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How to see Leach's Petrel (2 Viewers)
- Thread starter Jane Turner
- Start date
StuartReeves
Local rarity
Finally managed to join-in the fun - I got three today off various corners of the North Zealand coast. There has been near-record numbers on the Danish North Sea coast in recent days, but it's still a good bird this far east. Bonxie and Black-throated Diver too, both of which wer also Danish ticks. Good stuff.
Stuart
Stuart
Jane Turner
Well-known member
There are NO winds at all just now. and for the first time in a few days I failed to find a Leach's in a sweep of the bay. That is not to say that there are not a few stragglers out there.
LUNDY FASTNET IRISH SEA
NORTHWEST 5 OR 6, BACKING SOUTHWEST 4 OR 5. FAIR, THEN RAIN OR
DRIZZLE. GOOD, BECOMING MODERATE OR POOR
The forecast suggests that there will be more birds by Sat evening... though its a bit of a risk! Sunday would be safer if there are birds again on Sat evening.
I had 10 minutes to kill yesterday eveining on the "other side" of the Mersey and saw 4 juv Black Terns and some fabulous Little Gulls on Crosby Marina.
LUNDY FASTNET IRISH SEA
NORTHWEST 5 OR 6, BACKING SOUTHWEST 4 OR 5. FAIR, THEN RAIN OR
DRIZZLE. GOOD, BECOMING MODERATE OR POOR
The forecast suggests that there will be more birds by Sat evening... though its a bit of a risk! Sunday would be safer if there are birds again on Sat evening.
I had 10 minutes to kill yesterday eveining on the "other side" of the Mersey and saw 4 juv Black Terns and some fabulous Little Gulls on Crosby Marina.
Jane Turner
Well-known member
Still calm here. No Leach's offshore. Not checked situation at New Brighton...
sparrowbirder
Well-known member
remember october88 mike,hundreds of leachs and loads of full adult lt skuas at arms length ..oh the memories!!Mike Pennington said:
Mark Payne
Mark Payne
Leaches
Loads of Leaches being reported from various headlands in North Wales today so Looks like they have moved out of the bay.
I'm planning on going up saturday afternoon as the winds ( westerly's) will be back.
Should be good for Skuas even if the Leach's aren't blown back in.
Mark
Loads of Leaches being reported from various headlands in North Wales today so Looks like they have moved out of the bay.
I'm planning on going up saturday afternoon as the winds ( westerly's) will be back.
Should be good for Skuas even if the Leach's aren't blown back in.
Mark
Jane Turner
Well-known member
Its still calm here and if the wind goes SW as promised I'd expect the best places for Leachs to be west facing coast lines....
My tip... but don't hold me to it... would be Strumble Head... its is at least not too far from Warwickshire
http://www.streetmap.co.uk/streetmap.dll?G2M?A=Y&X=189000&Y=241000&Z=5
My tip... but don't hold me to it... would be Strumble Head... its is at least not too far from Warwickshire
http://www.streetmap.co.uk/streetmap.dll?G2M?A=Y&X=189000&Y=241000&Z=5
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Jane Turner
Well-known member
sparrowbirder said:
The 950+ Leach's in a day in 1978 takes some beating and 6... 6 Long-tailed Skuas sat in the dips at Leasowe! I had just started ringing in 1978 and was a bit grudging of the crap conditions for mist-netting that autumn... mind you.. the one day the wind stopped (Sept 28th) a Great-spotted Cuckoo turned up!
Jane Turner
Well-known member
Reader...
Check the shipping forecast at midnight.. even 6am Sat morning... if the winds are 6+ W to NW there will almost certainly be a few petrels on the Sat evening tide at New Brighton and I'm guessing those LTSkuas are fixtures
Check the shipping forecast at midnight.. even 6am Sat morning... if the winds are 6+ W to NW there will almost certainly be a few petrels on the Sat evening tide at New Brighton and I'm guessing those LTSkuas are fixtures
Surreybirder
Ken Noble
there's one at Staines Res, Surrey, today, for SE-based twitchers!
I've only ever seen them at St Ives, Cornwall.
Ken
I've only ever seen them at St Ives, Cornwall.
Ken
Jane Turner
Well-known member
I have once seen one in the Mersey Tunnel... that has to be the most unexpected... my tunnel list is two species.. Feral Pigeon and LP!
Mike Pennington
Registered Member
sparrowbirder said:
I was in Shetland then, and there were loads of Long-tailed Skuas here but I missed almost all of them.
Must have been my brother at Seaforth in 88.
Reader
Well-known member
Jane Turner said:
Hi jane
As a landlocked birder that doesn't get to do much sea watching I am not as adept as you experts at knowing what is good or not so good with predicted conditions.
I went into the Met Office web site and at 21:10 this is what the forecast states.
Colwyn Bay to the Mull of Galloway including the Isle of Man.
24 hour forecast:
Wind: northwest 3 or 4 backing southwest overnight, perhaps reaching 6 for a time, veering west later.
Weather: rain later.
Visibility: moderate or good.
Sea State: slight or moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
Wind: west 3 or 4 backing southwest 6 to gale 8.
Weather: rain at times.
Visibility: moderate or good.
Sea State: moderate.
What would this mean in terms of conditions and where to go. I doubt very much if I will still be up at midnight and will almost certainly be up your end by 6am.
John Malloy
Well-known member
I made the effort to travel from Northumberland on Wednesday - well worth the journey. Leach's were seen from the car while putting waterproofs on at New Brighton and were later observed from less than 10ft as they passed the shoreline! Bonus birds included 2 Long-tailed Skua, 1 1w Sabines Gull, a couple of Manxies (also venturing close to the shore) and a few Gannets. Pallid Swift on the way home was a bonus too!
Images attached was taken from the shore, despite being clse they were very difficult to photograph in blustery conditions! (My camera was caked with sand by the time I'd finished!)
John
Images attached was taken from the shore, despite being clse they were very difficult to photograph in blustery conditions! (My camera was caked with sand by the time I'd finished!)
John
Attachments
Jane Turner
Well-known member
Reader said:
Can't see there being anything on Wirral - beyond the long staying LTS in the Mersey - if it has stayed... that said I have seen Sabs in calm conditions. No more than Force 3 here just now.. if it reaches 6 then maybe there will be something on the evening tide... I hate to say this. .Sunday pm looks the best bet... as I said I'd go to Strumble which needs less wind and is better for deep water species anyway. Perversely i expect there may be more petrels seen off the east coast today. Filey might be worth a shout
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Grousemore
Senior Member
John Malloy said:
Very impressive pics, John....I'll know what they look like the next time one flies up the Thames!
deeestuary
Dee Estuary
On the subject of local information - I know Jane (who sends me her sightings) won't mind me mentioning my website on this thread - Dee Estuary Birding, I'm sure anyone thinking of visiting the Dee Estuary and North Wirral coast will find it useful.Rob Smallwood said:
I know John Malloy has published some great photos of Leach's on this thread, but local birder Steve Round has also published some fantastic photos - Leach's, Sabine's, Manxies etc. during the past few days - taken off New Brighton and Leasowe. See http://stevenround-birdphotography.com/, I was just stunned when I saw his Leach's photos!
Richard smith
deeestuary
Dee Estuary
I quote from the 1978 Cheshire Bird Report - "Early on 30th (Sept) quite phenomenal numbers were present, with some hundreds off Seacombe Ferry (in the River Mersey). On the ebbing tide an incredible number moved out of the river past large numbers of observers stationed at New Brighton. No accurate counts have been submitted, but a conservative estimate is of 800 petrels". There were 959 seen from Hilbre a few days earlier on the 27th Sept which is the all time record. Unfortunately I missed all this but have spoken to someone who was at Seacombe on the 30th, just 'clouds of Petrels over the river'!Jane Turner said:
Richard Smith www.deeestuay.co.uk
