Cheshire Birder
Well-known member
Perhaps you should drop a line to the local press. See if they want to have a bash at her over her incompetance!
CB
-
Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.
Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
Cheshire And Wirral Birding: Hills, Lowland and Coast (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Upland Birder
- Start date
Perhaps you should drop a line to the local press. See if they want to have a bash at her over her incompetance!
CB
Cheshire Birder
Well-known member
Todays news - Caspian Gull, Iceland Gull, Glaucous Gull, 11 Yellow-legged Gulls and 2+ Mediterranean Gulls at Richmond Bank; 61 Scaup off Leasowe; 15 Brambling visiting a Macclesfield Garden;
CB
CB
deeestuary
Dee Estuary
Before we get too carried away, here is a quote from a local ornithologist and chairman of Cheshire Wildlife Trust:
"It is not as black-and-white as portrayed by the media and much of the propaganda from these anonymous websites and petitions is just plain wrong. All of the major charities* are in discussion with government over possible disposals and the outcomes for wildlife could well be better than under the existing FC ownership."
*A collaborative group of National Trust, RSPB, the Wildlife Trusts, Plantlife, Butterfly Conservation, Woodland Trust, WWT.
deeestuary
Dee Estuary
Unidentified bird in horse paddock to the west of Leasowe Lighthouse this afternoon, possible imm/fem Little Bittern, showing well for several minutes but now probably in the nearby reed bed.
deeestuary
Dee Estuary
Now been upgraded to a probable immature Little Bittern after finder consulted books, google etc. Just hope it can be found again.
Mark Payne
Mark Payne
After the strong westerly gales and Belted Kingfisher in Northern Ireland, worth considering Least Bittern here. could have hopped off a boat schueduled for Liverpool....
anyone know who the finder was or why its been called as a Little Bittern ?
deeestuary
Dee Estuary
If I have my facts correct this will be the first for Cheshire and Wirral since 1970, if confirmed.
Just to clarify where it was seen, park at the Leasowe Lighthouse car park. From the entrance of the car park turn right (i.e. westwards towards Meols) and take the second path on the right. Carry on along the path past the duck pond until you reach the fields. The bird was in the second field on the right. On the far side of these fields is a reedbed where I suspect the bird now is. This reedbed is easily accessed by a couple of paths including the bridleway which goes along just inland of the sea wall.
deeestuary
Dee Estuary
Yes, I know who the finder is and spoke to him. He is a Leasowe Lighthouse regular. Email me if you want to know who - no secret it's just he might no want his name all over Bird Forum!
Could be a Least Bittern although obviously Little Bittern is more likely - it's only a probable at the moment but three of us thought Little Bittern from the finder's description, and he also has come up with that ID separately.
Cheshire Birder
Well-known member
I think I would have to concur. Shouldn't Little Bitterns still in Africa at this time of year?
CB
deeestuary
Dee Estuary
Ah, right. Supposed I should have checked that - oops. Difficult to know what else it could be though, other than the suggested Least Bittern.
But we did have those storm force south-west winds so who knows what may have been blown here.
Cheshire Birder
Well-known member
Todays other news - Glaucous Gull, 2 Iceland Gulls, 5 Yellow-legged Gulls and Med Gull at Richmond Bank; 29 Waxwings at Northwich;
CB
Was heading to Richmond Bank tomorrow but looks like my plans may change, along with many others. Never seen so many birders viewing this thread in a long time.
CB
Was heading to Richmond Bank tomorrow but looks like my plans may change, along with many others. Never seen so many birders viewing this thread in a long time.
Jane Turner
Well-known member
They are not famous for stomping about in fields either. Curious!
deeestuary
Dee Estuary
Better give you the description of the 'Little Bittern', such as it is. This is just from memory - I didn't write it down. As the the three of us were talking about it we had no idea what it could be other than perhaps a small heron, or some type of rail (take into account only one of us had actually seen it). It was only afterwards that I started thinking it could be a Little Bittern, and then the finder himself came up with that ID.
It was woodcock size. Beak was long with the shape of a Heron's. Legs were longer than a moorhen's and both beak and legs were a 'neutral' colour. The rear end was noticeably dark with a black stubby tail. General colour was greyish brown, fairly uniform - not streaked like a woodcock. It stood still for quite long periods but when it walked it did so in a stilted manner.
Obviously the size, heron like beak, black stubby tail and the general colour led us to think along the lines of a Little Bittern. I realise there isn't much there to base an ID on and the description is hardly going to get accepted by the rarity panel!
It was woodcock size. Beak was long with the shape of a Heron's. Legs were longer than a moorhen's and both beak and legs were a 'neutral' colour. The rear end was noticeably dark with a black stubby tail. General colour was greyish brown, fairly uniform - not streaked like a woodcock. It stood still for quite long periods but when it walked it did so in a stilted manner.
Obviously the size, heron like beak, black stubby tail and the general colour led us to think along the lines of a Little Bittern. I realise there isn't much there to base an ID on and the description is hardly going to get accepted by the rarity panel!
deeestuary
Dee Estuary
What is most likely then?
Believe me I would love to be proven wrong on this one.
However, an immature Little Bittern and a Snipe do share some sort of similar features. I've seen Snipe before in the Leasowe fields and they can walk in a stilt like manner. Anyway, I don't wish to cause offence to anyone just wanted to put forward an alternative view that didn't involve a rare bird.
Believe me I would love to be proven wrong on this one.
However, an immature Little Bittern and a Snipe do share some sort of similar features. I've seen Snipe before in the Leasowe fields and they can walk in a stilt like manner. Anyway, I don't wish to cause offence to anyone just wanted to put forward an alternative view that didn't involve a rare bird.
Attachments
Last edited:
deeestuary
Dee Estuary
I assume you were being sarcastic when you suggested Snipe.
All I can say you don't see many Snipe with Heron shaped beaks, long legs, black stubby tails..............
Not having seen the bird but having spoken to the person that did, I made my best guess which happened to be the best guess of two other birders as well as the finder himself. We may well be wrong but a woodcock size bird with a Heron shaped beak and black stubby tail etc doesn't leave many options other than a small heron/bittern.
As I said, I would love to be proven wrong. I didn't realise this had been seen by a birder, I presumed it was someone with an interest in birds that had passed the description on. I suspect we will never find out either way.
Got the blood pumping for a short while at least ;-)
Got the blood pumping for a short while at least ;-)
purplemoose
New member
I was down at the site early sat am when another birder came along and said on the previous day he'd had a blk t godwit on the flooded horse paddocks. The "finder" apparently didnt even have any bins!
