Hoylake Bird Observatory (2 Viewers)

Been a disappointing autumn to say the least... no passerines of note so far.... apart from a Black Redstart on Nov 2nd 126 for the year.

There have been loads of Ducks in the last couple of days, with 10 Eider yesterday and three Shoveler today new for the year. = 128

Jane Turner said:

Been a disappointing autumn to say the least... no passerines of note so far.... apart from a Black Redstart on Nov 2nd 126 for the year.

There have been loads of Ducks in the last couple of days, with 10 Eider yesterday and three Shoveler today new for the year. = 128

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Hi Jane,
what's it been like on the wader front recently? I was going to visit Hoylake yesterday, but went walking instead since it was such a nice day. Didn't see much Goldcrest and Treecreeper were the best.

Des.

There have been good numbers of especially Knot.. 8-10,000 and decent numbers of Dunlin, Sanderling, Grey Plover and Bar-Wits. The tides are too high just now and most of the waders are pushed off at high tide, leaving about 6000 large Gulls, which I still can't find anything in.

There are 15 or Brent Geese on Hilbre

Jane Turner said:

There have been good numbers of especially Knot.. 8-10,000 and decent numbers of Dunlin, Sanderling, Grey Plover and Bar-Wits. The tides are too high just now and most of the waders are pushed off at high tide, leaving about 6000 large Gulls, which I still can't find anything in.

There are 15 or Brent Geese on Hilbre

Click to expand...

Thanks Jane. What are the tides like next Saturday/Sunday?

I fully expected you to have seen a Little Auk today Jane!

I was out....

I did add two species on Nov 24th though.. Lapwing, also a record count, with 145 and Golden Plover 4... and a Brambling this morning 131

3 new birds for the year in late November - I've got no chance!
Waxwing yesterday though.

Rob

I've been really lazy this autumn.... so 140 looks like about as good as I'll get. Plenty of sea-duck still required! Seen 4 Teal today.. can't recall if they are new for the year without checking back a year's worth of records! They are scarce here though. Plenty of Divers (15), all id-able range ones were Red-throated and there are 40 or so Great-crested Grebes. I found and lost almost immediately a small grebe spp... as is usual off here. A female Peregrine was eating what appeared to be a Knot which made a change since an immature male has been my regular bird this month.

There is a Grey Wagtail in the the front garden but disappointing numbers of waders etc in the high tide roost.

Dunlin 750
Knot 900
Grey Plover 250
Sanderling 250
Cormorant 95
Curlew 25
Shelduck 135
Herring Gull 1500
Lesser Black-backed Gull 400
Great Black-backed Gull 25
Common Gull 400
Black-headed Gull 400

Nothing new today, but plenty of interest on the tide.

140 Lapwing, over 1000 Bar-tailed Godwits, a few hundred Sanderling and 2-3000 each of Dunlin and Knot. An imm female Peregrine chose a Knot for dinner... but ran out of beach to eat it on and had to fly inland.

This was taken with my phone! On a very grey day!

Black-browed Albatross heading your way Jane!

It went north Rob... I did get a Black Guillemot, the 186th species for the house though

It had to go north to get around South Stack! A quick right along the Welsh Coast, lingering in the Dee and should be with you tomorrow morning!

I bet the report had our Manx friends rushing to the headlands!

I'm guessing its going north with the first Gannets... N 7 here, so maybe it will go once round Liverpool bay first!

It seems that all this years posts are irretrievably lost. For the record here are the 61 species seen so far!

Brent Goose Branta bernicla A
Common Shelduck Tadorna tadorna A
Northern Pintail Anas acuta A
Greater Scaup Aythya marila A
Long-tailed Duck Clangula hyemalis A
Black (Common) Scoter Melanitta nigra A
Velvet Scoter Melanitta fusca A
Common Goldeneye Bucephala clangula A
Red-breasted Merganser Mergus serrator A
Red-throated Diver Gavia stellata A
Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus A
Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo A
European Shag Phalacrocorax aristotelis A
Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus A
Eurasian Oystercatcher Haematopus ostralegus A
Ringed Plover Charadrius hiaticula A
Grey Plover Pluvialis squatarola A
Red Knot Calidris canutus A
Sanderling Calidris alba A
Dunlin Calidris alpina A
Bar-tailed Godwit Limosa lapponica A
Eurasian Curlew Numenius arquata A
Common Redshank Tringa totanus A
Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres A
Black-headed Gull Larus ridibundus A
Mew Gull Larus canus A
Lesser Black-backed Gull Larus fuscus A
Herring Gull Larus argentatus A
Great Black-backed Gull Larus marinus A
Black-legged Kittiwake Rissa tridactyla A
Common Guillemot Uria aalge A
Black Guillemot Cepphus grylle A
Rock Pigeon Columba livia AC
Common Wood Pigeon Columba palumbus A
Eurasian Collared Dove Streptopelia decaocto A
Sky Lark Alauda arvensis A
Meadow Pipit Anthus pratensis A
Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea A
White / Pied Wagtail Motacilla alba A
Winter Wren Troglodytes troglodytes A
Hedge Accentor Prunella modularis A
European Robin Erithacus rubecula A
Common Blackbird Turdus merula A
Song Thrush Turdus philomelos A
Redwing Turdus iliacus A
Blackcap Sylvia atricapilla A
Common Chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita A
Goldcrest Regulus regulus A
Long-tailed Tit Aegithalos caudatus A
Coal Tit Parus ater A
Blue Tit Parus caeruleus A
Great Tit Parus major A
Black-billed Magpie Pica pica A
Carrion Crow Corvus corone A
Common Starling Sturnus vulgaris A
House Sparrow Passer domesticus A
Eurasian Tree Sparrow Passer montanus A
Chaffinch Fringilla coelebs A
European Greenfinch Carduelis chloris A
European Goldfinch Carduelis carduelis A
Common Linnet Carduelis cannabina A

Niice! The Black Scoter must be ranging over a wide area to show up at yours!

Ah thats just bog standard Common Scoter.... all the same species in my BTO list.

Its blowing hard with a big tide here... too windy for there to be much at sea. Spent ages attempting to add a species to the house list, only to use my eyes as opposed to the scope and see that there were 16 Little Gulls in quite close. Had a scare with a tiny Black-headed Gull. Didn't see the underwing, but can' make it into Bonepartes!

62 for the year.

Bit of a good day today. There is a Slavonian Grebe closer in than I've ever seen a small grebe before.


63 for the Year

Black-necked Grebe next?

Any takers, 25/1 before five this afternoon!

My bet would be Little Auk seeing as there is one off Point Of Ayr!