ACRE NOOK AND LAPWING HALL POOL BIRD SIGHTINGS- AUGUST 2016

After a good end to July, patch birding for the whole of August was very disappointing and hard birding. Whilst other sites were getting Greenshank, Whimbrel, Wood Sandpipers, and other bits, I failed to find anything of note, only a long-staying Black-necked Grebe, which is still present on the 1st of September on Lapwing Hall Pool. 

Black necked Grebe

Gull numbers continued to rise, with over 500 visiting Acrenook along with 72 Curlew on the 21st. There were over 150 Canada geese on the 11th, along with Teal and shovelers in good numbers. Lapwing numbers have been over 100 throughout the month, and at least 10 Mandarin were present. Hobbies were seen on the 2nd and the 14th, and Jay was also present around the pool on the 24th.

Canada Goose

Curlew

Jay

Lapwing Hall Pool continues to hold 60+ Tufted Ducks; 2 Wigeon and 34 Coot were counted on the 16th. There were 9 little grebes on the 19th, along with 7 great crested grebes and 14 mute swans. A Great Spotted Woodpecker was seen on the 6th, which was unbelievable and a first for the year.

Great spotted woodpecker

As you can see, a very poor month for birds, but hey, that's patch birding!

AN EVENING'S BIRDING AT CARR LANE POOLS-HALE

Leaving Birkenhead, I called in at Carr Lane pools in Hale to try and photograph the two Wood sandpipers that have been around for a while. On arrival, the birds were still present but were on the other side of the pool in the sun.

Wood Sandpiper

9 Ruff were present along with 6 Snipe and 4 Little Ringed Plovers.

Ruff

An Egyptian goose appeared from the reeds as I was leaving. 

Egyptian Goose

HOODED CROW-BIRKENHEAD PARK

A Hooded crow was reported on the North Wirral coast near Birkenhead North Station on the 15th August, but after a quick dash up the M53, the bird had flown. I visited Birkenhead this afternoon after it had been relocated to the cricket pitch. On arrival, it didn't take long to connect with the bird as it sat under the cricket porch.

The bird then flew onto the field and showed really well.

AN EVENING ON HILBRE ISLAND

My good friend Allan Conlin and his partner Paula were spending a week on holiday at the bird observatory on Hilbre Island. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hilbre_Islands. Dianne and I decided to take an evening walk over to the islands for a few glasses of red wine, hoping to catch a glimpse of the stunning sunset along the North Wirral coast, weather permitting. We parked the car at West Kirby and began the two-mile walk to the islands.

Looking back towards West Kirby

Dianne approaching Hilbre Island

We soon reached the bird observatory, where Allan put me straight on to an adult Black tern he had found with the Sandwich and Common Terns. As we all sat talking outside the observatory, I picked up a Sedge warbler skulking around in the pittosporum. 

 A good number of Sandwich terns were off Hilbre 

 Hilbre bird observatory

Other birds of note whilst sat drinking a nice vintage were a Whimbrel that flew over calling and a Peregrine hunting over middle eye. Moving round to the front of the observatory, the sun started to set, and we were to witness a perfect end to a great evening.

This is the life,Allan and I enjoying a glass of wine

A great evening spent with good friends in wonderful surroundings, and well worth a visit if you've never been over to Hilbre before. For all the latest bird news on the islands, visit https://twitter.com/hilbrebirdobs?lang=en-gb

NEW FERRY BUTTERFLY PARK-WIRRAL

I visited a new butterfly park today at New Ferry on the Wirral. The site is owned by the Cheshire Wildlife Trust, which has transformed the site over the years from some railway sidings just off Bebington railway station. For further information on the site 

http://www.cheshirewildlifetrust.org.uk/reserves/new-ferry-butterfly-park.

Twenty-six species of butterflies have been recorded at the park

Anyway, we had a good walk round and what a cracking little reserve they have established over the year, and the volunteers were really friendly and helpful regarding what species of butterfly were around.

  Common Grasshopper

 Gatekeeper

  Small tortoiseshell

 Common Blue

 Brimstone

 Small Skipper

 Speckled Wood

The Butterfly Park

Other Moths I have seen this month have included:

 Yellow-tailed Moth

 Buff Tip Moth

 Large Yellow Underwing Moth

Small Magpie

JURRASIC AUK!

It was last seen on British shores 200 years ago - but the great auk could soon return.

CLICK ON LINK

WESTERN SWAMPHEN-MINSMERE,SUFFOLK

I was just walking out of Burton RSPB on Sunday afternoon after seeing a Spotted crake when I received a Twitter message that a Purple Swamphen had been found at Minsmere in Suffolk. The bird was apparently ringed, so I just drove home and thought nothing more of it. I then received a text from Fred Fearn saying that the bird was now apparently unringed after photos had been taken, and it had been re-identified as a Western race that breeds in Spain and Portugal. There have been several records of Purple Swamphen in Britain, though these have generally related to Grey-headed Swamphen, which are kept in captivity in this country, and most records have been escapes out of someone's collection, like the Saltney bird in Chester in July 2010. There has been a northward dispersal of this species, though in France in 2016, so you never know. It was a good insurance tick! Anyway, plans were made by the other lads who were going down in the morning, which really gripped me off, but I couldn't do anything till Tuesday, regarding being in work Monday morning and having a busy workload. I knew I would end up going, and hopefully the bird would stay.

The bird showed all day on Monday, so when I left work in the evening, I made the long journey to Suffolk. I arrived at Minsmere just after 11.30pm and slept in the car. I set my alarm for 5am, and it was soon going off, so I made are way straight down to the south hide in the pouring rain! When Will It Stop? I soon picked up the Swamphen weaving in and out of the far reeds; it had stayed, and I had seen it. Thankfully, the bird had stayed in its favourite area that it had been in for the last two days, because it could easily have just disappeared into the vast reed beds at this reserve.

Western Swamphen

The weather was now getting even worse, and I was bloody freezing and wet. I just fired away a few record shots of the Swamphen that won't win any prizes and walked back to the car. Another downpour came, so I dived into a hide for shelter and took a quick look at what was about. Black-tailed godwits were in good numbers, along with 6 Spotted redshanks.

Black Tailed Godwit

A Marsh Harrier was sitting perched distantly, and 4 Bearded tits were seen from the hide.

Marsh Harrier

Just as I was about to leave the hide, I picked up a bird flying over the reed bed.

Bittern in flight

The rain had now eased a bit, so I headed back to the car. On my way back, I saw a Water rail and a young family of Whitethroats.

Water Rail

Common Whitethroats

The reserve opened at 9.00am, so I nipped into the cafe and had some much-deserved breakfast and a hot drink.

    A juvenile Robin kept me entertained while I had breakfast

Moving on from Minsmere, I called in at Westleton Heath, which I last visited on the 11th of May 2008, to try and see a Spectacled warbler, which I dipped, which was eight years ago. How time flies.

The common heather was in full bloom on Westleton Heath

A good walk around the heath soon produced 9 Dartford warblers and a Woodlark flyover.

9 Dartford warblers were seen on the heath

Getting back to the car, the rain started again, so I decided to head back north. The Swamphen was in the bag, and it is now up to the powers that be to decide if it is an escape or a true vagrant to our shores. Like the Chestnut Bunting, Dalmatian Pelican, and Lammergeier, we will just have to wait and see! If the Chinese Pond Heron can go on!!!!!!