just had an email that there is a Wheatear in the horse paddocks at Leasowe Lighthouse, so the season has started, a nice place for a day out over Easter if you can dodge the forecast showers on some days!!

Hi Rob.

Water Pipit is a major, major rarity on Hilbre and a description species in Cheshire! There are a couple of Rock Pipits overwintering. Could you have mistaken these for Water Pipits?

Did you stay over the high tide and see the Purple Sandpipers all together or as individuals? We've had a maximum count of 3 recently although your birds could have been displaced from New Brighton Marine lake.

Edit: there have been no previous records of Water Pipit on Hilbre in living memory.

Went for a Valentine's Day walk in the sun starting at Neston (luckily my wife is an avid birder too!!)

Met up with a local patcher who lives at Ness & we searched the old quay area where his patch insinct came in handy, spotting a pipit across the field in a tree. Just as I got the scope on it, it flew but not before I could see the pale underparts, clear wing-bars & bold supercilium, it had to be a Water Pipit. My wife followed its flight to the next field where we found it feeding in a damp hollow where it gave great scoped views to us all & comfirmed my first ID, winter plumaged Water Pipit A quick sacn of the marsh from the Old Quay revealed a distant but obviously large egret, which obligingly turned its head revealing its huge yellow beak, a Great White Egret. No raptors but a good start.

We then headed to Denhall Lane where we walked along the path towards Decca Pools. A pair of Stonechats were the first notable species right next to the path. More distant was a single Golden Plover amongst the Lapwings. Other waders included Black-tailed Godwits, Dunlin & Redshank. Finally the scanning paid off with a ringtail Hen Harrier that even landed on a hummock & gave fab scoped views on the deck, something I rarely see Both male and female Merlins were seen on posts, showing really well and staying long enough for us to show lots of other birders these diminutive falcons through my scope. A second (probably since we hadn't seen the other fly back this way) Great White Egret was also seen out on Burton Marsh.

Over 50 species were seen in a relaxing stroll in warm sunshine which ended with a Valentine's Hot Chocolate & homemade slab of cake sat outside Nets Cafe looking out at Burton Marsh at the days end

Popped down & followed the tide in along the path down towards Parkgate Old Baths from the end of Cottage Lane.

The tide looked like it wasn't going to get very far in but in the last 15mins it raced in & was up the wall alongside the path. Highlights included 4 Short-eared Owls, a male & female Peregrine, a flushed (by the tide) Jack Snipe, a Brambling amongst lots of Chaffinches and a Great White Egret. The latter hadn't been reported out when I looked at my pager so dutifully (relating to another thread!!) I reported it to mates at the info services.

I know others who were there earlier saw harriers too but not for me this time.

Had a cracking day up and down the Wirral with my friend Paul Morris yesterday, starting at the crack of dawn at West Kirby and ending it at Burton before dusk.  I wasn't on a bird race, we were simply pottering about ad-hoc and looking out for birds on the way as I visited some old haunts - but we ended the day with 80 species, several of which were notable, so a good day in the field.  Pretty cold though and when I kitted up for the stroll over to Hilbre and realised my hat, snood and gloves were on the table at home it was chilly start, with some frozen fingers whilst sea watching for an hour on Hilbre!?

The following were notable sightings throughout the day:

West Kirby - Marina (08:30)

Great Northern Diver - 1

Red-breasted Merganser - 6

GC Grebe 8

Hilbre Island (09:30)

Scaup - 1 fem

Common Scoter - 30-40 distant

Purple Sandpiper - only 3

Sanderling - 1

Lots of Oystercatcher (1,000 +), some Dunlin (10+), Turnstone (50+), Redshank (100+) Grey Plover (5+), Bar-tailed godwit (50+), Curlew (200+), GC Grebe (20+), Little Egret (2), Pintail 1, Wigeon 8.  What was notable was a complete lack of Brent Geese anywhere on three islands or Tansky rocks, perhaps taking a day trip to North Wales!?  Either way it was a first for me not to encounter any Pale Bellies here!?

Thurstatson (11:30)

Pintail - 100+

Knot 5,000+

Dunlin 1,000+

Also plenty of Shelduck (50+), Redshank (200+), Curlew (200+), Lapwing (1,000+), Little Egret (2) and other waders/wildfowl.

Heswall (12:00)

Chiffchaff - 2

No sign of any Pallas's Leaf Warbler or even a Goldcrest, but was extremely cold down there!?!?

Gayton Sands (12:30)

Merlin - 1 (distant female/1st winter male)

Buzzard - 2

Little Egret - 8

Marsh Harrier - 2 (both female types)

Pink-footed Goose 500+

Parkgate 13:00

Marsh Harrier - 1 (both female types)

Hen Harrier - 2 (both ringtails)

Little Egret - 4

Raven - 1

Denhall Lane (or more towards the cyclists cafe - that is closed until the end of the month unfortunately) 13:30

Short-eared Owl - 2 (very close flying and perched)

Great White Egret - 1 (brief and poor view)

Marsh Harrier - 1 (female type)

Burton Mere Wetlands 14:00

Peregrine - 2 (1 male & 1 female)

Marsh Harrier - 1 (female type - perhaps we witnessed one individual multiple times flying from Gayton Sands to Burton, where it went in to roost??)

Long-eared Owl - 1

Kingfisher - 1

Water Rail - 1

Golden Plover 100+ (with Lapwing flocks)

Lapwing (distant flocks of several thousand)

Pink-footed Goose - 40+

Some distant swans - mostly a mixture of Whooper & Mute.

parkgate... 3 possibly 4 marsh harrier, 2 ringtail hen harrier, 1 great white egret, 2 kestrel,

west Kirby marine lake... 1 great northern diver, 2 red breasted merganser, 1 great crested grebe, 30+ redshank, 1 oystercatcher.

new brighton... got here as the high tide was in hoping for lots of waders on the pontoons & nothing  it was probably due to the boat that was water testing. best I could do was 60+ sanderling, 2 turnstone, 6 oystercatcher around perch rock & 2 teal on the sea.

With High Peak RSPB group from Thurstaston to Heswall 9.15-12.15. 

One member a briefest glimpse of Pallas's Warbler at 11.30 from Target Road in Heswall. With Chiffchaff and Goldcrests. 

Walk along Wirral Way and Dee shoreline produced 10 Little Egret, 100's of Pink Footed Geese,  Lapwing and Oystercatcher,  2 Red Breasted Merganser, many Shellduck and Pintail, single Common Snipe,  7 Skylark, 80 Curlew,  Treecreeper, Lesser Redpoll, Bullfinch and Peregrine Falcon

Having a bad back & not wanting to lug my gear round Newchucrh I reckined a trip up The Wirral was in order, still staying local

I started at New Brighton where, as the tide was out, no waders were on the pontoons on the lake so back to how we used to 'do it' before it became too easy! I walked out by the Lighthouse groyne and picked out a lone Purple Sandpiper amongst the Turnstones. Then I headed down to Meols prom and soon picked out most of the target waders, with Grey Plover, Sanderling, Knot, Dunlin, Redshank and Curlew being seen.

My next call was the marine lake at West Kirby. Despite other birders not having seen the diver & no reports on the pager I managed to find it close in on the far side from the road. I then walked round & got pictures at close quarters of this confiding bird. Ten Pale-bellied Brent Geese fed on the beach right by the lake, I must admit I am more used to them being out near Hilbre Island so it was nice seeing them close in.

I called next at Heswall where within a few minutes of arriving I was watching the Pallas's Warbler in bushes near the sewage works gates. The bird showed superbly well in the open for long periods, even hovering in the sunshine, back to us, showing off its gorgeous lemon rump as it did so. lots of Goldcrests and a few Chiffchaffs here too. Next call at Burton Mere Wetlands was cut short by my back spasming & I couldn't walk round so instead I took the car to Burton Marsh and picked up Great White Egret, Merlin, Little Egret and Short-eared Owl for the day.

Painkillers now being popped like smarties (other chocolate confectionaries are available ) so that I can have a pain-free day out next time

Good if brief views of Pallas's Warbler between 10.10 and 10.20 am this morning. No show from then until i left at 11.15. From Heswall head towards sewage works on Target Road.

Also in area were 10 Goldcrest, Chiffchaff, 10 Redwing, 3 Little Egret and 30 Pied Wagtail.