deeestuary
Dee Estuary
Jane Turner said:
Have you seen anything of the Pink-footed Geese movement over the past three days? Must have been well over 2,000 over Wirral today.
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Hoylake Bird Observatory (3 Viewers)
- Thread starter Jane Turner
- Start date
Have you seen anything of the Pink-footed Geese movement over the past three days? Must have been well over 2,000 over Wirral today.
Jane Turner
Well-known member
I saw some earlier in the week - not been home today!
deeestuary
Dee Estuary
Final count was 4,500 to 5,000 seen by Dave Wild who spent most of the day down at Heswall. No doubt these were birds coming over from Norfolk, not a bad total for Wirral!Jane Turner said:
I also wasn't home yesterday so missed waht must have been a fantastic sight.
Jane Turner
Well-known member
I did manage 2 Goldeneye and A Great-northern Diver in the evening and a Sparrowhawk mid afternoon, all new for the year.
Jane Turner
Well-known member
There have been a good 10,000 Knot on the beach today. A Peregrine gave them a hard time yesterday, taking one after a full upside loop! Today, horses, dog walkers, a quad bike and a head level microlite spooked them.
Also yesterday there were two Teal, 4 Pintail and 3 Wigeon on the sea as well as a Mallard over. Also plenty of Scoter moving about
Also yesterday there were two Teal, 4 Pintail and 3 Wigeon on the sea as well as a Mallard over. Also plenty of Scoter moving about
deeestuary
Dee Estuary
Not quite as many knot today but two peregrines, one took a knot. Lovely and peaceful with no disturbances - apart from the peregrines! I had 154 Great Crested Grebes off Dove Point, suspect there will have been some off Hoylake but too far out to see.Jane Turner said:
Jane Turner
Well-known member
I watched a male Peregrine miss the Knot despite having several attempts!
deeestuary
Dee Estuary
Not often do you see Liverpool Bay obsolutley flat calm, as a result I managed a count of 458 Great Crested Grebes off Dove Point, Meols, today. Previous highest count for Cheshire & Wirral was 420 off Hilbre in 1996. Strange thing about the GCGs is that numbers in both the Mersey and Dee Estuaries have plummeted in recent years - presumably because they are all out in Liverpool Bay! Not easy to see, though, as they were a good mile out and in any breeze at all they are very difficult to pick out.
deeestuary
Dee Estuary
Two Gannets seen from Hoylake Shore, way out towards the wind farm. Earliest I've ever seen them from Wirral, although birds do turn up through the winter from time to time.
Jane Turner
Well-known member
I've been away in the far east (work not pleasure). First thing this morning I heard a terrible din and assumed that a Sparrowhawk had nailed a Starling. 3 minutes later the noise continued and I went to investigate. I couldn't at first see what was wrong and hoped it would go away. The alarm calls of the bird, plus about 10 other Starlings attracted a large selection of birds to the trees closest to the house. In fact my middle daughter's waking words this morning were, "Mum there is a Blackcap by the window".
I went out again and this time I could see what the trouble was. I have this sort of box-like contraption wedged in an angle between two pitches of the roof and over a gutter. Starlings use it as a nest site each year. Evidentally one of them was investigating it this year and contrived somehow to get its head stuck in the crack between the box and the roof. I packed the kids off to school and came back to deal with the starling. Wavering about on the ladder waving an axe was not my idea of the best thing to be doing in the weather conditions, but eventually I prised the box far enough away from the wall to be able to poke the starling back into the box.
It flew out of the more usual exit a few seconds later, apparently none the worse for its mishap.
There was a Goldcrest last weekend, and a few Meadow Pipits today. Spring is just around the corner.
Yes Richard - that is really early for Gannets.
I went out again and this time I could see what the trouble was. I have this sort of box-like contraption wedged in an angle between two pitches of the roof and over a gutter. Starlings use it as a nest site each year. Evidentally one of them was investigating it this year and contrived somehow to get its head stuck in the crack between the box and the roof. I packed the kids off to school and came back to deal with the starling. Wavering about on the ladder waving an axe was not my idea of the best thing to be doing in the weather conditions, but eventually I prised the box far enough away from the wall to be able to poke the starling back into the box.
It flew out of the more usual exit a few seconds later, apparently none the worse for its mishap.
There was a Goldcrest last weekend, and a few Meadow Pipits today. Spring is just around the corner.
Yes Richard - that is really early for Gannets.
Jane Turner
Well-known member
I thought it would be fun to pull together some photos of the more unusual garden birds in one place......
Wheatear
http://www.birdforum.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=13573
Little Gull
http://www.birdforum.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=16572
Osprey
http://www.birdforum.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=21397
Wheatear
http://www.birdforum.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=13573
Little Gull
http://www.birdforum.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=16572
Osprey
http://www.birdforum.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=21397
Jane Turner
Well-known member
A Chiffchaff today was acting like a migrant. Still no wheatear, though its a bit hazy just now AND the point garden at Red Rocks has dismantled its rockery. That used to collect all the Wheatears and a good number of Black Redstarts!
deeestuary
Dee Estuary
Jane Turner said:
Four Wheatears today close to your house, next to the Lifeboat Station. In thick fog!
Jane Turner
Well-known member
Alas I was in Rotterdam!
JimMorris
Registered User
Is your garden open to the public, if not it should be. If you need a gardener or a servant or a slave. ( only kidding). It must be wonderful to have all those birds on the doorstep. I've not read all the posts in this thread but I shall EVENTUALLY. How many species have you seen so far. HAPPY BIRDING.
Jane Turner
Well-known member
189 so far. Its possible that I could have seen last week's White-tailed eagle it I'd got into the new lookout - I was in a boat watching a Sperm whale instead!
deeestuary
Dee Estuary
Same from my garden with the White-tailed Eagle, and I was walking in Wales, some nice views of buzzards there but not quite the same thing.Jane Turner said:
Steve Williams has some nice photos of it on www.birdingnorthwest.org.uk
