Visit to Hoylake and Parkgate for High Tide 7th December 2013

Visit to Hoylake and Parkgate for High Tide 7th December 2013

Dunlin, Hoylake, 7th December 2013

We dropped in at Burton Mere Wetland in the morning hoping to see the Little Stint. We were disappointed with that but undaunted we headed off for Hoylake for a high tide of approximately 9.8 m (32.1 ft) at around 2pm. We had intended to go there on the 5th but the weather was so bad that it was dangerous to drive with very high winds on the motorway and extensive flooding on the Wirral. The usual magic combination of low pressure, high tide and strong westerly winds all came together on the fifth to produce storms and flooding in many parts of the country. At Parkgate, for the first time in seven or eight years, the water came all the way in and the old baths car park was reported to be flooded half an hour before high tide. At New Brighton the promenade was inundated and the local Morrissons car park was completely flooded with some cars actually floating!  A little more than ideal, then. This tide was a little lower and the high winds had gone. Still it was a nice spectacle anyway.As we arrived we had a Peregrine pointed out to us. It was sitting on a tussock out on the sands and occasionally it got up and flew at the large numbers of Dunlins. It flew at them over and over giving us fantastic views as it powered its way through the flocks. Eventually it gave up and flew just over our heads and behind the houses along the promenade.

Whether it was the Peregrine or not can’t be said but they were refusing to land to roost and this went on until the tide actually turned and only then did they settle. Previously we have seen high numbers of Knot but today it was all Dunlin with around 3000 birds swooping around giving a great display. Over towards the right side there were large roosting numbers of Oystercatchers and Curlew with a few Redshanks mixed in. Out on the water there was a flock of Shelduck and there were large numbers of both Herring and Black-headed Gulls. There were some Knot and we saw singles of Bar-tailed Godwit, Grey Plover and and Ringed Plover.

On the whole it wasn’t the best high tide we have seen at Hoylake but it was still pretty good and the Peregrine had been really impressive. We stayed there for a few hours and when everyone seemed like they were packing up and the tide had turned we packed our kit and headed off to The Boat House in Parkgate for a spot of lunch. As we arrived there we could see four Pied Wagtails bobbing around on the roof of the pub. We sat in a booth with a bay window overlooking the marsh and ordered a drink and a spot of lunch. As we scanned for Little Egrets on the marsh I saw a single bird that appeared to be bigger than the rest even though it was further away. When we left I got the scope out and from the promenade I scanned the marsh. Eventually I found the bird and it turned out – as I suspected – a Great White Egret. A nice finish to the day and a little bit of compensation for missing the Little Stint earlier.

Bird Sightings : Hoylake

Bird Sightings : Parkgate