Cheshire And Wirral Birding: Hills, Lowland and Coast (3 Viewers)

[Cheshire Birder]

Update for the last few days.

Today - Great White Egret reported at Higher Marston; 5 Waxwings at Northwich plus 11 at Warrington; Yellow-legged Gull at Richmond Bank; Little Egret at Poynton;

Yesterday - c20 Waxwings at Woodford (only just outside Cheshire) plus 30 at Macclesfield and 2 at Neston;

Dec 13th - 22 Waxwings at Little Neston and 30 at Neston High Street plus 41 at Poynton.

Dec 12th - 450 Stock Doves, 1,000 Linnets, 30-40 Yellowhammers and 9 Bramblings at Inner Marsh Farm; 28 Scaup off Leasowe Gunsite;

CB

 

[Jane Turner]

Must be the largest ever GWE then! :-O

A case for Mulder and Scully I think. Bring them out of retirement!!

CB

These were pretty big

http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=165443

 

[JMikeB]

Glad to hear the birds are benefiting well from your feeding station. Do you get Corn Buntings through the winter at the feeding station?

CB

Had quite a few hang around most of last winter, curiosuly none this winter at all.

They did breed here until a couple of years ago when farming practises changed.

 

[HughPulsford]

These were pretty big

http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=165443

I think maybe the trees were small nearby (hopefully!). Actually it was 2002 when one was noted at Elton Hall flash on Jan 4th to 6th and then flew off and was seen later the same day at Neumann's Flash before settling in fields and ditches off Dark lane, Higher Marston. It was reported on and off here till March 25th. This bird might even have been the same as one seen on the Dee marshes for most of July to November 2001. (BBRC accepted them as two different birds).
regards
Hugh

 

[Zoot]

No sign of the GWE so far today sadly, and some of the locals have looked wuite extensivelt. As Hugh says, the last bird there did go missing for long periods though.

A single whooper swan in the fields with mutes and a single black swan is a good local record.

None of the locals know who saw the egret. The area is quite well watched, so I don't think it can have been around for too long (or indeed in previous winters).

 

[PhilW]

Any news on this bird? The local patch watchers reckon theres been a Little Egret in the area for a couple of weeks now. Would be nice if it is a G W Egret that decides to overwinter in the area.

 

[chris butterworth]

...........A case for Mulder and Scully I think.............. CB

More a case for Father Ted, I'd say :smoke:

Chris

 

[HughPulsford]

Any news on this bird? The local patch watchers reckon theres been a Little Egret in the area for a couple of weeks now. Would be nice if it is a G W Egret that decides to overwinter in the area.

Yes it would but it might just have be a Little Egret seen in a field from a distance, they do seem to be getting everywhere, and birds seen marginally out of routine habitats often get mistaken for other species as we all know. Hopefully we will get some confirmation from someone.
regards
Hugh

 

[PhilW]

Hugh.
One of the locals has searched this morning. No sign of any egret of any shape, size or form.

 

[cheshirebirder]

A couple of local birders checked out the reported hooded crow at Langley earlier this week and found a well-marked aberrant crow in the same area as the hoodie was reported.
Was thinking, hooded crow must be something of a real rarity in Cheshire over the last 40 years - I don't remember seeing one in all that time I've been birding.

 

[Jane Turner]

I've not seen a pure one in 25 years, a couple of integrades is the best I can manage

 

[Cheshire Birder]

Had quite a few hang around most of last winter, curiosuly none this winter at all.

They did breed here until a couple of years ago when farming practises changed.

I thought they bred in the area. When I visited in Spring I had several singing birds in your area.

CB

 

[Cheshire Birder]

These were pretty big

http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=165443

Depends on the size of the tree. From what I recall of that bird there were no trees in the field it frequented.

CB

 

[Cheshire Birder]

A couple of local birders checked out the reported hooded crow at Langley earlier this week and found a well-marked aberrant crow in the same area as the hoodie was reported.
Was thinking, hooded crow must be something of a real rarity in Cheshire over the last 40 years - I don't remember seeing one in all that time I've been birding.

They are a real rarity in Cheshire. The only recent record I recall is one frequenting Arpley Tip last winter. Never seen one in Cheshire and I suspect most top cheshire birders still need it.

CB

 

[Cheshire Birder]

News for today - No sign of Great White Egret at Higher Marston but Whooper Swan with Mute Swan flock; Green-winged Teal, 3 Twite and 3 Brent Goose over at Inner Marsh Farm; Several Bramblings at a West Kirby garden;

CB

 

[chris butterworth]

Managed a quick look around NW Wirral today. 2 ringtail Hen Harrier, 2 Shorties, 30+ Whoopers, 14 Bewicks and 10+ Pinkfeet off Parkgate. 2000+ Blackwit, 17000 Knot and c700 Pintail off Heswall/Thurstaton. 36 Rb Meganser and 14 Goldeneye on West Kirby Marine Lake, 1 ad Med Gull, 2 Bullfinch, 20+ Fieldfare and 50+ Redwing on Hoylake Langfields ( along with 19 Teal and 2 Shoveler crammed into a tiny patch of unfrozen water opposite Gilroy NP ). Leasowe Bay had 479 feeding Barwit with a Greenshank among the "usual".

Chris

 

[deeestuary]

Managed a quick look around NW Wirral today. 2 ringtail Hen Harrier, 2 Shorties, 30+ Whoopers, 14 Bewicks and 10+ Pinkfeet off Parkgate. 2000+ Blackwit, 17000 Knot and c700 Pintail off Heswall/Thurstaton. 36 Rb Meganser and 14 Goldeneye on West Kirby Marine Lake, 1 ad Med Gull, 2 Bullfinch, 20+ Fieldfare and 50+ Redwing on Hoylake Langfields ( along with 19 Teal and 2 Shoveler crammed into a tiny patch of unfrozen water opposite Gilroy NP ). Leasowe Bay had 479 feeding Barwit with a Greenshank among the "usual".

Chris

In addition to what Chris got I had at least 650 Bar-tailed Godwits off Thurstaston, north of the causeway by Dee Sailing club. Numbers this winter here are pretty remarkable, usually we get around 150, perhaps 250 max - last month we had 750. Could well be birds displaced from Leasowe because of the cockling. Numbers of Black-tailed Godwits at Thurstaston also very good, max count I've had is 2150, a couple of days ago. We had at least eight colour ringed birds here this morning.

 

[Cheshire Birder]

Todays news - 27 Waxwings at Northwich; Whooper Swan still at Higher Marston; 2 Hen Harriers, 30+ Whooper Swans and 14 Bewick's Swans at Parkgate; Mediterranean Gull at Hoylake Langfields; Mandarin at Redesmere;

CB

 

[Jane Turner]

At least three Waxwings in Prenton this afternoon, just behind Tranmere Rovers

here

http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?...archp=ids.srf&dn=529&ax=331539&ay=386252&lm=0

 

[halftwo]

At least three Waxwings in Prenton this afternoon, just behind Tranmere Rovers

Makes a change for Tranmere to be in front of anything I suppose!