Hi Sid,

Finally got around to registering on this site. Good to see you at IMF today.

Just thought I'd mention the good year we are having for breeding birds in the woodland and surrounds - all the usual garden suspects seemed to have had a good year including the Gt Sp Woodies which have two young uns!

Laters

My mistake - it was 2004 and 2006

There was a Hoopoe in the paddock last year I think but I missed it :(

Geoff Walton wrote:

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Umm - We walked down the prom and saw a Whimbrel on the breakwater thing. Did not go the other way

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Hello Geoff, I didn't venture on to the prom bit - it was down to luck of where I parked - I drove in towards the lighthouse, rather than park in the car park near the prom and the pasture with all the warblers was the landward side of the access road. If you wanted to check where the wheatears etc are [and where I understand last week's Stone Curlew was] there's a path runs from behind the lighthouse [200m parallel away from the shore I guess] through some scrub wood alongside some reed filled ditches which gives way to fields and horse paddocks. At the stables at the far end you can either come back on the prom or another path which runs just below the sea wall with reed beds on one side and whitethroats/lnnets in the gorse on the other. As its a bit tricky to describe - a look at the OS map [1:25,000] on Multimap should do the trick! Cheers, Peter

I had a quick trip to the Wirral today as well - that Leasowe is an amazing place - only had time to do the first paddock but saw two Grasshoppers, loads of Whitethroat, Skylark, Wheatear, Sedge Warblers, heard Reed Warblers and I'll pay a return visit with more time for sure.

Also quick visit to Inner Marsh - not much out of the ordinary - Spotted Redshank outside bins range but no sign of Spoonbill or Garganey - great views of Whitethroat and Chiffchaff on the top of the railway embankment though.

This is where last years bird was and where this years was seen later on Friday = I know - I was there yesterday!

Good luck to all that try, I'm giving up on this one....

Deeestuary site have reported it (Red-rumped Swallow) again over the horse paddocks on Lingham Lane at 6 this evening. If anyone fancies giving it a bash tomorrow this area is just past Leasow Lighthouse, an area that is noted for producing some good stuff in the way of migrants and rarities - it's not a bad place to wander around as well.

-- Edited by sid ashton on Sunday 19th of April 2009 01:40:22 PM

Reported early this morning according to the Dee Estuary site. I had a quick mooch for it too after work yesterday with no luck.

Well done lads - I visited twice between domestic duties and mananged to leave too early on Thursday and arrive too late on Friday!

17/04/2009 - An absolutely top day out on the wirral today included a spattering of rarities, scarcities and a great diversity of migrants and birds in general with 74 species seen in a leasurely day. An early start (5.30am) allowed us to be in position for the Red-rumped Swallow soon after first light. Flanked by 2 Barn Swallows, it was first picked up by us flying from its roost site and worringly off north. Soon later another birder pulled up and pointed it out to us from a distance, as the bird showed right next to him on power lines. What a bird, very approachable, and characterful although it wouldn't budge from its favourite perch even with the clatterings of joggers with poles in their hands!
List of notable sightings:

Moreton
RED-RUMPED SWALLOW - 1
Tree Pipit - 1
Wheatear - 1

Red Rocks
Sparrowhawk - 1

Gilroy Nature Park
House Martin - 1
Sand Martins - 2
Greylag Geese - 7
Willow Warbler - 4
Chiffchaffs + Blackcaps + Swallows

Burton Marsh
Hen Harrier - 2 (ringtails)
Short-eared Owls - 3
Whimbrel - 1 (flew over north)
Grasshopper Warbler - 2 (reeling but one seen briefly)
Common Whitethroat - 1
Stock Doves - 2

Inner Marsh Farm
Green-winged Teal - 1 (male)
Garganey - 1 (elusive, male)
Spotted Redshanks - 9 (coming into summer plumage)
Ruff - 6
Common Sandpiper - 1
Black-tailed Godwit - 7
Avocet - 11
Lesser Whitethroat - 1 (an early returning bird)
Sedge Warbler - 1
Grasshopper Warbler - 1
Yellowhammer - 1 (singing)
loads of hirundines, warblers, ducks + black-headed gulls

Thanks. Henry.

Red-rumped Swallow present for second day today at Moreton. Currently drizzling so should linger...

An impromptu Wirral Wander this afternoon produced 22 Purple Sands plus big numbers of Redshank, Dunlin and Turnstone on the pontoon on New Brighton marine lake - unfortunately no sign of the Med Gulls. We then had a cracking female Merlin on a post at Riverside Road, Heswall and finally at Parkgate male and ringtail Hen Harriers - (several sightings over an hour or so), 6 Short Eared Owls at one time and 2 Peregrine - one on a post on the marsh and one flying over the golf course.

Excellent late afternoon at Parkgate, from 4pm till dark today:

Short-eared Owl - 5 or 6, some very close, and scrapping with each other
Hen Harrier - 3 coming in to roost (2 males)
Merlin - 2, chasing Skylarks and pipits all afternoon
Peregrine 1
Sparrowhawk 1
Kestrel 1
Jack Snipe 1
Common Snipe 6
Black-tailed Godwit - c40
Stonechat - male
Little Egret - at least 10
plenty of Redshank, Curlew, Teal, Linnets etc

on nearby golf course:
Barn Owl 2
Short-eared Owl 2
Green Woodpecker heard
G S Woodpecker 1
Stock Dove 4
Redwing c20

a quick stop at Burton Marsh on way home, in almost total darkness produced another Barn Owl by the road

Good day on the wirral today
Started at inner marsh farm, 100's of Lapwing, Teal, many Pintail, Black Tailed Godwit, Shoveller(including an Australian Shoveller!), Wigeon, also Snipe, Golden Plover, Shelduck, Redshank, Dunlin and a Ruff.
Then to Thurlaston where there were huge numbers of Oystercatcher, Knot, Dunlin, Curlew, Redshank, some Bar Tailed Godwit and Shelduck.
Finally to Parkgate for 2 Hen Harrier, 1 Merlin and a Little Egret.
Cheers Ian

Nice wander round the Wirral this afternoon.

Burton Marsh - noon:

2 Ring-tail Hen Harriers
1 Merlin (female)
2 Short-eared Owls
3 Stonechat
32 Whooper Swans
800+ Lapwing
47 Fieldfare
1 Buzzard
1 Kestrel
2 Little Egrets
1 Snipe

Thurstaston/Heswall shore mid afternoon:

1 Peregrine
1 Ring-tail Hen Harrier
150+ Fieldfare
13 Twite
200+ Shelduck
21 Pintail
200+ Dunlin
30+ Knot
250+ Blackwit
4 Barwit

Parkgate late afternoon:

1 Merlin (male)
5 Hen Harriers (3 Ring-tails and 2 males)
4 Little Egrets
4 Stonechats

Very cold and windy!

pete berry wrote:

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Didn't realise Elton Ras was tidal,Warfy!!

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Elton is stuck on permanent low tide Pete,
cheers chaps.

Didn't realise Elton Ras was tidal,Warfy!!

Does anyone know the dates of the big spring tides in March?

Rob I was in the hide with about 6 other folk and we all had good views yes I am happy - it had all of the features including black tipped white rear end and feathered legs. It was hovering when first seen by one of the local birders who had also seen the pale Buzzard to which you refer.

Had a wirral wander today - started at New Brighton where the main attraction was not the birds but the ships - the Ark Royal and a very large oil tanker the BW Bauhinia, from Hong Kong a doubled hulled ULCC (Ultra Large Crude Carrier) is 332 metres long with a beam of 58 metres reported to be the largest ship ever to have entered the Port of Liverpool - an amazing sight as it sailled past Fort Perch Rock lighthouse. There were some birds of course including Sanderling, Turnstone and Bar tailled Godwit. Then to Denhall Lane where I found a Merlin and a male Hen Harrier. Inner Marsh produced Spotted Redshank, 7 Whooper Swans, a Ring tail Hen Harrier, several Goldeneye and a ROUGH LEGGED BUZZARD. First seen by one of the local birders hovering over towards the fishing lake then good views of it in flight and perched for some time on a telegraph pole - a lifer for me



-- Edited by sid ashton at 20:04, 2009-01-17

Black Redstart and Snow Bunting still at Red Rocks.

2 Red Breasted Mergansers at West Kirby.

2 Hen Harriers and Short Eared Owl at Parkgate

Where else after Moore but the coast same crowd
Snow bunting seen next to snow
Black redstart, and points blooming points galoure all over the place Sanderling Knot Dunlin Brent Geese, among others,

Parkgate marshes just heaven short-eared owls and harriers what a sight and as we discussed the merits of the self found rules, the jem of an idea took place as we heard a water rail, the uk self heard list

Once agin the company was the best GM Birder out of town.

keep birding

Spent quite a good, if very cold, day at various sites with Peter Johnson.
Burton Marsh ; 9.30, 2 Peregrine and Little Egrets plus frostbite.
Parkgate ; Marsh Harrier and more Little Egrets plus more frostbite!.
Thurstaston ; 13 Twite, very close views, 2 Turnstone and Black Tailed Godwits, warming up a bit now, upto 0 Celcius.
Hoylake ; dinner in Plasters Arms( GBGuide 2009 ) then to sea front. 600ish Cormorant, 1000's Knot and Dunlin, 60+ Ringed Plover, lots of Redshank, Shellduck and a hunting Peregrine.
Red Rocks ; Black Redstart, at least 30 Pale Bellied Brent, Snow Bunting1st ever for me, Sanderling and lots more Knot.
Burton Marsh ; returned here at 2.15 on way home to see 9 Short Eared Owl and 2 more Peregrine.
Have to say it was a fabulous days birding
Cheers Ian.
ps What have I fogotten Peter?

Great Northern Diver still showing well on West Kirby Marine Lake this evening, along with 4 Red-breasted Merganser, a drake Goldeneye and a Great Crested Grebe.