Category: How To Get There

Apr 20 2011

Day Out to Point of Ayr for a Migrants and Wader Watch 20th April 2011

Point of Ayr is the northernmost point of mainland Wales. It is situated immediately to the north of Talacre in Flintshire, at the mouth of the Dee estuary. It is the site of a RSPB nature reserve, and is part of Gronant and Talacre Dunes Site of Special Scientific Interest. This was an RSPB guided event. The high tide at Liverpool was 1pm and the height was to be 9.7m.  (Enquiries were on 0151 336 7681) so we were expecting something of a spectacle as the tide rose.

We were to meet at 10.30am in the car park of the Smugglers Inn, Station Road, Talacre which was easier said than done as by the time we arrived the car park was full and none of the other holiday making type places would permit the parking of cars except for people eating in their cafes and restaurants. Neither were they too keen on people using their toilets – some cafes didn’t even have them necessitating the use of the very minimal and rather crude public toilets.

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Apr 19 2011

Birding Group Visit to Marbury Country Park 19th April 2011

The weather was fantastically warm and sunny so was a real pleasure. We parked at the main entrance rather than the one at the Anderton Boat Lift which we use for a visit to Neumann’s Flash. This is a pay and display. We then walked to the hide at the edge of Budworth Mere and walked along the mere edge through the woods where we saw several Blackcaps and some of the group saw a Great Spotted Woodpecker. There were Chiffchaffs aplenty and both Song and Mistle Thrushes. On the water were at least ten Great crested Grebes, a few Tufted Ducks and in the distance Canada Geese. Continue reading

Apr 14 2011

Day Out To Etherow Country Park 14th April 2011

We were looking for somewhere to go for a walk that was quite near us but which we hadn’t been to before so we looked in “Where To Watch Birds : North West England & The Isle of Man” by Alan Conlin, Chris Sharpe, Judith Smith, J.P. Cullen Dr., et al. and came up with Etherow Country Park and Local Nature Reserve which has a web site here.

Once part of the estate of a cotton magnate, the reserve is now an interesting site that combines duck pond and sailing lake with riverine woodlands and small pools and mature woodland. The further you go into the site, the fewer people there are so whilst there are a lot of children and dog walkers etc., the further reaches are very peaceful and full of birds. Continue reading

Apr 11 2011

Birding Group Visit to Inner Marsh Farm and Parkgate 11th April 2011

Another good day our with the birding group. The weather wasn’t too good but we managed to keep dry for a while. We started off at the RSPB office and spotted a range of Finches on the feeders there. One of the group saw a Great Spotted Woodpecker but we didn’t. We walked down to the hide and en route we saw a number of birds including Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Song  Thrush etc. There were quite a few of us present so when we joined the half dozen people already in the hide it was pretty full. Continue reading

Apr 05 2011

Birding Group Visit to Tatton Park 5th April 2011

The weather forecast wasn’t too good for the day and it started off dull and a bit ominous with few birds to be seen or heard in the woods. However as the morning wore on the weather picked up and so did the birding. By the far edge of the Tatton Mere we could see around eight Grey Heron nests with half of them occupied by one bird each and there were others around. On the water were fair numbers of  Tufted Duck and Mallard and also a fair number of Great Crested Grebes. The last pair we saw were displaying to each other with head swivelling and neck bobbing aplenty. There were plenty of Coots but only one Moorhen and a solitary Mute Swan. By far the best sight on the water – or rather just above the water – was a huge flock of House Martins – at least 300 but possibly as many as a thousand depending upon whose judgement you believed.

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Mar 29 2011

Birding Group Visit to Wigan Flashes 29th March 2011

We haven’t been able to go to many of the “WEA Birding Group” mornings out recently due to a combination of visiting relatives, being on holiday and having to go to London – all pleasant events but preventing us from going on the birding mornings. So it was nice to be able to attend again and it was a fine morning for it.

We started off at the parking spaces just outside Hawkley Hall School and walked around some of the smaller flashes until we got to the place where you have the middle of Scotman’s Flash on your left and Pearson’s Flash on your right and then returned to the parking spot. We were there from around 10am – 2pm and saw the following
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Jan 18 2011

Birding Group Visit to Moore Nature Reserve 18th January 2011

This weeks visit of the birding group was to Moore Nature Reserve. According to their web site “Moore Nature Reserve is a 200-acre site in Warrington, north Cheshire. The reserve consists of five large lakes surrounded by extensive woodland, meadows and wetlands, made accessible by a network of paths and bird hides. Its many habitats provide a home for a variety of birds, mammals, insects, plants, amphibians and fungi.” The site is managed by Waste Recycling Group Limited (WRG) who operate a recycling and waste management plant on the site. In return for using the site they maintain the ponds, scapes, paths and hides etc of this interesting birding site. Continue reading

Jan 11 2011

Birding Group Visit to Pennington Flash

According to Wikipedia “Pennington Flash Country Park is a 200 hectares (494 acres) country park located between Lowton and Pennington, Leigh in Greater Manchester, England. The flash is a 70 hectares (173 acres) lake created at the turn of the 20th century by coal mining subsidence and flooding, mainly from Bickershaw Colliery. Now an extensive nature reserve with several bird hides and a network of tracks and footpaths, Pennington Flash Country Park is nationally renowned for its bird life and is a classic example of natural regeneration. A variety of well-maintained paths cater for walkers, cyclists and horse riders. Ideal for disabled persons, the Flash’s hides have ramps for wheelchair access. One of the premier birdwatching sites in North West England, over 230 bird species have been recorded on site Continue reading