Hoylake, Parkgate, Neston and Burton : 28th February 2017

With a high tide of 9.8 metres at 12.15pm we thought it was a good day for the birding group to go to Hoylake. There was a bit of a surprise in store, though, when we woke up to heavy snow falling. We waited a bit though, to see if it would ease off, and eventually we decided to give it a go.

Some of the group started off at New Brighton where they got the usual pontoon species including Purple Sandpipers. Because we were a little late in setting off, though, we went directly to Hoylake and it was probably just as well because at around 10.30pm when we got there the tide was just coming in part the lifeboat station.

A small group of Knot appeared and gave a bit of a fly over before disappearing. Otherwise it was the usual suspects with good numbers of Oystercatchers and Dunlin and Redhank. There was one Bar-tailed Godwit that conveniently dipped its rear just to show us that it was a barwit. There was also a good number of Brent Geese and these two species along with the Knot were all “year ticks”

By 11.30 the tide was about as far in as the birds were going to allow so we left, even though the rest of the group had not arrived yet. We made a brief stop at West Kirby Marine Lake but it was pretty wild there. We got out of the car long enough to see a female Goosander and we were back in the car pronto.

We then drove down to Parkgate where I had seen on the notice boards online that ten Waxwings were in the cat park opposite the Boathouse. As we drove past we actually flushed them but we turned into the car park and waited and before long they came back. They never dropped down to the one berry tree left with fruit on in the car park but they stayed in a taller tree close by and showed very well.

We popped up to the old baths car park to have a quick look and no sooner had we got set up than the others arrived. Unfortunately – for them – they had missed the Waxwings and didn’t manage to catch up with them later either.

At the old baths we got a Merlin  and a Peregrine, both “year ticks” and also a Kestrel.

We all decided to pop down to Neston Old Quay and we decided to have a toastie in the Harp Inn as soon as we got there and this meant that we missed the Short-eared Owl that some did see !! We did see a very large number – possibly 2000 – Pink-footed Geese out on the marsh and a single Great White Egret so it wasn’t entirely a waste of time.

We finished off the afternoon at Burton MEre Wetlands with the weather getting wetter and wetter as the day went on. We had a quick look for any possible Water Pipits but with no luck there, we just looked from the open area near the reception hide.

There was pretty much the same birds as there had been when we were there on Sunday – a couple of days ago – but one bird that we hadn’t seen last time – in fact not yet this year – made our year list so far, one hundred species – Common Pheasant.

We are off to Hawaii in a couple of days time so a big chunk of March will be outside of the UK.

Bird Sightings : Hoylake

Bird Sightings : West Kirby Marine Lake

Bird Sightings : Parkgate

Bird Sightings : Neston Old Quay

Bird Sightings : Burton Mere Wetlands : Reception Hide