Latest Cheshire & Wirral Bird News

September 30th

Neumann's Flash-Northwich

Adult Yellow-legged Gull

Moston

Ruddy Shelduck-One at fisheries

Hoylake

Curlew Sandpiper-Two juveniles west of RNLI Hoylake Lifeboat Station (CH47 3AL)

Hilbre Island

Black Guillemot- One off the east side.

Hoylake

Firecrest-Still in private garden, North Parade.

Meols

Curlew Sandpiper-Two juveniles on beach off Roman Road.

Curlew Sandpiper

(c) Sean O'Hara

September 29th

Storeton

Yellow-browed Warbler-One recorded at Storeton Woods yesterday

Widnes 

Caspian Gull-One on River Mersey

Widnes

Caspian Gull-Adult on River Mersey sandbank west of old Runcorn Bridge

Hilbre Island

Short-eared Owl-One but mobile.

Short-eared Owl

(c) Steve Williams

September 28th

Heswall Marsh

2 Barn Owls (1 off Riverbank Road and 1 off Cottage Lane).

Burton RSPB

Glossy Ibis-One flew over Border Hide towards saltmarsh; use reserve car park off Puddington Lane (CH64 5SF).

Bebbington

Yellow-browed Warbler-Unconfirmed report of one at Storeton Woods.

Hilbre Island

Black Guillemot- One-off on the east side.

1st Winter Black Guillemot

(c)Steve Williams

Parkgate Marsh/Gayton Sands RSPB

Correction-Caspian Gull-Yesterday's reported 1st-winter at Donkey Stand Flash has been reidentified as a Lesser Black-backed Gull from photographs.

September 27th

West Kirby Marine Lake

5 Red-breasted Mergansers and 6 Goosanders - West Kirby Marine Lake.

Hoylake

Curlew Sandpiper and a Wheatear. 

Hilbre Island

Black Guillemot off the east side, also 2 Stonechats, 13 Wigeon, Great White Egret and a Swallow. 

Caldy Wildfowl Collection

6,050 Black-tailed Godwits.

Parkgate

Caspian Gull (1st w) showing well on Donkey Stand Flash.

Pickerings Pasture

Little Stint.

Parkgate Marsh/Gayton Sands RSPB

Spotted Redshank-Four still at Boathouse Flash; also 5 Eurasian Spoonbills flew south.

26th September 2026

Coxbank

Baird's Sandpiper- One at Burleydam Pool; Park carefully along Lodmore Lane (SY13 4BJ); do not block access for farm vehicles-Still present this afternoon.

Parkgate Marsh/Gayton Sands RSPB

Spotted Redshank-Six still at Boathouse Flash

 

Waverton

Harrier sp-Ringtail flew south-east over A41.

Hoylake

Firecrest caught and ringed in seafront garden.

Firecrest

(c)Jane Turner

Neston Old Quay

Bearded Tit calling and showing well in hedge.

25th September

Pickerings Pasture

9 Little Stint-Three juveniles on River Mersey below car park (WA8 8LP); also a juvenile Curlew Sandpiper.

Meols

European Turtle Dove-One flew south-west towards Dove Point/Park Lane.

Coxbank

Baird's Sandpiper- One at Burleydam Pool; Park carefully along Lodmore Lane (SY13 4BJ); do not block access for farm vehicles-Still present this morning.

Parkgate Marsh/Gayton Sands RSPB

Spotted Redshank-Four still at Bevyl Road Flash; also 11 Eurasian Spoonbills

 

24th September 2026

Leasowe

8 Wheatears between the groyne and Lighthouse.

Burton RSPB

2 Cattle Egrets, 4 Greenshanks, 2 Ruff, Green Sandpiper and an Avocet - Burton Mere Wetlands.

Parkgate Marsh

5 Spotted Redshanks (3 adults & 2 juvs) and 16 Greenshanks- at Bevyl Road Flash.

Coxbank

Baird's Sandpiper- One at Burleydam Pool; Park carefully along Lodmore Lane (SY13 4BJ); do not block access for farm vehicles-Still present this morning.

23rd September 2026

Parkgate

11 Greenshank and 53 Shoveler - Boathouse Flash

Coxbank

Baird's Sandpiper- One at Burleydam Pool; Park carefully along Lodmore Lane (SY13 4BJ); do not block access for farm vehicles-Still present this morning.

Baird's Sandpiper

(c)Mark Jarrett

22nd September 2026

Coxbank

Baird's Sandpiper- One at Burleydam Pool; Park carefully along Lodmore Lane (SY13 4BJ); do not block access for farm vehicles-Still present this evening.

Neston

Bearded Tit-Little Neston-At least two at c 53.2802, -3.0701.

21st September 2026

Marbury Country Park

Black Tern-Juvenile at Budworth Mere; No sign by 8.00am.

Coxbank

Baird's Sandpiper- One at Burleydam Pool; Park carefully along Lodmore Lane (SY13 4BJ); do not block access for farm vehicles-Still present this evening-Still present at 18.16.

20th September 2026

Hilbre Island

131 Leach's Petrel, Grey Phalarope, 5 Arctic Skua, Great Skua and 36 Manx Shearwater.

Great Skua

Manx Shearwater

Leach's Petrel

(c)Alan Hitchmough

New Brighton

20+ Leach's Petrels, Little Gull and 2 Manx Shearwaters past Mersey mouth.

Wallasey Shore

48 Leach's Petrels and a Manx Shearwater passed by 14.15hrs.

Leach's Petrel

(c)Pete Sutton

Leasowe Gunsite

32+ Leach's Petrels and a Manx Shearwater by 11.30am.

Hoylake Shore

Storm Petrel and 27+ Leach's Petrels.

Coxbank

Baird's Sandpiper- One at Burleydam Pool; Park carefully along Lodmore Lane (SY13 4BJ); do not block access for farm vehicles-Still present this evening.

Bebington

Grey-backed Thrush- 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.

19th September 2026

Coxbank

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.

Northwich

Manx Shearwater-One found exhausted.

Widnes

Caspian Gull-Adult on River Mersey sandbank west of old Runcorn Bridge.

Pickerings Pasture

Curlew Sandpiper-One still.

Hilbre Island

19 Leach's Petrels, Storm Petrel, 9 Red-throated Divers,  2 Arctic Terns, Little Tern, 6 Sandwich Terns, 4 Guillemots and a Razorbill. 

Leasowe Gunsite

Leach's Storm Petrel-11 flew west between 16:00 and 17:00.

Wallasey Shore

Leach's Storm Petrel-Another three flew west past Harrison Drive.

18th September 2026

New Brighton

Storm Petrel and 2 - 3 Leach's Petrels.

West Kirby Marine Lake

Curlew Sandpiper-One at the south end.

17th September 2026

Leasowe Gunsite

Barolo Shearwater at 1510hrs, also 31 Leach's Petrels from about 1140hrs to 1725hrs, flying west.

Wallasey Shore

5 Arctic Skuas and 26 Leach's Petrels.

North Wirral-Between Mersey Mouth and Hoylake Shore

At least 2 Grey Phalaropes and Leach's Petrels as above, also several Manx Shearwaters. 

Hilbre Island

9 Leach's Petrels,7 Manx Shearwaters, 4 Razorbills and 6 Arctic Terns.

16th September 2026

New Brighton

Arctic Skua flew west from Mersey mouth this morning.

Leasowe Lighthouse

5 Wheatears along the embankment by the lighthouse.

Leasowe Gunsite

2 Leach's Petrels and a Manx Shearwater flew west.

Wallasey Shore

2 Leach's Petrels and a Grey Phalarope.

Leach's Petrel

(c)Pete Sutton

Hoylake Shore

3 Juvenile Curlew Sandpipers this afternoon.

Burton RSPB

Ruddy Shelduck and 2 Little Stints.

Acre Nook Sand Quarry

Slavonian Grebe-Adult still this evening.

15 September 2026

Acre Nook Sand Quarry

Slavonian Grebe-Adult still this evening.

Hoylake Shore

Sabine's Gull- Juvenile on beach, then flew inland; also 3 Black Tern, 7 Arctic Tern and 10 Little Tern.

Sabine's Gull

(c)Pete Sutton

Hilbre Island

2 Black Tern and Black Guillemot flying west, Garganey flew north,  possible Long-tailed Skua, also hundreds of terns(mainly Sandwich).

Black Guillemot

(c)Steve Williams

Parkgate

Garganey, Hen Harrier (ringtail) and 20 Spoonbills.

Challenger 1 expedition: to The Canyons

Challenger 1 Expedition from Falmouth to The Canyons Marine Conservation Zone, 17th–25th September 2026. Read more>

BirdGuides Review of the Week: 21st-27th September 2026

We're well and truly into the heart of autumn now, a time of year when it doesn't take much for things to truly kick off. Read more>

No luck with the Slender-striped Rufous moth

At the beginning of the year, Jenna and I planned a trip with the primary goal of finding the Slender-striped Rufous moth. In the months leading up to our trip, I gathered local information and identified a site where we hoped to trap one.

Our target: the Slender-striped Rufous moth

The Slender-striped Rufous is a rare and localised species in Britain, primarily found in northern and western Scotland. It inhabits damp heathland and open moorland, with adults typically recorded from September into early October. This species is classified as Nationally Scarce, and I was eager to find one. We left Cheshire on Thursday afternoon and reached our destination in Perth and Kinross late that evening.

Slender-striped Rufous site

Unfortunately, the weather took a dramatic turn from what had been forecast, typical for Scotland, resulting in driving rain. We set out three LED traps, hoping for the best. After managing a few hours of sleep in the car, we returned to check the traps, but unfortunately, we didn’t trap any Slender-striped Rufous. The rain returned, making it a rough start to the trip. I did manage to add a few new species to our list, so it wasn't a complete loss.

After the disappointment of our first morning, we travelled further north to our hotel, taking some time to explore Aviemore and the Cairngorms, which Jenna had never visited before. 

View from Cairngorm Mountain

We also stopped in the Abernethy Forest where Jenna saw her first-ever Crested Tit's.

Abernethy Forest bird feeding station

Crested Tit

Over the next two nights, we trapped again for the Slender-striped Rufous, but we still had no luck. We did wonder, though, if we had arrived too late in the season after such a hot summer and they had already been on the wing or had a bad year-who knows. Regardless, we gave it our best effort and still had a great time in such idyllic surroundings. Although we didn’t succeed this time, we are determined to try again next year; we don't give in that easily. Here are a few moths we managed to trap during the trip:

Red Sword-grass

Green-brindled Crescent

Streak

Autumn Green Carpet

July Highflyer

Feathered Thorn

Red-green Carpet

Spruce Carpet

BirdGuides Review of the Week: 14th–20th September 2026

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>

Latest Moths Trapped in Buckland, Oxfordshire

I'm still working down in Oxfordshire this week and staying in an Airbnb in Buckland. The owners have kindly let me use the garden for moth trapping each night, and some of the autumn moths have really been on show in the morning catch. Here are the moths I've trapped during my stay this week.

The Sallow

Black Rustic

Large Ranunculus

Frosted Orange

Treble-bar

Vestal

Oak Hook-tip

Bearded Chestnut

Deep-brown Dart

Satellite

Moths, Wind and a Couple of South Coast Lifers

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.

 South Downs

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.

Lace Border

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.

There was also a Guillemot and a Manx Shearwater close inshore, both presumably pushed towards the coast by the strong winds. It was a good reminder that even miserable weather can produce some interesting wildlife encounters. The wind clearly wasn't going anywhere quickly, so I spent the afternoon at Portland Bird Observatory with the other birders.

Portland Observatory garden

It was so windy that you could hardly stand up at times, and there was certainly little point in trying to trap moths in those conditions.

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.

Freshwater Bay

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.

Feathered Brindle 

After packing up at dawn and driving back to the bird observatory for a well-deserved brew, Martin Cabe, the warden, opened his overnight moth traps, where I added another new moth, Clancy's Rustic.

Clancy's Rustic

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.