CHESHIRE AND WIRRAL BIRD NEWS 29TH DECEMBER 2018

WIRRAL
Hilbre
Eider,229 Brent Geese,Rock Pipit,90 Bar-tailed Godwit flew north and 1,028 Cormorant flew out of the estuary.

Burton Marsh-Station Road
Barn Owl.

Parkgate
4 Marsh harrier,Ringtail Hen harrier and a male.

Meols
Great White Egret-In field west of Carr Lane. 

CHESHIRE
Risley Moss
2 Woodcock,2 Short-Eared Owls and a Tawny Owl.

Frodsham Marshes
Eurasian White Fronted Goose-4 by Holpool Gutter and 20 Whooper swans in fields off Lordship Lane.

Middlewich
Whooper Swan-Juvenile on Trent and Mersey Canal between King's Lock pub and Cledford Lane Bridge.

Marbury Country Park
Eurasian Bittern-In TA Coward Reedbed and 34 Goosander.

CHESHIRE AND WIRRAL BIRD NEWS 28TH DECEMBER 2018

WIRRAL
Puddington
Western cattle Egret-Near Manor house farm-Puddington lane.

Burton RSPB
Great Egret Burton Marsh From Point 
Berwick's Swans 2 Adult-1 juv Burton Marsh From Point 
Linnets x30 Birdcrop Field Fieldfare 
Siskin In Alders To IMF
Stonechat By Border Pool
Peregrine (Juv) Over IMF
Cetti's Warbler In Copse To IMF
Water Rail In Copse To IMF
Pintail x2 (M) Bridge Pool
Curlew x27 From Marsh Covert Hide
Nuthatch By Willow Pool
Green Sandpiper Reception Pool
Marsh Harrier x2 (M&F) Wet Grassland
Buzzard Fence Wet Grassland
Reed Bunting Feeder By Barn

CHESHIRE
Hale
Iceland Gull-Adult flew west past lighthouse.

Ince Marshes
2 Great White egret.

Warrington
Waxwing-Three flew low west towards Milner Street this morning. 

Newchurch Common
Smew-Female of unknown origin still at west end of pit north of track. 

Middlewich Limebeds
Green Sandpiper

Croxton Flash
4 Pink Footed geese-Over.

Crewe
3 Long Eared Owl,2 Cetti's warbler,Great White Egret and a Water Rail-Maw Green Tip.

Marbury Country Park
Eurasian Bittern-In TA Coward Reedbed. 

Winsford Flash
Mediterranean Gull-Early afternoon.

Frodsham Marshes
Eurasian White Fronted Goose-4 by Holpool Gutter.

MY BIRDING YEAR 2018

Late January saw me visiting Staines Reservoir in Surrey on the 22nd with Malc Curtin to see an American Horned Lark, which showed really well after much finding.

AMERICAN HORNED LARK

I visited the Isles of Scilly on the 2nd April with Phil Woollen to try and see a Belted Kingfisher that had been seen the previous afternoon. On arrival, there was no sign of the bird. We spent the whole day trudging around the island, but the bird had gone! 1ST DIP OF THE YEAR!

On the 11th of May, a Moltoni's Warbler was found on Blakeney Point in Norfolk. I was working until Monday but made the trip across to Norfolk and walked the dreaded walk, but the bird had gone. 2ND DIP OF THE YEAR!

All was quiet then until the 17th May, when a songbird was found on the Fair Isle in Shetland. I visited the island with Fred Fearn on a scheduled flight, and we got cracking views of the birds feeding outside the observatory.

SONG SPARROW

On the 19th of June, I made my way down to Church Norton in West Sussex to see an American Royal Tern that had roosted overnight in a tern colony. All was going well when we took a wrong turn and missed the bird by minutes.GUTTED!3RD DIP OF THE YEAR!

Cheshire and Wirral hit the headlines on the 12th of August when a Bonaparte's gull was found at Hoylake on the north Wirral coast. I was working the next day, but thankfully the bird hung around, and I connected with it on the 14th.

BONAPARTE'S GULL

September started off quiet, and then another mega bird was found at Parkgate on the 14th, a Pallid Harrier. I missed this bird last year as I was on Shetland and never dreamed another one would turn up again so soon.I spent the afternoon watching the bird and got great views.

PALLID HARRIER

On the 7th of October, a green warbler was found on Lundy Island. I went down with Fred Fearn, who chartered a boat the next morning. It was a boat trip I'll never forget; we were tossed from pillar to post. Again, no bird! 4TH DIP OF THE YEAR!

The autumn continued to be very quiet until the 14th of October, when a White Rumped Swift was found at Hornsea Mere in East Yorkshire. Hundreds gathered the next morning, but there was no sign of the bird.5TH DIP OF THE YEAR!As I was travelling home across the M62 news then broke of Grey Catbird at Lands End in Cornwall. Arrangements were made, and I was there at first light to see this mega bird!

GREY CATBIRD

This was a great bird for me to see, as for years I had ridiculed my late good friend Pete Antrobus's sighting on Holyhead Mountain in Wales, as he had seen it on the Saturday when no one else had, so my nickname became SATURDAY CATBIRD to wind him up! It was also Pete's birthday that day, and as I stood watching the bird, I knew if he were still alive I would have mithered him to see the bird, and he would have ventured south to get the bird on his England list!

My good friend Allan Conlin rang me on the 17th of October to tell me that the Chough was still present at Thurstaston by the sailing club. I arrived and got great views of the bird.

CHOUGH

On the 19th of October, an Eastern Stonechat was found at Salthouse in Norfolk. After much debate after people had been to see it, all key ID features were leaning towards Stejneger's Stonechat. Currently, this species can only be validated 100% by DNA analysis, which thankfully was collected as well and sent off. I went to see the bird on the 29th and got great views of the bird.

PROBABLE Stejninger's STONECHAT

On the 23rd of October, I stood at Burton mere RSPB and saw my first bearded tits for the county, and then on the 6th of November, a local birder found Cheshire and Wirral's first pied wheatear. I managed to catch up with the bird the next morning.

 

PIED WHEATEAR

On the 17th November, news filtered through via social media that the Salthouse Stonechat was STEJNEGER'S. This was my 500th bird for Britain!😎

With the birding year coming to an end, news broke on Anglesey on the 10th of December that an American Royal tern had been found, and it was presumably the same bird I had dipped in West Sussex with a metal ring on his right leg. I arrived on site the next morning and got stunning views of the bird sitting preening on the beach. WHAT A GRIP BACK!

AMERICAN ROYAL Tennis

Another great year of birding but a few painful dips over the year, and thankfully I got one back at the end. I've now officially seen 500 birds in Britain, which I am very proud of, and thanks to all my birding mates that have driven miles with me all over the country, dove, laughed, and seen some mega birds with. ROLL ON 2019!

CHESHIRE AND WIRRAL BIRD NEWS 27TH DECEMBER 2018

WIRRAL
Burton Outer Marsh
4 Bewick's Swan and 11+ Whooper Swan.

Parkgate
2 Short-eared Owl,Merlin and a Grey Male Hen Harrier.

Neston Reedbed
Bittern.

Burton RSPB
Great Egret x3 Burton Marsh From Point 
Merlin Burton Marsh From Point 
Hen Harrier (M) Burton Marsh From Point 
Buzzard Burton Marsh From Point
Green Woodpecker Burton Point
Fieldfare Burton Point
Siskin In Alders To IMF
Linnets 20+ Blrdcrop Field
Reed Bunting x3 By Birdcrop Field
Cetti's Warbler Near Marsh Covert Hide
Water Rail By Reedbed Screen
Peregrine Fence Post Wet Grassland
Whooper Swans 15+By Wet Grassland
Curlew Wet Grassland Marsh Harrier Over Wet Grassland

CHESHIRE
Middlewich
2 Waxwing-In car park at Kinderton House.

Risley-Silver Lane Pools
4 Goosander on the pools,Redpoll and a Willow tit.

Marbury Country Park
31 Goosander-Budworth Mere

Hale
Little Stint,Adult Iceland Gull,Water Pipit,Yellow Legged Gull,2 Mediterranean Gull,3 Great White Egret.Whooper swan,Ring tailed Hen Harrier,Peregrine Falcon,Barn Owl,2 Woodcock and a Water Rail.

Middlewich-Cledford Lane
2 Woodcock-Back of British Salt works.

CHESHIRE AND WIRRAL BIRD NEWS 26TH DECEMBER 2018

WIRRAL
Burton RSPB
Peregrine Fence Post Wet Grassland 
Marsh Harrier Over Wet Grassland 
Whooper Swans Behind Wet Grassland 
Golden Plover x15 Main Scrape
Merlin Tree By Toilet Block
Water Rail Marsh Covert Hide
Cetti's Warbler By Marsh Covert Hide
Linnets Birdcrop Field
Reed Bunting x2 By Birdcrop Field
Siskin In Alders To IMF
Fieldfare Burton Point
Buzzard Burton Marsh From Point
Great Egret Burton Marsh From Point (Phone Scoped)
Goldcrest Along Path IMF
Stonechat IMF
Bearded Tits x2 (Seen) Reedbed Screen

Heswall Shore
2,540 Pink-footed Geese roosted overnight then flew inland at first light (many flew over Stapledon Wood),also 1,060 Shelduck,730 Pintail and 800+ Teal.

West Kirby
At least 1,000 Pink-footed Geese feeding in fields along side Saughall Massie Road.

Neston Old Quay
2 Water Pipit on marsh.

Thurstaston
Immature Drake Scaup in channel.

Heswall-Riverbank Road
62 Pale-bellied Brent Geese,8 Red-breasted Merganser,2 Great White Egret,Ringtail Hen Harrier,Merlin,2 Peregrine.

Parkgate
Bittern,4 Hen Harrier (1 grey male),Great White Egret,2 Marsh Harrier and a Merlin.

Heswall-Cottage Lane
Short-eared Owl.

Puddington
Western Cattle Egret-In field at Puddington Lane near Manor House Farm 

CHESHIRE
Newchurch Common
Smew-Adult female of unknown origin still on the large pool north of the track.

Frodsham Marshes
3 Great White Egret.

BIRDGUIDES PHOTO OF THE WEEK 19TH-25TH DECEMBER 2018

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CHESHIRE AND WIRRAL BIRD NEWS 25TH DECEMBER 2018

WIRRAL
Thurstaston Shore
680 Pintail, 320 Teal and 3 Greenshank.

Heswall-Riverbank Road
Firecrest.

Parkgate
4+ Marsh Harrier and 3+ Hen Harrier(2 grey males one of which was a sub-adult),also 4+ Great White Egret,Merlin and 1,500 Pink-footed Geese.

CHESHIRE
Frodsham Marshes
Great White Egret-Frodsham Score.

CHESHIRE AND WIRRAL BIRD NEWS 24TH DECEMBER 2018

WIRRAL
Leasowe Lighthouse
328 Great Crested Grebe,12 Wigeon and 2 Gadwall.

Parkgate
Bittern,7 Marsh Harrier,Peregrine Falcon,2 Merlin,Water Rail,4 Great White Egret,Short-eared Owl and 2 Stonechat.

West Kirby Marine Lake
3 Red Breasted Merganser,2 Goosander and a Goldeneye.

Burton RSPB
Western Cattle Egret and Green Sandpiper.


Neston Marsh
16 Great White Egret

CHESHIRE
Higher Marston Farm
3 Tree Sparrow.

Marbury Country Park
Eurasian Bittern-In TA Coward Reedbed. 

CHESHIRE AND WIRRAL BIRD NEWS 23RD DECEMBER 2018

WIRRAL
Burton RSPB
Whooper Swans x16 Field Back Of Wet Grassland 
Buzzard Fence Wet Grassland 
Curlew Wet Grassland 
Dunlin From Marsh Covert Hide
Golden Plover x17 Marsh Covert Hide
Linnets Birdcrop Field
Bullfinch x1 Railway Bridge
Goldcrest Along Path IMF
Stonechat x2 IMF
Peregrine Over IMF
Merlin Over Wet Grassland

Hilbre
235 Bar-tailed Godwit 325 Grey Plover, 8,500 Oystercatcher and 770 Cormorant.

Parkgate
Bittern.

CHESHIRE
Marbury Country Park
Eurasian Bittern-In TA Coward Reedbed and 38 Goosander on Budworth Mere.