Wirral Country Park, including Thurstaston Beach - Between 11.00 and 15.00, dry and breezy: Blackcap; Blue, Coal and Great Tits; Bullfinch; Buzzard; Chaffinch; Coot; Dunlin; Dunnock; Greenfinch; House and Tree Sparrows; Kestrel; Moorhen and chick; Redstart; Ringed Plover; Robin; Swallow; Whitethroat.  

Went up to Hoylake today, aiming for about a couple of hours before high tide to have a mooch & a search for the rare gull that's been there

First find was a nice Whimbrel on the tideline but seeing as how I'd left the main group of birders I could only get one other guy who was with me onto it before it took off & flew off into the distance. Lots of Dunlin, Ringed Plovers and Sanderling which we searched through but nothing scarcer than these species was found. There were lots of Sandwich Terns and Common Terns, including juveniles of both species. Eventually news came through on one of my Apps that the gull had been found, but quite a way along the prom from where we were. Hot-footing it to the tennis courts near the lifeboat station I was soon onto the Bonaparte's Gull out amongst a large flock of Black-heded Gulls, all bobbing about on the sea close inshore. The bird drifted quite a bit and then flew to rest again on the sea just off the lifeboat station. Not a bad afternoon, again pretty close to home.

On a visit to Burton Mere RSPB today I ventured a bit further afield. I was rewarded with a Cattle Egret with 5 Little Egrets in a field by Puddington Lane, not far from the A540 junction on the LHS when travelling towards Puddington.

A walk down to Burton Point produced the third egret species of the day with a Great White Egret distant on the marsh. Also seen here were two Black Swans, how long before these escapes colonise the UK properly?!

Very snowy to begin with but.... It's hard to beat a guy who never gives up! I head to West Kirby where it was genuinely Spring-like. I managed 19 Brent geese and 7 Scaup plus masses of waders including Curlew Turnstone etc... The next time I bird will be Central Park, New York... Buckle up! Can't wait to visit the fabulous Wirral/Sefton coast this spring. A

High tide at Parkgate - distant Great White Egret, 1 ringtail Hen harrier, 3 Marsh Harrier, 1 Short-eared Owl

To be fair its a 2nd calendar year male so hasn't attained full adult male plumage so an easy mistake to make. We've had up to 12 earlier in the year, including a couple of adult males, but they seem to have moved on. What would be interesting is to find out if these are from the Walney (Cumbria) population or from the Puffin Island (Anglesey) Population.

Carl Fletcher-Poole wrote:

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6 Female Eider Ducks (see pictures)

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Poynton, Moore N.R, & Little Neston. 17/2/2018

    With my football team being involved in the FA Cup with Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, a Saturday trip was sorted. Went on my own leaving around 10am and reaching the leafy suburbs of Poynton in reasonable weather around 11am. The Waxwing was soon located and a couple of poor snaps were made of the bird. There are not many Waxwings in the country this winter, so it was worth a trip to see it.

   My next stop (after negotiating the multiple roadworks around Manchester Airport) was at Moore nature reserve near Widnes. Always worth a visit around this time of year to see & hear the various woodpeckers that are in the wooded areas. It took me around two hours to see the three types that are in the area, but well worth the effort & patience. Lots of Treecreeper, Nuthatch & various tits made it a rather nice area to visit.

  Next and final stop was at Neston Old Quay on the Wirral, adjacent to The Harp public house. Again I didn`t have a beer due to driving! The sun was now shining as I set up my telescope and started to scan the area for the various birds of prey that can be found. It wasn`t long before I found a Merlin sat on a fence post, then a Marsh Harrier showed really well. Lots of other birders arrived to enjoy the spectacle that followed. Now two Short eared Owls appeared out of the vegetation and flew around hunting at 50 yards distance, what an opportunity to take some pictures I thought, camera in the car, whoops! I was joined by another birder from the Greater Manchester area who dashed back to his car for his camera, I stayed put and just enjoyed the birds. Another Short eared Owl was seen then a female Hen Harrier flew past us. Along with lots of Pink footed Geese, Curlew, Mallard, Teal, Redshank this made it yet another memorable trip to this area and it was sunny!

Dave O.

My last day off before the Focalpoint move, so decided to try the high tide today on the Wirral.

First port of call was Heswall, which I prefer to Parkgate as it's a lot quieter and I can look for my own stuff and then follow the tide down as it goes towards Parkgate, thus getting the best of both worlds! I arrived well before high tide and was greeted by biting icy cold, very strong winds blowing straight down the River Dee. Last time I experienced these conditions the water never came up over the marsh as the wind pushed it directly upriver without allowing it to move sideways as much, so I feared a poor tide. A short while later I picked up my first of four Marsh Harriers, all cream-crowns. Lots of Pink-footed Geese were moving over the marsh, as well as a few Pintails. Two Peregrines, probably immature males from the size, played in the wind close in over the marsh, ignoring all the prey that they were spooking, but just seemingly enjoying tumbling about in the strong winds. A walk towards Parkgate allowed me to scope further down the marsh where a single ringtail Hen Harrier was picked up in the distance. As high tide time came and passed my fears were realised with a really poor tide over the marshes, hardly any water was on the inner marsh at all from Parkgate to Heswall.

Leaving Heswall behind I popped down to Neston where the marshes were flooded much more and I started to think that that's where I should have been over high tide instead. A birding pal already there had had a ringtail Hen Harrier, but when I picked up a grey male Hen Harrier ghosting its way towards us it made our day. The bird floated past not far out and then dropped onto the marsh. Further scanning revealed two Great White Egrets on Burton Marsh, but the cold had finally beaten me and I gave up! On a 9.9m tide like today I suppose the results were a tad disappointing, but it was an enjoyable day nonetheless.

For a Birthday treat this weekend Carys & I decided on a birdy trip up The Wirral on Sunday 

We headed up to the top and made first port of call Hoylake, more specifically Meols Prom. Here the tide was out & most waders were very distant, except for a small group of Knot & Redshank that were feeding close in under the sea wall. A prolonged scan at high mag revealed several other species of wader out on the distant shoreline including Grey Plover, Sanderling and Bar-tailed Godwit. This is a site more easily covered at high tide but when needs must a scope comes in very useful! Next we dropped in just down the coast at red Rocks and scoped the shores of Hilbre Island where a few Pale-bellied Brent Geese were picked out. Five Common Scoters were also seen flying about beyond Hilbre over the sea.

We then headed quite a way south down to Neston, parking up and first walking down to the 'Old Quay' area. An exploration of several flooded fields finally paid dividends with the discovery of a Water Pipit. This flushed up and showed briefly in the field-side vegetation before dropping down again out of sight. Out on Neston Marsh a distant Marsh Harrier was seen, as well as large numbers of Pink-footed Geese and many Little Egrets. Further along we had a short time scanning from near the Harp Inn but the tide was still a long way out, as wewre the birds. The best sightings from here were a Great White Egret and another Marsh Harrier, as well as a cracking male Stonechat as the only bird close in!!

We finished relatively early, but it was a relaxing days birding rather tahn rushing about trying to tick everything, just the thing for my birthday weekend