Jane Turner
Well-known member
Plus there is more chance of eg Spotted Crake and the aforementioned pipits
Riverbank Road on Monday - good place for tides that are not going to flood Parkgate marsh.
Good views of 2x ringtail harriers, buzzard, sparrowhawk plus distant merlin and peregrine on posts.
Lots of redshank including 1 leucistic individual.
Turned up like hundreds of others yesterday,expecting to see a feast of birds,just did not happen perhaps the clowns in the rowing boats had a bit to do with it!!!
Nevertheless it was a pleasant day weatherwise,,,,Paul
The preceeding hours were better than tha actual high tide. Spoonbill became quite flighty, the Hen harrier made made a dramatic flypast the carpark and Merlin and marsh harrier were active as the tide progressed half way across the marsh.
Stone chats were very visible along the marsh front as were the 2 Little owls behind the marsh.
With the previous days high tide, I think most of the marsh residents had already been flushed and therefore had moved on.... even the gulls didnt look intrested as the tide hit the wall.
Was hoping to see the Green Woodpecker in the fields behind... no joy
Finished off at Leasowe by the flooded field full of Curlew (anyone know what this field is called??? it is on the corner and hosts a car boot sale on sundays). Anyway great last hour with 15 Teal, 2 Shoveler, 80+ Curlew, 60+ Lapwings, 20+Oystercatchers and a single Snipe plus a female Sparowhawk catching and eating prey, and a Kestrel who was hoping to pinch a bit of prey from the Sparrowhawk but without luck and left with one less tail feather ....
Dave
What sort of pipit numbers, and ratio of Rock to Meadow?
Knew Parkgate wasn't quite going to be there without the aid of the wind.
Should have all seen Marshside though! Flooded up to the road for the most part Monday and Tuesday (presumably same today) and the mammals had a tough time again, gettin' picked off left right and centre. I was there for Monday and had superb views of a Shortie and a Merlin also did a fly past. Over 100 Skylarks also feeding on the rafts of marsh that managed to stay above water. Easily eqaulled the Parkgate spectacle I had at the beginning of Feb.
Stone chats were very visible along the marsh front as were the 2 Little owls behind the marsh.
Dave
It's in the diary now for the next high tide, in autumn!
Phil
Hopefully the melting ice caps will not render the following information null and void and we'll all be around to witness them all!
http://www.pol.ac.uk/ntslf/hilo.php?port=liverpool
Finished off at Leasowe by the flooded field full of Curlew (anyone know what this field is called??? it is on the corner and hosts a car boot sale on sundays). Anyway great last hour with 15 Teal, 2 Shoveler, 80+ Curlew, 60+ Lapwings, 20+Oystercatchers and a single Snipe plus a female Sparowhawk catching and eating prey, and a Kestrel who was hoping to pinch a bit of prey from the Sparrowhawk but without luck and left with one less tail feather ....
Dave