Parkgate Birding Bonanza!

Grey Heron swallowing a Water Rail at Parkgate

The Water Rail was still alive and screaming when I first got onto theis scene - it didn't last long.

Grey Heron by the Boathouse Pools, Parkgate

Female Marsh Harrier, Parkgate. Like trying to platt fog - trying to digiscope a flying Marsh Harrier at a few hundred yards!

The tide didn't flood the marsh at Parkgate today - plenty of action though!

Moody looking sky which heralded hail over Neston Marsh

Whooper Swans at Shotwick fields - the herd currently includes this strange yellow-legged individual which is being touted as a leucistic bird in some quarters!

Bewick's Swans with the Whoopers - note the difference in size between these and the Whooper on the right.

The moon yesterday evening. Superb views were also had of Mars - the photos were crap though.

Adult Common Gull, Newton Lake

First winter Common Gull, Newton Lake

Different adult Common Gull

Yellow-legged Gull, adult, Moore, in very gloomy conditions

Mediterranean Gull (adult), Moore in very, very gloomy conditions!

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Not much to report from the last week or so - except for today's visit to Parkgate. On Thursday I managed a quick visit to Moore late afternoon where the gulls were behaving oddly. There were perhaps only 3,000 birds of all species present on the grass bank on the side of the tip. Every few minutes a small group would descend onto Birchwood Pool, bathe frantically and then fly off within 30 seconds or so. Something about the pool clearly had them spooked. I did manage two adult Yellow-legged Gulls and an adult Med Gull.

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The garden is relatively quiet at the moment - three Reed Buntings and three Tree Sparrows this afternoon is about as good as it gets though three Pheasants are regular visitors at the moment. Likewise I have had little time to view the feeding station - this morning a quick scan produced 30+ Tree Sparrows, 25+ Yellowhammers and 10 Corn Buntings. Yesterday morning at HGF most of the Wigeon had gone though a female Goldeneye was a welcome addition. I went back late afternoon to find some of the Wigeon had returned. While I stood on the north bank I noticed lots of corvids and woodies flushing to the south - a Peregrine appeared and flew across the pool and right over my head - a male I would guess from its size.

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Yesterday I also made a quick trip to Newton Lake. Not much to report - 2 Mute Swans, 11 Tufties, 148 Teal, 198 Black-headed Gulls and 6 Common Gulls. I entertained myself taking digiscoped shots of the Common Gulls.

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This morning I wandered over to Shotwick to have a look at the swan herd. The birds were a little distant though the combined hered comprised 38 Bewick's and 46 Whoopers. It was noticeable that the two species largely kept to themselves with all of the smaller swans to the left and the Whoopers to the right. The odd looking yellow-legged Whooper was present.

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High tide at Parkgate today was 10m exactly - I was a little pessimistic about its chances of flooding the salt marsh, however in the event that did not really matter. Birds started to appear in small numbers - as we neared high tide birds seemed to be everywhere and it was difficult to keep track of everything. It did help meeting Jonathan there - I don't think he missed so much as a vole scratching his balls while we were there!

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For me the highlight of the day was a stand off between a fox and a female Marsh Harrier. Reynard was one of two animals hunting on the marsh - he got just a bit too near the harrier which took off and hovered over the fox which responded by standing on its back legs and lunging at the bird. Amazing spectacle!

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Aside from the Marsh Harrier there was two or possible three ring-tailed Hen Harriers, six Kestrels, 3 or possiblr 4 Merlins, six Short-eared Owls and at least four Peregrines. One of the latter was a brown first winter bird which seemed to specialise in bombing up and down, flushing birds left, right and centre and missing everything - unlike its elders. I also noted several Black-headed Gulls with voles and someone spotted a Grey Heron which had caught a struggling and screaming Water Rail. The rail was quickly killed and eventually swallowed whole.

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At one point Jonathan spotted a Peregrine heading our way and chasing a small bird - the latter dropped down and away and suddenly dropped into the rushes right in front of me - a probable Jack Snipe! Approx 50 Common Snipe flew out while out on the shore approx 150 Black-tailed Godwits were flying around with hundreds of Curlews, Knot, Dunlin and Redshanks. Large numbers of Teal, Wigeon and Common Shelduck plus a few Pintails and Red-breasted Mergansers were on the various stretches of water - at least 400 Pink-footed Geese also came into the marsh.

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Jonathan spotted the Spoonbill which was in the same place he found it yesterday - it eventually flushed at a helicopter though we later re-found it further out on the marsh. Around 15 Little Egrets were flying around - much lower numbers than I expected and at least 3 Stonechats were fitting aroud on the tops of rushes. Around 25 Fieldfares plus hundreds of Skylarks, Meadow Pipits and Linnets buzzed all over the marsh. What a day! I can't remember enjoying myself so much - can't wait for the next big high tide!

Grey, grim and cold

Water Pipit, No. 4 tank Frodsham Marsh

Wigeon and Starlings at Elton Hall Flash, Sandbach

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Not had much opportunity for birding recently due to work. Probably the best bit was while driving back from Slough on Thursday where I counted 18 Red Kites along the M4/M40. To be fair I have counted more birds down here before, however the difference this time was that they were evenly spaced along a 35 mile stretch suggesting the kites are spreading. Some had the good grace to fly low over the car too.

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I managed to get a quick spell just before dusk at Elton Hall Flash later that afternoon where a single adult Yellow-legged Gull and an iffy candidate for a female Caspian Gull (looked good in the field, not so good in the record shots) were the best sightings. Lots of birds were coming to the feeders here - loads of tits, three Great Spotted Woodpeckers and a few Tree Sparrows. Seven Goosanders were on the water plus loads of Wigeon, three Ruff, a few Pintail and a few thousand gulls. The one thing that I notice here is that, unlike Moore, there are large numbers of other species besides Herring Gulls - a pretty good mix.

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HGF on Friday morning and the Wigeon flock had increased to 13 birds and the first couple of Coots were also back. A quick look at the feeding station produced a male Spar perched in the hedge and, surprise surprise, nothing else. Rixton pool was still frozen.

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Saturday and the Wigeon flock had increased at HGF to 66 birds. 7 Pochard were welcome visitors and a flock of 60 or so Lapwings were present in the field nr Myddleton Farm. At the feeding station it was quite busy from morning and afternoon visits. Best bird was a Merlin which flew over the field opposite though unfortunately it kept going in the direction of Burton Wood. At least 75 Tree Sparrows plus good number of Chaffinches and Yellowhammers. At dusk 26 Grey Partridges were squabbling - there are at least two pairs which seem to have split from the coveys. A male Sparrowhawk visited the garden - the pale Collared Dove is also still present.

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Sunday and a quick visit to HGF - the wintering Redshank was back! A Snipe flushed from the south field and 64 Wigeon were still present. At the feeding station in the afternoon I got the highest Yellowhammer count of the winter with 36 birds all perched together in the hedge and then feeding. 69 Tree Sparrows were counted, however more were coming in so I suspect the count was probably much higher. They were flushed, unfortunately. 19 Grey Partridges also appeared while in the garden single Tree Sparrow and Reed Bunting were seen.

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Mid afternoon I managed a quick trip to Frodsham Marsh. Below is the list of birds seen. Unfortunately most of the birds on 5 and 6 tanks were flushed by a couple of dick heads on quad bikes. On No. 4 tank I took half an hour to find the Water Pipit - shortly after it appeared it was flushed by a Kestrel!

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No 5 tank

180+ Dunlin

1500+ Lapwing

75+ Curlew

140+ Golden Plover

1 Ruff

1 Black-tailed Godwit

120+ Goldfinch (with a few Linnets tagging along)

3 Skylarks

No 6 tank

580+ Teal

140+ Wigeon

100+ Tufted Duck

90+ Pochard

9 Shoveler

4 Gadwall

3 Pintail

9 Shelduck

1 Raven

No 4 tank

1 Water Pipit

4 Meadow Pipits

5 Pied Wagtails

plus 4 Kestrels and 3 Buzzards
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This morning the Wigeon flock at HGF was the same, however 80+ Pink-footed Geese flew over heading east. While driving to work I spotted a second flock of around 110 heading NW. In fields off the A57 in Rixton were around 80 Fieldfares and at Glazebrook (in fields north of the village) 380 Lapwings were feeding with 27 Stock Doves.

Deep Purple

Some digiscoped shots of Purple Sandpipers at Rhos - most of them were in a deep sleep!

Turnstone, Rhos

Brambling, Burton Marsh

Mediterranean Gull, Moore

2nd winter Lesser Black-backed Gull with orange breast - not sure if its picked something up off the tip or its been purposely sprayed to track its movements. The photo doesn't really show off the true extent of the orange colour - it stood out a mile in the pool!

Very pale and oddly marked second winter Herring Gull

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Saturday was a quietish day. Below is the list of sightings at the feeding station from morning and afternoon sessions (haven't been since):

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75+ Tree Sparrows

4 House Sparrows

3 Reed Buntings

19 Yellowhammers

10 Corn Buntings (up to 24 late afternoon)

1 Bullfinch

12 Chaffinches

2 Greenfinches

1 Linnet

40+ Sheps

1 Stock Dove

1 Fieldfare

3 Redwings

1 Buzzard

1 Kestrel

2 Pheasants

9 Grey Partridges (28 late afternoon)

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The Fieldfare that has been resident in the garden departed after 26 days spent here. HGF is still frozen though a pair of Mallard appear to have taken up roosting on the ice. Yesterday evening there was a two foot strip of free water around the edge, however the ice near the edge is still thick enough to support my weight! Don't try it!!!

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Sunday I went looking for Woodlarks -bit of a risky strategy as I didn't have a lot of time to spend. Anyway I rolled up to find several birders with the blank looks that clearly indicated they had seen no Woodlarks and had no idea where they were. A few of us headed up the opposite track - about half way up I scanned a small paddock and picked out a male Brambling in a small flock of Chaffinches. At the top of the track were large numbers of Fieldfares, Redwings and Mistle Thrushes plus a flock of around 150 Linnets. Someone had reported three Woodlarks earlier that morning - to make life interesting 3 Skylarks kept flitting around in a small group - they were definitely Skylarks though.

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I wandered off into the corner of a stubble field and perked up when a small lark flew over my head, calling. The call seemed to me to resemble Woodlark (which I had listened to before setting off) - it was short-tailed, small and I could see no white stripes down the side of the tail (a feature I had picked out on the three Skylarks). That was as good as it got though and this one will have to go in the iffy category. While I was watching this one, all the other birders had seen two birds which they thought were Woodlarks drop into the field behind me - I never saw them and no one could relocate them. Lovely scenery there anyway and a Buzzard and a Sparrowhawk were also subsequently seen.

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Next I headed off to LFF for a bit of seawatching. The conditions were good and I soon had 9 Red-throated Divers, 1 Great Northern Diver and 3 Slavonian Grebes. Added to these were 2 Fulmars, 5 Razorbills and 4 Eiders. Next I went to look at some sleeping Purple Sandpipers - 13 of these gorgeous little waders and some even woke up! I spent some time just watching these and didn't bother looking out to sea which I should have done judging by reports.

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Monday I managed a very brief sojourn to Burton Marsh while working in the area. The walk to the Decca Pools produced a few Little Egrets flitting around and several hundred each of Teal and Wigeon. A Peregrine was perched on top of a large pole and the outer marsh was full of swans. Most of these were too far away, however one group of 14 had come in quite a way and were easy to ID as Bewick's. Along the hedge was a flock of Chaffinches which were very flighty, especially after a male Spar paid them a visit. During the brief spells when they settled I managed to pick out 6 Bramblings - I suspect there were more. Two foxes patrolled the pools before wandering off.

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Today I managed a brief look at Birchwood Pool, Moore. The pool is still largely frozen though the free water area is bigger. Presumably becuase Richmond Bank was probably under water, there were large numbers of Herring and Black-headed Gulls present bathing or stood on the ice - around 3,000 of each. The other gulls by c0ntrast, were few in number - less than 20 of Great Black-backed, Lesser Black-backed and Common. Not even a Yellow-legged Gull on show, never mind an Iceland! Eventually I found an adult Med Gull and a Grey Wagtail flitted around on the ice beneath the hide. Tonight the two Little Owls were perched together on the fence off Lady Lane - I had only seen one bird on recent visits.

Snow Beauties!

Snow Buntings, Kinmel Bay

Stonechat, Kinmel Bay

Eastern Reedbeds, Moore

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Sunday morning I had an hour or so to spare before my monthly pilgramage to the pet shop so I headed for the Eastern Reedbeds at Moore hoping to see a Bittern. What immediately struck me on arrival was how open the front of the pool is - lots of reeds and trees have been cut down with the result that the Bitterns now stay at the back of the pool! One had shown briefly earlier that morning - I failed to see one though. A Water Rail did provide something to watch while Buzzard, Kestrel Sparrowhawk and a single Siskin flew over. The mangiest Fox I have ever seen showed well - I am amazed the poor bugger was still alive and I haven't the heart to put it's photo on here.

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I have been feeding Waterworks Lane steadily over the last few days. This coupled with the melting of the snow in the hedge (thus providing hiding place) has resulted in a steady increase of birds back here. Around 40+ Tree Sparrows, 15-18 Yellowhammers, 7 Corn Buntings, 5 Reed Buntings and a dozen or so Chaffinches are now regular again. Oh and a Stock Dove plus 28 or so Grey Partridges. In the garden the Fieldfare is still present and a male Sparrowhawk has been regular - I haven't had an opportunity to watch the garden for other stuff.

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Yesterday I visited HGF. The snow has now gone and there are signs of the pool melting. A pair of Mallards and two Lapwings were stood on the ice - the former presumably hoping the ice would melt quickly - the latter I suspect happy to be on firm ground. When I took Billy for a walk at around 6pm the Mallards were still present. They are the first birds I have seen here in over a week - even the surrounding fields are deserted.

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Today I was working in St Asaph again so at lunch I headed for Kinmel Bay. I eventually found the Snow Buntings just east of their usual spot, however a dog walker flushed them further east. A bit of patience saw them return back to the usual place before they decided to stop feeding and pose nicely for photos. I could have watched these little crackers all day! Off shore were around 300 distant Common Scoters while on the beach the only variation from gulls was a single Sanderling and around 20 Oystercatchers. A Stonechat followed me down the path back to the car.

Partridge Wars!

A covey of three Grey Partridges had been feeding peacefully in the back scrape when a covey of eight arrived and kicked them out. Here the covey of three are circling round to the front scrape while the eight feed in the back scrape and further coveys of 9 (back) and 8 (right) arrive to claim some food!

In the bleak midwinter...

2nd winter Yellow-legged Gull, Richmond Bank

Adult Yellow-legged Gull, Richmond Bank being very uncooperative for the camera. The sunlight was harsh and glaring making the mantle colours somewhat darker than normal. Here the light bounces off the ice in front - note the difference in mantle shade between the argentatus bird to the right and the argenteus birds on the ice.

First winter Yellow-legged Gull, Moore

Gulls in flight over Richmond Bank

Leucistic Herring Gull, Richmond Bank

Great Black-backed Gull overflying Moore with 2 Herring Gulls

Fox on the ice at Birchwood Pool, Moore - it's just heard a mobile phone going off!

Snow tastes good!

It's fun rolling in the snow!

Bewick's Swans, Slimbridge

Barnacle Geese, Slimbridge

Buzzard with the Woody it stole from a Peregrine.

Distant White-fronted Geese, Slimbridge

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Great weather this, innit! So good I ended up driving down to Droitwich on Thursday and, following a days work there, a further journey to Bridgwater in Somerset. Finally got back late Friday after a few hairy moments on the M6!
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At least on Friday afternoon I managed to pop in to Slimbridge for a quick mooch. As with everywhere it was cold and covered in snow! I headed straight away to Holden Tower, hoping to see some interesting geese. The first thing I spotted was a flock of around 110 Barnacle Geese way out near the estuary, however no sign of the White-fronted Geese I was hoping for. In the field to the right of the tower a huge (and I mean huge) female Peregrine had caught a Woody. She was immediately hustled off her kill by a Buzzard (I have seen this particular spectacle before down here) – the latter took its food into a hedge where it was hassled by a second Buzzard.
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There was little moving – all the Bewick’s Swans on the frozen lake to the right of the hide were asleep. Finally just before I left a flock of around 80 geese wheeled around the hide and then dropped behind a distant hedge – these were the White-fronts! At least 5 of them had the decency to hop back over this side of the hedge.
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The main pool was also frozen – a rarity, apparently, in these here parts. One consequence is that the birds now get fed on the ice. Not a problem for the hundreds of Greylags and Canada Geese, however the Bewick’s Swans appear to be very wary of feeding on the ice. I estimate that less than a quarter of the 270+ swans present on the pool actually attempted to feed. As a result the warden confirmed that many of the swans are in poor condition and losing body weight fast – very worrying.
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Saturday morning I decided to head off to Moore – the usual last minute decision. At the Birchwood Pool there were no birders and few birds. A small patch was still free and crammed with water fowl. Eventually a couple of the Seaforth guys turned up and one of them spotted a first winter Yellow-legged Gull on the water. Unfortunately there were few gulls on the pool (though 2 Curlews did walk round on the ice for a while) despite large numbers flying onto the far side of the tip.
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A spanking fox did come out onto the ice and wander around the water, trying to figure out how to get at the Coots et al. It eventually gave up and proceeded to lie down and squirm around in the snow. These were superb views – I did hope it would come closer, however the mobile phone of one of my neighbours in the hide followed by a dog walker calling his dogs spooked the animal and off it went. I decided that Richmond Bank probably offered the best opportunity so I headed off there.
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The walk along the canal to Richmond Bank was unusually quiet aside from a cracking female Sparrowhawk which flew low over my head. There were large numbers of gulls at Richmond Bank – I estimate 7-8,000. The problem is that the sun was shining directly into my face and also causing problems with colour cast etc. I found an adult and then a second winter Yellow-legged Gull until some tit in a red tracksuit and a small camera decided it was a superb scenic shot. Off he went toward the gulls – surprise, surprise the gulls decided to disappear. A few thousand did come back later just as the Seaforth guys arrived. One of them found a leucistic Herring Gull – after that time had run out for me so I headed off home.
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In the garden the usual Fieldfare is still present and still roosting with the Blackbirds. The pale Collared Dove is also still around. A couple of Tree Sparrows, 5 or 6 Reed Buntings and a sprinkling of Chaffinches were present throughout, however overall much fewer numbers than last weekend. The male Spar also put in an appearance. Late afternoon I managed to get to the feeding station on Waterworks Lane and dig out another feeding scrape. A short while later 18 Yellowhammers and 12 Grey Partridges were present – five more of the latter were feeding on the track to the farm.