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.  

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.

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.

Originally posted today by Ian Campbell:

Parkgate over today's high tide

4/12. After viewing the Snow Buntings at Leasowe my friend  and I made a quick stop at Denhall Quay (Harp inn) arriving at 1.40pm. We had  to leave at 2.00pm  for a school run. After eating our lunch in the car viewing out of the windscreen we made our way into the tree area at about 1.55. I was advised by the sole birder there, that nothing was showing. He then spotted a male Hen harrier. After watching this for a few minutes a female came into view, both visible in the same binocular view. A Short Eared Owl then showed flying low and close to them and almost immediataly it was mobbed by a Peregrine. All 4 birds was then visible for a short time in the same patch of sky with the Short Eared Owl climbing high into the sky and almost hovering up there (as if trying to get away from the others). At that point in a state of disbelief we had to leave, and consolling ourselves with the fact it couldnt get any better than that.

Wirral Wanderings 19/11/2017

    A full team met at the reasonable time of 8am with myself at the wheel. The weather was freezing in Rochdale but as we got onto the Wirral it was a balmy 7 degrees, maybe the sea air helped. We stopped at a new spot near Heswall and most of the team managed to see a passing female Hen Harrier. At Parkgate old baths we enjoyed the tide coming in and a couple of Marsh Harriers and Water Pipit`s were seen. Chris B also saw a wintering Chiffchaff in a field that had lots of birds feeding in it namely: - Song Thrush, Redwing, Fieldfare, Blackbird, Reed Bunting, Linnet, Robin, and Great Spotted Woodpecker. After a spot of lunch, a lady informed us that a good place to watch from was The Harp Inn in Neston overlooking the marsh from mid-afternoon till dusk.

    We headed up towards Hoylake & New Brighton and called at a couple of the places were Leach`s Petrel have been seen by us. A lot of waders were seen: - Oystercatcher, Redshank, Dunlin, Knot, Bar Tailed Godwit, Curlew, Golden Plover but the real star was a Peregrine Falcon with an unrecognisable prey item in its talons. On the sea a few Common Scoter and the more regular species of gull were seen. At Perch Rock, New Brighton (an area that really tested by rock climbing ability whilst watching a Laughing Gull) the hoped for Purple Sandpipers did not materialise but views over the Mersey more than made up for that.

   At The Harp Inn, Neston we quickly made camp on one of the picnic tables outside the pub and all the boys decided to have a pint, except myself off course as I was driving! A small crowd of birders watched the marsh and were soon rewarded when a full adult male Hen Harrier was seen at around 150 yards distance, what a cracking bird, only problem was it didnt stay around long enough. Also seen: - 4 Marsh Harriers, female Hen Harrier, Sparrowhawk, Kestrel, Peregrine Falcon and last but not least up to 5 Short Eared Owl`s, that seemed to be on view for most of the time we spent there. As the gloom descended we made our way home and all really enjoyed the spectacle on the Wirral.

Dave O.

Brief stop at Pakgate from 14:00-14:50:

2 Marsh Harrier,  Great White Egret,  Peregrine Falcon,  5 Fieldfare, 4 Little Egret were the highlights 

Denhall Quay:

2 Short Eared Owl, 2 Stonechat, 5 Little Egret, male Hen Harrier reported yesterday