• Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.

    Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

How to see Leach's Petrel (1 Viewer)

Jane Turner

Well-known member
Anyone who wants to Leach's Petrel should be in with a more or less certain chance tomorrow. There are a few birds out in Liverpool Bay already... and its really starting to squall up here. If there are birds this evening there will be some around tomorrow even if its not that blowy.

There seem to be more skuas on this coast than in many recent years... though I am avoiding all the claimed Poms and Long-tails so far.

Here are the best places to see Leach's.

New Brighton
http://www.streetmap.co.uk/newmap.s...&mapp=newmap.srf&searchp=newsearch.srf&dn=627

Best early morning when birds that have sheltered in the river over night come out. Either use the shelter on the prom or use the car on the road to Fort Perch Rock. If the tide is out elsewhere there will still be water here.

Derby Baths
http://www.streetmap.co.uk/newmap.s...&mapp=newmap.srf&searchp=newsearch.srf&dn=627

You can get a little bit of height here, though the presence of a large breakwater can push the petrels out to sea about 100ft. There is howeer a pub and its possible to see Petrels from inside it.. carp beer though.


The Gunsight
http://www.streetmap.co.uk/newmap.s...&mapp=newmap.srf&searchp=newsearch.srf&dn=627

The place to sea Leach's close from a car if the tide is in.... plenty of room to get many cars and the birds will go behind you on good days.


Leasowe Lighthouse
http://www.streetmap.co.uk/newmap.s...&mapp=newmap.srf&searchp=newsearch.srf&dn=627

A traditional place to seawatch - but strictly for the hardy since its not possible to get a car up on the sea wall any more

Dovepoint
http://www.streetmap.co.uk/newmap.s...&mapp=newmap.srf&searchp=newsearch.srf&dn=627

The tide needs to be up over the East Hoyle bank, but if it is this is my favourite place to seawatch from on the Wirral shore (apart from my bedroom of course) Though the petrels are often a little more distant that Leasowe there is much more chance of seeing Shearwaters and skuas here.

Red Rocks
http://www.streetmap.co.uk/newmap.s...&mapp=newmap.srf&searchp=newsearch.srf&dn=627

Almost no shelter here and the tide needs to be up.... but on very windy days birds come into the Dee mouth and give great views..

and finally Hilbre
http://www.streetmap.co.uk/newmap.s...&mapp=newmap.srf&searchp=newsearch.srf&dn=627
If you can hack the walk out there (from West Kirby) then this is the best place for seabirds and its less tide dependant than other places. You would need to be on before 10 am tomorrow though.



Useful links


local weather live (looking for 30knots minimum)
http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/europe/uk/obs/crosby.html

Shipping forecast
http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/datafiles/offshore.html

Tides at Liverpool
http://www.pol.ac.uk/appl/liverpool.html
 
Last edited:
and don't be confused by reports coming out of Hoylake... that's me and I have a raised warm.. windless viewing position... you have no chance from the promenade!

Before I have this lucky position, by method was to be as far west as the tides allow... though its only because of my desire to cover my local patch that I went any further west than Dovepoint...
 
Last edited:
Very interesting Jane, and useful advice for many I'm sure. My friends back in Cheshire (you probably know some of them) swear by Hilbre at this time year for Leach's Petrel if the wind is right. That's why it is so funny that in Iceland, where the WP's biggest breeding population is, we NEVER see them from land, only Storm Petrels. You have to make a trip to a breeding colony at night to see, hear and smell them and is consequently easily the hardest breeding bird to see here. Yet you get them from the bedroom window!
Let us know how many you see in the next few days.

E
 
There were 6 in about 20 minutes this afternoon... over the sand because the tide was out... about 15 all day and big numbers of Manxies... 150 at least, 15 Great Skuas etc

Some bad pics.. hand held... from the bedroom!
 

Attachments

  • lp1.JPG
    lp1.JPG
    68.8 KB · Views: 1,266
  • lp2.JPG
    lp2.JPG
    50 KB · Views: 908
Jane Turner said:
Anyone who wants to Leach's Petrel should be in with a more or less certain chance tomorrow. There are a few birds out in Liverpool Bay already... and its really starting to squall up here. If there are birds this evening there will be some around tomorrow even if its not that blowy.
.

A bit further west, but one of my best seawatches was from the Great Orme, Llandudno, must have been 1988, but 100+ Leaches west in a NW blow. Anywhere along the N Wales coast should be OK.

Martin
 
The wind is easing here... but not enough to prevent there being loads of Petrels today and the viewing conditions will be easier.

24 Hour forecast

LUNDY FASTNET IRISH SEA
NORTHWEST 4 OR 5, BACKING SOUTHWEST 5 TO 7. RAIN LATER. GOOD BECOMING
MODERATE

So still windy - new system arriving and looks like by Wed attention might switch to the Flylde coast.
 
Jane Turner said:
Anyone who wants to Leach's Petrel should be in with a more or less certain chance tomorrow.

Cheers Jane,

Hadn't seen Leaches before, so took your advice and headed up to Leasowe for my first visit today. Saw one within a matter of minutes right on the shoreline. Excellent views, didn't even need my bins it was so far in!

Thanks again
 
About 3 at New Brighton yesterday in the Mersey itself; small total, but I'd imagine that one of them was the best view of any Leach's anywhere in Britain yesterday - guess who forgot his camera?
 
Its calm again now.. but a gale is forecast and I'm expecting there will be more birds if there is anything like a WNW or NW wind.

Did you see the LTS that has been in the mersey for a few days Tom?
 
Jane Turner said:
Did you see the LTS that has been in the mersey for a few days Tom?

Went to Crosby to look for it, but couldn't see it. Pager then said it was by bouy C22 at 10.45am - as I was stood there!!! I was with about 15 people none of whom had seen it either. As you can imagine we were all rather dubious - especially as there were 2 Arctic Skua. I phoned Birdnet and they supplied me with further directions of where the guy currently watching it actually was. Apparently the position we were in meant that we couldn't see it. I drove around for about 30 minutes trying to find the place, but eventually conceded defeat and realised I had no idea where I was or where I was going!!!

Instead opted to try from New Brighton and upon arriving just after midday Mr Kendo Nagasaki Mullins (I'm sure you know him?) put me straight onto it cruising up the middle of the Mersey. Nice view! After that we could only ever get fleeting glimpses of it against the Seaforth side just below the radar tower. I think it is spending all the time on the water as it was only ever really seen as ferries came past disturbing it.

In theory, if you can find where to actually look from the Seaforth side the views should be brilliant.
 
Thanks for these excellent messages. I've never seen Leaches but as I'll be coming down from Durham would probably need somewhere on the Lancashire coast. Forecast for Saturday at Blackpool is 14mph Sou-westerlies. Are these strong enough, and where are the best spots on the Lancashire side, please?

Thanks, Steve
 
Steve,

Might not be strong enough but the recent winds haven't been that typical for Nort-west sightings so who knows?

I suspect that either Formby or Heysham might be best but Crosby could be worth a go, especially if the long-staying juv Long-tailed Skua reemains (see above).
 
One more question, please.

What is the 'peak season' for the Leach's in the North-West - if I were to miss this weekend (my wife has plans) how much more time have I got for a deep low to come in?

Thanks for any further help

Steve J
 
SOLE LUNDY FASTNET IRISH SEA
WEST OR SOUTHWEST 4 OR 5, INCREASING 6 TO GALE 8 LATER. RAIN LATER.
GOOD BECOMING MODERATE OCCASIONALLY POOR

So Blackpool or Heysham on Sunday is looking good... unless the wind swings W to NW then its Wirral again
 
Whats the weather doing upi there at the moment? Wheres likely to be best tomorrow?
Also has there been any news on the L-T Skua in the Mersey?

Thanks alot

Jason
 
Warning! This thread is more than 7 years ago old.
It's likely that no further discussion is required, in which case we recommend starting a new thread. If however you feel your response is required you can still do so.

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top