Total UK Species in February 2022: 68
New “Year Ticks” in February 2022: 14
New “Life Ticks” in February 2022: 0
Feb 28 2022
Summary February 2002
Feb 15 2022
Birding Group RSPB Conwy and Little Orme 15 February 2022
Despite some predicted rain, the birding group braved a trip to North Wales with visites to RSPB Conwy and Little Orme. The former was pretty much as expected with a good range of, mostly, small numbers of ducks and waders but Little Orme turned out to be exceptional with a good number of year ticks, some very desirable ones that are not ticked every year.
Continue readingFeb 08 2022
Neumann’s Flash 8th February 2022
On 8th February we had a birding group trip to Neumann’s Flash on what was quite a mild and dry morning. We took the usual route round the site and, as is often the case, there weren’t many species on the water; a couple of Wigeon, a single Tufted Duck and lots of Gulls and Coots. Most of the interesting birds were in the woodlands and we got a good couple of early year ticks there.
Continue readingFeb 03 2022
Hoylake, Wallasey Beach, New Brighton, Denhall Quay 3rd February 2022
We took the opportunity of going to Hoylake for a high tide of 10 metres at 12:30pm. It was a rare wind-free day and so it turned out to be very pleasant and the day was made all the better by views from a few feet of a Snow Bunting feeding on the ground just outside the lifeboat station. But that bird was not the only Snow Buntings of the day.
Continue readingJan 31 2022
Summary January 2022
January this year was quite different to last January when most reserves were effectively closed, and the country was in full lockdown as a result of the Covid pandemic. Last year it took us until May to see 76 species; this year it took a month!
Total UK Species in December 2022: 76
New “Year Ticks” in December 2022: 76
New “Life Ticks” in December 2022: 0
Jan 25 2022
Briding Group Trip to Wigan Flashes 25th January 2022
A fairly routine visit to Wigan Flashes with the usual suspects, the target bird often being Willow Tit which we found by going over the field to the path that leads t the burn where there is a little feeding table. Usually we would go through the gate to the main feeding station but that has no food in the feeders so a local birder advised us of the alternative place to see the Willow tits. A smattering of ducks and a few woodland birds rounded our trip off.
Continue readingJan 20 2022
Burton Mere Wetlands, Parkgate and Denhall Quay 20th January 2022
A cold sunny day took us up to the Wirral on a cold but dry day. We got some good birds and, of course it being January, some good “year ticks” right at the start of the birding year that we hope will be better than the last two Covid dominated years.
Continue readingJan 11 2022
Birding Group : Pennington Flash 11th January 2022
The first birding group day of the term was to Pennington Flash. Unusually it was quite still and, although cold, was not as Siberian as it often is. The January year ticks continued with all the ducks that are usually at Pennington. We had some nice passerines in the woods and from the Bunting hide as well.
Continue readingJan 04 2022
Hoylake, New Brighton and Denhall Quay 4th January 2022
A High Tide took us up to the Wirral for the first birding outing of the year. Despite the tide not being particularly impressive, it stopped just as it turned pas the lifeboat station, we still got a good relatively small numbers of birds. Further stops at New Brighton Marine Lake and Denhall Quay added a few more, very desirable birds to our day list and, because it is the first birding trip of the year, lots of year ticks.
Continue readingDec 31 2021
2021 Annual Summary
Another year of Covid played havoc with our birding routines and with the holidays that usually include a bit of birding. As a result, everything was topsy turvy with the beginning of the year seeing outright travel bans and the closure of bird hides, restaurants, cafes and all the things that make birding easy. Instead the year became a bit of a slog but we did our best anyway.
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