Hoylake Bird Observatory (1 Viewer)

[Jane Turner]

Flat calm sea and good light made for excellent conditions for picking up sea duck - though there were mostly 1mile plus offshore. 40+ Scaup, 35 Goldeneye (displaying), 10 Red-breasted Mergansers several parties of 20-50 Scoter - probably 120 in all and a drake Eider. (67th).

Also more Waders than of late - 4000 Knot but just 700 Dunlin, 20 Sanderling, 250 Redshank and a single Turnstone (also new for the year) 68th

Only 2000 gulls left, nothing large and dark to get excited about, but two Yellow-legged Gulls (1st and 4th W) as well as a summer plumage Mediterranean Gull added some interest.

The back garden is full of finches and the Blackcap is still singing his lungs out.

 

[Jane Turner]

Two male Blackcaps this morning - which might explain why there always appears to be on on view! 15 Siskin over and plenty of Scaup and Goldeneye in view on the distant tide edge.

 

[Jane Turner]

Its very windy today. A few Kittiwakes off shore just now, as well as the second Fulmar of the year. Still no Gannets though.

A flock of 9 Red-breasted Mergansers flew through earlier this morning. Hoping for something on the tide

 

[Jane Turner]

Another very windy day. On the rising tide there have been 8 Red-throated Divers. a Goldeneye, 20 or so Kittiwakes, 20 Guillemots and a Razorbill.


A 1st Winter Little Gull was new for the year, though I did try and make it both Ross's and Bonaparte's Gull.

69 for the year

 

[Jane Turner]

2 Little Gulls now.... er no 4..... 8.....24....39 (minimum) Feeding between HE2 and HE3

42 in the end was my biggest count - though an underestimate since the birds on the water were not visible and a lot were landing.

RTD still moving as well [32]
Kittiwake 75
Black-throated Diver
Gannet 58 - new for the year (70th)
Goldeneye 10
Red-breasted Merganser 17
Guillemot 60
Razorbill 2
Sanderling 250
Knot 3-4000
Grey PLover 55
Shag 1 W also new for the year 71st

And 6000+ large Larus spp, that I have given myself a day off from., but did notice a 1st summer YLG and a summer pluage Med Gull

 

[Jane Turner]

I can still see plenty of Little Gulls on the low tide line, though from downstairs, its only easy to see the adults when they lift high off the water.

Two Blackcaps again in the back garden.

 

[Jane Turner]

No obvious Little Gulls on today's tide, though I see a Long-tailed Duck, which has been hard to see in the last few years. Lots of Scoter were being fluched by a motorboat - probably 150 flew ahead of the boat..The LTd was probably flushed by it too, but I only picked it up coming from the West and it landed on the sea near HE3.

There are currently 12 Blackbirds in the back garden feeding on Chicken food and two male Blackcaps in a Mexican stand off on the fatballs.

72 for the year

 

[Jane Turner]

A Sand Martin just flew up the beach - New for the year 73.

 

[Jane Turner]

There is a Wheatear just popped up onto Bird Rock, and whilst looking at it a Merlin went through - both new for the year.

Yesterday there were 4 Meadow Pipits down on the front lawn.

75 for the year

 

[Jane Turner]

There are a couple of Little gulls offshore. My attempts to see a Wheatear on the Red Rocks Nursing Home Lawn failed, but I did make out a Stonechat. (76 for the year and only the 4th ever)

 

[Jane Turner]

A Peregrine spent a good hour last evening eating a largish wader (bet it was a Woodcock again!)on the beach and defending it from some persistent Crows.

This morning its grey and overcast, but the first Goldcrest of the year was making manic flights around the Buckthorn. Glad so see at least one has survived the winter!

77 for the year

 

[Jane Turner]

I had to go out to work during this morning's tide,however as it rose, I had a quick look at the sea. Quite the best thing I saw was a near adult Common Seal, hauled out onto the base of HE2. A new mammal species for the house

 

[Jane Turner]

Two Velvet Scoters distantly East - one a drake. Plenty of other sea duck (Scoter/Scaup/Goldeneye/RB Merg), a few divers and two Gannets.

1000s of Gulls on the sea.

 

[Jane Turner]

Marathon sea/gull watch today. I started looking through the gulls to the west of me, rapidly scanning them and looking for the big dirty smiths that was present last month. I'd worked my way through just about all of the 4-5000 of the close in birds and was looking as far east as I can see, when I saw a very promising bird coming into land. It appeared to have an all black tail and had a spectacularly dark secondaries. On the water the bird looked quite uniformly dark. I watched it for about 20 minutes. At one point it played a game, picking up and dropping repeatedly something (that floated). Whilst it looked very promising, it didn't appear the bird from last month and I was trying to work out if the differences were down to the time that has passed. The problem was it didn't appear so massive - it was no larger than the argenteus Herring Gulls it was with and more worryingly, though the bill was long, I couldn't see a big Glauc-like pale base to it. Eventually the bird landed out of sight, so decided to leave the house to see if I could get a closer view. Of course the second I got to ground level seeing the gulls got a whole lot harder and I failed to find it. Then I heard from someone who has seen both birds that the bird seen in the last two days was NOT the bird from last month!

As the tide dropped gulls started moving west. I must have looked through thousands without success. I'd given up an was checking out the assorted sea duck that were visible when the smiths-a-like flew through my view. Again general darkness, black secondaries, back tail were striking. I was hoping that it would land on the beach,but it went all the way west and landed on the water just behind Bird Rock, which had just re-emerged from the tide. True to form I didn't see it again - there were a good 7000 gulls on the low tide edge this evening, though so far, I couldn't even clinch a large white-winger I picked up.

Also out there were a good 150 Scoter, 30 or so Scaup, 25 Goldeneye and 9 Red-throated Divers.

 

[Jane Turner]

Forgot to say -three Yellow-legged Gulls - 1 ad and 2nd cal Years

 

[Jane Turner]

Fewer Gulls today, and I spent an unhealthy amount of time watching one bird. There was dingy patroling the tideline, which kept the gulls way out to sea. The gull that had my attention had a whitish head and a whiter boa contrasting with a dark nape, a dark belly, apparently all dark vent very dark and plain tertials and GCs. It was long billed and short-winged. I never saw its rump or its wings out. It was just inside HE3 - so 3/4 of a mile out and after watching it for over an hour, Ihad to empty my bladder and couldn't locate it when I came back!

Once I had the scope cranked up as far as it would go, I thought I may as well get a photo of the seals (grey) that were sun bathing on the buoy.

Fewer sea duck, but then again there was a boy with his power boat toy razzing up and down

 

[Jane Turner]

Now three Blackcaps in the gardens, having singing wars, which is nice! Also a Chiffchaff. 6 Jackdaws over yesterday as well as a Grey Wagtail.

Late last summer I killed the lawn mover - so the grass is a little (to very) long. Pipits seem to like it though. Here's hoping a rare one will some in this close!The first one was a nice contrasty bird!

 

[bradinho]

There are still a few spaces left on our FREE guided walk to Hilbre Island on Saturday ... phone 0151 648 4371 to book a place

 

[captaincarot]

There are still a few spaces left on our FREE guided walk to Hilbre Island on Saturday ... phone 0151 648 4371 to book a place

what time is the walk going?

 

[PhilW]

There are still a few spaces left on our FREE guided walk to Hilbre Island on Saturday ... phone 0151 648 4371 to book a place

Don't forget to call in and say hello at the Obs.:t:
Good passage of stuff at Hilbre today - 3 Wheatears, Chaffinches, Redpoll (including one stonking male Meally) Siskin, Goldfinch, Reed Buntings, Sand Martin & Swallow.