Birding Group visit to Hoylake, New Bighton and Parkgate : 19th February 2019

The birding group visit for 19th February was to Hoylake and New Brighton for the high-ish tide of 9.6 metres at 10:48pm but this left us time to add on a visit to Parkgate after those two places and this gave us probably the best one hour of raptor watching we have ever had.

I was a bit concerned that by the time we got to Hoylake (10:05am) the tide would probably be too far in to see any birds but it wasn’t too bad and the water never came all the way in. While we were there, there was always a couple of hundred metres or so of sand and, as it happened, a relatively small group of birds but quite varied remained all the time we were there, quite close to the promenade.

This flock contained around ten Grey Plovers and moderate numbers of Dunlin, Sanderling, Oystercatchers, Knot and Redshank. The Dunlin in particular took to the air easily and showed very nicely as they wheeled around. Not the biggest flocks we have seen at Hoylake but pleasant anyway.

A first for the year was the appearance of a pair of Ringed Plover dropping into the flock and also a few Common Gulls.

Further out on the water near the wind turbines were small numbers of Common Scoter. Closer in there were Cormorants and Shelduck.

We stayed for around an hour and a half and then headed off for New Brighton Marine Lake where we were surprised to find only a small number of birds despite the tide being all the way in there. They did, however, include seven Purple Sandpipers and a reasonable number of Turnstones amongst the flock of Redshanks and Dunlin.

As a final site for the day we decided on Parkgate. There were only two other people there when we were there so we had the place to ourselves. Over the next forty-five minutes we had the best raptor show we have ever had. This started with a Peregrine and a Merlin on sticks in the marsh. We eventually got another merlin on the same post so there was obviously a male and a female as one was greyish and the other brownish.
Next up was a show of Short-eared Owls, two of which were quartering the marsh in front of us pretty close; they even interacted a bit. Following that a grey adult Marsh harrier appeared and it stayed for a reasonable time affording great views. After that a Marsh Harrier flew by and settled into the marsh where it was standing close to a Great White Egret. A third SE Owl also appeared further down the marsh but within sight.

All this was the most incredible good fortune as, about an hour later, there was soon nothing at all to see. Perhaps they had all had their fill but it might have been as a result of a bit of disruption caused by three Harriers (Jets this time) flying overhead at high speed. This caused a sudden rise of all the Pink-footed Geese that had been quietly, and largely unseen, roosting in the marsh. A few heads could always be seen peeking over the top of the marsh but this got them all up in a single wheeling honking mass that was very lovely to see. They soon settled back down into the marsh but this seemed to mark the end of the rush hour of birds and things wettled down in the marsh with nothing at all to be seen.

We have been at Parkgate Old Baths car park on quite a few occasions when it has been as quiet as that but the knowledge we had that just a half hour before we had seen a most magnificent display of raptors on the marsh just shows that you do need a bit of luck and, whilst you can always put yourself in the right kind of place, you can’t always expect to see the birds that live all around there.

An awesome birding day. We intend going back on the 21st to stay overnight to see the evening roost at Parkgate but I’m not sure we can better the experience we had this day – unless, of course, we see all these raptors and a Barn Owl and Bittern, both of which have been seen regularly at dusk on the marsh.

Bird Sightings Hoylake 19th February 2019

Bird Sightings New Brighton 19th February 2019

Bird Sightings Parkgate 19th February 2019