WWT Martin Mere 22nd September 2020

We ventured further afield that the Wirral this week and pre-booked (as you have to now) a visit to WWT Martin Mere. It was a very different experience to our usual visits there but it was a nice day and we got a few decent birds.

The hides were all open but had limited numbers signed at every hide. Masks had to be worn inside and there was a request to spend only a short period of time in the hides to allow other people to get in the. When we visited, though, we were the only people in most of the hides. The exception was Ron Barker and United Utilities but, even then, numbers were small and people were respecting the limits set for occupancy.

We headed off down to Ron Barker hide straight away dropping in at the Raines Observatory and the Kingfisher Hide on the way. The high point of the day was the continuous arrive of Pink-footed Geese skein after skein. There were between 8,000 and 10,000 on site the day we were there – as well as lots of Greylags. We also got our first Barnacle Geese of the year from Ron Barker Hide.

Around the place we got a couple of Marsh Harriers and Buzzards but really it was fairly quiet. We did all the hides but didn’t see that much. It was a fine day though so we were happy enough. We walked out of United Utilities and did a bit of the walk around the outside. There is a new hide there that gives you a side-on view of the far body of water that you often struggle to see properly from United Utilities so that was interesting. It should be included in our further visits because it is a bit different from the other hides.

We also noticed that nothing has yet been done with the old In Focus shop and it remains totally empty – a bit of a waste. I can’t really imagine them doing the same business as In Focus. Andy and Bernie have years of experience both at birding and selling new and second hand stuff to birders and upgrading them as their interests (and cash) warrant. Bernie mentioned to us when we were at Brockholes that some of the volunteers did not like advising people about purchasing because they didn’t feel they were very qualified and were worried when people were buying expensive kit. The In Focus team , however, never rush people, never give them the hard sell and give the customer spending £50 as much time (if they need it) as someone spending thousands of pounds. They really know their stuff and I imagine people will just go to Brockholes to buy their kit from the experts rather than whoever WWT finds to run their shop.

We thought we would try some other options for lunch; we have never really found the right place to lunch near Martin Mere. This time we found a couple and getting there is really easy. They both involve turning right as soon as you leave the reserve – onto Marsh Moss Lane then bear left at the bottom to go onto New Lane. Just over the canal is the Farmers Arms which has tables just outside the pub and also right on the canal edge. We had a good lunch there, though it got a little cold, and they had decent beer.

We could have gone past it and turned left immediately after it to get onto Crabtree Lane where, on the side of the same canal, is The Slipway at Burscough which also looks quite good.

When leaving there, if you take the next right – Orrell Lane you come out at Burscough village where you turn left then right at the roundabout and you are on the usual way back home.

Bird Sightings WWT Martin Mere 22nd September 2020