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.
22nd September 2026
Baird's Sandpiper- One at Burleydam Pool; Park carefully along Lodmore Lane (SY13 4BJ); do not block access for farm vehicles-Coxbank-Still present this evening
Bearded Tit-Little Neston-At least two at c 53.2802, -3.0701
Back-to-back transatlantic lows brought further exciting arrivals from the New World, including a Nearctic passerine or two, though it was the shorebirds that stole the headlines, with several delivering thrills to patch birders in central and eastern England. Cornwall enjoyed a monopoly on mega-rare seabirds, though more exciting still was some of the best Leach's Storm Petrel passage in the Irish Sea for several years. Read more>
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.
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 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
I left work this afternoon and headed down to the South Downs in East Sussex, with one moth in particular in mind: the Channel Island Pug. I had visited the Tamarisk Peacock moth 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 to Eastbourne, I called in at a private site near Seaford, where I hoped to find the Lace Border moth.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
