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| Tufted Duck (J Wharton) |
The Wirral; New Brighton, Parkgate and Burton Mere Wetlands RSPB Reserve
9th December 2023
Weather: Intermittent heavy rain, with strong winds in the afternoon
Members and friends: 21 Driver: Glenn
Twenty-one members and friends set off from Stockport for our last trip of 2023. Our three usual sites on the Wirral were our destination for the day’s birding. Arriving at New Brighton the coach dropped us off outside Morrisons and we headed over to the Marine Lake and scanned the pontoons for our first target bird of the day. No Purple Sandpiper! There were a small group of Dunlin and Redshank with a couple of Turnstone. It was high tide so we went over to Fort Perch Rock to see if the Purple Sandpiper were amongst the remaining exposed rocks. They weren’t! As a consolation we did have a nice group of around a dozen Sanderling relatively close on the sandy beach.
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| Redshank, Dunlin, Turnstone & Black-headed Gull (J Wharton) |
Out on the rocks towards the lighthouse we found more Dunlin, Turnstone and Redshank, with a small group of Oystercatcher and a handful of Cormorant feeding off-shore. Gulls were in attendance with Great Black-backed, Lesser Black-baked, Black-headed and Herring. A wander down the promenade added Pied Wagtail to the days list. A couple of members added Goosander and Rock Pipit at this stop.
Returning to the coach we then made our way over to Parkgate recording Buzzard, Blackbird, Great Tit, Collared Dove, Pheasant, Red-legged Partridge and Little Egret on the journey. We passed a flock of seventeen Pink-footed Geese in a field, the birds taking flight as the coach drove by. At Parkgate the group split up with some heading towards the Old Baths and others to Donkey Stand Flash. There were plenty of Stonechat around, with some birds giving good views down to twenty feet. Further out on the marsh we identified Great White Egret and Little Egret.
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| Pied Wagtail (J Wharton) |
The marsh held plenty of duck, with Mallard, Teal, Wigeon, Tufted Duck and Shoveler all present. There were Canada Geese, Greylag Geese and distant Pink-footed Geese. Moorhen, Grey Heron, Skylark, Woodpigeon and Magpie were quickly added to our list. Curlew and Lapwing were also recorded.
At the Old Baths car park there were more Stonechat, another Great White Egret and a small flock of Linnet. In the Old Baths field, behind the car park, we found a few of the commoner species with House Sparrow, Wren, Blackbird, Robin, Goldcrest and Goldfinch all present. A Jay and a Great Spotted Woodpecker were in the adjacent treeline.
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| Stonechat (J Wharton) |
Scoping out over the marsh from the car park we had good views of two ring-tailed Hen Harrier, relatively close the two birds were flying around before disappearing into the long grass on the marsh. Distant Peregrine and Shelduck were seen from this vantage point plus a very distant male Hen Harrier, it’s grey plumage occasionally flashing in the rays of occasional sunlight. A female Marsh Harrier flew by giving closer views. Walking back to the coach we picked up on another couple of Marsh Harrier quartering the marsh.
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| Teal (J Wharton) |
With the sun making an occasional appearance we had a nice flock of Goldfinch sparkling as they flew. Curlew and Redshank were calling out on the marsh. A distant Raven flew over the marsh towards Wales. On Donkey Stand Flash three Little Grebe were present and a nice bright juvenile Hen Harrier flew through. As we returned to the coach a large female Marsh Harrier flew by giving close views.
We made the journey over to Burton Mere Wetlands RSPB Reserve. The walk through the woodland adjacent to the carpark added Nuthatch, Jackdaw, Long-tailed Tit and Kestrel to our list. A Great Spotted Woodpecker flew past as we entered the visitor centre. Outside the centre, looking over the reserve, we quickly picked up on the small flock of Black-tailed Godwit that were present, with Redshank and a couple of Dunlin in attendance. Marsh Harrier and Kestrel flew over.
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| Grey Heron (J Wharton) |
The weather was taking a turn for the worst with the wind picking up and driving rain. Taking shelter where we could we added Kingfisher, Chiffchaff, Siskin, Gadwall and Pintail to our days list. There were plenty of the commoner species with good numbers of Shelduck, Teal, Mallard, Tufted Duck and Wigeon around. A handful of us to the walk up to the old Hillfort but the weather conditions were so bad we couldn’t identify anything below us on the marsh with any confidence so we retreated to the visitor centre. On arrival we found it had been closed with the reserve closing at 3pm due to the high winds.
We took the journey back to Stockport adding Mute Swan to the list as we passed Frodsham marsh in the fading light. A total of 76 species had been recorded.
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| Black-tailed Godwit (J Wharton) |
Birds seen;
Total Species: 76
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