Red Rocks Marsh NNR, Merseyside (2 Viewers)

[Jane Turner]

Here are some photos of the latest round of management. They appear to have chosen quite a tight zig-zag pattern right through the reed bed.

You can still see where last year's cuts were, and in some cases they re-cut the same areas.

 

[Jane Turner]

This is the Autumn that refuses to end...

On Nov 18th there were two very eastern-looking Chiffchaffs, today there was a much more vanilla one. Also 2 Ravens. Mistle Thrushes, Chaffinches and Starlings are still vis migging.


Finally the Cetti's Warbler is still in residence - here is the best photo yet - taken by MGT

 

[chris butterworth]

There's an 'eastern' looking Chiffchaff in Sandlea Gardens, West Kirby, at the moment. Brownish-grey tinted upperparts with contrasting greener margins on the wings, distinctly richer / browner earcoverts and clean white underparts. Bugger's as silent as the grave though. :C

 

[Jane Turner]

The one above was coloured like a Reed Warbler - and had a wing bar

 

[chris butterworth]

#3 is nothing like lorenzii, honest. o

 

[Jane Turner]

If anyone want's to contribute to the response to the CWTs draft management plan for Red Rocks, regard this as an official invite:


Dear All

We have until Nov 29th to comment on the management plan created by the CWT following our intervention to prevent any further tree and scrub removal last March. If you would like to add your name to the list of signatories please let me know by the 28th. If you have any comments you would like to add, please let me know and I'll add them, either in the document or as another appendix.

Please forward this to anyone you know who has experience of or interest in the site.

Our draft response to their plan is available here:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/9htmpuutbk2hn58/Feedback on CWTs draft MGT plan.docx?dl=0

The plan itself is here:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/bg6clddwd...gement plan November 2014-with notes.pdf?dl=0
With my notes added to it

The Conservation Enhancement Scheme from Natural England is here
https://www.dropbox.com/s/hi2l7bnkt8z5w2f/2014-02-17 CES.pdf?dl=0

and the agreed minutes to the site meeting with NE and CWT is here

https://www.dropbox.com/s/wcmiuy12llqlr1j/Minutes of Meeting at Red Rocks 28th Mar 2014.pdf?dl=0

 

[Jane Turner]

Spring has finally sprung - we've been cloaked in fog for 4 days solid.

Loads of new birds for the year - including my first Wheatear (I missed an earlier one) Tree Pipit, White wagtail (below) and Willow warbler. A Ring Ouzel flew north through the dunes, appearing to drop into the superbowl.. A lengthy stakeout failed to reveal it - then it came clattering out of the big hawthorn by the boardwalk on my second circuit. There was quite a drop of Chiffchaffs (8) and plenty of passage overhead, including Raven, Brambling, Tree Sparrow and 2 Redpolls.

Also overhead were Merlin and Short-eared Owl

Finally a Green Woodpecker was calling from the gardens. I'll sort the sound files out later

 

[Jane Turner]

Sound files... I should have the White wag's dry sounding rattle to pull out to - you can year its choo-ee call on the Green Woodie


https://soundcloud.com/jane-turner-17/rouzel

 

[Jane Turner]

A fabulous morning this morning. There were good numbers of Phylloscs about and I was halfway down the boardwalk when I saw 3 passerines coming in from the Estuary very high (I was expecting Skylarks). With bins I could just make out the white crescents of male Ring Ouzels. I watched them continue - if anything gaining height until they were lost from view over Caldy Hill. Walking back down the board walk I heard the chack chack of more Ouzels - but failed to see them until I just caught sight of a couple of thrushes spiralling out of the sky behind a ridge in the dunes. Seconds later two male Ouzels were visible on the top of the apple right at the south end of the marsh. I tried an extreme range photo (which you can at least see are Ouzels) - and there is 3rd bird visible deeper in the bush which I missed. 10 minutes later I heard an Ouzel call again but failed to see a bird(s). So a minimum of 7 (or 9 if the 2nd and 3rd sightings involved different bird) assuming that the unseen bird was solo.

A high flying object (Ouzel) 2 males in the south end Apple (from the north end) and Wheatears growing like mushrooms on the beach.

There were also 2 Tree Pipits over and a small fall of Wheatears on the beach

 

[Jane Turner]

There has been an elusive (with knobs on) Ring Ouzel for the last two days. This morning the first Grasshopper Warbler of the spring was in the dunes and the Cettis warbler made itself know again

 

[Jane Turner]

A great morning this morning - with a good drop of migrants and plenty of overhead passage. The Ring Ouzel continues to give us the run around on the golf course - it as only heard today. Three Redstarts,a Stonechat and a Whinchat arrived and quickly moved through, whilst around 20 Wheatears did much the same,. At least 4 were smart Greenland birds. 25 each of Swallow and Sand Martin were recorded along with the 1st 3 House Martins of the year. 3 Tree Pipits, 2 Yellow Wagtails and a sprinkling on White Wagtail passed through and a Bullfinch appeared briefly.

Finally a Greenshank made a noisy but invisible appearance, whilst the Little Ringed PLover was at least seen.

I got briefly excited when a Sylvia warbler started sub-singing from cover- it turned out to be an early Whitethroat

 

[Jane Turner]

There are now 4 Grasshopper Warblers occupying 3 of last year's active territories. About 10 Wheatears arrived but moved on quickly, there are now two Whitethroats in the dunes but the big news is that the Chiffchaff that has been singling solidly for nearly two weeks in the big Alder has pulled. Nest building was observed - in the base of the gorse just past the Alder.

A whimbrel flew over before the tide. Around 70 divers could be seen on a flat calm sea - including a close in Black-throated Diver. A substantial flock of Little Gulls was visible distantly - (64 counted from Hilbre)


Some sound files. The tree Pipit is cut off abruptly because someone - can't think who, shouts tree pipit over it

 

[Jane Turner]

A cold blustery morning with not much hope of new migrants - however there were new birds in and passing through. Most surprising was a Lesser Whitethroat which gave a brief rattle then flew over my head. I was a bit worried that I might have missed an exotic LW variant. It showed again later on and wasn't overly sandy. Also paying a brief visit was a Restart which was seen flying across the south end of the marsh - but wasn't relocated. The 1st Sedge Warbler of the year gave a brief burst of song (from a usually last resort site-perhaps an effect of the reed bed "management") and there was Tree Pipit and Yellow wagtail overhead. A few Wheatears were spread about in the dunes, small nos of Phylloscs were about including the CHiffchaffs which are still nest-building. Conditions were not ideal to locate Grasshopper Warblers but 2 out of yesterday's 4 birds were seen/heard and a new territory is now occupied - south end gorse.

 

[Jane Turner]

A couple of fabulous days. Yesterday there was a noticeable fall - with more than 70 Willow Warblers , at least 35 Blackcaps, 5 singing Grasshopper Warblers a Whimbrel and over head Tree PIpit and Flava Wag. Good numbers of very Greenland type Wheatears were on the beach and best of all a male Pied Flycatcher was observed coming in off. It continued East as some considerable height!

Today was a bit special - in a 15 minute period a Dotterel came off the golf course and headed directly over Hilbre and while were were still reeling from that a minimum of 4 Ring Ouzels dropped out of the sky into the northern dunes.

 

[Jane Turner]

Another great day for migration today. There are now two Reed Warblers joining the 3 Sedge Warblers in the Reed-bed - though still a lot less than would be usual this late in April. A minimum of 8 Grasshopper Warblers were present, with the 4 usual territories occupied - one at least by a pair, and there were males reeling at all sorts of odd places including the middle of the reed-bed. Other overnight/pre-dawn arrivals included a female Redstart in the big Alder, thought the 3 Blackcaps may have left overs from the last few days. Willow Warblers (17)were very prominent again and a second Chiffchaff territory has been established in the long valley. Whitethroats are nest building at two sites and there are at least 5 Meadow Pipit territories in the dunes.

Overhead passage was excellent, with 8 Tree Pipits, 4 Yellow Wagtails, a Tree Sparrow, 2 Redpoll spp and the 1st (surprisingly) Siskin of the year.

There was a small drop of chats at about 8am, including 4 sparkling male Whinchats and a 6 or so Greenland Wheatears They quickly filtered inland.

Photos of a fox who was watching me while I was furtling out very early morning Grasshopper Warblers and 3 of the Whinchats

 

[Jane Turner]

After a run of blustery or wet or both sconditions for a few days. yesterday was more conducive to birding. The big news is that there are still at least 3 occupied Grasshopper Warbler territories and nest building has been seen in one. There was a biggish drop of Whitethroats with around 15 present, much to the chagrin of the established pair. 2 Whinchats, 2 Tree Pipts and a Flava wagtail were the other migrant highlishts, whilst a Tree Sparrow was a nice suprise.

 

[Jane Turner]

The report on soil analysis of the planned "dune restoration area" - formerly the poplar stand at Red Rocks has been released.

These are the headline conclusions

If sand dune grassland were to be restored on this area it would require removal of up to 1 tonne of sand per sq.m.. On the flat bottom area this could mean stripping until either rock or the water table was reached.


We conclude that the sand at 10-20cms is enriched, with raised levels of nutrients and organic matter. In some samples, especially where the poplars used to grow, this extends to the lower level sample as well. Therefore the soil profile is damaged to a considerable depth. There has also been an increase in vigorous ruderal and non-native species in this area since the poplars were felled. It is likely that the tree clearance did ecological damage by releasing a flush of nutrients, and releasing invasive and ruderal species from shade, making the problem of what to do with this area worse. These factors would also make it difficult for restoration to marram-based vegetation to succeed.

Of course I'm expecting NE/CWT to carry on regardless and waste a sh!tload of money and try to do it, even though the report recommends replanting trees

 

[Brenty]

The report on soil analysis of the planned "dune restoration area" - formerly the poplar stand at Red Rocks has been released.

These are the headline conclusions



Of course I'm expecting NE/CWT to carry on regardless and waste a sh!tload of money and try to do it, even though the report recommends replanting trees

Could you send me a link to the report, please

 

[Jane Turner]

Its not in the public domain yet - though an FOI request from English Nature might get it

 

[Jane Turner]

I've started more regular visits to Red Rocks, but as yet spring has not sprung. Today I had almost nothing to show (see below). Over the last couple of weeks there has been the occasional overhead finch and a few Stonechats and Goldcrests passing.


The only notable overhead passage was 6 Jackdaws though I suspect that they might have just been out on a brief outing from West Kirby. Breeding wise we appear to have 4 singing Reed Buntings which whilst still below the peak, is a great improvement on the last couple of years following some less than helpful reed-bed management. Meadow Pipit territories are down from 5 to one or possibly, with the stimmed areas of the dunes now missing their singing males. Two Water Rails are still present as are at least two littoralis Rock Pipits. There was a Little Egret in the salt marsh, but it was flushed onto the beach by dogs.

The north end Reed Bunting appears to have made a trip to a Hilbre helgoland trap in the recent past. Maybe with good light and a tripod I can get the ring number. It looks like an adult ie born before last year