Summary : January 2014
Garden
The start of the year saw some improvement in the number of birds int he garden and we started to see small numbers of Goldfinch, Blue, Great and Coal Tits; a single Dunnock and Robin, some Blackbirds and some House Sparrows. A particular pleasure was the presence of a flock of around 50 – 60 Redwing on the street feeding off a Rowan tree opposite our house for several weeks until the tree was bare. On the 10th we saw a male Blackcap – the first this winter.
Birding Days Out
After the glories of the tail end of December 2013 – Ross’ Goose, Long-tailed Duck, Two-barred and Common Crossbill, Hoopoe, American Buff-bellied Pipit and Siberian Chiffchaff it was going to be hard to beat that in the new year but with a new year comes a new Year List and a chance to see those common birds in a new light. Our first birding day out of the year gave us a chance to do this and to get some very good year ticks when we went to Parkgate and RSPB Burton Mere Wetlands and got Merlin, Hen Harrier, Sparrowhawk and Short-eared Owl and Great White Egret all in one day. It was another great, and different, high tide experience at Parkgate. If I have any problem with going to Parkgate for high tide it is just that you can’t also do Hoylake at the same time !
Birding Group
The first two birding group mornings of the term were to Moore on the 14th and Tatton Park on 21st, both of which we missed because we were on holiday in Lanzarote.