Hoylake Bird Observatory (9 Viewers)

[Jane Turner]

It might well be - though Red Rocks itself will be very exposed (read cold and impossible to keep a scope steady) try a car at Leasowe Gap aka the gunsight or Dovepoint (Meols) for a bit of warmth and a chance of Pom Skua. There will be waders are Red Rocks/Hoylake/West Kirby beach

 

[Johnny1]

Thanks Jane, if all goes well I may take a trip over there tomorrow.

 

[Jane Turner]

The light has been lovely for a couple of days. Here is hot to take advantage of it

http://www.stevenround-birdphotography.com/images/peregrine-01.jpg

I see this bird most days, often over my garden..... I'm well jealous of the Photo

 

[Andy Rouse]

Hi Jane, I am up and about tomorrow and friday so hopefully willl see you around, Steve is helping me but I doubt I would ever get anything as good as that!

 

[Jane Turner]

The best photo opportunity at present is a fab flock of Knot that hang out low tide at the bottom of Roman Rd.

http://www.streetmap.co.uk/newmap.s...=4&ar=Y&mapp=newmap.srf&searchp=newsearch.srf

They have been attracting the attention of members of the public as well as Peregrines!

Pop in for a tea/coffee/beer if you like.

 

[Rob Smallwood]

Good to see Steve still firing off those record shots!!

 

[deeestuary]

Noticed this week that despite the medium/neap tides that the knot were really close into the beach, some still feeding and not just roosting. The birds were up by the old baths/new lifeboat station. When I was there on Wednesday there was a large digger on the beach and was amazed how tolerant the knot were of it. It went round the outside of the old baths and the knot didn't move until the digger was a few yards away then happily flew just 50 yards down the beach before landing again. The dunlin and sanderling were all way out on the edge of the bank.
Steve Round says he will be putting some of his knot shots on his website soon, I'm sure they will be up to his usual high standard!

 

[deeestuary]

The best photo opportunity at present is a fab flock of Knot that hang out low tide at the bottom of Roman Rd.

I got some photos of those last winter!

 

[Andy Rouse]

Hi, I was there the past few days and Steve / Rich helped me a lot. Although the knot weren't brilliant I have posted some OK pix to my website. It was a great place and I will try it again! Thanx to all that helped too.

 

[Jane Turner]

They look good to me Andy.

I wish I could capture the magical appearance of a big Knot pack in the air! I think that in the end, you need moving pictures to capture the rippling movements.

 

[Andy Rouse]

Hi Jane, I wish I had too! I had just one chance when Steve and I first arrived as his beloved peregrine was chasing them (by the way I agree he has an awesome peregrine shot!). I will keep trying though and will be up again soon, right now I am researching Morecambe Bay for the knot to have some more options but I am determined to get some nice shapes in the air as they are so magical. Hopefully next time we can meet and I can say thanks in person for your initial help, which is much appreciated.

 

[Jane Turner]

If you can be a little flexible on timings.... the numbers of knot can build up dramatically here - usually when a cold snap pushes the Wash birds over. Imagine what 10x or even 50x the flock size looks like!


This is the closest I ever got to capturing movement (and its in a small flock of Bar-wits)

 

[liverpool_bob]

Jane, did you see this?

Trump eyes Hoylake


Cheers,
Bob.

 

[Jane Turner]

Er no I didn't. Ooh eck - there isn't any exactly a lot of undeveloped land around here!

 

[deeestuary]

Er no I didn't. Ooh eck - there isn't any exactly a lot of undeveloped land around here!

Well, it was in the last CAWOS Bird News under conservation news!
It is the Hoylake Langfields/Carrs which they want to develop. Apparently plan is to build two large golf courses and a resort centre which will include hotels and sports complex, this will also take in the current municipal golf course. In response to this threat the Langfields have been declared a Site of Biological Interest which doesn't give it a great deal of protection but does affect the planning process. Also, if it can be shown that birds which use the fields, in particular roosting/feeding waders, come from the Dee estuary and North Wirral SPAs - and that therefore the loss of these fields effect the status of the birds on the SPAs, then this could be a good argument against any development (maybe!). SPAs (Special Protection Areas) are highly protected under European law. Also, of course, the land is green belt so they shouldn't be building any hotels and sports centres on it.
It was, of course, Donald Trump who was trying to railroad through a huge golf complex near Aberdeen on a beautiful coast full of wildlife. Apparently that was rejected by local councilors recently so he might now be turning his beady eye and wealth to Hoylake.

 

[deeestuary]

I should have added that this is being strongly pushed by the Wirral Tourism department who seem to be pushing anything to do with tourism and recreation in Wirral without regard to wildlife issues.

Well, it was in the last CAWOS Bird News under conservation news!
It is the Hoylake Langfields/Carrs which they want to develop. Apparently plan is to build two large golf courses and a resort centre which will include hotels and sports complex, this will also take in the current municipal golf course. In response to this threat the Langfields have been declared a Site of Biological Interest which doesn't give it a great deal of protection but does affect the planning process. Also, if it can be shown that birds which use the fields, in particular roosting/feeding waders, come from the Dee estuary and North Wirral SPAs - and that therefore the loss of these fields effect the status of the birds on the SPAs, then this could be a good argument against any development (maybe!). SPAs (Special Protection Areas) are highly protected under European law. Also, of course, the land is green belt so they shouldn't be building any hotels and sports centres on it.
It was, of course, Donald Trump who was trying to railroad through a huge golf complex near Aberdeen on a beautiful coast full of wildlife. Apparently that was rejected by local councilors recently so he might now be turning his beady eye and wealth to Hoylake.

 

[Jane Turner]

Hmm. My survey work on the Langfields and Carrs just became more important. Grey Partridge, Stock Dove, Linnet, and Skylark all breed there. Must get me some Newts!

And Myotis Bats!

 

[Iain]

Buzzard is still rare on North Wirral

104

Getting closer, one over the old clay pit on the Meols stretch this afternoon.

 

[Jane Turner]

They tried to breed in the trees just west of the pit.

 

[Johnny1]

On our way back from seeing the Cattle Egret at Burton Marsh yesterday we had 2 Buzzards fly over the road (A554) between New Brighton and the Mersey Tunnel.