Blue-winged teal 3 females / juveniles
Bittern 1
Year 233 (Blue-winged teal)
My fourth, fifth and sixth Blue-winged teals. The Bittern was an unexpected bonus!
Saturday, 21 September 2013
Friday, 20 September 2013
Ainsdale beach
Little stint 1
Dunlin 100
Sanderling 80
Bar-tailed godwit 40
Ringed plover 40
Curlew 20
Oystercatcher 500
Sandwich Tern 250
Common Scoter 500
Herring Gull 1000
Cormorant 200
Dunlin 100
Sanderling 80
Bar-tailed godwit 40
Ringed plover 40
Curlew 20
Oystercatcher 500
Sandwich Tern 250
Common Scoter 500
Herring Gull 1000
Cormorant 200
There were impressive numbers of Sandwich terns on the beach today as high tide approached.
The return of the Pinkies
They're back! 1600 Pink-footed geese feeding on the mosslands behind Southport today, also three Marsh harriers.
Wednesday, 18 September 2013
Eccleston Mere
House Martin 3
Kingfisher 2
Buzzard 1
A blustery sort of evening, I arrived with high hopes of seeing perhaps a phalarope blown in by the storm, but left after another very quiet visit. Perhaps the phalarope will be tomorrow.....
Kingfisher 2
Buzzard 1
A blustery sort of evening, I arrived with high hopes of seeing perhaps a phalarope blown in by the storm, but left after another very quiet visit. Perhaps the phalarope will be tomorrow.....
Tuesday, 17 September 2013
New Brighton
Leach's storm-petrel 6+
Manx shearwater 2
Three petrels leaving the mouth of the Mersey at 6:45am, seen from Perch Rock, then at least another three from the lifeguard station a little further west along the promenade at about 7:45am.
It was an exhilarating experience this morning, I arrived at New Brighton at 6:30am and made my way to the bus shelter at Perch Rock in the half light, with the wind battering me with a cocktail of sand and heavy rain.
Almost immediately I saw one, a Leach's storm-petrel battling against the wind as it attempted to leave the mouth of the Mersey. About the same size as a Starling, it's hard not to be impressed by these enigmatic little guys as they are lost to sight in the swell, pattering across the water looking for food when it would seem that survival against the elements would be more appropriate.
They breed in burrows on the remotest oceanic Scottish islands, only returning to their nests under cover of the darkest nights to avoid predators, they spend all winter out at sea, way beyond sight of land and they are only seen offshore during the severest storms. Birders travel from all over the UK to see these birds here in the North West. Of my three companions this morning, one had travelled from Halifax, another from Bolton and the third had travelled over night from Norfolk, all to be here for dawn.
With Liverpool docks as a backdrop, and large ships leaving the river, Leach's storm-petrel is the bird of Merseyside and North Wirral, it should be our emblem. They'll be offshore from now until the end of October, but only when the wind blows from the north west. Don't miss them while they are here.
If you want to see Leach's storm-petrel, you could do a lot worse than follow this thread on Bird Forums.
Manx shearwater 2
Three petrels leaving the mouth of the Mersey at 6:45am, seen from Perch Rock, then at least another three from the lifeguard station a little further west along the promenade at about 7:45am.
It was an exhilarating experience this morning, I arrived at New Brighton at 6:30am and made my way to the bus shelter at Perch Rock in the half light, with the wind battering me with a cocktail of sand and heavy rain.
Almost immediately I saw one, a Leach's storm-petrel battling against the wind as it attempted to leave the mouth of the Mersey. About the same size as a Starling, it's hard not to be impressed by these enigmatic little guys as they are lost to sight in the swell, pattering across the water looking for food when it would seem that survival against the elements would be more appropriate.
They breed in burrows on the remotest oceanic Scottish islands, only returning to their nests under cover of the darkest nights to avoid predators, they spend all winter out at sea, way beyond sight of land and they are only seen offshore during the severest storms. Birders travel from all over the UK to see these birds here in the North West. Of my three companions this morning, one had travelled from Halifax, another from Bolton and the third had travelled over night from Norfolk, all to be here for dawn.
With Liverpool docks as a backdrop, and large ships leaving the river, Leach's storm-petrel is the bird of Merseyside and North Wirral, it should be our emblem. They'll be offshore from now until the end of October, but only when the wind blows from the north west. Don't miss them while they are here.
If you want to see Leach's storm-petrel, you could do a lot worse than follow this thread on Bird Forums.
Monday, 16 September 2013
Black-necked grebe, Carr Mill Dam
Dave Owen found this smart Black-necked grebe at Carr Mill Dam today. St Helens does surprisingly poorly for this species, considering how well Cheshire and Greater Manchester do. I have seen them in St Helens before, one was on Eccleston Mere a few years back, and they were (and probably still are) regular at Prescot Reservoirs, but nobody can get in there these days to check.
Leach's storm-petrel, New Brighton
It's that time of year again, Leach's storm-petrels are back! I saw this bird flying along the tideline and was able to get some reasonable photos. Tomorrow should be better.........
Year 232 (Leach's storm-petrel)
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