1st May 2026
Ruddy Shelduck-Drake still on River Mersey-Widnes
Common Crane-One flew east over the yellow barrier at the east end of Thelwall Lane-Woolston Eyes-PERMIT ONLY
Channel Wagtail-Hale
30th April
3 Spoonbill and 4 Greenshank, still at least 20 Pink-footed Geese - Parkgate.
Tree Pipit over, 3 Whinchat, 2 Yellow Wagtail, White Wagtail and a Spotted Flycatcher - Leasowe Lighthouse.
2 Wood Sandpiper, 12 Spotted Redshank, 5 Greenshank, 2 male Ruff, Common Sandpiper, Little Ringed Plover (briefly) and an Osprey heading NW - Burton Mere Wetlands.
Wood Sandpiper-Still on flash north of Lache Lane-Chester
29th April
Greater Scaup-Adult drake still on the east side-West Kirby Marine Lake
Wood Sandpiper-Still on flash north of Lache Lane-Chester
Wood Warbler-Singing male reported in the woods on the west side of Birchwood Forest Park, and then no further sign. Also, male Common Redstart-Birchwood
Black Tern (briefly), c12 Mediterranean Gull, 2 Red Kite, Peregrine, 7 Greenshank, 10 Spotted Redshank, 2 Bar-tailed Godwit, 3+ Ruff, Spoonbill and 5 Swift - Burton Mere Wetlands.
198 Whimbrel, 500 Oystercatcher, 450 Dunlin, 157 Curlew, Greenshank, 36 Redshank. 3 Swift over high tide - Heswall Shore.
Female Whinchat, 2 Yellow Wagtail, Marsh harrier (female/imm male and 2 Grasshopper Warbler (heard only) - Leasowe Lighthouse.
Puffin briefly off the north end, also a Cuckoo caught and ringed - Hilbre.
28th April
Osprey-Over fishery-Wychwood
Eurasian Spoonbill-Boathouse flash-Parkgate
650 Black-tailed Godwit - Caldy Wildfowl Collection.
30 Sandwich Tern roosting on groyne - Leasowe Castle.
3 Whimbrel on the main scrape at 8.35, also 12 Spotted Redshank, Greenshank and 2 Ruff - Burton Mere Wetlands.
117 Whimbrel over high tide this morning - Thurstaston/Heswall.Osprey with fish heading NE at 1620hrs, last seen heading towards Formby - Meols.
2 Black Winged Stilts-Ashton's Flash-Northwich
31 Black-necked Grebes and 2 Arctic terns-Woolston Eyes-Permit ONLY
27th April
Grasshopper Warbler-Gowy Meadows
Eider,6 Whimbrel and Tree Pipit-Hilbre
2 Wood Sandpiper, Whinchat and 15 Whimbrel-Ashton's Flash-Northwich
Spotted Flycatcher, Whinchat, Grasshopper Warbler and 2 Lesser Whitethroat - Leasowe
Wood Sandpiper-One briefly-Sandbach Flashes
2 Whinchat and Grasshopper Warbler-Dutton Locks-Dutton
2 Eurasian Spoonbill-Boathose Flash-Parkgate
26th April
2 Spoonbill on Bevyl Road Flash - Parkgate.
8+ Yellow Wagtail, 3 Wheatear, Grasshopper Warbler and a Whinchat in the horse paddocks, also Black Redstart (fem) reported - Leasowe Lighthouse.
Greater Scaup-Adult drake still on the east side-West Kirby Marine Lake
25th April
Greater Scaup-Adult drake still on the east side-West Kirby Marine Lake
Dark-bellied Brent goose-One at the edge of the main pool viewed from the footpath-Sweeney Wetlands
Quail heard west of Heron Road - Hoylake Langfields.
4 Wheatear, 4 White Wagtail and 2 Yellow Wagtail - Leasowe Lighthouse.
Black Tern flying west, also 2 Long-tailed Ducks, 10 Red-throated Divers, and 5,000 Common Scoters - Hoylake Shore.
Mute Swan, imm f Hen Harrier (flew N at 06:10), 320 Grey Plover, 500 Dunlin, 20 spl Knot, 15 Sanderling, 103 Whimbrel (Banks Rd to Dee SC), Greenshank at high tide this morning - Heswall/Thurstaston.
4 Lesser Whitethroat singing - Wirral Way/Heswall Fields.
Grasshopper Warbler-Burton Point
2 Black Tern-Budworth Mere-Northwich
Common Crane-One flew over Heswall Golf Club towards the Dee Estuary, also a Cuckoo over Pine Way, a Yellow Wagtail past Riverbank Road, and an Osprey over-Heswall
1000 Oystercatcher, 80 Grey Plover, Turnstone, 250 Dunlin, 300 Black-tailed Godwit, 95 Bar-tailed Godwit, 48 Whimbrel, 120 Redshank on ebbing tide, 2 Lesser Whitethroat in Tinker's Dell - Thurstaston Shore.
Common Redstart-One at Hale Park-Hale
Whinchat-One at Woodford Aerodrome-Woodford
10 Willow Warblers, Grasshopper Warblers, and 3 Wheatears - Red Rocks.
Long-tailed Duck-50+ Willow Warbler, Redstart, Grasshopper Warbler, 2 Blackcap, 2 Whitethroat, Whinchat, 8 Yellow Wagtail, 18 Redpoll (over) and 5 Eider - Hilbre.
23rd April
Major fall of Willow Warblers in seafront gardens early morning - c100 present, also 3 Tree Pipit and a Yellow Wagtail - Hoylake.
9 Willow Warblers, 3 Common Whitethroats, a Grasshopper Warbler, 4 Reed Warblers, 4 Sedge Warblers, and 9 Wheatears - Red Rocks.
Whinchat - Burton Point.
3 Whinchat and 7 Wheatear in a paddock; 6 Redpoll and a Grasshopper Warbler by the pond; also, an arrival of Sedge Warblers this morning - Leasowe Lighthouse.
Whinchat-Storeton
Ring Ouzel-Female still along Gritstone Trail between telephone mast and Old Man O'Mow-Mow Cop
Greater Scaup-West Kirby Marine Lake
Bar Tailed Godwit-Elton Hall Flash-Sandbach Flashes
Ruddy Shelduck-Drake again on the River Mersey off Spike Island on Sunday
Swift *first of spring* over Kerr's Field, 2 Whinchat in coastal paddocks and a Lesser Whitethroat by Lingham Lane - Leasowe Lighthouse.
Whinchat - Hoylake Langfields
6 Willow Warbler, 4 Whitethroat and a Grasshopper Warbler (reeling) - Red Rocks.
45 Pink-footed Geese and a Barnacle Goose on the marsh, also 8 Wheatear on tide wrack off the golf course - Parkgate.
62 Whimbrel - Heswall Shore.
Green-winged Teal, 6 Grasshopper Warblers (reeling), 2 Spoonbills in herenry, and 6 Spotted Redshanks, Channel Wagtail, and 4+ Yellow Wagtails in the field next to the Grain Store - Burton Mere Wetlands.
20th April
Tree pipit-Leasowe Lighthouse
Green-winged Teal - Burton Mere Wetlands.
Brent Goose (dark-bellied) - Caldy Wildfowl Collection.
Spotted Redsahnk-Burton RSPB
Common Scoter-Female on North Pool at Mere Farm Quarry-Chelford
Common Crane-Flew south over and a count of 51 Black-necked Grebe on saturday-Woolston Eyes-Permit Only
3 Black-necked Grebe-Budworth Mere-Northwich
19th April
Long-tailed Duck-Hilbre Island
Wryneck near the bottom of Station Road - Burton.
Osprey flew east at 1230 - Hoylake.
28 Whimbrel - Heswall Shore.
Pied Flycatcher(male) - Leasowe Lighthouse.
Slavonian Grebe- Again on East Pool at Mere Farm Quarry-Chelford
Redstart-Male at Arrowe Brook Farm-Greasby
Greater Scaup-Adult drake still-West Kirby Marine Lake
18th April
29 Whimbrel on shore on rising tide this morning - Heswall.2 Yellow Wagtail in the field west of Heron Road - Meols.
2 Whinchat, 3+ Wheatear and a Garden Warbler - Leasowe Lighthouse.
25+ Manx Shearwater and 40 Gannet, 87 s/pl Dunlin on the beach - Hoylake Shore.
2 Grasshopper Warbler, 20+ White Wagtail and 3 Wheatear - Riverbank Road, Heswall.
Long-tailed Duck flew NE at high tide; 75 Manx Shearwaters, 9 Kittiwakes, and 26 Razorbills; c3,500 Black-tailed Godwits on Salisbury Bank before high tide - Hilbre.
3,300 Black-tailed Godwit - Caldy Wildfowl Collection.
8 Spotted Redshank, 3 Bar-tailed Godwit and a Grasshopper Warbler- Burton Mere Wetlands.
Lesser Whitethroat by Thurstaston Visitor Centre.
2 Grasshopper Warbler - Heswall Fields/Wirral Way.
Ring Ouzel-Female still along Gritstone Trail between the telephone mast and the Old Man O'Mow-Mow Cop
Slavonian Grebe-Acre Nook Sand Quarry-Chelford
32 Black-necked Grebes-Woolston Eyes-Permit ONLY
April 17th
April 16th
3 Redstarts and Red Kite-Bickerton Hill
Slavonian Grebe-Mere Farm Quarry-Chelford
Ring Ouzel-Two along the Gritstone Trail between the telephone mast and Old Man O'Mow-Mow Cop
Eurasian Spoonbill-One flew east past Within Way-Hale
Whinchat-Male at Arrowe Brook Farm-Greasby Farm
Icelandic Black-tailed Godwit-c 3,500 at Caldy Wildfowl Collection-Caldy
Long-tailed duck, Redstart and Common scoter-Hilbre Island
Bar-tailed Godwit-Elton Hall Flash-Sandbach Flashes
Common Redstart briefly in a horse paddock - Lower Heswall.
Grasshopper Warbler in dunes and 6+ Wheatear - Leasowe Lighthouse.
My partner Jenna came down this weekend to see me in Oxfordshire, as I'm still working down here, so we planned a trip to Dorset to attend a moth morning at Durlston Country Park, along with a few other key targets we needed: Emperor moth and Sand lizard.
We arrived at Durlston Country Park just before 11am and waited for the ranger to open the moth trap.
Unfortunately, it was a quiet catch, just a few Shuttle-shaped Darts, Early Grey and a Common Quaker. A clear night and a drop in temperature hadn’t helped moth activity, so it was a bit of a disappointment. That said, the views from the clifftop castle over the coast more than made up for it.
View from Durlston Country ParkMoving on, we set up pheromone lures for Emperor moths and didn’t have to wait long before five males appeared, circling in and responding strongly to the scent. This was a lifer for Jenna, and she was amazed by how striking they looked in flight.
The Emperor moth is one of the UK’s most distinctive native moth species, easily recognised by its large size and bold eye-like markings on the wings, which help deter predators. Males are often seen flying in daylight in search of females, while females tend to be larger and more nocturnal.
It is mainly associated with heathland, moorland, and rough grassland habitats, where its caterpillars feed on plants such as heather, bramble, and willow. This makes it closely tied to healthy, open landscapes.
In the UK, the emperor moth is widespread but localised, not rare or threatened overall, but dependent on the availability of suitable habitat. While populations are generally stable, they can decline in areas where heathlands are lost or intensively managed.
Next stop was RSPB Arne, where we searched for Sand lizards.
RSPB Arne
It depends on warm, sandy areas for burrowing and egg-laying, along with open, sunny patches for basking. Because these habitats have declined, the sand lizard is legally protected and a key conservation priority in the UK.
Although conservation efforts and reintroductions have helped improve numbers in some areas, it remains locally rare and highly dependent on ongoing habitat management.
While walking back, we had a great view of a Dartford warbler. The Dartford warbler is a small, secretive songbird closely associated with lowland heathland in the UK.
Dartford warblerIn Britain, it is mainly found in southern England, especially Dorset, Hampshire, Surrey, and Sussex, where suitable heathland habitat remains. It is a resident species, meaning it does not migrate long distances, but its range can shift locally depending on winter severity.
The species is considered fragile but recovering. It suffered severe declines in the past due to harsh winters and habitat loss, but thanks to milder winters and active heathland conservation, its population has rebounded significantly. It is now regarded as a conservation success story, although it remains highly dependent on well-managed heathland and is still vulnerable to habitat loss and climate extremes.
Heading back north, we passed Stonehenge and made one final stop on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire.
StonehengeThere, we were fortunate to connect with five Great Bustards, an incredible sight.
The Great bustard is Britain’s heaviest bird and was once native here, but it became extinct in the UK in the 1800s due to hunting and the loss of its open grassland habitat.
A reintroduction project began in the early 2000s in Wiltshire, aiming to restore a self-sustaining population on suitable chalk grassland, mainly around Salisbury Plain. The focus is not just on bringing the species back, but on rebuilding part of Britain’s lost wildlife heritage.
Today, the UK population remains small but gradually increasing, supported by careful management and monitoring. It is still a reintroduced, conservation-dependent species, meaning its future in Britain relies on continued protection and suitable habitat management.
Persistent, cool easterlies were the general theme of the week as high pressure locked in to the north of Britain. Read more>
I spent this evening moth trapping at Bernwood Forest in Oxfordshire, hoping for a productive early-season session. It’s a fantastic site with a reputation for good diversity, but the conditions were far from ideal. The temperatures have been unseasonably cold lately, with recent morning frosts across Oxfordshire, and it definitely made its presence felt.
I ran the trap for around three hours, but the chill quickly set in and eventually forced me to pack up earlier than planned. Cold nights like these are never great for moth activity, and that was reflected in the modest number of species I recorded. Even so, I did manage to trap a few different species, which made the effort worthwhile.
With a bit of luck, a shift to milder nights should bring a noticeable increase in activity. Until then, it’s a case of making the most of the windows of opportunity, and wrapping up warm!
Below are the following species I managed to trap:
