Burton & Leasowe Sat 5th April 2014

Early morning start for myself and Shaun down at Burton Marsh. Arriving at 7am we walked the tarmac path towards Burton Point. It was cool and cloudy with a fair breeze blowing and not much was about. 1st bird spotted was a Blackwit flying over and then a couple of Little Egrets. Some Black Headed Gulls were feeding near the manure pile by Burton Marsh Farm along with a couple of Carrion Crows. Just then the cronking of a Raven alerted us to its presence as it sailed overhead, a truly awesome bird! 

Up near to the M.O.D shooting area we spotted a couple of Stock Doves in an old building and then I spotted a female Merlin out on a white marker post on the marsh. She soon flew fast and low over the banks into the range and flushed some small pipits, but had no luck with a kill. Out on the marsh a few Teal and a lone Mute Swan looked very lonely. A quick scan of the sandstone facade was fruitless in the search for the Little Owls, oh well plenty of time this year for success. A blackbird and a few Linnets were the only small birds around in the gorse bushes. On the way back Shaun spotted a Marsh Harrier being mobbed by a Crow, a very pale bird. Next to the cattle grid by the big reedbed Shaun took this picture of a nice Male Reed Bunting who was heard calling.

Most of the tide wrack has been shifted from the farm side out onto the marsh and three or four Wheatears were now in view, great to have them back. Here's a nice male perched on a rotten log that I phonescoped :) Can't wait for later this month when Reed, Sedge & Grasshopper Warblers return along with Whinchat.

The weather was closing in and starting to rain as forecast so we opted for a quick trip up to Leasowe Lighthouse to see if we could spot an Ouzel. On arrival the tide was well out but the usual Turnstones and Redshank were feeding not far from the front keeping away from the fisherman who were digging for lugworm bait. Yesterday had seen an Osprey and a Glaucous Gull, but alas no such delights today :( 

Walking down Lingham Lane towards the fisheries was good, we saw Blue Tit, Gt Tit, Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Mistle Thrush & Song Thrush and lots of noisy House Sparrows. Shaun got this great shot of a bird in mid flight just after launch :) 

By the bridge over the river we scanned for any white banded blackbirds, without success, but there were plenty of Greenfinches 

and Linnets and quite a few Collared Doves, including one in a hedge not very well concealed sat on nest!! Walking the lane past the fisheries I spotted a pair of Blackcaps (male & fem) they were both picking through the flowering buds & probing for insects. 

We stopped to have a chat with Dave (local birder) who told us he had found the female Ring Ouzel yesterday up by the golf driving range, but had not seen it today. He advised the one at Red Rocks was still showing today. Never mind, will find one day! A few other birders reported it was quiet, apart from an early Swallow that flew through, not much to report on migrant front. 

A quick walk back past the lighthouse produced a pair of Dunnocks wing flicking and a cock Pheasant calling from the nearby field. Skylarks were all around us and singing away very happily. Both hungry, it was time to head back as the rain was getting worse. 

Thanks for reading and watch out for my Norfolk blog next week when myself Shaun & Paul will be venturing to North Norfolk next Thu/Fri. 

Observers

Mike Buckley

Shaun Hickey (Photography)

Short Blog - Frodsham Marshes & BMW Wednesday 19th March 2014

Decided to meet up with Paul at Frodsham, so after catching the early train from Overpool, I arrived at Ellesmere Port at 06.50am. I then caught the Northern rattler up to Frodsham and walked from the station down Marsh Lane and onto the Marshes.

It was a clear bright morning and after Sundays sighting of an overhead Glossy Ibis, I was on the lookout for anything unusual above. I could hear Chiffchaffs singing away and spotted a Pheasant in a nearby horse paddock.

Paul arrived at around 8am and we walked up the path that leads to No6 sludge tank and on the way encountered some Goldfinches in nearby bushes.

A quick glance through the scopes produced Shelduck, Teal, Mallard and a few Shoveller. A flock of about 20 Common Gulls over on the mudflats of the lagoon was the only other birds out there.

It was quite windy and a hunting Kestrel along the path up to No4 Reed Bed did it's best to hover in the stiff breeze. We flushed a hen Pheasant from the nearby track and a few rabbits also darted for the safety of their burrows. Numerous Buzzards were having their usual tet a tet with the local corvids and a couple of large Ravens cronked their annoyance!

Skylark song was all around and the odd mipit also got up calling loudly. No other small birds of note apart from the odd Reed Bunting. On the pool at the top of the path just before No4 bed we saw Tufted Duck, Gadwall, Mallard and about eight Moorhens and a solitary Coot. No sign of the Marsh Harrier alas as we walked back down the path towards Lordship Marsh. We did spot a birdwatcher though who had climbed the embankment of No 6 tank and was on the inside of the embankment hiding behind reeds. I thought you were not meant to go over the embankment or skyline it!!

A couple of Whooper Swans remained in fields further out past Lordship Marsh but no sign of any Wheatears despite thorough scanning of rocks and mud mounds. It was very quiet so we opted for a quick trip up to Burton Mere Wetlands.

Nothing of great note to report here, but Paul managed some shots of a Little Egret and a Black tailed Godwit from Marsh Covert Hide.

On the way out of Marsh Covert Hide we were alerted to calls of Redwing and in an old dead tree we spotted several Redwing with a few Fieldfares and a Starling. With the backdrop of singing Chiffchaff it heralds the departure of the winter visitors and the arrival of our Spring migrants.

Observers

Mike Buckley
Paul Kurs (photography)

Leasowe Lighthouse - Tuesday 11th March 2014

With news of the first Spring Wheatear on show yesterday, I decided on a trip up to Leasowe. I got the train around 8am and arrived at Moreton station just before 9am. Walking down the path into Kerr Fields, I flushed 3 Bullfinch and numerous Goldfinches. A cock Pheasant was calling in amongst the tall grasses also.

When I arrived I bumped into Ken & Dave local birders who are here most days, they were also hopeful of migrants, in particular looking out for Sand Martins passing through! As I arrived at the seafront, I could see the tide was back on it's way out and the sandbanks were well exposed. A couple of Lesser Black Backed Gulls stood out with yellow legs and slate grey backs. In the background a number of Oystercatchers were on the sandbar, roughly 300 birds.

Also quite a way out was some Knot, Grey Plover, Redshank & Dunlin. Fortunately some Redshank were a bit closer and allowed me to get this shot whilst they had a nap, with a small Dunlin in amongst them!

In the channel where the tide streams through I spotted two or three Little Egret. I got this shot of one fishing for small sandeels.

There was plenty of noisy Black Headed Gulls and a few very large Herring Gulls calling noisily. This one seemed to be eyeing me up for my sandwich!

A quick look out to sea did not produce much, a few Pied Wagtails flew in, a pair of Shelduck and a few Cormorants. Some Turnstones were feeding on seaweed close in by the shore and bickering amongst themselves as they raced along the seafront.

Also out to sea was a small boat going past the 25 wind turbines that are out on the horizon. It was dwarfed by them. Got this phonescoped shot.

It was time to have a look at the horse paddocks at the back where there has been a couple of Twite spotted the last few days. These are migratory birds that winter near coasts and are just about set to return to breeding grounds further North. I was hopeful of a new yeartick. Scanning the fields I could see some Skylarks feeding at the very back and some were also up singing, a beautiful song!

I spotted a Cock Pheasant creeping along the fenceline and when he spotted me he craned his neck for a better look. Lovely colours :)

Then I spotted a couple of Pied Wagtails who had just flown over onto a nearby mound.

After pacing up and down the paddocks, no sign of the Linnet flock that was supposed to contain one or two Twite. Down at the Western Kissing Gate there is a farmyard with roosters, it was in this field area that I located the Linnets and the Twite!! I just got set up to take a picture and had a great close up photo when (you've guessed it) off they went, startled by a couple of cyclists passing through in the nearby lane! Dammit. After a long search to relocate, I eventually saw the flock a bit further back into the fields. I managed to capture some Linnet feeding near a big fat Wood Pigeon.

They flew up again and amazingly after circling overhead for a few minutes, landed quite close. I scanned the flock and bingo, just the one Twite with a darker body and yellow bill.

After watching these lbj's for a while, I went around the back of Lingham Lane to see if I could see any Wheatears in the other fields as none could be seen in the horse paddock areas or fields nearby. To be honest it is still early and usually early migrants like yesterdays male Wheatear don't stop for long, just a quick refuel and off further North.

The River Birket runs through Lingham Lane and I spotted a couple of Mallard and a Moorhen on the water. A Grey Heron flew over and three Carrion Crows were squawking their annoyance at a Buzzard rising on the thermals. This was the area where last year we had spotted a Turtle Dove. Scanning the fields, no sign of Wheatear, so it was getting near to 2pm so I decided to make a move back to the train station.

As I boarded the train I checked birdguides and saw that a Swallow had been seen in Billinge, Lancashire! One Swallow does not make a Summer, but more interestingly the first Ring Ouzel has landed at World's End in Clwyd! I will defo be making a trip back up to Leasowe in the near future as the Ouzys are known to call in on their passage through :-)

Observer

Mike Buckley (photographs)

Hilbre Island & Gowy Woodland Park - Saturday 8th March 2014

After all the bad weather we have had myself and Shaun planned a trip over to Hilbre Island. High tide was at 3.08am so when we arrived at 7.15am, the tide was on it's way out and it was safe to cross. The wind was quite strong blowing in a south-westerly direction and it was quite cold for a spring morning. Looking around the boating lake it was bleak and there was just one 1st winter Herring Gull sitting on one of the pontoons.

The walk over to Little Eye was uneventful and we never saw any birds at all, not even any flyovers! When we reached Middle Eye however we spotted a female Merlin flying low over the rocks, she then landed and enjoyed a look around. Shaun spotted another raptor nearby and it disappeared behind some rocks. It then flew out and started to fly up (flap flap glide) whilst being mobbed by some angry gulls, it was a Sparrowhawk. It flew out of sight and around the back of middle eye. The view towards Hilbre from Middle Eye.......

We saw some movement of Pied Wagtails and then I spotted a White Wagtail that had flew in a southerly direction from Hilbre and landed on some algae covered rocks. This was the first White Wagtail of the spring seen at Hilbre (later confirmed by Steve Williams from Hilbre Obs) who had also seen the bird fly over. About 6 days earlier than last years first sighting! As we walked on towards Hilbre, we flushed the Sparrowhawk from a rocky outcrop and it flew towards the main island. Shaun managed this shot as it flew away.

We could now hear and see a few Curlews on the west of the island and a small number of Oystercatchers and large gulls. As we walked up the ramp towards the obs and the houses, we could hear Meadow Pipits calling and there was quite a number about today, fifty birds at least we spotted throughout our stay.

On the rocks on the west side of the island we spotted the Pale Bellied Brent Geese, they were busily feeding and some gave the odd gargling guttural call.

No doubt they will soon be returning to their breeding grounds in Canada. One bird was a colour ringed bird with a red ring on the right and a blue on the left. Could be a bird (HDRB) that was ringed on Axel Heiberg Island in Arctic Canada in 2007?

Four Blackbirds flew over in the swirling winds as we headed to the old lifeboat slipway for a seawatch.

The slipway gave some respite from the biting wind and after setting up the scope I scanned to see what was around. Several Great Crested Grebes were feeding out to sea and small numbers of Cormorants were flying over.

Shaun spotted 3 Common Scoter just to our left, two males and a female quite close in near to the island. These are dark black birds and the males have a yellow spot on the bill which can be very striking, even from a distance!

One of the Scoters was getting in a bit of a flap as you can see in the next photo, the female sat on the rocks unimpressed.

Just then Steve Williams and a few of the guys from the bird observatory (obs) came down and after saying hello, said they would notify us later if they caught anything in the traps for ringing. We had been looking out to sea and noticed what appeared to be a shipwreck. We were advised this was the SS Nestos a greek transport boat that ran aground on sandbanks at low tide on 2nd April 1941. Affectionately known as 'The Greek' it can be seen at low tide and makes a good perch for seabirds!!

As we were watching a small group of Pintail flew in 4 male and 4 female birds accompanied by a male and female Wigeon.

Out at the front of the slipway were Turnstone, Oystercatcher and some more Brent Geese.

As we scanned the rocks we also spotted about six Knot and a couple of Purple Sandpipers! Always delightful to watch these elegant waders darting by the seaweed covered rocks and delicately picking off small food items. On the Eastern side of the Island on the tideline, we could see Redshank, Dunlin, Curlew, Oystercatcher, Cormorants and some Herring Gulls. We also watched two Lapwings pass over.

After about an hour watching and with no real movement of auks or sea ducks, Steve Williams came back and showed us a juvenile female Sparrowhawk they had caught and rung. This was no doubt the bird we had flushed from Middle Eye and towards Hilbre. It was lovely to see up close and we noticed the odd heart shaped patterns on the chest. They advised us they had also caught their first Goldcrest of the year. Excellent stuff and a big thanks to the obs guys for showing us the bird.

It was getting to about 11am so time to move on as we planned to go to Burton Mere for an hour. On the way back it was wind in the face time and it was not a pleasant walk back. As we got back to the van my phone beeped and it was one of the apps I have to show distance walked. It showed 11,091 steps and 6.2 miles walked. Definitely easier on the way out than on the way back!!

After stopping in Heswall for a tea and coffee to go, Shaun suggested we take a look at the Gowy Woodland Park, I had not been before so why not. Upon arrival just the other side of Mickle Trafford, the entrance to the park is off Hassall Lane. The park is good for Barn Owls, Mice, Moles, Rabbits and Newts so says the visitor information boards. I was mainly interested in checking over the Gull flocks from the nearby landfill site whilst Shaun was keen to see the Kingfisher on the River Gowy. On the way to spot the gulls, Goldfinches and Chaffinches were flocking together. We also saw large flocks of mainly Fieldfare with smaller numbers of Redwing.

As we arrived by the viewing spot to the fields with masses of gulls, the first fields flock just yielded Black Headed Gulls, but further on looked more promising!

We had barely had chance to scrutinise the Gulls when they took to the air!!

Nightmare, however most of them looked like Herring, Common, Lesser Black Backed and Black Headed Gulls. Problem we had as well before they took off they were in grass fields so the legs were obscured which would have helped with the ID. They were not going to settle so we decided to call it a day as I wanted to get back to watch the FA Cup football on TV. We did have time to observe a pair of Long tailed tits nest building with moss in beaks and flying low down in brambles. Also a bit further on down the track a curious Dunnock was wing flicking and giving us the once over!!

 Also on the way back to the van a Buzzard was displaying overhead.

As we were packing up by the van, Shaun spotted a Robin with nesting material in its beak. It was building in an old disused building, yes Spring is here!

A good mornings birding and its great to know that the first migrants of the Spring will soon be upon us. We do need this High Pressure system and some nice warm weather in the next few weeks to dry the ground up and give the water table a chance to drop down, will be most welcome.

Eyes to the skies!

Observers

Mike Buckley
Shaun Hickey (photography)

Link to Hilbre Bird Obs :-

http://www.hilbrebirdobs.blogspot.co.uk/

Conwy & Anglesey day out with Alan Davies - Saturday 15th February 2014

The eagerly awaited days birding with Alan of (The Biggest Twitch) fame finally arrived after weeks of anticipation. Last year myself, Shaun & Paul had a cracking day out with Alan in May, see link :-

http://mikebuckleybirding.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/the-biggest-twitch-conwy-anglesey.html

Sadly, Shaun could not make this trip, however myself & Paul were keen to get going, despite the recent storms we had been having! As the alarm rang out at 5.10am, I went into the kitchen bleary eyed to make a cuppa and eye the barometer in the outside porch. The needle was in the 6'0 clock position!! Not a good sign as it was off the chart!! Low pressure would dominate today, but hopefully any stormy weather would blow through by afternoon! At 6.15am, Paul arrived and we set off. It was not raining yet! As we got on the A55 and headed towards Conwy, it started to get very windy and the rain was pounding against the windscreen! Oh dear! Arriving in the car park at Conwy at 7.20am, we tried to see any birds on the estuary but the rain was absolutely belting down and being blown across in front of us in great sheets. Alan arrived and our day had begun, so donned in waterproof overtrousers, waterproof coat and rugged boots, we were off looking for our first birds of the day. Additions to the yearlist are shown in red!

Inside the reserve, we had Mallard, Teal, Redshank,Tufted Duck, Canada Geese, Pochard, Red Breasted Merganser and then I spotted a drake Scaup on the near pool and then Alan saw the female Scaup. This pair have been around for a while by all accounts. The weather was vile and it was all we could do to shelter in corners and peer out like 'chad over the wall' just to avoid being blown away.

Ahem, moving on we went to see if we could locate a Firecrest that has been knocking about. Alan tried his best pishing sounds to see if the bird would rise from its morning slumber in amongst the brambles, but no luck. However, we saw Reed Bunting, Robin, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Chaffinch, Wren and a bonus Bullfinch! It was time to move back to the car and get to our next stop the Conwy Valley. It was that cold, my fingertips were numb and the warmth of the car offered a brief respite.

We arrived at Caer Hun church, which is a very old church dating back to the thirteenth century. It is a good sight for Hawfinch and one of our target species today. As soon as we got out of the car, Hawfinch were calling!! We crept through the church gate and peered around the wall to see some chaffinches feeding on the ground below the Yew trees. The Hawfinch were about, but we could not see them. The rain was still coming down strong, so we went up against the church wall to offer some shelter from the wind and get a good view into the tree tops. Bingo, three or four Hawfinch flew out of the tree and into the next one. Solid stumpy birds with short tail and huge nut cracking beak. Trying to get a fix on them with bins or scope was proving to be a very challenging task. Alan had an idea and we moved around the back of the church and tried to get views from a different angle. After a while, voila! Hawfinch at the top of a Yew tree, what an absolutely stunning bird, I was speechless. Paul took a couple of photographs of this beast of a finch.

We watched at least 7 or 8 birds moving between the trees, it was truly magical. After a while of viewing, Alan spotted a Red Kite high over the Forest on the opposite bank of the raging river! It was being mobbed by a couple of crows (no surprise). That was three new year ticks :) Moving on our next stop was The Spinnies/Aber Ogwen. The coastal path was a bit flooded and Alan was unsure about going through the water as he was not sure how deep it was or with incoming tide, if we could get cut off. We pulled over and looking in the nearby fields we saw lots of Curlew and Oystercatcher. Just then supergran went past in a small car and not phased by the water, she just ploughed through sending great jets to either side of the road, cue some laughter and on we went up to the car park at the top of the road. Not a lot was out on the River, but we did spot at least 14 Goldeneye, all drakes and all displaying tossing their heads back which is quite comical to watch. On the nearby pools we had Little Egret.

Moving on and next stop was Holyhead Harbour. Well, the waves were crashing over the harbour wall and the sea looked wild! Winds were gusting up to 50mph+. In the harbour we saw some great birds that were evidently sheltering out of the way of the tempest. Paul spotted a female Red Breasted Merganser diving down for food and very near to where we were parked up. We also spotted a Shag that was also diving down for grub.

Further out we had great views of a Black Guillemot that was unmistakable in breeding plumage, also visible were a few Guillemot. Further out were a few more Black Guillemot near to some boats. Paul tried for a few pics but they were too far away and kept diving down.

Next stop up to South Stack and the search for Choughs. We were really cold and needed a quick tally up on species seen, also the cafe offered warmth and a cuppa and some chocolate cake :) It was about 11.45 by now and still no let up in the weather, on the way out we were nearly blown over the edge it was that windy (indeed in the past, a chap had left the handbrake of his car off and it had gone over the edge of the cliff!) Driving to the bottom of the road and swinging a right, we went to look into some nearby fields for Chough, but only had Jackdaws. Just then Alan spotted something promising so a bit further on and hey presto Chough in the field and right by the car. Paul snapped this pic.

 The bird was doing some sort of crab like dance and was moving from side to side whilst probing the ground but with little success as we could not see it eating any food? Very odd, but great to watch up close and a good success story for this bird here on Anglesey.

Next stop was Trearddur Bay and it was still lashing down but we got out of the car and looked out across the bay and straight away we had Razorbill up close. Also two Rock Pipit flew past whilst calling. Out in the bay Alan spotted a Long tailed Duck and a Great Northern Diver. After watching these birds in very difficult viewing conditions, we moved on to the Inland Sea.

The weather seemed to be picking up just as it had forecast. It was now around 1.30 and we set up our scopes and scanned out across this vast area of water dotted with the odd rocky island. Some Goldeneye and a further 3 female Long tailed Duck, but much too far away for photos. Just then we saw a Slavonian Grebe, so the target birds were coming along nicely. At least another 3 Great Northern Divers were also spotted. A Goldcrest was calling it's head off in a nearby tree and a Collared Dove flew right over our heads as we now had to move on and Penrhys and Beddmanarch Bay.

Last year Petes Burger Van was a welcome sight, this year the car park was a temporary affair and his van was not so welcoming and out at the back of a makeshift park. Never mind, we were soon looking out across the bay at Wigeon, Cormorant and yet another Great Northern Diver. I managed this phonescoped shot but it was difficult due to the wind.

Over the other side of the bay, we spotted amazingly another 4 Slavonian Grebes and at least another 2 Great Northern Divers. Alan spotted a Red Throated Diver as well. A couple of waders flew in nearby and they were Bar tailed Godwits. I got this shot of one probing the mud for invertebrates.

I went back to the car as I needed some grub and a cuppa from the Burger Van. Paul spotted some Pale Bellied Brent Geese fly in and got this picture.

On the other side of the bay at the Alaw Estuary, lots of Dunlin, Lapwing and Golden Plover were spotted.

After a while we moved on to Llyn Coron which is a lake that is a fly fishery. The sun was coming out and the wind was dropping somewhat, very welcome. Scanning the lake we could see Coot, Teal, Mallard and then Paul spotted a female Goosander. As we scanned we spotted at least another 4 birds, the drakes looking very resplendent with Salmon pink underparts and black and white up top. Curiously one male bird had decided to climb up onto a large rock! On the way out of the park, I spotted a Hen Pheasant sitting low down in a bush above the flooded lake. Moving onwards we saw some Canada Geese and a few Greylags in a field and a nice Stonechat flew into view on top of a small hedge.

Driving past the inland sand dunes we spotted a Kestrel, a veritable scarcity here on Anglesey these days. Alan said he had never seen so much water inland on the island and it had created new habitat areas of flooded grasses for the birds. Upon arrival at Malltraeth Cobb, we saw lots of waders including a Greenshank which was a new addition for the day. Further on we saw Pintail in some flooded fields. Beautiful birds :)

Moving on, we arrived at Newborough Forest and Alan said we may pick up some new ticks on the feeders in the car park. As we pulled in there were scores of Chaffinches, we also enjoyed watching a pair of Great Spotted Woodpeckers and also saw a Coal Tit. I was informed today that this is a known major Raven Roost as well and birds are known to have travelled from as far as Ireland to use it as a roost!!

Moving further on up the island we stopped at a few coves and spotted Kittiwake out to sea in amongst flocks of gulls. The sea was still whipping up and the wind was depositing the sea foam some distance from the shore and across the roads into nearby houses. We had a quick look for Purple Sandpipers but could not see any sheltering on the rocks. Quite a few Turnstones however were busily scurrying here and there amongst the rocks searching for food, great to watch!

Back on the road and we decided to stop at Llanfairfechan to have a look if we could see a Dipper. Despite an extensive search of the river, we dipped on Dipper! The river was very fast flowing after the storms and most of the rock perches for the bird were covered, so hardly surprising it was not in sight. One last look out to sea only produced a local dog walking nutter whose dog we christened 'Benson' as it had gone out on the mudflats and was at least a good mile from the owner and despite his anguished cries for it to come back towards shore, it was having none of it :)

Surprisingly we had missed out on Peregrine, Goldfinch, Greenfinch, Linnet & Pied Wagtail. Surely we could see a Pied Wag somewhere along the sea front or in a grassy park area nearby? No, not a chance.

Arriving back at RSPB Conwy at around 4.30pm, we said our goodbyes to Alan and thanked him for a thoroughly entertaining day with some great birds seen and for me 19 new year ticks and for Paul (7 lifers!) My year list has moved on to 116, so with last years total of 210 to better and it only being Feb,who knows? Me & Paul had one last look around the reserve to see if we could get Firecrest. We had Long tailed Tit and then near to a hide.....a Pied Wagtail flew up!!!!! Yay. This bird was nearly missed on last Mays twitch, so much amusement as we finally got it, haha. Who would have thought after what we have seen today a Pied Wag would create so much amusement.

I cannot emphasise how enjoyable today was a big big thank you to Alan, despite the awful weather early on we had a cracker of a day with 87 species seen! We cannot recommend to anyone enough how brilliant Alan & Ruths days out are. See Link for anyone interested in joining them on what I'm sure would be a special day. We can't wait for the next 'biggesttwitch' day out.

http://www.thebiggesttwitch.com/

Species seen list :-

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Au0mmqf4OPOvdEEzYklZVl9XNjJORkZ6cGtTMnNkWEE#gid=0

Guide

Alan Davies

Observers

Mike Buckley
Paul Kurs (photography)

Black Redstart at Flint Castle - Friday 7th February 2014

Got a text from Shaun around 1pm asking if I fancied a quick trip up to Flint Castle to see if the Black Redstart was still in residence. Upon arrival we walked around a bit and spotted some Goldfinches in nearby trees. This was my first visit, so after a short while we sussed the entrance and spotted about 6 birders inside with scopes trained up into a corner tower of the castle. Some faces I recognised, except for the guy in bright red shorts and flip flops!!

The Black Redstart was sat high up on a rocky outcrop of the tower and was occasionally flying out to catch insects, very flycatcher like! This was a 1st winter male, so not as dark as the adult male, more mouse grey I would say. It was still lovely to watch from a respectable distance and Shaun took a couple of pictures a bit later when it flew lower down.

A lovely bird to watch and gets my yearlist up to a respectable 96 species. The tide was quite a way out on the Dee Estuary, but large numbers of Canada Geese were flying up the river and making their way to the grassy banks by the Tower Hide at Connahs Quay reserve.

On the way home, we stopped off by the pool at the back of the M.O.D shooting range as we had reports a Bittern had been spotted in the reedbeds. Alas, no sign today but a solitary Mallard and eight pairs of Tufted Duck sat out on the pool.

Walking around the corner, we had views over towards Station Road and Burton Point. We both agreed we had never seen so many Lapwings out on the marsh. Suddenly they were all up in the air and we witnessed two Peregrine Falcons on the hunt. It was a remarkable spectacle as the birds wheeled left then right to avoid capture. Smaller numbers of Golden Plover were in among the Lapwings which we estimated to be in the region of at least 10,000 birds.

In this next shot you can see a bird above the main group of birds, this is the Peregrine (I think) as there was a solitary Buzzard in amongst the masses of birds if I recall.

You can see quite a few cars at the bottom of Station Road, maybe also enjoying the spectacle and no doubt the long staying Buff Bellied Pipit! So not a bad hour or so spent birding, very enjoyable indeed.

Observers

Mike Buckley
Shaun Hickey (photography)