Hoylake Bird Observatory (1 Viewer)

[Jane Turner]

Much the same today - there are currently 6 Willow Warblers and Chiffchaff, as well as a fem Blackcap in the front garden and another WW in the back (singing).

Finally I've managed to pick up a few Sandwich Terns offshore

89 for the year

 

[Jane Turner]

A minimum of 285 White Wagtails on the beach, but probably many more - that was the largest count in a single scan, but with flocks of 10-90 moving through all morning, its hard to be sure. Also Two male Yellow Wagtails (new for the year) 24 (so far) Willow Warblers through the front garden, 2 Chiffchaffs, a fly over Tree Pipit and most excitingly a Bullfinch. There is a male Redstart in the neighbour's garden (also new for the year) Failed to pick up the Red Rocks Nuthatch so far though. Fancy my chances for a big raptor today.

93 for the year


edit: gotcha

 

[deeestuary]

A minimum of 285 White Wagtails on the beach........

Went down to Hoylake at 2pm and counted 35 White Wagtail between the old toilet block and the new lifeboat station - this was in one sweep of the 'scope. So probably still around 200 in total for the whole beach from Red Rocks to the lifeboat station! There was a slow but obvious movement eastwards. If they are still coming through in that number this afternoon what must the total be for the day - 1000+?!
Also was very pleased to see a Yellow Wagtail on the shore, my first of the spring.

 

[Jane Turner]

There are birds moving West too, out towards the tide edge, so I'd be nervous about putting the total count for the area about 500, unless they are also moving off Meols and Leasowe. Though the 100 ish were still in the salt marsh when I left RR and someone else had 270 between RR and Kings Gap at about the same time I had 150 between King's Gap and the Baths. The later I got 285 in a sweep without any flava, which suggested that a fair few birds were missing.

The first Holly Blues of the year were active in the garden today, along with Large Whites and a couple of Peacocks.

 

[deeestuary]

There are birds moving West too, out towards the tide edge, so I'd be nervous about putting the total count for the area about 500, unless they are also moving off Meols and Leasowe. Though the 100 ish were still in the salt marsh when I left RR and someone else had 270 between RR and Kings Gap at about the same time I had 150 between King's Gap and the Baths. The later I got 285 in a sweep without any flava, which suggested that a fair few birds were missing.

Yes, I think we can be happy with 500. |=)|

 

[Jane Turner]

Orange Tip in the garden now

 

[deeestuary]

Yes, I think we can be happy with 500. |=)|

Which I'm pretty certain is a record high for Cheshire and Wirral. Three figure counts are unusual - "a max of 200 on the beach at Hoylake on Apr 14th" in 2004 was the previous record, 175, also at Hoylake, in 2003 being the previous highest figure.
From 2002 there seems to have been a surge in numbers - I wonder if this was a real surge or just that people started to notice and record them around then?

 

[Jane Turner]

Actually 250-300 was common for Red Rocks in April I think the record accurate count was in the high 400s from the 70s. I've not got my old note books handy - 1978 rings a bell.

 

[deeestuary]

Actually 250-300 was common for Red Rocks in April I think the record accurate count was in the high 400s from the 70s. I've not got my old note books handy - 1978 rings a bell.

Yes, you're right - there does seem to have been plenty of birds passing through in the 1970s. Whoever was the compiler for White Wagtails in 2003 and 2004 didn't do his homework!!! (to be fair he did say the 2003 and 2004 counts were 'probable' high records).
Highest count I can find was 309 at Gayton Sands on May 2nd 1979. The high counts from Red Rocks at that time don't seem to have been submitted for the bird report.

 

[Jane Turner]

I think the passage has been pretty much constant since "records began". Here are the Red Rocks totals 1979-1990 - the peak is in the second week of April - so today's count is a little early for 3 figure counts. I'm hoping to be able to add records for the last 20 years very soon

 

[snowcap]

This is interesting about the White Wagtails, there were only 5 at Seaforth today so the birds moving east from the North Wirral shore must have been heading across the Mersey to the north of Seaforth.In fact very few migrants over here at all today, with c20 Wheatears( 7 Greenlands ringed) being the only interest...send us some of your stuff please!

 

[Jane Turner]

I think they may have been circulating Pete - hence my concern about claiming any more than the 400 +/- 20 that were counted.

I have a theory that the big counts are less to do with big movements but more to do with great feeding conditions. There has been a huge hatch of sand flies in the last couple of days ,so the small numbers of pipits and wagtails that are passing find conditions to their liking and drop in. I'm no entomologist, but it seems that the hatch has been getting earlier. Hilbre did not have exceptional numbers moving - which suggests they just sneak past in small numbers and we don't realise how many there are until you see them strewn all over the beach.

 

[Jane Turner]

A Grasshopper Warbler just sparked up in the front gorse/bramble patch - I thought I was hearing things until I turned the TV off! I guess its been there all day - but I went to Red Rocks at dawn.

94 for the year

 

[Jane Turner]

I've been looking at some old databased records and am in the process of adding the last ten years....

Here are 91 Redstart records. Not really enough records here to read too much into it, but it shows what my prejudices suggest - i.e arrival is generally earlier, but the British breeding birds which come through earlier than the Scandinavian birds have crashed. Males come though earlier than females - you can see the double peak, but there really aren't enough records to show them split out.

Records by quarter months


A similar pattern for Willow Warbler - showing the collapse of the local breeders and of autumn dispersal

 

[Cheshire Birder]

Went down to Hoylake at 2pm and counted 35 White Wagtail between the old toilet block and the new lifeboat station - this was in one sweep of the 'scope. So probably still around 200 in total for the whole beach from Red Rocks to the lifeboat station! There was a slow but obvious movement eastwards. If they are still coming through in that number this afternoon what must the total be for the day - 1000+?!
Also was very pleased to see a Yellow Wagtail on the shore, my first of the spring.

I must have just missed you. I was on the prom just outside Janes house at "high" tide. My first scan located only 35-40 birds then I recounted the whole beach and got a min of 200 birds. The birds were moving aorund a lot due to disturbance. Also had 2 Gannets offshore.

CB

 

[Jane Turner]

Still around 200 White Wagtails on the beach, with a fair amount of interchange from the West shore.

Other than that, the only migrant I've seen was a Willow Warbler in the buckthorn

 

[Jane Turner]

Yesterday there were still 100+ White Wagtails on the beach - at one point 50 mobbed a passing Sparrowhawk. It didn't look much fun though with all the sand blow. Also 3 Willow Warblers in the front garden and one Chiffchaff in the back.


Gannets passing in large numbers this morning and still a few Phylloscs about.

 

[Jane Turner]

There was a House Martin over yesterday afternoon - 93 for the year. ALso over yesterday were 7 Repolls 6 Jackdaws and a Siskin.

This morning there is a non-singing Grasshopper Warbler in the front garden and I've had a Tree Pipit over. Quite a lot of overhead, soI'll update the totals later

45 Swallows,3 Sand Martins, 15 Redpolls and 3 Jackdaws were the final totals

 

[Jane Turner]

Still a Grasshopper Warbler in the front garden this morning as well as a sprinkling of Willow Warblers and an animated (and new for the year) Whitethroat

94 for the year

 

[Jane Turner]

There have been Whitethroats and Willow Warblers more or less continuously in both gardens since the last update as well as the occasional Chiffchaff.

Today there has been a little overhead passage - 5 Jackdaws, a Lapwing which was new for the year,a few Tree Pipits and Yellow Wagtails (4 and 5 so far) and the Ring-necked Parakeet from Red Rocks went though noisily as I let the chickens out. 96 for the year