Birding Group Visit To WWT Martin Mere 4th December 2012

Birding Group Visit To WWT Martin Mere 4th December 2012

The scheduled visit to Point of Ayr was cancelled because it was felt that thehigh tide was quite late in the day (noon) and that we would do better to go there when high tide was earlier. After much to-ing and fro-ing and it was decided to postpone the trip to enable us to get a day when the tide was higher and earlier in the day. At the moment this looks like it might be March 12th 2013. Anyway it was decided in the end to go to WWT Martin Mere instead. We had been there quite recently but it is always guaranteed to be interesting in one way or another so we were happy enough to go there again.

We started off at the Ron Barker hide as usual but it was – unlike usual – remarkably quiet. There were some Whooper Swans there and a handful of Pink-footed Geese amongst the Greylags but not many, the latter probably already feeding in the fields. On the water was the usual mass of Teal with a few Wigeon and a couple of Little Grebes in the channel just outside the hide. The Woodpigeon roost continues to be mightily impressive but really there wasn’t that much of particular interest there. Particularly odd was the fact that the only bird of prey that we saw was a Kestrel.

We left there and returned down the avenue where there were Greenfinches and Tree Sparrows and we dropped in at the Kingfisher Hide but there was nothing especially unusual. At the  Raines Observatory the water level was again really high and the food mounds they put out for the wintering birds were looking particularly disgusting – large sludgy grey mounds – but that didn’t seem to put off the birds and there were numbers of Whooper Swans and Greylag Geese as well as Shelduck, Pintail etc. On the gravel in front of the hide were a couple of Redshanks and a pair of Ruff which presented us with the perfect opportunity to spend extended periods examining their winter plumages from short range. As we scanned the mass of birds two Bewick Swans were clearly separable from the more common Whoopers.

We stopped for lunch and then continued down to the United Utilities hide. It is increasingly common to find birders ensconced for the day at this hide and the chances of getting a good view are diminishing unless you are there at opening. Anyway, we made the best of it. This was probably the first time we have not seen a Marsh Harrier from this hide but we did manage a Buzzard or two. In fact there were more birds of prey around but in the distance so it wasn’t that obvious what was actually around.

As we walked back down to the Janet Keir hide we stopped to look among the trees on the left and there we saw a small flock of Long-tailed Tits and – true to birding wisdom – there was a Goldcrest among them which darted from branch to branch but never went very far so with a bit of perseverance showed quite well.

At the Janet Keir hide we were hoping to see the Brambling we had seen a week earlier but we didn’t although some of our group who stayed there longer said that it had reappeared. The feeders were full of Greenfinch, Goldfinch and Chaffinch; Blue, Great and Coal Tits as well as Dunnock, Wren, Robin and Reed Bunting. We also saw a Great-spotted Woodpecker and there were the usual Pheasants, Woodpigeons and Magpies. We also got a second chance to see a Goldcrest as it darted around in the tree in front of the right hand side of the hide.

We just managed to get to the Swanlik hide for the feeding of the Swans which was made all the more attractive by the afternoon having turned to a nice autumnal, low sun, glow. There were large numbers of Whoopers by now and in the distance we could see skeins of Pink-footed Geese coming in for the evening (even though it was only mid afternoon) Mallards and Shelduck abounded as well as Mallards and quite a few Pintail. As usual it was an amusing sight as the various birds squabbled for the available food and the noise levels rose to a crescendo before slowly dying down.

A quick look around the shop and that was us. As we left we could see more Geese coming in for the night – always a wonderful sight !

Bird Sightings : WWT Martin Mere : Ron Barker hide

Bird Sightings : WWT Martin Mere : Environs

Bird Sightings : WWT Martin Mere : Raines Observatory

Bird Sightings : WWT Martin Mere : United Utilities hide

Bird Sightings : WWT Martin Mere : Janet Keir hide

Bird Sightings : WWT Martin Mere : Swanlink hide