Anotherplace birding

Southbound Crossbill

2012-05-21T11:53:00.000-07:00

Monday 21st May 2012,
sunny, calm then NW 2, warmer than of late.

Much quieter on the coast today.The Gull flock had reduced in size, as expected and there were hardly any migrants around.Highlight was a male Crossbill that flew low south ,calling as it went.Six Wheatears were on the shoreline.A lonesome Pink-footed Goose with an injured wing was also on the shoreline, this was first noted about 3 weeks ago so seems to be surviving.Two Grasshopper Warblers were heard reeling today; the regular one on the golf course and one at the reedbed at the river mouth.A Reed Warbler was also in the reedbed again.As it was quiet ,an attempt at counting singing Whitethroats and Sedge Warblers over the whole site was made.The totals were; Whitethroat 26 birds and Sedge 11 birds.
Again plenty of butterflies out in the sunshine, including my first Small Heath of the year.

Unexpected

2012-05-21T00:15:00.001-07:00

Sunday 20th May 2012,
light cloud, NE 1

The usual loafing flock of large Gulls at the Alt outfall had swelled to c300 birds this morning, so I decided to check these first before checking the bushes, thinking there might be a chance of a Yellow-legged Gull.
Half way through scanning the flock I came across a 2cy Caspian Gull, which was stood on a rock calling and displaying on occasion.It being a Sunday and the tips being closed, I wonder if this is a bird that is still using Arpley tip/Richmond Bank during the week.The decision to check the Gulls straight away paid off as they dispersed soon after as the tide flooded the rocks.
Along the shore there were 8 Wheatears on the eroded cliff edge and three Whimbrels roosting on the rocks.I decided to check the reedbed at the most northerly part of the area and upon arrival heard a Reed Warbler singing.It eventually showed and there were three Sedge Warblers here too.
As I headed back south , several roosting Gulls began giving an alarm call.I scanned the sky but couldn`t spot anything, so upon checking the distant beach towards Formby I picked up an Osprey at low level.It immediately crashed into the surf and produced a large fish, which it carried onto the beach.It remained here until I carried on south.

At the golf course copse, a single Spotted Flycatcher remained from yesterday and a final check of the shore produced two rather late White Wagtails.

More Spot Flys and distant Lancs rarities.

2012-05-21T00:15:00.000-07:00

Saturday 19th May 2012,
cloudy, drizzle first thing, NE 2.

An early start at Hightown dunes produced 12 Wheatears along the beach and a single Whimbrel at the river mouth.A check of the dunes and scrub brought just one singing Grasshopper Warbler.However the prize went to four Spotted Flycatchers, continuing the good arrival of this species here this week.One bird was in the isolated Sycamore clump near the coastal path and three were together in the golf course copse.
Several text messages about a Montagu`s Harrier at Martin Mere eventually tempted me to head that way.Luckily as I approached the reserve I was stopped by some birders who pointed me in the right direction for the Harrier and I was treated to distant, though adequate views of the bird out towards the railway line.After the Monties disappeared from sight I continued to scan and was astonished to see a Common Crane fly distantly over the reserve and then drop down out of sight.Apparently it was found here earlier.Further scanning failed to produce the Monties but an imm Marsh Harrier added to the afternoons haul.

A Rosy evening

2012-05-21T00:14:00.000-07:00

Friday 18th May 2012, cloudy, ENE 2 A check of the Crosby marina late this evening produced a few Wheatears along the promenade dunes and a flyover Yellow Wagtail.Whilst checking the long bank at Seaforth through the fenceline, I was delighted to hear a Roseate Tern calling and soon picked up the bird in flight over the pool.Although I`ve seen many of these locally over the years it still remains one of my favourite birds, a corker.

A whiff of South-easterlies.

2012-05-17T08:21:00.001-07:00

Thursday 17th May 2012, cloudy with drizzle early on, becoming sunny later. SSE 2

A change in wind direction overnight, with a hint of south easterly, had me checking the coast at Hightown in the drizzle this morning.Two Spotted Flycatchers were the highlight, one at the golf course and the other in the Sycamore clump.More Wheatears were present today, with 17 counted on the rocky shoreline.Good numbers of Whitethroats and Sedge Warblers singing, but no Grasshopper Warbler reeling was heard this morning. The Dunlin flock on the shore had increased to 1600 and 74 Ringed Plovers were also here.

That Northerly feeling

2012-05-16T13:35:00.000-07:00

Wednesday 16th May 2012, sunny, NW 2, cool. With the migration-blocking wind continuing, it was with little expectation thta I checked the Alt estuary this morning.A female Whinchat was a pleasant surprise along the edge of the golf course and 7 Wheatears flicked along the rocky outfall area.At least 12 Whitethroats were in song across the area and 5 Sedge Warblers also sang.There was however no Grasshopper Warbler activity at all, I wonder if the birds seen/heard earlier this Spring have moved through? A check of the shoreline revealed a single Whimbrel and a superb flock of 1100 Dunlin which were feeding on the newly exposed mud at close range.These were thoroughly sifted through and although no other species was amongst them, the variation in the plumages was interesting, with a few very frosty looking birds amongs them. Plenty of Common Blues were on the wing with smaller numbers of Small Coppers and Walls.

Spot Flys

2012-05-11T01:46:00.004-07:00

Thursday 10th may 2012, showery, SE 2 then SW 3 Heavy overnight rain and south-easterlies gave some hope today of a fresh wave of migrants on the coast.Initially just a couple of Wheatears were on the rocky shore of the Alt Estuary, but upon checking the small isolated stand of Sycamores south of the outfall I came across a Spotted Flycatcher flicking out of the lower branches...excellent stuff.At least 6 Whitethroats were in the immediate area and three Sedge Warblers( including a ringed bird) were also here.This latter species has been rather thin on the ground here so far this year. Still seven Whimbrels on the outfall area and c250 Dunlin here too. A check of the sheltered Willows at the northern end of the golfcourse paid dividends with another Spotted Flycatcher, this one giving surprisingly audible snaps of its bill as it made attempts to catch insects buzzing around the trees.

Still moving through

2012-05-10T01:12:00.000-07:00

Wednesday 9th May 2012, light cloud, SE 1 then W 2. A very still morning at Hightown first thing enabled me to hear a male Cuckoo calling from the direction of Ince Blundell/ Little Crosby, always great to hear this! A male Whinchat was along the fenceline of the golf course and 8 Wheatears were along the rocky shore near the outfall.Just one Grasshopper Warbler was heard reeling, from the north end of the dunes, this is very poor by comparison with the last two years when up to 8 birds were regularly heard reeling in the area. A Yellow Wagtail flew north calling and 84 Swallows, three House Martins and two Sand Martins moved through. The rocky shoreline was checked for Whimbrels and a count of 17 birds was made ( three more were on the golf course later), further towards the mouth of the River Alt, a flock of 67 Ringed Plovers roosted on the low tide sand. Quite a few Small Coppers were on the wing, along with singles of Common Blue and Wall.

A few arrivals.

2012-05-08T02:15:00.003-07:00

Monday 7th May 2012, light cloud, SSE 3-4 A bright start, with progressively heavier cloud cover and the odd spot of rain gave the morning a good vibe for a few migrants dropping in.A few did arrive at the Alt estuary, Wheatears were flying in off the sea and the coast path held 17 of these long-distance migrants.Further on 2 Whinchats and 8 more Wheatears fed on the grazed turf near the yacht club.A flyover Yellow Wagtail headed north and c20 Swallows headed SE. On the shoreline 14 Whimbrels roosted over the high-tide along with 55 Turnstones and c220 Dunlin. As the high tide approached, a Grey Seal appeared at the outfall channel.

Mersey Eiders

2012-05-06T08:14:00.002-07:00

Sunday 6th May 2012, sunny, SE 1-2 A bit of lazy start today after yesterdays exertions, with a wander down to the marina before the hordes.A few Greenland Wheatears flicked around the dunes and 6 Swallows hawked over the boating lake.Scanning the incoming tide below the radar tower, I locked on to a pair of Eiders bobbing around just a few metres offshore..excellent! I walked around to a closer point and although they started to drift away rather speedily towards the river, I obtained reasonable views.Eiders are scarce in the Mersey and certainly so from the Northern shoreline.I think I`ve only seen Eider off here on about six occasions previously ,so this was a real unexpected bonus. Heading up towards Hightown, a few more Wheatears were along the promenade and good numbers of waders were gathering before the tide.Again c80 Grey Plovers were the highlight. At Hightown, nine Whimbrels were roosting at the outfall, along with 63 Turnstones and c150 Dunlin. A male Whinchat was along the frontal dunes with 8 Wheatears and nine Whitethroats were counted along this stretch too.A female Yellow Wagtail dropped in calling, and hopped around the rocky shoreline for a few minutes before heading off towards Formby.Forty Swifts were hawking over the golf course before gaining height and heading inland. The sunny conditions brought quite a few butterflies out here today, I had seven species, Small Tortoiseshell, Peacock, Green-veined White, Small Copper, Speckled Wood and my first Common Blue of the year.The highlight though was a Wall Brown, an increasingly scarce butterfly here nowadays.

BWP at BMW

2012-05-05T01:55:00.002-07:00

Friday 4th May 2012, light cloud, E2 An early morning text confirming the return of the Black-winged Pratincole at Burton Mere Wetlands had me journeying west.A short wait after arrival, then distant but identifiable views of this steppe loving wader.The sooty black underwings with no discernable white trailing edge was noted and the dark framed throat patch was just visible.This is the fifth Black-winged Pratincole I`ve seen in the UK ( Israel being the only other place I`ve seen this species) and my first in Cheshire.The seemingly resident Great White Egret was also seen( I remember dashing over to here twenty years ago to see one when they were rare!) as was a flyover calling Spotted Redshank.

After the party

2012-05-03T22:10:00.000-07:00

Thursday 3rd May 2012, light cloud, SE 2 A much quieter day all round after yesterdays big fall.Still quite a few leftovers along the coast though.At Crosby marina there were still two male Whinchats, a female Redstart, 30+ Wheatears and a Yellow Wagtail.A Redpoll and a Siskin both flew over calling.Small parties of Dunlin were heading east during the morning, calling as they gained height over Crosby.A 1stS Yellow-legged Gull was amongst the loafing Gulls at the marina then flew to the beach , where it spent most of its time chasing Common and Sandwich Terns. Up at Hightown, a male Whinchat was near to the outfall, amongst c20 Wheatears and a Grasshopper Warbler reeled near the Golf Course.

2012-05-02T09:17:00.000-07:00

Wednesday 2nd May 2012, light cloud, becoming sunnier, S 1 then NW 2. A sunnier and warmer day with still good numbers of migrants arriving.At Crosby marina first thing, two Tree Pipits flew north( about 20 minutes apart), buzzing away.A summer plumaged Black Tern was over the marina with two Common Terns before heading over the fence to Seaforth NR.A few Willow Warbler were scattered around and c20 Wheatears were along the promenade.Some movement attracted my attention on the sheltered rocky seawall, a small passerine flicked up..a Garden Warbler! It picked a few small insects off the rocks then flew over the fenceline into a Willow clump at the reserve. Up at Hightown dunes, more birds were arriving.Wheatears were flying in across the beach and Swallows were zooming through.Three Whinchats were found, perching up nicely and the Wheatear total was about 30.A male Lesser Whitethroat rattled away in precisely the same buckthorn clump as last Spring.It showed a few times and was still singing when I left a couple of hours later.A male Redstart was in a small Hawthorn bush near to the Yacht Club, a brighter looking bird than yesterdays at Seaforth. Three Grasshopper Warblers were reeling and a single Sedge Warbler sang here too.More Whitethroats were noted, about six males were singing, a couple in songflight too.Many Willow Warblers were moving through, quite a few singing birds, leaping from bush to bush, but also lots of silent, skulky ones, presumably females.One of these birds was an interesting looking " grey and white" bird, with little yellow tones and a large pale based bill and pale panel on the tertials/secondaries, a northern bird maybe. At least 60 Swallows moved through during this time with a few House Martins admixed.

Wheatear carpet

2012-05-01T08:49:00.000-07:00

Tuesday 1st May 2012, cloudy, showery, ENE 2-3 decr. Another morning of good "fall" weather certainly produced the goods, at least with the sheer number of birds at Crosby marina.The most obvious species of the day was Wheatear.The open cropped grassy area next to the small boating lake had 56 Wheatears in view at one time!A male Whinchat, hopped around the grass with them. Several more were perched up on fence posts and buckthorn snags towards Seaforth .Looking through the fence at Seaforth NR , there were at least 30 more flashing around the Long Bank.Another male Whinchat was with this lot, up towards the radar tower.Whilst scanning these I heard the scratchy warble of a Redstart and soon located this smart bird perched in one of the Elder bushes.It dropped down to the deck occasionally and had a spat with a Wheatear at one point.Three Yellow Wagtails were seen, one on the Long Bank, the other two overhead.Six White Wagtails were also here.Four Common Sandpipers fed together on the marina shoreline and six Whimbrels flew north. The drizzle brought lots of Hirundines lower down and 50+ Swallows, three House Martins and two Sand Martins were counted.At least thirty Swifts added to the aerial mix. Offshore many Little Gulls blogged about along with both Sandwich and Common Terns. Many Little Gulls headed towards the freshwater pool at Seaforth, continuing the good Spring for them here.

Favourable wind direction

2012-04-30T08:02:00.000-07:00

Monday 30th April 2012, sunny, SE 2-3 A much warmer ( and drier!) day today.Heading up to Hightown dunes , I came across four Wheatears on the first bit of coastal turf I checked..a good sign! At Hightown the first interest was provided by two flyover Yellow Wagtails heading NE.Three Grasshopper Warblers were reeling but were keeping a low profile in the rather gusty wind.The male Whitethroat was still singing away in the tangle of old Knotweed stems.It was apparent that many Willow Warblers were on the move here this morning with many Willow clumps containing at least one bird, at least 20 were seen. Along the eroded shoreline the flashing white rear ends of Wheatears were once again in evidence.At least 25+ were here.Further scanning revealed two Whinchats..excellent stuff. A check of the rocky shore produced 14 Whimbrels, some of which gave their evocative call.Two Little Egrets were picked up some way out over the sea, heading in from the direction of the Wirral.They carried on past heading NE. Whilst here a small movement of Hirundines became apparent, with 40+ Swallows, 3 House Martins and 2 Sand Martins all heading east in an hour.Nine Swifts also moved through. It being low tide a carpet of waders was visible out from the Coastguard Station.Several thousands of Knot were present with lesser numbers of Bar-tailed Godwits, Sanderlings and Dunlin.Most eyecatching were the c150 Grey Plovers amongst them, most in smart summer plumage.

Before the deluge

2012-04-30T08:01:00.001-07:00

Sunday 29th April 2012, cloudy,NE 4 An early morning start today at Hightown before the forecasted downpour began.A male Whinchat was along the eroded shoreline to the north of the outfall along with c20 Wheatears.A brief snatch of Grasshopper Warbler song was heard at theb usual site and it was while I was trying to locate this bird that the bird of the day flew past. A Cuckoo flew low of the dunes heading towards the north end of the West Lancs Golf Course.This used to be an easy bird to see here back in the `80`s but I only see one or two per Spring locally nowadays. Heading south towards Crosby marina, a few Swallows headed north.At the marina, ten Wheatears and a few White Wagtails were by the small boating lake.At least 12 Wheatears were on the long bank at Seaforth NR. Offshore 12+ Little Gulls were feeding just off the seawall and many more were over at the reserve.

Decent reward

2012-04-30T08:01:00.000-07:00

Saturday 28th April 2012, light cloud, ENE 3, chilly. Another thrash of Hightown dunes/Alt Estuary was undertaken today.A male Ring Ouzel was in the dunes just north of the Yacht Club before flying off towards the rifle range at Formby.The rocky shoreline again held good numbers of Wheatears, thirty-three being counted here, sheltering from the stiffening, chilly wind.Six Swifts flew south and a few Swallows headed north. A few Willow Warblers were still singing and whilst watching one of these I heard a rather scratchy warble coming from the same clump of bushes.A stake out of the clump eventually revealed the culprit, a Garden Warbler, a real surprise given the rather poor wind direction and a good bird for the coast here. Given the low temperature it wasn`t too surprising that just a brief attempt of reeling was made by a Grasshopper Warbler today.A single Whitethroat was singing in the same area. The pair of Stonechats were again present around what seems to be their chosen nest site, the male singing and chasing off several Linnets that strayed too close. The number of Whimbrels at the rocky outfall had decreased to six but ther were 37 Turnstones and c150 Dunlin here.A scan offshore produced 18 Little Gulls (11 1stw, 7 ad/2nd yr)drifting south towards the Mersey and a few Sandwich and a single Common Tern. A Brown Hare sped across the fairway of the adjacent golf course and one of the dune slacks was filled with thousands of tadpoles, although I`m unsure of which species.

A trickle

2012-04-30T07:59:00.000-07:00

Friday 27th April 2012, light cloud, NE/NW 2 A much brighter day than of late with none of the heavy rain.A check of the dunes and scrub at the Alt estuary produced a few migrants.A Swift headed north and a few Swallows with two House Martins did likewise.Three Grasshopper Warblers were reeling away and two Sedge Warblers and a Whitethroat sang in the same area.There seemed

to be a few more Willow Warblers about since my last visit, with six birds singing in the coastal scrub and the same number quietly moving through the area.The rocky shoreline below the eroding "clay cliffs" was quite sheltered today and not surprisingly this is where a few Wheatears were noted.A thorough check of the area produced a count of 16 birds, all seemingly Greenlanders. A check of the outfall area produced 18 Whimbrels, a Common Sandpiper, 14 Turnstones and 40+ Dunlin, many of the latter in full summer plumage. At least 20 Sandwich Terns fished offshore and 14 Little Gulls flew south along the shore.

Monster Arctic Tern flock

2012-04-30T07:57:00.000-07:00

Thursday 26th April 2012, cloudy, rain, E 2. A thorough soaking this morning was worth it when once again the distinctive "pik pik" calls of Arctic Terns turned my head at Crosby marina.This time however I was confronted with a massive loose flock of birds , heading in from the sea over the lake.I scanned the flock, definitely Arctics and c170 of them! They were quickly gaining height and heading inland, a few birds still calling, until after just 30 seconds or so they were gone into the drizzle to the East.This is easily the biggest flock of Arctic Terns I`ve seen here or in Lancashire for that matter. A Yellow Wagtail called a it headed over north, it looked bright enough to be a male and two Willow Warblers were in the buckthorn clump adjacent to the promenade.Two Swallows and a Sand Martin flew through, one of the Swallows twittering brightly despite the increasingly heavy rain.

Terns

2012-04-30T07:56:00.001-07:00

Wednesday 25th April 2012, cloudy, E 4, drizzly. An early morning check of Crosby marina initially produced little , aside from c20 White Wagtails feeding on the open grassy area near to the boating lake.A few Swallows flew through and two Greenland Wheatears were in the dunes. Several high pitched "pik-pik" calls alerted me to a flock of Terns heading in from the sea, they flew in over the marina and revealed themselves as Arctic Terns, thirteen in fact.They circled the lake then headed towards the river mouth.Within seconds a Little Tern did the same thing, calling loudly, but this time it headed north along the beach towards Formby.Still lots of Sandwich Terns in the area.Yesterday evening c200+ flew out of Seaforth and headed towards the Alt Estuary, many of them plunge diving in the shallows of the low tide.

April catchup

2012-04-30T07:16:00.001-07:00

Monday 23rd April 2012,
cloudy,showery ENE 2.

Bit of a catch up here after the sudden, instant demise of my old PC ( and the loss of all my files),the hassle of setting up a new one causing me to neglect the blog.With the weather being rather unsuitable for Spring migrants the last three weeks have been a bit of a slog. Highlights have been me eventually succumbing to temptation and going over to Lincs for the putative Thayer`s Gull.Watched rather distantly in its favoured field, it did look interesting and certainly better than the Barnatra bird of 2005, although I wonder if( and when) it will ever be accepted by the powers that be and is Thayer`s Gull even a species in it`s own right?.At least it was a pleasant journey and it got me out of the North-west.
I also got across to see the "Ashy-headed" type Wagtail at Burton Wetlands over on the Wirral on 19th.Must say I`m not too sure about this birds ID though.The ear coverts just didn`t seem dark enough, with no real contrast with the rest of the head, although the white throat and small white smudge near the eye looked good.Of course there is a bit of a melting pot of "continental" hybrids in southern Europe etc. so could this have been a hybrid , maybe involving thunbergi? Anyhow a great looking thing and not what I expected my first Yellow Wag of the Spring to look like.
Closer to home, a decent number of visits to Hightown dunes/Alt estuary have produced a few bits and pieces.The highlights being male Ring Ouzels on the 2nd and the 15th.Ospreys on both the 11th and 12th.Also noted was my first Grasshopper Warbler of the Spring on the 15th.
Its also been great to see Little Gulls back in fairly decent numbers on Mersey in Spring, with 80+ seen over the river and at Seaforth on a couple of days.
The now regular Spring congregation of Sandwich Terns here has been spectacular with the ultra-distinctive call loudly eminating from the 250+ birds.
A male Redstart and a Yellow wagtail were both at Crosby marina on the 21st.
A visit to Marshside RSPB also on the 21st produced a hybrid Green-winged x Eurasian Teal( different to the pure bird seen there recently), a male Garganey and a Little Stint.

Spring Gulls

2012-03-31T10:31:00.007-07:00

Saturday 31st March 2012,
cloudy, NE 1-2

Excellent light conditions at Richmond Bank today and c12,000 Gulls to sort through.The highlights were a nice faded looking 1stw Caspian Gull that was present for 30 minutes and the reappearance of the 3rdw Kumlien`s Gull that was present on 25th February.Also present was a 3rdw Iceland Gull, this bird having a strong black subterminal bill band.Two Yellow-legged Gulls ( ad and 2ndw) were also picked out.Most visits here produce weird, pale,hybrid-type large Gulls and today was no exception.The best one was avery dusky, concolourous looking juv Gull that definitely had a "North-Western vibe" about it.

Mealies drop in.

2012-03-29T03:30:00.005-07:00

Thursday 29th March 2012,
cloudy, NW 3.

A much cloudier start to the day than of late and with a chilly NW breeze too.With all these Redpolls passing over Crosby marina/Seaforth each Spring , it`s interesting to speculate on their origins.There have been a few records of Mealy Redpolls at Seaforth NR, just birds that have dropped in briefly before heading off again.This is exactly what happened again this morning. A flock of c10 Redpolls dropped into the bushes at the top of the causeway and a quick scan of these produced at least two Mealy Redpolls, really pale and frosty looking compared with the much browner Lessers.One bird showed well from behind, allowing views of the whitish rump.They soon took off and headed north.With more flyovers afterwards, at least 35 Redpolls were counted, as well as the two Mealies.
Other flyovers today included ; two Siskins, 6 Alba Wagtails and c25 Meadow Pipits.
Two Ravens were busily collecting twigs on the long bank this morning, which they then carried towards the docks...maybe they`re nesting on a crane or dock shed?

First Pandion

2012-03-27T14:07:00.002-07:00

Tuesday 27th March 2012,
sunny, S 2

Yet another warm and cloudless day.A quick spin around Crosby marina produced the first Wheatear for a few days, along with 3 White Wagtails.At least two Chiffchaffs were in the scrub.With few grounded migrants around attention was concentrated on the sky and a three hour skywatch took place.Top prize went to the first Osprey of the Spring, which headed north at 12.05pm.Three Common Buzzards flew SE during the afternoon as did three Sparrowhawks.
In the local park, the headlines are that a pair of Jays are in residence( these are mainly Autumn migrants hereabouts).My first Speckled Wood of the season was also here.

Flying by

2012-03-26T09:22:00.003-07:00

Monday 26th March 2012,
sunny, SE-1

Another clear start to the day and hardly any birds had been grounded at Crosby marina this morning.A Willow Warbler and a Chiffchaff shared a small area of scrub and provided excellent side-by-side comparisons.What little action there was took place overhead, two Whooper Swans flew NE, 7 Redwings flew SE and a few Redpolls and Siskins called as they went by.Another search for Wheatears drew another blank.