A Cheshire Birders Blog: 2019-06-30

6.7.19

SAVE ARE SWIFTS

Legislate that all UK house builders shall install Swift bricks in all new-build homes, and give incentives for retrofitting nest boxes on older properties.PLEASE CLICK HERE AND SIGN THE PETITION

PHOTOS NEEDED FOR CAWOS BIRD REPORTS

CAWOS is looking for good quality photographs to be considered for inclusion in the Bird Reports, for 2017, but also 2018 and 2019. Mark Woodhead who contributed photographs for the 2016 report has agreed to collect high quality photographs for possible inclusion in the 2017-9 reports. Pictures of birds you have seen in Cheshire in the relevant year should be sent to Mark at woodheadmwla@aol.com all species will be considered and obviously if you were lucky enough to get good shots of rarities they are a must!! Location and date are essential. So hopefully for those with a keen interest in bird photography, this is your chance to get your best pictures considered for the Cheshire & Wirral Bird Report.

LATEST CHESHIRE AND WIRRAL BIRD NEWS

6TH JULY 2019
Thurstaston
Gull-billed Tern

West Kirby Shore
2 Mediterranean Gull (adults)

Caldy Wildfowl Collection
1,200 Black-tailed Godwit

Hoylake Shore
2 Mediterranean Gull (adult and 2nd summer) in roost and a Kittiwake over

Meols Shore
Mediterranean Gull

Burton Point
3 Great White Egret and a Marsh Harrier

Burton RSPB
Little Owl,2 Spotted Redshank,Ruff,2 Mediterranean Gull and 3 Sandwich Tern

5TH JULY 2019
Thurstaston
Gull-billed Tern

West Kirby Shore
5 Mediterranean Gull(4 ads and 1 2nd year) and 190 Sandwich Tern.

Caldy Wildfowl Collection
990 Black-tailed Godwit

Hoylake Shore
185 Sandwich Tern (including the first 2 juvs)

Burton RSPB
2 Spoonbill,4 Mediterranean Gull,Great White Egret and 7 Spotted redshank

Sandbach Flashes
2 Little Ringed Plover,Green Sandpiper,9 Black Tailed Godwit and a Common Sandpiper

Fodens Flash-Sandbach
Barn Owl and 3 Tawny Owl in the area

Marbury Country Park
Green Sandpiper-Neumann's Flash
49 Curlew,2 Little Ringed Plover and 40 Lapwing

4TH JULY 2019
Hoylake Shore
Yellow-legged Gull and a Mediterranean Gull.

Thurstaston
Gull-billed Tern on mud between Shore Cottage and causeway below Dee Sailing Club,a bit mobile and sometimes distant.

Caldy Wildfowl Collection
710 Black-tailed Godwit and 4 Knot (non-breeding plumage)

Marbury Country park
Common Sandpiper,2 Common Tern and 2 Little Ringed Plover-Kid Brook Spit-Budworth Mere
2 Little Ringed Plover-Neumann's Flash

3RD JULY 2019
Thurstaston
Gull-billed Tern off Shore Cottage before and after high tide (observed at 1445hrs from Dee Sailing club),also 3 Mediterranean Gull (2 ads and a juv) which flew over the birders at Dee Sailing club.

West Kirby
2 Mediterranean Gull (ads) and 82 Sandwich Tern

Caldy Wildfowl Collection
530 Black-tailed Godwit

Burton RSPB
Western Cattle Egret and u8 Spotted Redshank

West Kirby
3 Mediterranean Gull (2ad and 1 juv) on playing field-Greenbank Road

Willaston
Red Kite heading south over Willaston just after 5pm.

Lostock Green
Cuckoo-On wires

Sandbach Flashes
Green sandpiper,Common Sandpiper and Little Egret

2ND JULY 2019
Heswall Shore
5 Whimbrel and 2 Mediterranean Gull (Adults)

West Kirby Shore
52 Sandwich Tern with about 500 Black-headed Gull

Caldy Wildfowl Collection
260 Black-tailed Godwit

1ST JULY 2019
Sandbach Flashes
Caspian Gull-1st Summer

Burton RSPB
5 Spotted Redshank

Leasowe Lighthouse
2 Kingfisher along River Birkett

30TH JUNE 2019
Leasowe Lighthouse
2 Kingfisher along River Birkett

Burton RSPB
Cattle Egret and 7 Spotted Redshank.

Heswall Shore
2 ad Mediterranean Gull,4 Whimbrel,400 Shelduck,33 Little Egret,1200 Curlew,Summer plumaged Bar-tailed Godwit,230 Redshank and 485 Black-headed Gull

Caldy Wildfowl Collection
130 Black-tailed Godwit

Parkgate
4 Spoonbill

Sandbach Flashes
Adult Yellow Legged Gull,Mediterranean Gull,Little Egret,5 Green sandpiper and a Common Sandpiper

Swettenham Ford
Adult female Pied Flycatcher-On dead branches of old oak 15 yards on east side of lane near 2 old oak trees

29TH JUNE 2019
Burton RSPB
Wood Sandpiper

Meols
Mediterranean Gull and a Cuckoo-Moels Common

Hoylake
12 Manx Shearwater and 4 Razorbill flying west.

Hilbre Island
Redstart,Blackcap and a Collared Dove.

Neston Marsh
Marsh Harrier and a Grasshopper warbler off the Harp Inn.

Newchurch Common
Reed Warbler-1st for site

28TH JUNE 2019

Caldy Wildfowl Collection

30 Black-tailed Godwit (first ones back since the spring migration)

Burton RSPB

7 Spotted Redshank,Greenshank and a female Sparrowhawk

Heswall Shore

2 Mediterranean Gull (ads) with 470 Black-headed Gull.

Brereton Heath Country Park

Spotted Flycatcher

27TH JUNE 2019

Marbury Country Park-Green Sandpiper-Hayden's Pool

Burton RSPB-Wood Sandpiper

Sandbach Flashes-Wood sandpiper,2 Green sandpiper and 2 Common Sandpiper-Elton Hall Flash

Sandbach-2 Spotted Flycatcher-At cul-de-sac at end of Bramall close off Tatton drive.

Hale-Common Quail-Male on north side,singing west of Carr Lane in field at Burnt Mill Lane

4.7.19

GULL BILLED TERN-THURSTASTON-DEE SAILING CLUB-4TH JULY 2019

News broke yesterday that local birder Steve Hinde had found an adult gull billed tern before high tide off the Dee sailing club at Thurstaston. I was currently working and needed this for Cheshire and Wirral. Gripped off, I had to wait till tomorrow to see if the bird was still present.

News came out early this morning, so I made my way there, and it wasn't long before the bird flew past me as I was walking along the tideline. The Tern showed down to a few feet over my head before landing on the beach eating a crab.

What an absolutely stunning bird, and only my second for Britain; the last one I saw was on the Dyfi estuary, Wales, in 2007. This bird was Cheshire and Wirral's 9th record.