CHESHIRE AND WIRRAL BIRD NEWS

21st July

Quail heard on marsh but distant - Parkgate.

Black-necked Grebe-Woolston Eyes NR (permit only)

26+ still; reserve open from 08:00-20:00, permit and key obtainable at www.woolstoneyes.com

Ruddy Shelduck-Acre Nook Sand Quarry-Still viewed from Whisterfield end

Eurasian Spoonbill-Parkgate Marsh/Gayton Sands RSPB-Eight still at Boathouse Flash; also 2 Spotted Redshanks

20th July

Quail-Singing male still between Boathouse Flash and Old Baths-Parkgate

Ruddy Shelduck-Acre Nook Sand Quarry-Still viewed from Whisterfield end

Eurasian Spoonbill-Parkgate Marsh/Gayton Sands RSPB-Nine still at Boathouse Flash; also Spotted Redshank

9 Spoonbill, Spotted Redshank, 70 Redshank, 17 Greenshank, Water Rail + chick Boathouse Flash. Barn Owl hunting marsh.

Male Yellow Wagtail - Parkgate.

4 Mediterranean Gull (incl 1 juv) - Meols Shore.

19th July

3,050 Black-tailed Godwit - Caldy Wildfowl Collection.

Quail heard briefly this morning, also 10 Spoonbill, 3 Water Rail (1 chick), 11 Avocet, 16 Greenshank, Spotted Redshank and a Ruff, 4 Marsh Harrier and a Barn Owl hunting over the marsh - Parkgate.

Ruddy Shelduck-Acre Nook Sand Quarry-Still viewed from Whisterfield end

18th July

Black-necked Grebe-Acre Nook Sand Quarry-Two juveniles still at north end

Ruddy Shelduck-Acre Nook Sand Quarry-Still viewed from Whisterfield end

10 Spoonbill - Parkgate.

240+ Sandwich Tern, 3 Mediterranean Gull, 10 Dunlin and a Shoveler over high tide - Hoylake Shore.

17th July

Ruddy Shelduck and 2 B;ack-necked Grebes-Acre Nook Sand Quarry-Still viewed from Whisterfield end

Eurasian Spoonbill-Parkgate Marsh/Gayton Sands RSPB-Nine still at Boathouse Flash

Common Quail-Parkgate Marsh/Gayton Sands RSPB-Singing male on saltmarsh

16th July

10 Avocet, 7 Spoonbill, 5 Greenshank and a Spotted Redshank, also a Barn Owl over the marsh - Parkgate.

Spotted Redshank-Burton Mere Wetlands RSPB

Osprey-Parkgate-One flew south-east

Ruddy Shelduck-Acre Nook Sand Quarry-Still on west side

Spotted Redshank-Parkgate Marsh/Gayton Sands RSPB-One at Boathouse Flash; also 7 Eurasian Spoonbills still

A BIRDER’S ROLLERCOASTER: MISSES, MOANS AND MAGIC MOMENTS

The afternoon of 13 July started with a report coming through of a Spur-winged Lapwing at Cavenham Heath in Suffolk. The news was unconfirmed, but the report that it was displaying to nearby Northern Lapwings was enough to get the heart racing.

I was still smarting from not being able to go for the Blue-cheeked Bee-eater on Papa Westray, Orkney, which had been found the day before. Unfortunately, work commitments meant I couldn’t make the journey north, with the following day already tied up. It was one of those moments where birding takes second place to reality, but that didn’t make it any easier!

So instead, I headed over to Suffolk to try my luck with the Spur-winged Lapwing. On arrival, I met up with Steve Gantlett and Neil Bostock, but there was no sign of the bird. We searched and waited, but as the afternoon wore on there was still nothing.

I stayed until dusk with Steve, hoping that at any moment the bird would appear, but it just wasn’t meant to be. As the light faded, the thoughts of Papa Westray were still nagging away at me.

Bloody work! Any other day and I would have been heading north.

The next morning, I woke up and, as expected, the photos eventually started appearing across social media. My good friend Sam Viles had done what every birder hopes to do;  he had moved quickly and connected with the Blue-cheeked Bee-eater.

Fair play to him!

What a bird!

(c)Sam Viles

That was the real kick in the teeth. A bird I desperately wanted to see had slipped through my fingers, and then another incredible thing happened.

Over the weekend, news broke of a first-summer Long-tailed Shrike in a remote area of Gloucestershire. Even more frustratingly, the bird had apparently been present since 8 July, and it was a different individual from the one at Crail, Fife, which I had seen the previous week.

Not only that, it was only around twenty minutes from where I had been staying while working for the last couple of months.

Unbelievable!

You put in the miles, chase birds all over the country, and then another one appears almost on your doorstep. That’s birding for you!

Anyway, moan over. That’s exactly why we twitch. The highs, the lows, the missed chances, and those unforgettable moments when everything finally comes together.

Then came Monday morning.

My mate Steve Tomlinson arrived at work with a big smile on his face and that look birders know all too well.

“You coming to see another one this afternoon?”

After finishing work, we jumped in the car and made the short drive to Eastleach Martin. The result? Absolutely fantastic views of the Long-tailed Shrike.

(c) Adrian Webb

Standing there watching it, I honestly couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Two Long-tailed Shrikes in the space of a month, something I never would have dreamed possible.

From the frustration of missing the bee-eater to the sheer joy of watching another Long-tailed Shrike just down the road, it summed up everything that makes birding so addictive.

You take the knocks, you suffer the misses, but then you get moments like this.

And that’s why I keep going.

BIRDGUIDES REVIEW OF THE WEEK:13TH-19TH JULY 2026

The scintillating summer spell of 2026 continued this week, with a run of mega-rare finds and refinds from Essex, Gloucestershire, Orkney and East Yorkshire – and perhaps the biggest prize of all is still to be confirmed from Suffolk. Read more>

MISSION COMPLETE – ALL 16 BRITISH CLEARWINGS SEEN

Well, after two years of trying for Raspberry Clearwing, I was scrolling through Facebook when a guy called Jean posted in the Clearwing Moths Facebook group that he had trapped one near the Chilterns-Oxfordshire. As soon as I saw the post, I messaged Jean, and after several texts back and forth, we made plans to visit the site.

Jean had found this site by exploring the local woodlands around where he lives, looking for patches of wild raspberry. It wasn't somewhere I would ever have thought of looking.

Wild Raspberries

As soon as we put out the pheromone lure, a Raspberry Clearwing came straight in before flying off again. We walked further down the woodland ride, and another came into the lure. Finally, one flew into the trap, giving us brilliant views.

Raspberry Clearwing

(c) Jean-Paul Brouard

I honestly couldn't believe I had finally seen one. I had spent countless hours searching around allotments over the last couple of years, thinking that was where I'd eventually find one, yet here in this woodland were several small colonies tucked away amongst the wild raspberry. It just shows that sometimes thinking outside the box really does pay off.

The Raspberry Clearwing has a remarkably long life cycle, spending up to two years as a larva feeding inside the roots and lower stems of raspberry canes before pupating for just a few weeks and emerging as an adult during July. The larvae overwinter twice within the roots and stems before forming a gall at the base of the cane during their second year.

The species is thought to have been accidentally introduced into Britain from mainland Europe on imported raspberry plants. It was first recorded in Britain in 2007 in North Hertfordshire and South Cambridgeshire after Jim Reid discovered larval workings while pruning raspberry canes in his garden. Adults were later confirmed using pheromone lures in nearby fruit farms. Although fairly widespread across mainland Europe, Raspberry Clearwing doesn't disperse over long distances, which supports the theory that our British population originated from imported plants.

A massive thank you to Jean for taking the time to meet me and show me this fantastic site. Without his local knowledge, I'd probably still be searching allotments!

With today's success, I've now seen all 16 British clearwing species. It's been a brilliant journey that's taken me to some amazing places around the country. I've learnt so much about their food plants, habitats and life cycles, met some great people along the way and spent countless hours travelling and searching for these incredible moths.

Finally seeing Raspberry Clearwing and completing the full set is something I'll never forget. Every mile travelled, every early start, and every failed search has been worth it. Mission accomplished.

BIRDGUIDES REVIEW OF THE WEEK:6TH-12TH JULY 2026

After an almost non-stop few weeks of exciting rarity activity across Britain and Ireland, action took on a more expected, sedate tone as we headed further into July. Read more>

A CRAZY 48 HOURS – CHASING MOTHS AND BRITAIN’S SECOND LONG-TAILED SHRIKE

Jenna and I set off for Norfolk late this morning and arrived at Lakenheath in Suffolk during the afternoon. We had planned this trip for a few weeks, as I wanted to try and trap Dusky Clearwing before heading onto the Norfolk Broads for an overnight moth-trapping session targeting some of the more specialised reed moths.

Our main target was Dusky Clearwing, and my good friend Will Soar had trapped some here on Tuesday, so fingers were crossed that we could repeat his success. I put the pheromone lure up on a black poplar tree at the location Will had kindly sent me via What3Words, and before we knew it, we had three Dusky Clearwings flying around the lure.

Well, that wasn't too difficult!

The Dusky Clearwing has a fascinating history in Britain. It was thought to be extinct after going unrecorded since 1924, but the species was dramatically rediscovered in Warwickshire in 2021. Since that remarkable rediscovery, a small number of further records have come from other counties, but it remains one of Britain's rarest and most elusive moths.

Knowing the story behind this species made the encounter even more special. To see a moth that was once believed to have disappeared from Britain, but has managed to survive in a few isolated locations, was a real privilege and something I won't forget in a hurry.

After our success, we made our way into Norwich for a lovely curry before heading on to Martham Broad. We set up three moth traps and sat watching the sun go down over the Broads. It was a beautiful evening and felt like the perfect way to spend a summer night.

By sunrise, I had added a few more moths to my life list:

Reed Leopard

Round-winged Muslin

Small Wainscot

Silky Wainscot

Reed Dagger

After a few hours' sleep following our moth-trapping session, we woke up and headed to Sea Palling–Hempstead Marshes, where I was hoping to show Jenna the Black-winged Kite.

It didn't take long before we picked up the bird sitting on distant wires, before it later flew across the fields. I was made up, as I really wanted Jenna to see this bird.

Black-winged Kite

(c)Adrian Webb

We watched the kite for a while, enjoying some great views, before heading back to the café for a well-earned breakfast.

Our next stop was Titchwell RSPB in North Norfolk, as Jenna had never visited the reserve before. As we were just walking off the boardwalk and onto the beach, the news came through on the WhatsApp group that a probable Lesser Grey Shrike, or a Long-tailed Shrike, had been found at Crail, Fife, Scotland.

I was bloody miles away but could have made it. The problem was that I would have had to drop Jenna back off in Ellesmere Port on the way home, as she was due at work the following morning.

News then came through that the bird had not been seen for a few hours, although more people were turning up and searching the area. We continued with our afternoon and got great views of two Black-winged Stilts on the marshes, but I couldn't settle knowing there was potentially only the second Long-tailed Shrike ever recorded in Britain waiting up in Scotland.

We left Titchwell RSPB and started driving home when the news came through that the bird had been refound and confirmed as a Long-tailed Shrike.

That was all I needed.

I made a few phone calls and got a team sorted out to go: Phil Jones and Karl Stockton from Stoke-on-Trent. We eventually got home around 8:00 pm, and I had a shower and something to eat. Before I knew it, I was off to Warrington to pick the lads up.

We were soon on our way north. I had to keep making a few stops due to tiredness, but the England game on the radio kept spirits high. By the time the sun was rising, England had won, and we were all in good spirits. All we needed now was the bird.

On arrival, we made our way to the site and found the small crowd, which was quite a surprise for such a mega bird. Thankfully, just as we arrived, the Long-tailed Shrike was showing along the hedge line, and Adam Archer kindly let me look through his scope.

                    

    

It was on the list!

(c)Tom Tams

We gained some great views of the bird, although they were distant scope views. Eventually, my mate Dan Pointon turned up, and we made our way behind the hedge line. Dan used his thermal imager to locate the bird, and we had the shrike in open view on three occasions, just sitting there preening.

What a bird!

The site at Crail is one of the best places in Britain for Corn Bunting, and it was during a bird transect survey for this species that the Long-tailed Shrike was discovered.

This is only the second accepted record for Britain, with the first bird being located at Howmore, South Uist, Western Isles, where it was present on 3rd and 4th November 2000. What was probably the same bird had been seen nearby at Howbeg on 27th October 2000.

The Crail bird has been aged as a second-calendar-year male and is already moulting. There are several races of Long-tailed Shrike, but the race that breeds closest to the UK is Lanius schach erythronotus, which breeds in Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

It was great to see my good friend Adrian Webb enjoying the bird as well and being all smiles as he finally connected with it. Adrian had travelled for the Uist bird back in 2000, but unfortunately, the engine on the charter boat he was travelling on stopped working and they had to be rescued while he was with other twitchers, and they all dipped the bird.

Adrian's image of the bird is below.

What an incredible 48 hours of birds, moths, friends and memories.

The Crew 

BIRDGUIDES REVIEW OF THE WEEK:29TH JUNE-5TH JULY 2026

The attention of birders commonly switches to other pursuits during the height of summer. A post-breeding lull among much of our native avifauna sees many dabble in orchids, Odonata, butterflies or moths. Read more>