[Jane Turner]

http://www.streetmap.co.uk/newmap.sr...rch.srf&dn=513.

I've been birding here for just short of 30 years... here is some insider knowledge


The reserve is q small phragmites marsh, brackish dune slack, bordered by the rather exclusive Royal Liverpool Golf Club (soon to host the British Open and take a still dimmer view of trespassing birders) and the Dee Estuary. It was established as an SSSI to protect a dwindling population of Natterjack Toads Bufo calamita There are a number of Alders, Hawthornes and Apple trees, which together with a small stand of Poplar in the NW corner of the golf course and the gardens of the Stanley Rd Houses, provide a small amount of cover for migrant birds.

With 270 accepted species of bird, it has the biggest list of anywhere in Cheshire. It is primarily a site for visible passage, being located at the NW corner of a peninsula. Regardless of season nearly all birds observed are moving south. The major paradox of the site is that the conditions that are most likely to produce a good bird are also most likely to mean it will be a fleeting visit. I know a lot of people who have never seen a good bird at Red Rocks. That is because they turn up mid afternoon after the news hits the local bird lines. Unless its raining, foggy or the bird is an Acrocephalus warbler or perhaps a pipit, it is long gone. It’s a great place to find your own birds though. Here is a summary of what you can see and when to go.


Winter. There is a health population of Water Rails in the marsh, averaging 20-30. The Spartina on the western margin and the are around the Natterjack scrapes holds Snow Buntings about 2 years in 5. More rarely Shorelarks and Lapland Buntings appear, though they seldom stay for long. There is a regular flock of 50-100 Linnet, which commute between the Golf Course and the foreshore and these are worth checking for Twite. Jack Snipe used to be a regular visitor, but since I am no longer crashing about in the reed bed ringing, I don’t see them any more. Reed buntings, Stonechats and Wrens are the most conspicuous inhabitants of the reed bed. When to visit in very cold weather its easier to see the Water Rails and there is a good chance of seeing some spectacular weather movements (primarily Lapwing and Skylark). Sea-watching from the rocks themselves should produce Scoter, Divers, Auks and Grebes, though it needs to be a big tide (9m+) http://www.pol.ac.uk/appl/liverpool.html. Perhaps the best reason to visit in winter is the huge numbers of shorebirds. 10-50,000 Knot, 3-40,000 Dunlin and good numbers of all the other common waders. As the feeding grounds on the East Hoyle sand bank flood, huge flocks of birds will fly over the point at Red Rocks and attempt to roost on the shore at West Kirby or Hilbre. It’s an exhilarating sight and sound. Of course the local Peregrines know this and often try and pick out their lunch.

Early Spring The first sign that spring is coming a movement of Meadow Pipits. 3-500 a day are not unusual. It usually a race between White Wagtail and Wheatear for the first “proper” spring migrant. The golf course and the garden of the last house on the north side of Stanley Rd are the best places to see an early Wheatear, while the Wagtails are invariably on the beach. It not unusual to get counts of more than 50 White Wagtails and the record is more than 200. All common migrants can be seen and the site is particularly good for Tree Pipit. The Ivy-filled hollow just south of the Poplar stand is a top spot for ring Ouzel, though you will have to be early. When to go You have to be there early. Birds present at dawn move off within the first hour or two, and birds which have made landfall elsewhere on the Wirral coast will move through within three hours of dawn. On very rare occasions there can be huge falls (eg 600 Willow warblers, 250 Wheatear) and these are associated with a clear night, southerly winds and rain just before dawn.

Late Spring The Sedge Warblers and Reed Warblers will be on territory. About 12 pairs of the former and 4 of the latter. On the golf-course there are Lesser Whitethroats, Whitethroats and more often than not Grasshopper Warbler. Although the bulk of passage is over, its now that Red Rocks comes into its own. With the right weather conditions, expect the unexpected 5 Serins, Great-Reed warbler, Alpine Swift, Red-rumped Swallow, Savi’s Warbler, Dartford Warbler, Red-throated pipit, 7 Tawny Pipits, 5 Melodious Warblers, Gull-billed Tern, Collared Pratincole etc. This year there were two Red-backed Shrikes and a suspiciously icterops-like Whitethoat. However the Black Lark went over too high for me to see it! When to go The weather conditions for a “goody” are very predictable. The wind needs to be in the SE, or better still ESE for at least three days. It needs to be hot and muggy, with clear skies but poor visibility. You want birds to be up and moving, but to not be able to see Wales when they reach the point of the Wirral. Then you have a chance of the birds landing or at least circling long enough to identify them! I remember pointing out a stratospheric male Black Redstart that was circling high over the point to a group of visitors and it took me 25 minutes to lay bins on a circling Bee-eater that was calling very loudly.

Summer The breeding warblers provide the most interest, though towards the end of summer an impressive tern roost can build up. The Little and Sandwich Terns at Gronant, and the Common terns at Shotton all bring their fledged young out to the mouth of the Dee to feed them. This year’s highlight was an adult summer White-winged Tern, with previous birds including Gull-billed tern, Caspian tern and Ring-billed Gull. When to go pick a tide in the 8.6 to 9.3m range to maximise the chances of a close but undisturbed tern roost in the vicinity of Bird Rock. If there has been a period of strong westerlies there can be good movements of Manx Shearwater.

Autumn Whereas the bulk of birds migrants move through in late August and early September, like in spring it is the later passage that can produce rarities. In general there are far fewer birds on autumn passage than in spring, presumably something to do the local geography. Once again almost anything can turn up. Great-spotted and Black-billed Cuckoo, Greenish Warbler, Yellow-browed Warbler is almost regular (3-5 this year) Richard’s pipit (7) Red-throated Pipit (3) and Red-rumped Swallow. The best birds ever to grace the site were both unfortunately not specifically identified. An Eastern or Western Wood Pewee and a Summer or Scarlet Tanager! This autumn was quiet, though there was a Richard’s pipit and a Great Grey Shrike which confounded me by staying nearly 24 hours! Despite the rarities, the most impressive aspect of autumn birding at Red Rocks is the overhead passage at dawn. Counts of 1000+ finches are not unusual and occasionally there are enormous thrush movements. I remember dutifully completing a coordinated migration watch, clocking up 11,250 redwings and 8000 Fieldfares knowing full well that there was a Song Sparrow at Seaforth! . A feature of Red Rocks is an extraordinary passage of tits. Counts of 300+ Blue and 200+ Coal tit have been made, with birds collecting on the point houses and making exploratory flights out to sea. These flocks are always worth checking out for Phylloscopus warblers. Sea-watching in autumn is good, though to be honest the point is terribly exposed in conditions conducive to big numbers of Skuas and petrels, and I’d recommend either Hilbre where the birds are closer or a warm car at Leasowe! I’d dearly love to have been sea-watching the day a Gyr Falcon came in off the sea.When to go You need East in the winds. SE seems to be the best for producing rarities, E-NE for big numbers of finches and thrushes. Overhead passage starts just before dawn and continues for about two hours. Clear skies with bad visibility are again best for numbers though it may be hard to locate flocks against the bright sky. This year I heard but failed to see a Red-throated Pipit. If there has been a large arrival of drift migrants on the east coast, between St Abbs and Flamborough, it seems to take 2 to 3 days for them to filter through the county. If the weather is good but there is ground fog on the east coast, sometimes the drift birds arrive first hand

So that is it. Don’t expect to twitch a bird at Red Rocks, unless it’s in the reed bed. The Great-spotted Cuckoo would have been a fly though had it not hit a net and the Dartford Warbler only spent about 45 seconds on the deck. Should anyone fancy a visit, let me know.

Vagrants Sooty Shearwater, Cory's Shearwater, Balearic Shearwater, White Stork, Little Egret, Bittern, Spoonbill, Montagu’s Harrier, Gyr Falcon, Kentish Plover, Spotted Crake, Corn Crake, Dotterel, Collared Praticole, White-rumped Sandpiper, Pectoral Sandpiper, Grey Phalarope, Ring-billed Gull, Roseate Tern, Caspian Tern, Gull-billed tern White-winged Tern, Nightjar, Alpine Swift, Great Spotted Cuckoo, Black-billed Cuckoo, Bee-eater, Hoopoe, Wryneck, Wood Lark, Red-rumped Swallow, Richard’s Pipit, Tawny Pipit, Red-throated Pipit, Bluethroat, Savi’s Warbler, Aquatic Warbler, Great Reed Warbler, Icterine Warbler, Melodious Warbler, Dartford Warbler, Barred Warble,r Greenish Warbler, Yellow-browed Warbler, Red-breasted Flycatcher, Red-backed Shrike, Great-Grey Shrike, Chough, Serin, Cirl Bunting, Hawfinch.

Birds IncludeRed-throated Diver (W), Great Crested Grebe (W) Fulmar (Su), (A) Manx Shearwater (Su), Manx Shearwater (Su), European Storm-petrel (rare PM), Leach’s Storm-petrel (PM), Northern Gannet (su) Great Cormorant, Brent Goose (w) Common Shelduck, Long-tailed Duck (scarce W) Velvet Scoter (scarce W) Eurasian Marsh Harrier (rare PM) Hen Harrier (rare PM) Osprey (scarce PM) Common Kestrel, Merlin (W,PM) Eurasian Hobby (rare PM), Peregrine Falcon, Water Rail (w) Common Moorhen, Eurasian Oystercatcher, Ringed Plover (PM,W), Grey Plover (PM,W) Red Knot (PM,W) Sanderling (PM,W), Little Stint (scarce PM), Curlew Sandpiper (PM) Dunlin (PM,W), Jack Snipe (scare W) Common Snipe (w) Black-tailed Godwit (Scarce PM,W) Bar-tailed Godwit (PM,W), Whimbrel (PM) Eurasian Curlew (PM,W), Spotted Redshank (scarce PM), Common Redshank (PM,W) Common Greenshank (PM) Pomarine Skua (rare PM) Arctic Skua (PM) Long-tailed Skua (rare PM) Great Skua (PM,W) Mediterranean Gull (scarce) Little Gull (scarce) Sabine’s Gull (scarce PM), Common Tern (s), Arctic Tern (PM), Little Tern (s), Black Tern (scarce PM), Guillemot, Short-eared Owl(Scarce PM,W) Skylark, Black Redstart (scarce PM,W) Common Redstart (PM), Whinchat (PM) Stonechat, Northern Wheatear (PM), Ring Ouzel (PM) Grasshopper Warbler (Su), Sedge Warbler (su), Reed Warbler (Su) Lesser Whitethroat (PM) Common Whitethroat (Su) Garden Warbler (PM) Blackcap (PM) Wood Warbler (Scarce PM) Common Chiffchaff (PM) Willow Warbler (PM), Goldcrest (PM) Firecrest (scarce PM) Spotted Flycatcher (PM) Pied Flycatcher (PM), Lesser Redpoll (PM)

[Jane Turner]

A couple of habitat shots. Looking south from the point, and looking north from the south-end of the marsh, showing the Natterjack scrapes in the foreground.

[Grousemore]

Thanks for such a detailed report.I'll certainly visit if I'm ever up that way.

[sparrowbirder]

Excellent info Jane, used to go to red rocks quite a lot in my earlier days,and other parts of wirral ( moreton brickworks etc) because it was easily accessible on a SAVEAWAY train pass!! That was until they restricted access to the site and stopped birders "peering" into peoples gardens, shame that!!

[Jane Turner]

Then we have definitely met. I didn't go anywhere other than Red Rocks for about 20 years!

[sparrowbirder]

That is almost certainly the case!! ive now migrated to marshside after a long spell at seaforth!!! wasnt unknown for me to visit all these sites in the same day on public transport,no wonder I never saw nowt!!

[Jane Turner]

Well give me a shout if you ever come over again and I'll show you around in style.... or at least in a 30 year old unreliable Italian Sports car!

Here are the occurence graphs of a few specialities

[Steve T]

Jane, I would love to spend a day birding with an expert. You would almost certainly have to point everything out to me. The only thing I could contribute is interest and enthusiasm.
Steve

[Surreybirder]

Thanks for a very evocative account, Jane.
I had a hol. in Hoylake when I was a nipper (about 50 years ago!). Unfortunately I wasn't aware of the joys of birding then. I've been on the Wirral a few times, mostly near Parkgate and Heswall. Even on my casual trips I've seen the odd scarcer bird (ring ouzel, for example). It's a lovely area.

[Jane Turner]

Originally Posted by Steve T

Jane, I would love to spend a day birding with an expert. You would almost certainly have to point everything out to me. The only thing I could contribute is interest and enthusiasm.
Steve

Come over... I'd wait until may...so there will actually be something to see!

[Jane Turner]

Originally Posted by Surreybirder

Thanks for a very evocative account, Jane.
I had a hol. in Hoylake when I was a nipper (about 50 years ago!). Unfortunately I wasn't aware of the joys of birding then. I've been on the Wirral a few times, mostly near Parkgate and Heswall. Even on my casual trips I've seen the odd scarcer bird (ring ouzel, for example). It's a lovely area.

it would be better if the UK was spun through 180°...leaving Ireland where it is.... but I like it!

[Surreybirder]

Originally Posted by Jane Turner

it would be better if the UK was spun through 180°...leaving Ireland where it is.... but I like it!

But would you get all those sea birds?

[Jane Turner]

I'd say all but the shedloads of Leach's Petrels.. yes.

[kingfisher]

Ahhhh Jane, you have brought back many happy memories of days birding in that area, it is my home though i have been away for many years now, and miss the area very much, i am hoping to pay a visit in the New Year, as i know the amazing sights of thousands of Shorebirds passing at high tide is something never to be missed.

[Jane Turner]

Let me know if you do....as a minimum I can check out the tide times and make you a cup of tea!

[Jane Turner]

Spent the morning at Red Rocks today - prompted by seeing a male Wheatear come in off the sea at home and head towards the point. I walked once round the reserve and checked out the point gardens.

The first thing that struck me as I got out of the car was the sound of Skylarks. With concentration I separated out 6 different singing birds. The nursing home lawn was without Wheatears, pipits or wagtails, thought there was a chap pruning bushes which probably scared everything off.

A quick trip up the back of the gardens revealed evidence of overnight passage, with about 10 Goldcrests flitting about in the gardens. No Chiffchaff though! The NW corner of the golf course had a Wheatear, most likely the bird I'd seen earlier and a pair of Stonechats. There were plenty of birds feeding on the fairways, including a party of about 30 Linnets and 75 Meadow Pipits. I tried but failed to string a Ring Ouzel - just a Blackbird right out in the middle of the course.

The marsh itself was realtively quiet, though three pairs of Reed Bunting have set up territory and a few Water Rails were audible from deep inside. Rather strangely there was a Grey Heron sat on the beach, close to all the dog walkers, preening.

I heard what sounded like a White Wagtail, though I always like to confirm my first of the year by seeing it. Later in the spring, with my ear in, I'm fairly confident at distinguishing Pied from White on call. Finally as I left I heard a Pheasant call from one of the point gardens. Pheasant was my 244th and last Red Rocks tick, and still, nearly two years later, my subconscious is reacting to the call... I expect it will become background noise soon!

[Jane Turner]

Paid Red Rocks a brief visit this morning. Still little sign that Spring is on its way, though about 8 Goldcrests were feeding in the point gardens. Much more unusual however was the female Yellowhammer that spent about 10 minutes calling in the end garden. There are at most one or two records a year of this declining species here!

There are still a few Water Rails calling away in the marsh though no sigh today of the Stonechats.

[Jane Turner]

Had a frustrating day there today. The weather is classic for Red Rocks. SE clear skies and bad visibility. Not much by way of grounded migrants, just a Chiffchaff, a Wheatear and a Goldcrest, but loads of action overhead.

100s of Meadow Pipits were streaming through and large numbers of pigeons - 50+ Woodpigeon and 20+ Collared Dove. Unfortunately passage was so high today that I couldnt even find most of the birds which were flying over calling. No problem with the two party of Jackdaws (scarce migrant here) or the Fieldfare(s), but for the purposes of maintaining my own sanity and convincing the county rarities committee, I'd really have liked to have put bins on the Hawfinch that flew over calling three times! There are only two previous records! As supporting cast I SAW and heard a Crossbill too!

[Jane Turner]

The first mini fall of the spring took place today. I went down early hoping that yesterday's three Ring Ouzels might be hanging about. No luck, and I was having serious doubts about the merits of being up at 6.30 when I had failed to see a migrant at all after 10 minutes. Then it started raining warblers... not a flood, but about 35 Willow Warblers and a Chiffchaff arrived in a few minutes together with a handfull of Goldcrests. Then 25 or so White Wagtails came in off the sea and started feeding on the beach. I swear I haerd a snatch of Sedge Warbler song, but a trip down the edge of the reed bed didn't reveal one, so either I has hearing things or the Sedgie was regretting arriving so early and was keeping quiet.

[Jane Turner]

This morning was really quiet at Red Rocks. There is a Grasshopper Warbler left over from Saturday's mini-fall and there is now a full compliment of Sedge Warblers in the marsh. The only overhead passage was a low Tree pipit the first I have actually seen this year.

It seems birds must have arrived during the day because this evening there was plenty of interest. Pride of place must go to a stunning male Ring Ouzel. The edges to the primaries and some of the covets were so bright it they apears as two white stripes when the bird was seen from behind. After 10 minutes or so it was disturbed by a Magpie and flew chacking into the gardens. Also about where 6 or so Wheatears including a smart male Greenland bird, and an equally smart male Whinchat.

Yesterday there wasn't much grounded, though the first goodie of the year went north in the form of a low flying female Serin. I've seen about 10 here now and only three have landed, including two together!

[Ben Dickinson]

Just wanted to say hi, first post, and I first went to Red Rocks about 6 years ago, it's a lovely little reserve and a nice area - I've only been about 5 times since and although seemingly everytime I went there wasn't many birds around (bar the obligatory Skylarks and Meadow Pipits!) I still am very fond of it.

I distinctly remember one day in autumn me and my birdwatching friend finding a very abberant pipit among the "mipits" in the garden which juts out facing Hilbre - it's an Old peoples home I think... anyway I wish we'd got a closer look before the whole flock flew away... I can't remember much about it now except it seemed paler and smaller that the others... ahwell!

And the last time I went to Red Rocks was on Easter Day, it was a beautiful day for it and we had a gracefully dipping Swallow and then 2 House Martins straight after! My first of the year for the latter, really capped off a satisfying day and I hope to go back there soon!

I'm just off out now actually ot have a quick skoot around my local patch - Calderstones Park - before college.

[Jane Turner]

I've seen Tawny, Richards and Red-throated Pipit on that lawn Ben! You need to be at Red Rocks early to stand much of a chance! I've not seen House Martin there yet this year though :)

And welcome to BirdForum.

[Steve Round]

Hi Jane,

I spent over 3 hours this morning photographing the Sedge Warblers (not an easy task) there wasn't much else there; 2 Common Whitethroats, 2 Chiffchaff, 1 Willow Warbler and a few Swallows that I noted by the reed bed.
I was hoping to photograph Grasshopper Warbler but no sign today. I have attached a Sedge Warbler photo and there are many more of this and other species taken at Red Rocks on my website.

Steve

[Jane Turner]

The tamish Gropper is in the big patch of gorse inland at the south end! Not easil;y photographable.... there will be more.. That is a stunning photo!

[Steve Round]

That is a stunning photo![/quote]

Thanks Jane, I heard 3 or 4 groppers last year there, they seemed to favour the apple bushes.

By the way, you any good on Iberian Chiffchaff?
I have been risking my life photographing the Skelmersdale bird today

Steve