Cheshire And Wirral Birding: Hills, Lowland and Coast (4 Viewers)

[Adski]

Managed to catch up with the Laughing Gull on the pontoons as New Brighton about an hour before high tide. Also had success this time with the Purple Sandpipers. 11 in fact I counted, plus 1 single Sanderling among the Turnstones and Redshanks.

http://www.ajonestheearlybirder.blogspot.com

 

[bartolli]

The long eared owl at BMW yesterday was brill! Also Hen harrier and water rail put in brief appearances.

Glad to see the rspb have someone stationed on the path to stop the over enthusiastic ones amongst us climbing the tree to get better photos! There are gaps in the branches which allow good shots!

 

[Cheshire Birder]

Jan 31st - Great White Egret and 3 Water Pipits at Neston; Great White Egret at Parkgate; 2 Glaucous Gulls, 3 Iceland Gulls and 3 Yellow-legged Gulls at Richmond Bank; 3 Mediterranean Gulls at Pickering's Pasture;

CB

 

[Cheshire Birder]

Feb 3rd - Laughing Gull at New Brighton; Serin reported at Pickering's Pasture; Kumlien's Gull, Caspian Gull, Glaucous Gull and Iceland Gull at Richmond Bank; Iceland Gull at Sandbach Flashes; Great White Egrets at Ince Marshes and Parkgate; 2 Snow Buntings at Wallasey; Cetti's Warbler at Burton Mere Wetlands; Bittern at Budworth Mere; 2 Scaup at Hoylake;

Feb 2nd - Great White Egret, 27 Barnacle Geese and 27 Whooper Swans at Frodsham; 2 Great White Egrets at Burton plus one at Pickering's Pasture; Long-eared Owl at Burton Mere Wetlands; Water Pipit at Neston; Red Kite at Saltersford Locks; 2 Snow Buntings at Wallasey; Bittern at Budworth Mere; Eider at Leasowe; Green Sandpiper at Arley;

Feb 1st - 2 Great White Egrets and Water Pipit at Neston; Great White Egret and Marsh Harrier at Parkgate; Great White Egret at Frodsham; Smew at Newchurch Common; 2 Snow Buntings at Wallasey; 160,000 Starlings at Woolston Eyes; esc Snow Goose at Redesmere plus 9 Mandarins at Acre Nook SQ;

CB

 

[Cheshire Birder]

Feb 6th - Laughing Gull at New Brighton; Smew at Newchurch Common; Long-eared Owl at Burton Mere Wetlands; 2 Snow Buntings at Wallasey; Bittern at Budworth Mere; Whimbrel reported at West Kirby; 200,000 Starlings at Woolston Eyes; 7,000 Common Scoter, Mediterranean Gull and 14 Eider at Hoylake; 27 Scaup, 3 Eider and c10 Red-throated Divers at Meols; 210 Brent Geese at Hilbre; 24 Scaup at Leasowe;

Feb 5th - Laughing Gull at New Brighton; American Wigeon at Burton Mere Wetlands; Great White Egret at Parkgate; Smew at Newchurch Common; 35 Scaup, Eider, 3 Red-throated Divers and 3 Guillemots at Meols; 39 Scaup, Eider, 15 Red-throated Divers and Black throated Diver at Hoylake; Bitterns at Budworth Mere and Moore NR; 2 Snow Bunting at Wallasey;

Feb 4th - Laughing Gull and 12 Purple Sandpipers at New Brighton; Great White Egret and Short-eared Owl at Burton; Iceland Gull at Sandbach Flashes; 2 Snow Buntings at Wallasey; Bittern at Budworth Mere; 28 Corn Buntings at Risley; 14 Scaup at Leasowe plus 6 at Hoylake; 3 Mediterranean Gulls at Hoylake/Leasowe;

 

[Cheshire Birder]

Yesterday - Laughing Gull and 11 Purple Sandpipers at New Brighton; Great White Egret and Water Pipit at Neston; Glaucous Gull, 3 Iceland Gulls and 3 Yellow-legged Gulls at Richmond Bank; Iceland Gull at Gowy Meadows; Long-eared Owl at Burton Mere Wetlands; Black-throated Diver, 11 Purple Sandpipers, 18 Scaup and 2 Eider at Hilbre; Black-throated Diver and 8 Scaup at Meols; 2 Snow Buntings at Wallasey; 4 Eider, c20 Scaup, Mediterranean Gull and c3,000 Common Scoter at Hoylake; Common Scoter at Hale; Bittern at Budworth Mere;

CB

 

[Cheshire Birder]

Today - Laughing Gull at New Brighton; Long-eared Owl and Spotted Redshank at Burton Mere Wetlands; 2 Snow Buntings at Wallasey;

CB

 

[Cheshire Birder]

Yesterday - Great White Egrets at Pickering's Pasture and West Kirby; White-fronted Goose at Burton Mere Wetlands;

CB

 

[Cheshire Birder]

Today - Laughing Gull and Mediterranean Gull at New Brighton; Long-eared Owl at Burton Mere Wetlands; Water Pipit at Neston; 2 Snow Buntings at Wallasey; Bittern at Budworth Mere;

CB

 

[JWN Andrewes]

Most enjoyable little jaunt late morning today, Snow Buntings, Purple Sandpipers and Laughing Gull all fell into place nicely.

Cheers

James

And then Long-eared Owl at Burton Mere Wetlands on Sunday afternoon. Not a bad weekend. Thanks to all of you who keep this thread up to date, most helpful.

Cheers

James

 

[Ian-palmer]

There were hundreds of Black-tailed Godwits on the shoreline between Thursaston and West Kirby this morning.

 

[cheshirebirder]

Had a good flock of feeding corn buntings yesterday along the Glazebrook to Culcheth road. I'd estimate 50 , but they were unviewable on the deck. Also yellowhammer, reed bunting and skylarks, with a couple of Grey partridge in the same field. Won't give precise location details, but a flock that size in our recording area is noteworthy IMO. I saw a similar number last year but they were a good mile or two across the border in Lancs/Gt Manchester.

 

[Jane Turner]

That has to be the biggest count in Cheshire for years! Actually decades

 

[cheshirebirder]

Well, I just checked my notes from last year, and I had a flock of 30+ in Winwick. At the time I thought that was Lancs, but checking the CAWOS site shows it was just in Cheshire. I know my group weren't the only folk who saw them - they were reported by a local patch-worker on the Manchester birding site ( under the Cheshire thread ! ). They were with a good number of linnet and a few yellowhammers. At least in that area, some of the farmers leave fields for farmland birds to survive the winter.

 

[Cheshire Birder]

Feb 10th - Laughing Gull at New Brighton; 2 Great White Egrets, 9 Bewick's Swans and 26 Whooper Swans at Frodsham; Great White Egret at Burton; Long-eared Owl at Burton Mere Wetlands; Iceland Gull and Yellow-legged Gull at Norton Marsh; Water Pipit at Neston; Smew at Newchurch Common; 2 Snow Buntings at Wallasey; Greenshank at Thurstaston; Bittern at Budworth Mere;

Feb 9th - Firecrest reported at Hartford;

CB

 

[Cheshire Birder]

Feb 13th - Laughing Gull at New Brighton; Long-eared Owl at Burton Mere Wetlands; Smew at Newchurch Common;

Feb 12th - Laughing Gull at New Brighton; Long-eared Owl at Burton Mere Wetlands; Smew at Newchurch Common;

Feb 11th - Laughing Gull at New Brighton; Long-eared Owl at Burton Mere Wetlands; Water Pipit at Neston; Great White Egret at Ince Marshes; Little Egret at Birchwood;

CB

 

[Cheshire Birder]

Yesterday - Laughing Gull at New Brighton; Great White Egret, 9 Bewick's Swans, 29 Whooper Swans, Green Sandpiper and 2 Chiffchaffs at Frodsham; 2 Great White Egrets at Burton/Neston; Iceland Gull at Richmond Bank; Long-eared Owl at Burton Mere Wetlands; 2 Water Pipits at Neston; 2 Snow Buntings at Wallasey; Red Kite at High Legh; 3 Hen Harriers at Parkgate; 240,000 Starlings roosting at Woolston Eyes; 2 Jack Snipe at Hale;

CB

 

[Cheshire Birder]

Today - Laughing Gull at New Brighton; Long-eared Owl and Spotted Redshank at Burton Mere Wetlands; Water Pipit at Neston; 2 Snow Buntings at Wallasey;

CB

 

[cheshirebirder]

The corn bunting flock still present today ,seen by two other birders . For anyone interested, follow the B road from Glazebrook towards Culcheth ,go over the M62 and park after about 1/2 mile on the left at a pull-in with large red gates.The birds frequent the large stubble field next to the pull-in. View only from here - no public access through the gates.

 

[jgilly]

Winsford bottom flash

Jack Snipe on private land and 3 Goldeneye (2 male . 1 female) on flash.