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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Hoylake Bird Observatory (2 Viewers)

6 Yellow-legged Gulls, 2 or 3 Mediterranean Gulls and that appeared to be the American Herring Gull on the rising tide to day. The latter was a huge dark bird that was showing a glauc-type bill pattern on the sea, and when it flew had an apparently all dark tail and very dark secondaries but paler inner primaries. It went off east an hour or so before the tide. Light was worse and the bird further than in my previous attempts to record it, still you can get an impression of its bulk and darkness in the first photo - and how far it was when you see the part of the gull flock it was in on 8x mags (second two photos)
 

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I think the conversation Saturday, faced with 7000 big Larrys asleep on the beach and what looked like breaking surf, but was actually a thick line on gulls on the now distant tide edge from Hilbre to end of the east Hoyle off Dovepoint.

Me: God I hate Gulls
Mark: I REALLY hate Gulls
Steve 1 : Me too!
Steve 2: I'm not overly keen either

Anyway its all your fault Pete - if you'd found me a Glauc from home - I could stop looking.
 
You know whilst I am a compulsive self-finder, I think I'd rather be pointed at big Larry's than wade through thousands of them!

That said I've got quite good at picking out what I take to be 1stW argentatus, looking out or dark smudgy big ones
 
Jane Turner said:
I think the conversation Saturday, faced with 7000 big Larrys asleep on the beach and what looked like breaking surf, but was actually a thick line on gulls on the now distant tide edge from Hilbre to end of the east Hoyle off Dovepoint.

Me: God I hate Gulls
Mark: I REALLY hate Gulls
Steve 1 : Me too!
Steve 2: I'm not overly keen either

Anyway its all your fault Pete - if you'd found me a Glauc from home - I could stop looking.
Click to expand...

Should have heard the mumblings from Hilbre as I scanned all the gulls on Middle Eye and, later, off the N end as the tide fell. :t:
 
Good to hear that others are looking for this Phil. It`s a 100% text-book 1stW, so it`s VERY distinctive....if you see it you`ll know straight away that you`ve got the right bird.I can`t go on enough about the smooth, velvety dark bloom of the underparts contrasting with the paler head and the "bar-code" like barring on the vent and uppertail coverts. Hopefully it will be pinned down during this phase of high tides because when the low tides come back it will really be a needle in a haystack then...keep on looking!View attachment 309648
 
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I remember the bird at Moore a few years back Pete. Stunning photogrpahs in flight but they didn't show the required under tail covert or rump detail. I know many are convinced it was a 1st winter Smiths but because of the lack of these photo's it was never submitted.

Nice sketch by the way!
 
Am visiting the area on Thursday to try to connect with the AHG, an obvious hole in my Britsih list. Any advice on which sites to try at what time of day? Is there any point even attempting to view through the Seaforth fence from Crosby Marine Park?

Cheers Phil
 
If it were me I'd spend pre-tide at New Brighton and see if you can catch it flying in for its bath and try and persuade Pete (Snowcap) to text you if its at Seaforth....and then work westwards to find the gull roost which will be somewhere between Meols and Hoylake at high tide.

If you get lucky someone will pull it out of the feeding birds at low tide....but I wouldn't hold my breath
 
er 15:22 and 8.62m so it won't flood as far as me.

I've located another photo from my first day - no better alas
 

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It could be that its short visit to Seaforth each day might be at least predictable and since flight is the best was to clinch the ID, if it persists on show boating around the reserve, you could see it from the fence - you could still thrash N.Wirral if you dip
 
PhilW said:
I remember the bird at Moore a few years back Pete. Stunning photogrpahs in flight but they didn't show the required under tail covert or rump detail. I know many are convinced it was a 1st winter Smiths but because of the lack of these photo's it was never submitted.

Nice sketch by the way!
Click to expand...

I saw that bird twice, soon after Gav Thomas found it on Richmond Bank and a few days later at Birchwood Pool at Moore.I`m certain it was a Smiths but the photos weren`t great and I also think some people saw and photo`d a dark argentatus which confused matters.When you think out of the 100 or so records of AHG in Britain and Ireland, c75% have been seen on the other side of the Irish Sea, where there are fewer Gulls but also far fewer birders,we really should be getting more over here, particularly in the NW.
 
There is a monster roost on the developing end of the East Hoyle just now - but I've been stuck in a meeting for two days and needed a cup of tea rather than a bucketload of gulls in fading light!
 
Hi People,

A heads up for all those interested the Wirral Council Rangers, Dee Estuary Voluntary Wardens and the RSPB are hosting a free birdwatching event this Saturday (5th at 9.30am - pop along anythime) at "King's Gap" Hoylake. We will have telescopes to show beginners (or just those interested) the many birds that use this site as a vital high tide roost.

For more details visit www.rspb.org.uk/innermarshfarm and look at the events section.

Fingers crossed for some of those gulls that everyone has been talking about!
 
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