Cheshire & Wirral Bird Sightings–20th September 2026

 

Today's round-up of the latest bird sightings from across Cheshire and Wirral

This page will be updated with any significant additional sightings as they become available.

20th September 2026

Grey Phalarope-Leasowe-One flew west past Leasowe Gunsite (CH46 2RH)-17.30

Leach's Storm Petrel-Hilbre Island-131 flew past

Leach's Storm Petrel-Red Rocks-Four flew past between 18:35 and 19:15

Leach's Storm Petrel-Wallasey-One near the River Mersey mouth from Harrison Drive

Leach's Storm Petrel-Hilbre Island-15 flew past between 17:00 and 18:00; also Great Skua,2 Arctic Skua, Kittiwake and good numbers of Manx Shearwater passing.

Great Skua

Manx Shearwater

Leach's Petrel

(c) Alan Hitchmough

Osprey-Wallasey-One flew west over Harrison Drive coastguards this evening

Leach's Storm Petrel-Hilbre Island-22 more flew past mid-to-late afternoon

European Storm Petrel-Hoylake-One reported offshore

Leach's Storm Petrel-Wallasey-One flew west past Harrison Drive coastguards

Storm Petrel-Hoylake-Three flew past between 15:45 and 16:30

Grey-backed Thrush-Bebington-Presumed escape still in private garden this morning [the species is a short-/medium-distance migrant in East Asia but appears to be common in captivity]

Baird's Sandpiper-Coxbank-Still at Burleydam Pool; park carefully along Lodmore Lane (SY13 4BJ), do not block access for farm vehicles

Leach's Storm Petrel-Wallasey-12 flew west between 13:00 and 14:15

Leach's Petrel

(c) Pete Sutton

Leach's Storm Petrel-Hilbre Island-90 flew past by 10:30

Leach's Storm Petrel-Leasowe-15 flew past between 10:30 and 11:30

Leach's Storm Petrel-New Brighton-At least 20 flew west past the mouth of the River Mersey this morning

Leach's Storm-Wallasey-25 flew west past Harrison Drive coastguards by 10:10

Grey Phalarope-Hilbre Island-One flew west

Leach's Storm Petrel-Hilbre Island-58 flew past by 09:15

Leach's Storm Petrel-Wallasey-17 flew west past Harrison Drive coastguards by 09:00

Leach's Storm Petrel-Leasowe-Six flew past between 08:00 and 08:10

Leach's Storm Petrel-Leasowe-12 flew past the lighthouse between 07:40 and 08:00

Leach's Storm Petrel-Leasowe-14 flew past between 07:30 and 08:00

Leach's Storm Petrel-Hilbre Island-23 flew past by 08:00

Leach's Storm Petrel-Wallasey-Nine flew west past Harrison Drive coastguards by 07:35 and Little Gull

Baird's Sandpiper-Coxbank-Still at Burleydam Pool; Park carefully along Lodmore Lane (SY13 4BJ); do not block access for farm vehicles

Leach's Storm Petrel-Wallasey-Four flew west past Harrison Drive coastguards

Leach's Storm Petrel-New Brighton-Three in River Mersey mouth; use Perch Rock car park (CH45 2JS)

Leach's Storm Petrel-Hilbre Island-Seven flew past by 07:00

Moths, Wind and a Couple of South Coast Lifers

I left work this afternoon and headed down to the South Downs in East Sussex, with one particular moth in mind: the Channel Island Pug. I had visited the Tamerisk Peacock site a few evenings earlier without any luck, but with the weather forecast looking reasonably promising, I decided it was worth another attempt.

Before heading on to Eastbourne, I called in at a private site near Seaford, where I was hoping to look for the Lace Border. 

 South Downs

It turned out to be a very worthwhile stop, as I soon found a small colony of these attractive little moths. After a bit of searching, they eventually started to show really well, giving me some excellent views. This was a species I had been hoping to add to my list, so finding several individuals was a great start to the evening.

Lace Border

The Lace Border (Scopula ornate) is a particularly attractive and delicate moth, with finely patterned wings that give it an almost fragile appearance. Once more widespread in Britain, its range has declined considerably, and it is now found only locally, mainly in the south-east of England. It is associated with warm, open habitats such as grassland, heathland and woodland edges. Adults have two flight periods, appearing first during May and June, with a second generation flying from late July through to September. The larvae feed mainly on thyme (Thymus) and marjoram (Origanum), with those of the second generation overwintering before completing their development the following year. 

With the Lace Border safely in the bag, I continued towards Eastbourne, hoping the evening would improve enough for a trapping session at Tamerisk Peacock. Unfortunately, the weather had other ideas. By the time I arrived, conditions had deteriorated dramatically, with strong winds gusting to around 30 mph and torrential rain. There was absolutely no chance of finding a Channel Island Pug in conditions like these. The forecast had been seriously wrong, and, to put it mildly, I was absolutely fuming! With little else I could do, I decided to call it a night, grab some food and rethink the plan.

The following morning, the wind was still blowing a hoolie, so I decided that rather than hanging around East Sussex hoping the weather would improve, I headed west towards Portland in Dorset, with the intention of doing some birding during the day and setting the moth traps overnight.

On arriving in Weymouth, I stopped at Chesil Beach, where the conditions were still pretty wild. Despite the wind, I managed to see two juvenile Grey Phalaropes, which showed exceptionally well.

There was also a Guillemot and a Manx Shearwater close inshore, both presumably pushed towards the coast by the strong winds. It was a good reminder that even miserable weather can produce some interesting wildlife encounters. The wind clearly wasn't going anywhere quickly, so I spent the afternoon at Portland Bird Observatory with the other birders.

Portland Observatory garden

It was so windy that you could hardly stand up at times, and there was certainly little point in trying to trap moths in those conditions.

As evening approached, however, things finally began to improve. The wind started to ease, and I decided to head down to Freshwater Bay, where I set up the traps along the cliff-foot paths.

Freshwater Bay

The traps produced a good selection of moths throughout the night, and, despite the difficult conditions earlier in the trip, I was rewarded with a new species for my list: Feathered Brindle.

Feathered Brindle 

After packing up at dawn and driving back to the bird observatory for a well-deserved brew, Martin Cabe, the warden, opened his overnight moth traps, where I added another new moth, Clancy's Rustic.

Clancy's Rustic

It was a satisfying way to finish what had been a rather unpredictable few days. From chasing a Channel Island Pug in East Sussex, finding a small colony of Lace Borders near Seaford, battling 30 mph winds and torrential rain, and then heading west to Portland, the trip certainly didn't go quite according to plan! But that's the appeal of natural history. The weather, the wildlife and even the plans rarely cooperate exactly as expected, and sometimes the unexpected encounters end up being the most memorable.

A great few days on the south coast, with some excellent birding, a good selection of moths and, most importantly, a couple more lifers added to the list.

Cheshire & Wirral Bird Sightings–19th September 2026

 

Today's round-up of the latest bird sightings from across Cheshire and Wirral

This page will be updated with any significant additional sightings as they become available.

19th September 2026

Baird's Sandpiper-One at Burleydam Pool; Park carefully along Lodmore Lane (SY13 4BJ); do not block access for farm vehicles-Still showing at 5.00pm-Coxbank

Manx Shearwater-One found exhausted-Northwich

Caspian Gull-Adult on River Mersey sandbank west of old Runcorn Bridge-Widnes

Curlew Sandpiper-One still-Pickerings Pasture

Leach's Storm Petrel-Nine flew past by 16:00, and an Arctic Tern-Hilbre Island

Leach's Storm Petrel-11 flew west past Leasowe Gunsite (CH46 2RH) between 16:00 and 17:00-Leasowe

Leach's Storm Petrel-Another three flew west past Harrison Drive Coastguards-Wallasey 

 

Cheshire & Wirral Bird Sightings–18th September 2026

 

Today's round-up of the latest bird sightings from across Cheshire and Wirral

This page will be updated with any significant additional sightings as they become available.

18th September 2026

Storm Petrel and 2 - 3 Leach's Petrels early morning in the Mersey mouth - New Brighton.

Curlew Sandpiper-West Kirby Marine Lake- one at the south end

Cheshire & Wirral Bird Sightings–17th September 2026

Today's round-up of the latest bird sightings from across Cheshire and Wirral

This page will be updated with any significant additional sightings as they become available.

16th September 2026

Manx Shearwater-Mouth of the Mersey-Wallasey

Leach's Storm Petrel-Leasowe-20 flew west past Leasowe Gunsite (CH46 2RH) between 14:25 and 17:25

Eurasian Spoonbill-Parkgate Marsh/Gayton Sands RSPB15:15-One still at Boathouse Flash

Leach's Storm Petrel-Leasowe-Two flew west past Leasowe Gunsite (CH46 2RH)

Leach's Storm Petrel-Leasowe-11 flew west past Leasowe Castle Hotel by 13:50

Grey Phalarope-Leasowe-One flew west past Leasowe Castle Hotel

Leach's Storm Petrel-Leasowe-One flew west past Leasowe Gunsite (CH46 2RH)

Leach's Storm Petrel-Hilbre Island--One flew past

Leach's Storm Petrel-Wallasey--One flew south past coastguards; park at King's Parade (CH45 3PZ)

Leach's Storm Petrel-Leasowe-Another flew west past Leasowe Gunsite (CH46 2RH)

Leach's Storm Petrel-Leasowe-One flew west past Leasowe Gunsite (CH46 2RH)

Leach's Storm Petrel-Wallasey-One flew south past coastguards; park at King's Parade (CH45 3PZ)

Leach's Storm Petrel-Leasowe-One flew west over the beach at Leasowe Castle Hotel

Cheshire & Wirral Bird Sightings–16th September 2026

 

Today's round-up of the latest bird sightings from across Cheshire and Wirral

This page will be updated with any significant additional sightings as they become available.

16th September 2026

Arctic Skua flew west from Mersey mouth this morning - New Brighton.

5 Wheatears along the embankment by Leasowe Lighthouse.

2 Leach's Petrels and a Manx Shearwater flew west - Leasowe Gunsite.

2 Leach's Petrels and a Grey Phalarope (briefly) - Wallasey Shore.

Leach's Petrel

(c) Pete Sutton

3 Juvenile Curlew Sandpipers this afternoon - Hoylake Shore.

Ruddy Shelduck and 2 Little Stint-Burton Mere Wetlands RSPB

Slavonian Grebe-Acre Nook Sand Quarry-Adult still this evening