Our last birding day out of September was again to Burton Mere Wetlands. We started off walking to the new elevated viewing platform getting a year-tick Cetti’s Warbler on the way. On the scrape were a group of five Egyptian Geese and a single Whooper Swan- another year tick. Unfortunately I couldn’t get my scope up in enough time to get on the Spotted Crake which was just turning the corner of a spit to go out of sight for the day. I really wanted to ask a chap there if I could see it through his scope but thought with distancing and Covid that might not be the right thing to do. As it happened another chap didn’t have the same qualms as me and he got on the bird on the other chap’s scope. DOH!
Elsewhere on the scrape there were the usual variety of ducks and a few Black-tailed Godwit. There were more Curlew Sandpipers than on our previous visit – four this time – and some Dunlin. There was a group of ten Cattle Egrets on one of the islands and we kept seeing them as we went around the site and they were also touring the same spots as we were. We also got our first –and only one – Whooper Swan of the year on the scrape.
The feeders were pretty quiet all around the site with just the usual tits and finches. We walked down the boardwalk towards the bridge – the Marsh Covert Hide being closed. And when we got to the bridge screen the Cattle Egrets had moved there. There were also a number of Godwits and I counted a total of nineteen Snipe.
We walked in the direction of Inner Marsh farm and discovered the new boardwalk. It isn’t open at the moment but it is supposed to be a flat route to the Inner Marsh Farm hide. We were told that there are Woodcock in that area so that is something to look out for when it opens. The new Inner Marsh Farm hide is due to be completed in November but whether it is opened then or not is dependent upon the state of the pandemic at that time. To be honest, I don’t think any of these hides will be open again until Spring of 2022 – maybe a little earlier if an antidote is found to work. When the hide is built, though, they are going to make it more like the Marsh Covert Hide with three open sides to it which would be a great improvement. They really do work hard at Burton Mere Wetlands to improve the site for birdwatchers of all kinds.
So, with no Inner Marsh Farm to go to we walked up to Burton Point and looked over the marsh. There were several Great Egrets and many more Little Egrets dotted about the marsh. It was a particularly clear day so you could see all the way over to Wales very clearly.
As we were walking back I caught a brief glimpse of a large bird flying fast and straight and it was greenish-yellow – a Green Woodpecker. Unfortunately it dropped down before I could get a decent view of it. I was certain it had been a Green Woodpecker though and was very relieved when, on the way back down, I spotted it again in the corner of the field where the stone wall meets the concrete posts fence. It was dropping down from there and finding snacks in the grass. I managed to get Anne onto it this time so I was glad we had both seen it. Eventually it popped up again and clung onto the side of one of the concrete fence posts giving us a great view.
Pretty happy with that sighting – Green Woodpecker is one of my personal favourites – we headed back to the car park, stopping for a chat to the RSPB volunteers back at reception.
We dropped down to Parkgate for some lunch and discovered that the big patio that faces directly on to the marsh is now open to anyone wanting to eat or drink – not just restaurant guests, so we sat there for a while and had lunch and a drink with great views of the marsh from there. I got a couple of Marsh Harriers, a Kestrel, four Great Egrets and lots of Pink-footed Geese. When we had finished we took a walk down the promenade to see if the Spoonbills were still there but they had gone. Never mind, a great day and four good year ticks!
Bird Sightings Burton Mere Wetlands 29th September 2020
| Species | No |
|---|---|
| Greylag Goose | 60 |
| Pink-footed Goose | 60 |
| Canada Goose | 120 |
| Whooper Swan | 1 |
| Egyptian Goose | 5 |
| Northern Shoveler | 8 |
| Eurasian Wigeon | 4 |
| Mallard | 30 |
| Common Teal | 100 |
| Tufted Duck | 4 |
| Common Pheasant | 3 |
| Common Moorhen | 10 |
| Common Coot | 4 |
| Northern Lapwing | 90 |
| Black-tailed Godwit | 20 |
| Ruff | 1 |
| Curlew Sandpiper | 4 |
| Dunlin | 6 |
| Common Snipe | 19 |
| Black-headed Gull | 20 |
| Great Black-backed Gull | 2 |
| Grey Heron | 1 |
| Great Egret | 3 |
| Little Egret | 20 |
| Cattle Egret | 10 |
| Common Buzzard | 1 |
| Eurasian Green Woodpecker | 1 |
| Eurasian Magpie | 2 |
| Eurasian Jackdaw | 6 |
| Carrion Crow | 8 |
| Eurasian Blue Tit | 2 |
| Great Tit | 4 |
| Cetti’s Warbler | 1 |
| Eurasian Wren | 4 |
| Common Starling | 20 |
| Eurasian Blackbird | 1 |
| European Robin | 1 |
Bird Sightings Parkgate 29th September 2020
| Species | No |
|---|---|
| Pink-footed Goose | 100 |
| Canada Goose | 60 |
| Grey Heron | 1 |
| Great Egret | 4 |
| Eurasian Marsh Harrier | 2 |
| Eurasian Kestrel | 1 |
| House Sparrow | 20 |
| Meadow Pipit | 2 |