Cheshire And Wirral Birding: Hills, Lowland and Coast (3 Viewers)

[chris butterworth]

Just been to Caldy Wildfowl Collection where there were 1478 Black-tailed Godwit, at least 12 of them colour ringed, 2 groups of Mandarin - 1 male and 3 females flew into the trees opposite and 4 males few towards Royden Park - and 3 Stock Dove. 2 Sedge Warbler, 1 Whitethroat, 2 Blackcap, Willow Warbler and Chiffchaff in song at Gilroy with 7 Shelduck, 4 Teal, 15 Blackwit and 2 Wheatear on/by the pond opposite.

Chris

Just nipped round to Gilroy and picked up the Common Sandpiper. I've dipped on them here so far this year.

c

 

[Cheshire Birder]

Nice day out in Chesire today - visietd Beeston Castle, then Burton Mere, Burton Point, Little Eye and then Red Rocks. Plenty of Wheatear around Burton Point. Some on the walls just resting allowing fairly close approach. Please could some one explain where they would have last stopped? Would any of them have flown non-stop from Africa or any other long distance and then decided to stop just here? Some were looking so tired and the numbers present was quite something to watch. How many Wheatears would there usually be at this time of the year in previous years?

Difficult to know where the Wheatears may have last stopped, I would have thought probably Northern France or Southern England. I think some of the ringers may be able to help better than I can. The birds were probably newly arrived overnight and so were active and feeding up for the next part of the migration. All the local breeding birds in the hills have been back a couple of weeks. Certainly numbers (see my daily reports below) seem to be higher than normal. Will check the bird reports to see.

CB

 

[Cheshire Birder]

Belated news for Apr 16th - 2 Pied Flycatchers at Tegg's Nose CP;

Belated news for Apr 17th - Sabine's Gull, 20 Little Gulls, Cuckoo and Razorbill at New Brighton; 15 Black-necked Grebes at Woolston Eyes; Wood Warbler and Arctic Tern at Budworth Mere; 2 Avocets, 3 Marsh Harriers, Sedge Warbler and Grasshopper Warbler at Frodsham; 50 Brent Geese, 10 Wheatears, 15 Willow Warblers, 2 White Wagtails, Tree Pipit, Grasshopper Warbler and 330 Goldfinches at Hilbre; Pied Flycatcher at Lyme Park; 2 Whitethroats at Great Sankey; White Wagtail at Astbury SQ;

CB

 

[Cheshire Birder]

Belated news for Apr 18th - Pomarine Skua, 2 Eiders, 4 Manx Shearwaters, 250 Razorbills, 40 Guillemots, 250 Gannets, 45 Red-throated Divers, 7 Fulmars and 30+ Brent Geese at Hilbre; Puffin, Great Northern Diver, Black-throated Diver, 85 Red-throated Divers, 490 Razorbills, 195 Guillemots, 6 Manx Shearwaters, 590 Gannets, 12 Fulmars and Great Skua at Hoylake; Garganey, Whinchat, 11 Wheatears, 8 Yellow Wagtails, Whitethroat and 54 Avocets at Burton Mere Wetlands; 2 Waxwings and Ring Ousel at Little Neston; 15 Black-necked Grebes and Arctic Tern at Woolston Eyes; Wood Warbler, 7 Wheatears, 5 Yellow Wagtails, 5 Common Sandpipers and Reed Warbler at Budworth Mere plus Little Gull on Neumann's Flash; 50+ Little Gulls and 50+ Common Terns at New Brighton; Whimbrel, Whinchat and 15 Wheatears at Great Sutton; Redstart and Fulmar at Meols; single Redstarts at Chester, Seacombe and Runcorn; 68 Wheatears at Frodsham; Tree Pipit, Yellow Wagtail and Redstart at Red Rocks;

CB

 

[Cheshire Birder]

Belated news for Apr 19th - Blue-winged Teal, Garganey and Spotted Redshank at Burton Mere Wetlands; Puffin, 3 Great Skuas, 15 Manx Shearwaters, 14 Little Gulls, 125 Razorbills, 25 Guillemots and 220 Sandwich Terns at Hoylake; 2 Eiders, 3 Little Gulls, 60+ Guillemots, 25 Razorbills and 42 Common Terns at Hilbre; Iceland Gull, 2 Whinchats, 2 Redstarts, Yellow Wagtail and 5 White Wagtails at Leasowe; Garganey and Little Gull at Neumann's Flash also Wood Warbler and Arctic Tern at Budworth Mere; Bittern, 9 Black-necked Grebes, 14 Willow Warblers, 2 White Wagtails, Reed Warbler, Sedge Warbler and Grasshopper Warbler at Woolston Eyes; 3 Black-necked Grebes, Green Sandpiper and 5 White Wagtails at Houghton Green Flash; 43 Wheatears, 9 White Wagtails, Whitethroat, Reed Warbler, Sedge Warbler and Grasshopper Warbler at Frodsham; Mediterranean Gull and 2 Little Gulls at New Brighton; Redstart and 2 Whinchats at Meols; 2 Redstarts at Wigg Island; Whinchat at Burton; c100 Willow Warblers in the Spike Island area;

CB

 

[Cheshire Birder]

Belated news for Apr 20th - Blue-winged Teal, Garganey, Jack Snipe and 9 Spotted Redshanks at Burton Mere Wetlands plus 30+ Wheatears, 3 Whinchats, 2 Whitethroats and 3 Grasshopper Warblers at Burton Point; Iceland Gull at Leasowe; Eider, Ring Ousel, 3 Tree Pipits, 15 White Wagtails, Whimbrel and 18 Willow Warblers at Red Rocks; Red Kite, 3 Avocets, 4 Whinchats, 50 Wheatears and 5+ White Wagtails at Frodsham; Red Kite at Moore NR; Garganey at Neumann's Flash also Arctic Tern at Budworth Mere; Ring Ousel, Whinchat and 2 Redstarts at Parkgate; Red-crested Pochard and Wood Warbler at Lyme Park; 3 Whimbrel at Norton Marsh; Cuckoo at Bickerton; Redstart and Whinchat at Meols; Redstart and Pied Flycatcher at Tegg's Nose CP; single Redstarts at Moreton and Penketh; Whinchat at Neston;

CB

 

[Cheshire Birder]

Yesterday - Hoopoe, 3 Grasshopper Warblers, 45 White Wagtails and 25 Wheatears at Red Rocks; Caspian Gull, Yellow-legged Gull and Whinchat at Leasowe; Garganey, 9 Spotted Redshanks, 2 Tree Pipits, Swift and Hobby at Burton Mere Wetlands; Garganey, Lesser Whitethroat and Redstart at Neumann's/Ashtons's Flash plus Little Gull, 2 Mediterranean Gulls and 11 Yellow Wagtails at Budworth Mere; 2 Garganey at Gowy Meadows CWT; 3 Little Gulls and 9 Whimbrel at Hilbre; Swift at Puddington; Ring Ousel at Parkgate; Arctic Tern and 11 Yellow Wagtails at Doddington; Tree Pipit and Pied Flycatcher at Lyme Park; Marsh Harrier at Meols; Whimbrel and 4 Avocets at Frodsham; 28 Wheatears, 7 Yellow Wagtails, White Wagtail and Cuckoo at Rixton; 42 Wheatears and Whinchat at Burton; 8 Crossbills at Gayton;

CB

 

[Cheshire Birder]

Today - Iceland Gull and 2 Yellow-legged Gulls at Richmond Bank; Garganey at Neumann's Flash plus Redstart and 3 Whimbrel at Ashton's Flash; Long-tailed Duck (on the river still), 9 Black-necked Grebes, Lesser Whitethroat, 2 Bramblings, 53 Willow Warblers, 51 Chiffchaffs and Garden Warbler at Woolston Eyes; 145 White Wagtails, 3 Grasshopper Warblers and 3 Tree Pipits at Red Rocks; 12 Little Gulls at Wallasey; 4 Whinchats and 3 Whimbrel at Frodsham; 6 Manx Shearwaters and 100+ Gannets at Hilbre;

CB

 

[Cheshire Birder]

Over 200 species have been recorded in the county so far (subject to acceptance of county/national rarities). Looks like it could be a good year for any listers.

CB

 

[PhilW]

15 Wheatears on local ploughed fields near me last night. All males and all seemingly Greenland. Over the last two winters the local farmer hasn't planted winter wheat so has been leaving stubble over the winter which attracts good numbers of finches and buntings. It also means in the spring the freshly ploughed fields attract Wheatears. in 14 years living at this house I'd never seen local Wheatears until last spring - the first year of spring barley.

 

[PhilW]

Over 200 species have been recorded in the county so far (subject to acceptance of county/national rarities). Looks like it could be a good year for any listers.

CB

Are you counting dodgy R C Pochard, Red-breasted Goose & Ruddy Shelduck in that total Phil?

 

[Mark Payne]

Are you counting dodgy R C Pochard, Red-breasted Goose & Ruddy Shelduck in that total Phil?

Nothing wrong with the Pochard, same credentrials as your one a few years back, you know the one that was over the border ;0)

 

[Cheshire Birder]

Are you counting dodgy R C Pochard, Red-breasted Goose & Ruddy Shelduck in that total Phil?

If your worried about introduced species we would be down to about 160! Counted RCP but not RBG. Ruddy Shelduck not been seen yet unless you know different.

CB

 

[Cheshire Birder]

Today - Little Auk reported at Wallasey; Blue-headed Wagtail at Budworth Mere; Grassshopper Warbler, 31 White Wagtails, 15 Manx Shearwaters and Little Gull at Red Rocks; Swift at West Kirby; 2 Whinchats at Leasowe; Whinchat at Risley;

CB

 

[daverigden]

Ring ouzels at least 3M + 4F in fields below metal ladder stiles off A54 about quarter-mile west of Danebower at 1515 today.

 

[Himalaya]

It does make you think does nt it?

Heres the photograph of that Wheatear.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sarfrazh/8678506787/

Difficult to know where the Wheatears may have last stopped, I would have thought probably Northern France or Southern England. I think some of the ringers may be able to help better than I can. The birds were probably newly arrived overnight and so were active and feeding up for the next part of the migration. All the local breeding birds in the hills have been back a couple of weeks. Certainly numbers (see my daily reports below) seem to be higher than normal. Will check the bird reports to see.

CB

 

[Jane Turner]

A bit of a fall this am at RR (Blackcaps and Willow Warblers) plus the 1st Common Sand of the year (out towards Hilbre)

 

[PhilW]

Another fall on Hilbre. Blackcaps, Willows, Grasshopper Warbler and Sedge Warbler

 

[PhilW]

Nothing wrong with the Pochard, same credentrials as your one a few years back, you know the one that was over the border ;0)

The ones seen in Greater Manchester 2006 when doing a N W year list Mark?

 

[Jane Turner]

Sedge Warblers, Blackcaps and WW coming in off the sea here still.