Llyn Ysceifiog

A quick trip to Llyn Ysceifiog this afternoon – surely Wales’ top scoring lake in Scrabble – left me rueing my decision to leave my gaiters at home as I traipsed along what must be the muddiest footpath in all of Flintshire - if not Christendom.

It was my first visit to this area having only recently read about its existence in the North East Wales Bird Report. The habitat is quite promising - around the water at least with a good mixture of both deciduous and coniferous trees.

The lake itself, however, is little more than a duck pond and obviously man made resulting in the sort of contrived and manicured appearance that never comes close to replicating natural beauty.

Nevertheless, there was an ample smattering of waterfowl present including a handful each of Teal, Gadwall, Shoveler and Little Grebe, plus a frozen looking Cormorant.

The woodland was extremely quiet and it was not until I reached the north-west section of the lake that things improved – and took a strange turn!

I picked up a very small bird darting through the canopy and initially thought it was a Goldcrest, but when eventually the bird stopped for a second I could see it was a Chiffchaff (I bet you thought Firecrest!).

I have only seen over-wintering Chiffchaff near the coast in this country before – Morfa Madryn, Connah’s Quay and Inner Marsh farm of the top of my head – so I was chuffed to see one inland.

Other interesting passerines included a Goldcrest, three Nuthatch and at least five Bullfinches, whilst two Raven and a Buzzard floated over.

Until next year.

Quay West

With the wind blowing from the east and some light rain to boot, the hide at Inner Marsh Farm was out, so Connah’s Quay was the destination for my penultimate birding trip of the year.

Unusually the wet meadow hosted the most birds today, with the number of Lapwing particularly high, reflecting the general consensus – in North Wales at least – that there has been a large influx of these plovers recently.

A sprinkling of Blackwits and Curlew were also probing around the flooded meadow, but the pick of the day was an unusual bird for Connah’s Quay – a Ruff feeding along the margins of one of the pools.

With the tide receded the rather modest number of waders present were spread thinly across the mudflats with another fairly uncommon wader for this part of the estuary – a Grey Plover, the highlight along with yet another sighting of the lone Pale-bellied Brent Goose flying down the River Dee.

In other news, another birder – Mark Murphy – mentioned to me at lunchtime that he had seen around twenty or so Twite a week or so ago - perched in a bush near the helipad amongst a mixed flock of other finches.

I think this may be the first report of a good sized group of the bhuna-bibbed seed-munchers from the Connah’s Quay/Flint area this winter – let’s hope they stick around into the new year…

On another thread, I was on the Hilbre Bird Observatory blog this afternoon and read that not only were passerines currently being trapped, but that one bird - a Robin (resident on the island?) had actually been re-trapped.

I must confess that I am not wholly familiar with the processes and protocols of ringing birds, but surely given the freezing temperatures and short days there should be a moratorium on trapping birds lest it cause them any distress - especially when you risk catching the same bird more than once?

Until later.

Reconnaissance

With its range of habitats and relative ease in which tricky birds such as Willow Tit, Kingfisher, Tawny Owl, Tree Sparrow, Yellowhammer and Bittern can be found, I reckon Moore Nature Reserve makes for the perfect destination to kick-start my year-list.

Hangover permitting, I reckon a full day could produce around eighty five species, but like a host of recent Australian batsmen the magic 100 looks just out of reach – unlike our boys!

This year looks especially promising as the high tide predicted for late morning should hopefully produce a smattering of commoner coastal waders from the hide overlooking the River Mersey – and with a little luck this may edge me closer to the nervous nineties.

And being ludicrously optimistic, throw in a couple of white-winged gulls, three woodpeckers, some more owls and something from totally leftfield like a Spoonbill, the century could just be attainable.

In the hope of giving myself a sporting chance I had a good walk around the Upper Moss Side and River Mersey section of the site this morning with the hope of locating a few tricky species.

Little Owl must surely inhabit one of the many old brick barns, but the grey and pallid sky before lunch must have discouraged them from peering outside. On an up note, a couple of House Sparrows were near one of the farms – birds that are perhaps more difficult to find than Tree Sparrows here of which there was a healthy flock of 25 or so today.

Walking further on I decided to check-out the River Mersey at low tide with the purpose of sussing the wader situation. Disappointingly, there was no evidence of any Curlew, Oystercatcher, Dunlin, Golden Plover or indeed much else apart from roosting gulls and a handful of Canadas – things are going to have to improve somewhat by Friday!

Upper Moss Side 29.12.09

Tree Sparrow c25
Bullfinch 1
Kestrel 1

Until later.

That Was The Year That Was/2010: a Flintshire Odyssey

Not a bad year all-in-all with 205 species recorded in the UK during 2009 – the vast majority of which were found within an hour’s drive of Casa Del Shenton. Just to put things into perspective though, I managed to log slightly more species during a fairly short trip to India – we have to work hard for our birds in Blighty!

Birding highlights include a pair of Common Cranes at Fenn’s Moss; a flock of gorgeous Waxwings at Wepre Park; two showy Shorelarks at Point of Ayr, a juvenile female Goshawk at Pennington Flash; a Dipper on my local River Gowy, and finally, finding a pair of breeding Dunlin at Cadair Berwyn.

India continued to amaze and even taking into consideration a good clutch of new birds during this year’s sojourn, watching my favourite bird - The Black-necked Stork - takes some beating as does its closest rival for the top spot: Pallas’ Fish Eagle.

However, despite 2009 containing many excellent birding moments, the year will always be most notable for the fabulous thirty minutes I spent watching my first Otter fishing in the River Severn at the marvellous Dolydd Hafren reserve in Montgomeryshire.

Plenty of positive news on bird populations too, and although only based on personal observations and hearsay, Hen Harriers, Whinchat, Redstart and oddly Bullfinch seemed to be more numerous on the Welsh Uplands this year, but on the downside Spotted Flycatchers were very difficult to find indeed.

The Cuckoo was the subject of special attention by the British Trust for Ornithology this year as it sadly continues its spectacular decline. I do not have too many previous years of experience to draw upon, but I found them to be relatively abundant in North Wales this spring, although I will concede that I walked through several areas of classic Cuckoo habitat that were unoccupied.

This year has also seen me shift the focus of the vast majority of my birding to Flintshire, so next year I have decided to intensify my watching of this area and see how many species I can find during the calendar year.

Flintshire seems to be a somewhat neglected and under-watched evidenced by the paucity of sightings on various local websites and by the rather sketchy submission of records to the North-East Wales Bird Report for 2008 – I also seldom see many other birders!

Until 2010.

As You Were

A quick morning trip down to Inner Marsh Farm turned into more of an enforced vigil as a series of heavy and prolonged showers kept me sheltering in the hide for the majority of the morning.

It didn’t take time for the reserve to reveal its secrets, with a male Peregrine and a Dunlin still largely in breeding plumage being the best of a very modest Christmas assortment.

A good flock of Fieldfare on the top field was notable too – as were thrushes in general with plenty of Song Thrushes and Blackbirds foraging to the left of the hide.

Inner Marsh Farm 27.12.09

Teal c320
Lapwing c220
Black-tailed Godwit 33
Redshank 10
Dunlin 5
Curlew 5
Ruff 1
Peregrine 1 (male)
Raven 1
Fieldfare 20+

Closer to home it has been a stellar week for the garden list with both Pied Wagtail and Chaffinch entering the roles! Hardly earth –shattering, but for some strange reason my back yard is something of a Bermuda Triangle as far as finches are concerned, with a very brief visit by a pair of Goldfinches the only other record passing the scrutiny of the Green Lane Garden Rarities Committee.

Until later.

Bean And Gone

With tantalising reports of Taiga Bean Goose eminating from Southport, I decided upon one final birding foray before loosening the old belt and engaging in some good old fashioned festive gluttony and merriment.

Now the sclerotic and traffic light infested roads of Sefton and East Lancs are not my favourite area to drive around – especially when you get stuck behind one of the many goobers driving at 35mph in the national speed limit zones – so an early start was the order of the day.

A couple of birders were on the old sand plant when I arrived, one of whom kindly put me straight on to a White-fronted Goose mingling with the Pinkie flock a good distance out into the marsh – its orangey hooter indicating a bird of the Greenland race.

A further scan through the geese produced another White-front, eight Barnacles and a strange concoction that looked as if it could have been a cross between a Pinkie and a Snow Goose, but sadly no Bean Goose.

Trying to find one in the army of Pink-feet was always going to be a tough task today though, especially as most of the birds were just too far away to scrutinise accurately, so my first Bean Goose will have to wait for another year…

Plenty of raptor activity on the marsh – the highlight being a very belligerent male Hen Harrier who tussled with at least three Short-eared Owls, before dive-bombing a nearby Peregrine.

RSPB Marshside(ish) 23.12.09

2 White-fronted Goose
8 Barnacle Goose
c2,000 Pink-footed Goose
1 Hen Harrier (male)
1 Merlin (male)
1 Peregrine
3+ Short-eared Owl
1 Rock Pipit

Until later & Merry Christmas!!

A Local Dip

Just before dusk, I took Becks for her daily constitutional to the Gowy Woodland Park behind the Nags Head at Mickle Trafford. After checking the gull roost behind the landfill site, I was strolling back along the riverbank when I caught a glimpse of a small bird flying away from me just above the water.

It landed thirty yards or so further up the bank on some dead reed stems and when I put my bins on it I could hardly believe what I was looking at – a Dipper! I thought the sight of one casually strolling along the tide line at Abergwyngregyn was weird enough, but this takes the biscuit!

I tried to creep closer to the bird to check that I wasn’t hallucinating, but it soon clocked me and flew further up the river and out of view, so I decided to leave it in peace.

Obviously Dipper are generally restricted to the more typical surroundings of boulder-strewn, upland, wooded streams, but I assume during harsh weather they are inclined to move to lowland areas.

Interested to see if there have been any other records in lowland Cheshire I had a look through the Coward & Oldham’s Birds of Cheshire (1900) for any evidence. Intriguingly, it contained this reference “There is a specimen in the Warrington Museum which was killed at Tarporley in the spring of 1893, and we have seen another which was shot at Romiley in winter”.

Not unheard of then, but still fairly unusual. If anybody out there as anymore information on the occurrence of Dippers in lowland Cheshire, I would be delighted to hear from you!

Until later.

Richards & Bewicks

On a cracking crisp winter morning, I decided to defy the 'elf and safety mafia and undertake one of those non-essential journeys the Highways Agency is always banging on about and head down to Denhall Old Quay to check out the Richard’s Pipit.

There was no sign early doors, but the stunning light aided me in picking out a couple of Peregrines, two different ringtail Hen Harriers and a Merlin out on the marsh.

Neston Old Quay was also pipitless – not heard of any sightings of Water Pipit near the stream here for ages, but apparently there is a poorly-marked possible candidate near the Caldy Sailing Club.

Returning to the quay at Denhall an hour later I caught up with John Boswell & another birder who had managed to peg-down (not in a literal sense!) the Richard’s Pipit to an area at the end of the sandstone wall.

After playing hide and seek for ten minutes near the sewage outfall, it eventually popped out for fifteen minutes to share the stage with a couple of Starlings, before disappearing again.

The bird could have obviously been here for a little while, but yesterday at White Sands when doing my WeBS count it was noticeable how many small passerines were feeding on the marsh – Skylarks in particular, perhaps birds forced from frozen fields further away to warmer coastal climes?

Other interesting birds on White Sands included a decent count of nineteen Bewick’s Swans, a now resident Black Swan and conspicuous by their absence – no Whooper Swans.

Until later.

Shotwick Refugee Camp

With nothing much doing at Connah’s Quay – apart from an ingenious Song Thrush rooting out snails from down a rabbit hole – and the onset of hyperthermia a distinct possibility, Stan Skelton and I decided to call it a day and use the last half an hour of good light to run the rule over Shotwick Boating Lake.

Just before leaving a quick scan across White Sands revealed good numbers of Whooper Swans and a family of six Bewick’s Swans being shunted around the marsh by the wildfowlers, plus a ringtail Hen Harrier and a pair of tussling Short-eared Owls.

No sign of any significant numbers of Twite this winter and Stan suggested that it may be a good idea to seed an area near the West Hide – especially given the success of a similar project in North Wales. Perhaps this could coax the Twite out of exile and even tempt a Black Redstart or Snow Bunting…

When we arrived at the Boating Lake it seemed to be playing host to the Inner Marsh Farm crowd with good numbers of Wigeon, Shoveler and Mallard on the water -presumably forced over here by the frozen pools at the adjacent RSPB reserve.

A pair of Scaup was a good find and other interesting wildfowl included a female Goldeneye and most surprising of all a drake Common Scoter. As with most areas on the Welsh side of the estuary, the lake is probably under-watched – especially on calm winter’s days when the lack of wind and plummeting temperatures deter disturbance by the sailing club members.

There was also plenty of activity in the surrounding stubble fields with good numbers of Pied Wagtails, Skylarks, various Thrushes and a flock of circa 100 Linnet.

Until later.

Fur Scarf Anybody?

With England batting like lemons I decided to head to Moore NR for a poke around Birchwood Pool and the eastern reedbed.

The Glaucous Gull was playing easy to get, prancing around the small island in front of the main hide. Looks like a first winter bird to me, although not being well-versed in the scary and cultish activity of gull watching, my knowledge is somewhat rudimentary.

Within a couple of minutes a mangy Fox rocked-up and virtually cleared the pool save a handful of Little Grebes and a few wildfowl, so I decided to walk over to the Bittern enclosure that is the eastern reedbed.

Normally a home banker, there have been scant – if any – good sightings of this elusive little critter so far this winter and this seems indicative of a wider funk the North West seems to be going through on the birding front currently – let’s hope this cold-snap shakes things up a little!

Predictably there was no sign of any Bitterns today, so I had to entertain myself by watching a male Sparrowhawk trying to cunningly inch itself along a branch in order to get within striking distance of a Jay – unsuccessfully.

Before leaving I had a final scan of the reed stems only to reveal the rather unwelcome sight of a mink strolling across the ice. In the increasing cold, I could not help thinking the best solution all round would be for it to be hanging round my neck…

Until later.

The Dark Side Of The Estuary?

I have been birding the Dee for a number of years now and being based at Chester I find myself equidistant from both the Flintshire and Wirral sides of the estuary.

Initially, I favoured sites such as Hoylake, Red Rocks and the shore at Heswall, but I found the more I explored the Welsh side, the more my affections turned to this side of the river.

What struck me early on is how under-watched and neglected the entire area is considering the relative abundance of good birdwatching sites.

Arguably the Wirral side is the more attractive having not suffered from the same level of industrialisation as its opposing bank, but as far as I am concerned the crown jewels of the Dee Estuary lie firmly in Wales’s hands.

The Point of Ayr probably offers the birdwatcher the greatest variety of birds on the estuary with the possible exception of Hilbre Island. A broad range of waders and wildfowl can be seen at this location with the added appeal of good seawatching, plus the chance of the unexpected – I once witnessed an aerial tussle between a Pomarine Skua and a Marsh Harrier! The nearby wild and desolate Gronant beech with its breeding Little Terns is also a cracking destination.

A much underrated spot is the scruffy Garth Wood, tucked unassumingly behind the village at Ffynnongroywy. A wonderful signposted trail leads one around a three mile circuit of the wood and surrounding farmland where last spring I found Dipper, Marsh Tit, Wood Warbler, Pied Flycatcher, Garden Warbler and Redstart in just two visits.

White Sands is an area of the marsh unfamiliar to many, but the section that lies directly behind the rivetment running out from Corus Steel Works holds some fascinating birds - particularly over-wintering families of Whooper and Bewick’s Swans. Sadly, access is restricted, but in winter there is a no better spot to scan for Short-eared Owls or find flocks of over-wintering Twite.

Also close-by and difficult to gain entry to is the colony of Common Terns that breed on the pools lying directly under the shadow of the steelwork’s buildings; the boating lake at Shotwick that can hold interesting birds from time-to-time and then, of course, there is the rifle-range area…!

Finally there is Connah’s Quay NR. I have been a member for two years now and find myself coming with increased frequency. I think the best time to visit is over a high tide, when I can watch the waders being pushed on to Oakenholt Marsh to roost. The autumn of 2009 was particularly memorable with a massive flock of up to 6,000 Black-tailed Godwits present and the only thing more astonishing is that I very rarely had any company in the West Hide! Where are the birders?

Infact, from my experience there seem to be very few birders along this entire stretch of coast, evidenced by the fact that there are relatively few sighting submitted to the various local websites vis-à-vis other areas. This is probably down to nothing more than a comparatively small local population.

It’s not all rosy as there are drawbacks, notably the lack of freshwater or brackish pools and – Connah’s Quay nothwithstanding – very few formal viewing facilities. However, all things considered – it’s Wales for me!

Until later.

Shotwick Rifle Range

With the skies clearing, I decided to head over to the embankment behind the Shotwick Rifle Range this evening and scan the marsh for Shorties.

It’s a bit of a grey area here in more ways than one. Firstly, this part of the marsh is actually in Wales – even though the Flint Bridge is the de facto border – with the boundary passing just south of Burton Point.

Secondly, being M.O.D land I am not strictly sure if I should actually walk along here - although many do – as you risk incurring the wrath of the local farmer with whom I had contretemps number two with this evening!

Not that I am unsympathetic to his argument – even though he could do with a little smoothing-out on the diplomacy front – as he must have to contend with all types of scallywags with dubious intentions.

In truth, I probably wouldn’t go here if it weren’t for the fact that it is so good for watching raptors, especially at dusk as the sun is directly behind you - unlike on the Wirral side of the estuary.

This evening was no exception – an adult female Hen Harrier completely ignored me as it scoured a ditch no more than twenty yards away, but the highlight was unusually close views of a pair of adult Peregrines.

The way they perched spoke volumes about the relationship between the birds with the female clearly wearing the trousers – she was sat on top of a large log whereas the male was on the ground a deferential twenty yards to her left.

I must confess that I suspect I was looking at the same birds I had seen hunting so expertly in unison at Connah’s Quay NR a couple of weeks back - they obviously have a close bond.

With no sign of any SE Owls, I wandered a little further down the track to look at the rifle range. The shooting area looked more like a falconer’s back garden with a female Merlin, two Buzzards, a Sparrowhawk and a ringtail Hen Harrier all sitting on various fence posts bathing in the soft evening light– incredible.

Before the sun dropped behind the Clwydians I had a final look for some SE Owls, but I could only find a couple, with one bird miles towards Neston. To be honest, I think they knew -tonight at least - that they had been horribly upstaged!

Shotwick Rifle Range 15.12.09

Hen Harrier 1 (Adult female)
Peregrine 2 (Pair)
Merlin 1 (Adult female)
Sparrowhawk 1 (Adult Female)
Short-eared Owl 2
Buzzard 4
Little Grebe 1
Shoveler 6
Curlew 20+

Until later

Duck And Cover

An air of quiet contentment hung over Llanddulas at lunchtime. Huge rafts of scoters bobbed and dozed on the still water whilst the majority of Conwy County Council’s refuse collection department looked like kings as they sat feet on dashboard - well sated after an excellent pie and chips - inspecting the scantily-clad blurt in the Daily Star.

I had nipped over to try and winkle-out a Velvet Scoter from the rank and file Commons. Unfortunately the majority of the birds were too far from shore on an ebbing tide for me to accurately nail down a Velvet, so I was reliant upon picking one up in flight from the telltale white secondaries.

This was problematic because most birds were quite happy to loaf on the surface and it was not until something spooked them that they all took to the air and despite having a good look at the majority of the four thousand or so birds, I couldn’t flipping find one!

In addition to the masses of scoters, there was an assortment of the usual inshore bric-a-bric including good numbers of Great Cresties and Red-breasted Mergansers, plus singles of Red-throated Diver and a close-in flying drake Goldeneye.

After the rain began to pour and the dustcart boys had finished their final Lambert and Butler I decided to call it a day and head back to Chester.

Listening to the radio on the A55 I heard that the BA cabin crew had made the suicidal decision to go on strike. One industry expert said that BA is currently known by the acronym ABBA – Anybody But British Airways, following on a long tradition of cruel airline nicknames such as:

TWA – Try Walking Across
BOAC – Better Off on A Camel
CAAC – Crashes Anywhere Across China

Still, if the trolley-dollys are reluctant to work for less than thirty large ones, there will always be the bins.

Until later.

Nothing About, Much Ado

A quick ghost around my usual haunts this morning produced slim pickings if I am honest, with a toss-up between three Spotted Redshanks at Connah’s Quay and a flock of around three hundred Linnets at Inner Marsh Farm for birds of the weekend.

American baseball commentators have a wonderful term they use when a batter is struggling for hits. It’s called ‘being in a funk’, and that pretty much sums up the Dee Estuary at the moment – perhaps it has a drake Smew waiting for us in its Christmas Stocking!

Frodsham Marsh was a hive of activity yesterday, although it was more the masses of humanity than the birdlife that was providing the interest. I don’t know if the recent proposal to build a huge inland wind farm on the marsh has awoken the locals to its existence, but the model aircraft enthusiasts, horse riders, dog walkers, joggers, falconers and birders were out in force.

Most irritating was a pair of plebs charging around number six tank on quad bikes. Dangerous dog ownership excepted, is there anything else that says more clearly ‘I have no GCSEs?’

On a positive note, they provided me with an excuse for not being able to find a Water Pipit reported earlier in the day from a flooded area on the south-eastern section of number four tank. The noise must have flushed it by my reckoning – that’s why I couldn’t find it, nothing to do with a lack of patience and poor field craft!

On the track at the north end of number six I bumped into one of the falconers. A youngish chap, he was struggling to carry around half a dozen rabbits and a pheasant.

‘Quite a profitable day’, I said to him

‘Okay, yes’, he replied.

‘This is the first time I have hunted with Harris Hawks – I used to have a Saker/Gyr Falcon cross, but it was crap - it was knackered after five minutes and turned like an oil tanker.’

Touche.

Frodsham Marsh 12.12.09

Lapwing 2,000+
Golden Plover c75
Sparrowhawk 1
Kestrel 1
Buzzard 1

Inner Marsh Farm 13.12.09

Linnet c300
Siskin 2
Pink-footed Goose 1
Wigeon 75+
Ruff 1

Connah’s Quay 13.12.09

Spotted Redshank 3
Black-tailed Godwit 60
GC Grebe 2

Until later.

My Two Cents Worth

I have just watched the news and discovered that 7bn euros of our hard earned folding has been pledged to ‘developing’ nations to help them tackle climate change.

Whilst I do not deny that mans’ activities has contributed to the acceleration in the heating of the earth’s atmosphere, I am sceptical as to its status as the number one environmental issue.

It is also ironic that had human beings been as technically advanced as we are now a mere 14,000 years earlier at the ending of the last ice age, then the symposium at Copenhagen may have been over how to proliferate the production of carbon rather than reduce it.

Without exception, climate change is universally considered to be a negative phenomenon as far as wildlife and birds are concerned. In the United Kingdom, failing seabird colonies are cited as evidence that warming sea temperatures are to blame for forcing the main prey of sand eels further north into cooler waters resulting in reduced breeding success.

This may very well be the case, but surely the ocean temperatures have been in a constant state of flux for millions of years and in times past the very same species of seabird we have today must have faced similar challenges and survived.

If this is true then surely the birds will just eventually move to a more productive area? It is always worth remembering too in these hysterical times that one bird needs only to reproduce once on average during its life cycle to retain the same level in population – breeding is a capricious occupation.

My feeling is that the real threat to the natural world is man in general. Any one – let alone two or more - from habitat destruction, rampant over-population, the pillaging of the sea and the ecological holocaust that is modern agriculture are far more dangerous to biodiversity than the warming of the earth’s atmosphere will ever be.

Until later.

Elmley Marshes

"Rough Justice" was to have been the perfect headline for this post. The three gargantuan prisons on the Isle of Sheppey were clearly visible from Elmley Marshes, but sadly there was no evidence of any over-wintering Rough-legged Buzzards.

No matter. If there is the perfect estuarine and marshland nature reserve, then Elmley Marshes is probably it. Following my disappointing visit to the much vaunted, enclosed-viewing-facility-challenged Rainham Marshes, Elmley was refreshingly old-skool with no visitor centre razzamatazz and five good quality hides - all well located. So, credit where credit is due the RSPB, this sanctuary is a belter.

I suppose it does help when the area is drowning in sunshine and teeming with Marsh Harriers to boot. According to one Kentish old hand, up to one hundred pairs are now breeding on the Isle of Sheppey – astounding. From today’s evidence, the residual over-wintering population is around ten birds and when one takes into account the Peregrines, Merlins and Hen Harriers you have some serious Lapwing mithering going on!

The Swale Estuary is no slouch either. I cannot remember seeing so many waders and wildfowl crammed into such a small area. Wigeon were the most numerous duck and Dunlin the commonest wader, but it was hard to take your eyes of the flock of circa two hundred Avocet – the largest I have ever seen.

Reflecting on such a wonderful day, I pondered whether or not being imprisoned so close to a nature reserve would be heaven or hell for a birder. Whilst it would be comforting to hear the rich and mournful trill of the Curlew on a still winter’s morning, would it not be torture having the knowledge that they were within touching distance yet out of reach?

Elmley Marshes 10.12.09

Marsh Harrier c9
Peregrine 3
Kestrel 1
Avocet c200
Grey Plover 50+
Black-tailed Godwit 100+
Dunlin 2,000+
Wigeon 4,000+
Teal c750

Until later.

Bickerton Hill

Bickerton Hill is an area of heath and ancient deciduous woodland near Beeston Castle. It is ‘managed’ by the Natural Trust who deserve a doffing of the hat for all the hard yakka they have put in over recent years - notably to restore the original segments of heathland.

The result is that the open and sandy soil areas of the hill look absolutely plum for Nightjars and come next summer I shall be up there looking for them – especially as they appear to be all but extinct as a Cheshire breeder? (I would be quite happy to be corrected!).

I find birding woods in the winter similar to my old career as a goalkeeper – large periods of inactivity interspersed with brief periods of frenetic action!

With most woodland passerines choosing to join mixed feeding flocks in winter there are often long periods of nothing, but within seconds you can find yourself having to work quickly in order to identify many birds – often at distance and in poor light – before they move on.

It was not too long before I found the first group this morning, no more then fifty yards from the car park. Incredibly the second bird I looked at was a Marsh Tit – only the fourth time I have found one and my first in Cheshire!

The flock was actually remarkably diverse: in addition to the usual suspects it held a couple of Treecreepers, a Nuthatch, a few Goldcrest and a small group of Siskin and Lesser Redpoll.

I always enjoy hearing the call of the Lesser Redpoll as it sounds to me like they are constantly firing a miniature machine gun!

Also worth mentioning was the large numbers of Redwing I saw today – the first time this winter I have seen good numbers. A Green Woodpecker was a welcome sighting too, yaffling its heart out in the middle of a pasture.

Until later.

Freak Tidings

Today was good evidence of why tide forecasts are only rough estimates. A relatively modest high water of 9.35 metres was predicted for Liverpool this afternoon, but exceptional random factors pushed it considerably higher after lunch with the whole of Oakenholt Marsh under water before it started to ebb – something that normally only happens when the tide is around 10 metres and over!

(I remember reading that air pressure has a much higher influence on the height of a tide than one would expect. The sea level rises or sinks by one centimetre per decrease or increase in atmospheric pressure of one millibar).

There were very impressive numbers of wading birds at Connah’s Quay again this afternoon with the rising water ensuring that the big flocks of shorebirds assembling from all over the bottom reaches of the estuary were in a constant state of flux looking for the ever-decreasing areas of exposed marsh.

A lone light-bellied Brent Goose was probably the bird of the day, found feeding in the channel over towards White Sands, although it was in good company sharing the area with two Bewicks and at least thirty Whoopers.

Connah’s Quay NR 6.12.09

Oystercatcher 4,000+
Lapwing c2,500
Knot 400
Dunlin 300
Blackwit 200
Spotted Redshank 2
Brent Goose (hrota) 1
Bewick’s Swan 2
Whooper Swan 30+
Keith Duckers 1
David Jennings 1 (thanks for the sweet!)
Mute Birder 1

Inner Marsh Farm was relatively quiet this morning, with the best bird found at the back of the car park – a cracking Green Woodpecker. Five Siskins too, feeding on the alders near the boardwalk and a flock of sixty Linnet near the railway bridge.

Until later.

Slow Food

Winter can give many birders the heebie-jeebies; the low-slung sun, hours of darkness and long spells of foul weather can drive us to fervently pray for the advent of spring.

Thankfully, excellent nature documentaries such as last night’s Natural World on BBC2 and clear and calm days like today – when the marsh seems to sink down into the earth and let the tide flow over it - just about provide us with enough bird methadone to last until the arrival of the first Wheatear.

The highlight at Connah’s Quay this morning was watching a pair of Peregrines chasing down a Redshank. I have seen these falcons hunt in tandem before, but never so closely and so systematically. The raptors were taking it in turn to chase the wader, each pursuing it for around thirty seconds before letting the other bird take over. After about nine or ten shifts, the male eventually caught the Redshank and interestingly gave the quarry straight to the female!?

This method of hunting must surely make good sense. Although the reward is halved, the chances of a successful kill must improve by more than double, making it a much more efficacious tactic than hunting alone.

Other birds of note included at least five Spotted Redshank roosting in the creek over towards Flint, and also the same number of Greenshank doing exactly the same over on the bunded pools.

A female Goosander also fished briefly in front of the west hide at high tide. Like an emerging submarine the duck seemed to materialise from nowhere and it was gone as quickly as it had appeared, taking flight and heading south down the River Dee.

Connah’s Quay 4.12.09

Spotted Redshank 5
Greenshank 5
Oystercatcher 1,750
Redshank 300
Black-tailed Godwit 150
Dunlin 150
Curlew 50
Goosander 1 (female)
Wigeon 620
Teal 350
Shelduck 100
Peregrine 2
GC Grebe 5
Bullfinch 1

Until later.

Fast Food

Another cold but clear morning enticed me down to the west hide at Connah’s Quay NR early doors for the high tide.

With its gleaming white belly a Spotted Redshank stood out like a sore thumb in a flock of Commons and they were soon joined by larger flock of Dunlin eyeing nervously a circling male Peregrine.

The flock of six thousand Blackwits present in October looks like it has dispersed now – one solitary bird was in the channel this morning with no sign of any other birds near Flint.

The Ash Pool was relatively quiet; a Jack Snipe was reported from the reserve on Monday and given this is the most likely spot I had a search through the vegetation. No joy, but there was a rather dapper drake Pochard.

Driving to the field studies centre I nearly had the opportunity to dine Hugh Fearnley-Whittinghall style on fresh roadkill, as I narrowly avoided running over a speedy Red-legged Partridge that has been knocking around for a few weeks at least now.

A walk through the nature trail was quite productive with a large number of Chaffinch feeding on the perimeter of the marsh – no Brambling with them sadly…

Bird of the day was saved until last – a Common Sandpiper feeding along the riverbank underneath the bridge that sits at the very top of this website. How apt!

Connah’s Quay NR 02.12.09

GC Grebe 3
Little Egret 4
Pochard 1 (drake)
Peregrine 1 (male)
RL Partridge 1
Oystercatcher 700
Dunlin 930
Lapwing 650
Common Sandpiper 1
Spotted Redshank 1
GS Woodpecker 1
Chaffinch c450

A whistle stop tour of Shotwick boating lake revealed a few Goldeneye, but otherwise it was quiet. I had to dodge workmen laying speed bumps on the way. It’s only a small thing, but making roads harder to drive on seems to best symbolise how profligate developed nations have become. If you told a local person struggling to drive on potholed roads in a remote part of India that we spend money making roads less flat they would look at you as if you were insane – and they would be right!

Until later.

Foryd Perfect

It was one of those chilling winter mornings that would have had soft southerners reaching for the Berghaus catalogue, whilst we tough northerners ponder whether or not to get the long trousers out as we defrost the beef dripping.

Foryd Bay was bitterly cold when I arrived at the hide just after dawn – fortunately the structure had its back to the cutting south-easterly wind and I was sheltered from the worst.

It was my debut visit to this area and my initial impressions were very positive. The bay held good numbers of birds – wildfowl in particular – and seems to have been spared high levels of inappropriate development save a handful of noddy homes to my left.

Aside from the more common ducks and waders, highlights from an hour’s vigil included a dozen or so Goldeneye, a handful of Red-breasted Mergansers, a Peregrine and an unusually mute Greenshank.

The bird I had hoped to see though was absent: the Great Northern Diver. Now to paraphrase a well known song, I don’t like divers, I love them!

I relocated to the picnic site directly opposite Abermenai Point and started to scan the strait. The water in this part of the channel appears terrifying and looks like it has a stronger current flowing through it than a Dixieland electric chair. After a couple of Cormorant false alarms I managed to pick my loon up near the sailing club – excellent! It had plenty of other birds for company too including a Shag and innumerable Great Cresties.

Foryd Bay 1.12.09

Great Northern Diver 1
GC Grebe 20+
Little Grebe
Little Egret 3
Wigeon 400+
Pintail 50+
Goldeneye c10
RB Merganser 6
Greenshank 1
Turnstone 1
Bar-tailed Godwit 1
Peregrine 1

Later in the morning I dropped into Abergwyngregyn and Morfa Madyrn at Lavan Sands. The former was busy with a huge herd of Curlew roosting on the fringes of the marsh, but the most interesting bird was a Dipper casually strolling along the tide line?!

Morfa Madryn was doing good business, with a massive flock of Oysties roosting on the spit and plenty on the sea too including a trio of Slavonian Grebes and a small skein of twenty or so Brent Geese flying past Beaumaris.

Lavan Sands 1.12.09

Slavonian Grebe 3
GC Grebe 6
Brent Goose c20
Red-breasted Merganser 7
Curlew c1,500
Oystercatcher c4,000
Dipper 1

And if you are wondering why I have posted a picture of Alan Shearer, well it was the best picture I could find of a Great Northern Diver!

Until later.

Carbunkle

Not much to report on the birding front today despite a decent day of good weather. I had a fruitless search around Neston Old Quay for Water Pipits and spent two quiet hours at Inner Marsh Farm attempting to develop frostbite in my toes.

Despite the pipit no-show there was plenty of other activity on the marsh with decent sized flocks of Woodpigeons, Starlings, Lapwing and Wigeon too, who were busy whistling like a group of deranged P.E teachers.

Inner Marsh Farm held good numbers of birds too with a couple of Ruff and a male Peregrine bombing through late on the highlights of what was otherwise standard fare.

More notable news in the recent proposal by Peel Holdings to build twenty one, one hundred and twenty five metre high wind turbines at Frodsham Marsh. Link: http://www.chesterchronicle.co.uk/chester-news/local-chester-news/2009/10/22/peel-energy-unveil-image-of-what-frodsham-marshes-wind-farm-could-look-like-59067-24989446/

What a truly dreadful prospect that such an eyesore could be built on what is potentially a beautiful, austere and wild area. Incredulously, a spokesman from Friends of the Earth has claimed that given the site is of no significant scientific importance for wildlife then this is an ideal site for such a development. This is probably true, but the marshes have been trashed by industry – can he not see the potential?

Wind Farms are grossly ineffcient to boot as they require massive subsidies and don't work during periods of weak or very strong wind.

In short, to use a quote I heard this afternoon: would you buy a fridge from Comet that worked for only three days a week and you didn't even know which three days that would be?

Until later.

Here Come The Girls!

Having watched the Dee Estuary for a number of years now, it has started to become apparent that there appears to be an imbalance between the numbers of female and male raptors, with the fairer sex apparently in the ascendancy.

This is most marked with the populations of over-wintering Hen Harriers that, in general, tend to be adult females. This seems odd when I consider that all the birds I found on the Welsh Uplands in the spring (8/8) were male and even if you take into account that the females will generally be guarding the nest and the males are more visible, it seems strange that ‘grey’ birds are uncommon on the Dee. This is further supported Hen Harrier sightings from Ynys-Hir, that tend to be almost exclusively adult male birds.

Similarly, in the case of another wintering visitor, the Merlin, it is very seldom that I see an adult male bird; again, the Marsh Harriers that pass through and occasionally winter on the marshes are mostly adult females or immature birds.

The situation with Peregrines is less clear. I would speculate that female birds do outnumber male birds, but the ratio is less acute than is the case with the Harriers and the Merlin.

For obvious reasons, Buzzard, Osprey, Hobby, Red Kite are difficult to sex, with the added difficulty that all but the former are rare or uncommon. Kestrels and Sparrowhawks may demonstrate a bias one way or another but I am guilty of not paying the falcon or the hawk enough attention, so I cannot comment!

Obviously it is hard – but possible - to determine the gender of young raptors such as Harriers and Merlin, but even taking into account a certain degree of error I believe that for some reason the Dee Estuary holds an unusually high number of female birds

It would be interesting to know if anybody else has had similar observations, or perhaps this is a ‘natural’ imbalance – this would be understandable in the case of Marsh Harriers where I believe males often service more than one nest.

Any Comments?

Until later.

'Pipers At The Gates Of Denbigh

We’ve seen all the flooding in Cumbria, but has anybody taken a look around the Afon Clwyd east of Denbigh? I could have kayaked along the Clwydian Way this morning - without having to use any section of the river!

I have had my eye on this section of the River Clwyd for a while, so now that the monsoon seems to have finally lifted I decided to investigate.

The meadows were absolutely saturated when I arrived and after wading through the first field I was on the point of turning back, but I could just see an area of exposed bank that I thought may hold a Grey Wagtail or perhaps even a Dipper, so I persevered.

Scanning the bank I immediately found a Grey Wagtail, but standing just to the right was two Green Sandpipers! Despite using an alder for cover, they clocked me almost immediately and flew off high and far back towards the road.

There was more to come in the next pasture: eight Goosander fishing on the river and also on the edge of a large area of flood water another three Green Sandpipers! These birds were less flighty than the previous pair and despite remaining wary I watched them feeding along the edge of the water.

Then, after finding yet another Green Sandpiper on the opposite side of the river, things started to get a little complicated. The next area of farmland I crossed I found another two Green Sands in the middle of a large flock of loafing gulls I was working through.

A loud gunshot disturbed the birds and they all took the air with the waders soon following. After a few minutes the gulls began to settle again followed a couple of minutes later by SIX Green Sandpipers!!!

I could barely believe my eyes; had I missed four birds before all the gulls were spooked, or more likely had the four birds I had seen in the previous field joined the two I had seen? It seems the most plausible explanation, but I guess I will never know – still eight is pretty good!

If anybody wants to have a look for the birds, they were all in or around the squares SJ0966/67.

Until later.

Inner Marsh Farm: Reserve 51

I received the latest letter from the RPSB this morning and reading through one of the leaflets I noticed an interesting omission in the list of northern reserves: Inner Marsh Farm.

Inner Marsh farm used to be absent from all RSPB literature as when the reserve was originally granted planning permission, the nimbys added the proviso that it essentially remained secret in order to prevent too many visitors - and therefore traffic – from ruining their Daily Mailesque rural idyll.

It therefore had a similar status to the US Government’s infamous secret military airbase – the so-called ‘Area 51’- in the Nevada desert. I even remember my first ever visit before the recent period of glasnost: after receiving instruction from Richard Smith, I was blindfolded and then bundled in a windowless van before being driven to the location by some blokes in black suits.

Thankfully times have now changed and despite the runways on the above map of Area 51 looking worryingly similar to the plans for the expanded reserve, I fully expected to be granted access this afternoon.

In the period before evening, on a clear and still day, when the sun sits just above the Clwydian Range escarpment the light at IMF can be perfect giving you wonderful views of the assorted wetland birds.

Tonight was one such night, and one that was very much welcome after the recent spate of rain and gales. After two weeks of shivering behind the causeway, the wildfowl and waders were back on number two pool.

The highlight was cracking views of Spotted Redshank feeding slap bang in front of the hide with a Reeve and a Ruff for company and also, momentarily, a Water Rail.

Sadly the light soon faded, but not before I watched a couple of Kestrels having a minor territorial dispute and a Buzzard lumbering into its roost at the top of a tree.

Until later.

Gowy Meadows

With the rain clearing up and the wind easing I nipped down to Gowy Meadows CWT at dusk today. It is a reserve – like Nikolai Valuev - that consistently punches below its weight.

It looks absolutely perfect for owls; lots of lovely rough grassland, voles galore and even lots of pukka posts to perch on. If you are a Short-eared Owl then surely this is the over-wintering des res.

There is one tiny problem though in that the owls seem to disagree. Numerous evening visits over the past few winters have produced nada – not even a Barn Owl that I know for certain breed at the nearby village of Stoak.

This evening was no different – the Kestrels having the run of the place yet again – although there was a surprise in the form of a Kingfisher perched at the foot of the Shell Road bridge.

Hopefully the bird will stay in area, although it is more than likely just taking advantage of a temporarily swollen section of the River Gowy.

In other news it was good to hear that the government is planning to plant an extra 4% of woodland – native deciduous too, not dreadful conifer plantations. Link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8377827.stm

Henry David Throreau would have approved I think.

Until later.

Designer Stubble

I had a walk around Greenfield today, starting from the quaint little harbour and then up to the abandoned rust bucket, before doubling back.

With it being at the weak point of the tidal cycle, the water was up against the sea wall despite it being low tide. The usual crowd were roosting on the rocks: Redshank, Curlew, Turnstone and a few Oystercatchers whose discarded mussel and cockle shells crunched under my feet.

The flooded pastures had attracted a good herd of local curlew with around ninety birds feeding in the field next to the rather pungent sewage works. A flock of around five hundred Starlings busied around their feet, whilst a pair of aerodynamically savvy Grey Herons sat squat in the corner of the field monitoring the proceedings.

Just before I made a run for the car to avoid the rain, I had a quick scan of a small stubble field adjacent to the sewage treatment plant. Two Pied Wags were all I could see initially, but they were soon joined by four small passerines – Twite! Great to see an actual flock – albeit modest - rather than the singles I have been fed so far this autumn.

There was just time to nip over the fence at the rifle range embankment on my way back to Chester, but the weather was getting quite grim really and a female Peregrine going hell for leather in pursuit of a Woodpigeon was the best I could manage, plus three Goldeneye and a Pochard on the pool.

Until later.

Les Miserables

I must confess that John Ruskin is testing my patience a little now! He’s right though, there is really no such thing as bad weather, it’s the same weather day after day that is the real problem – it becomes tedious, rain or shine.

The scene on Burton marsh this morning was rather sodden with the resident Kestrels looking like gloom personified - praying I’m sure for some better hunting conditions. The owls must be enduring tough times too - it can be no fun having saturated feathers.

On the other hand, some of the wading birds – Curlew and Snipe for example – must be thriving in the damp conditions; the muddy earth being perfect for their long and probing bills.

The rainfall has also topped up all the flashes on the marsh which looks like being a boon for the over-wintering wildfowl – at the end of September most were bone dry. Egrets too must be relishing the prospect of investigating all the new pools.

With Becks and I drenched to the skin and feeling rather fed-up it was difficult to focus on the birds today, both in terms of concentration and in a littoral sense too – I could not keep my lens’ clear for more than twenty seconds.

Nevertheless, I did manage to find what I am fairly certain was a female Merlin, but given the condition of my optical equipment it could have equally been part of a fence post or a speck of dirt!

Maybe this is just as well, as I can refocus my attention on reading the new North-East Wales Bird Report for 2008. It has a picture of a GS Woodpecker on the front and you can pick-up a copy at Inner Marsh Farm for the modest sum of a fiver.

The publication is the work of the hitherto unknown to me Clwyd Bird Recording Group and covers the counties of Flintshire and Denbighshire. No fewer than four hundred people have submitted sightings to the report, with some chap called Anon Birdguides the most prolific contributor of all – he must get out more than me!

Seriously though, it must have taken a Herculean effort to collect and collate all the available data. Bird recording seems to be an extremely disparate activity nowadays with some sightings made available electronically in a matter of seconds whilst others are received some time later via more traditional methods such as paper submissions.

Many must go unrecorded too; for example, surely more than four Cuckoo’s must have been heard or sighted in Flintshire during 2008? I personally have heard two this year at Cilcain and Coed Talon – both of which were submitted to the BTO. I guess that the ideal situation would be for everybody to send their records to one central resource that all interested parties could access, but we are a long way from that!

Until later.

Out For The Count

It was out to White Sands this afternoon for the WeBS count. Heeding the warnings of the BBC weather forecast (whose presenters must be the shortest workforce in the world), I kitted myself up like Ray Mears in the arctic and prepared for a battering.

I had hoped for three species of swan today, but I was not expecting four – the first group of Mute Swans held a surprise in the form of a Black Swan. I hear a whisper that this introduced species from Australia may be added to the BOURC list given that it appears to have established a feral population.

Let’s hope not; if anything the Black Swan seems even more aloof and ill-tempered than the Mute Swan and if it shares any characteristics of its fellow countrymen then you can add loud, uncouth and mildly racist too!

Swans generally give me a bit of a problem when it comes to counting them. Last year their collective tactic was to feed in one large multi-species group and to keep their best identifying feature – their bills – hidden by constantly grazing.

This year the plan seems to be to gather in small groups scattered all over the marsh and to also move about as much as possible, making an accurate estimation of numbers and species a tad tricky - but I think I got there in the end!

Duck numbers continue to be low this winter with only very small numbers of Shelduck, Wigeon, Teal and Mallard recorded today – Wigeon in particular appear to be well down on last year.

White Sands WeBS Count 22.11.09

Great Crested Grebe 1
Black Swan 1
Mute Swan 42
Whooper Swan 5
Bewick’s Swan 5
Little Egret 8
Grey Heron 1
Cormorant 5
Canada Goose 11
Shelduck 71
Wigeon 37
Mallard 14
Teal 15
Lapwing 370
Curlew 12
Oystercatcher 3
Black-tailed Godwit 7
Redshank 142

Also, an adult female Hen Harrier, plus a wonderful flock of c4,000 Starlings.

Until later.

Turdus van Merula?

Keith Duckers e-mailed last week with an interesting theory relating to British common bird migration theory, and here in his own words it is (with some very minor adjustments! - Ed). Thanks, Keith.

I believe 75% + of our common garden birds go south for the winter and are replaced by their continental cousins. I know we have migrants coming from mainland Europe in winter, but I think there are a lot more than first realised.

In October it is quite difficult to see blackbirds, finches and robins as most have departed south, whilst in November these common species seem to re-emerge. Some items to consider regarding my theory:

A female blackbird found in the Newton catching box on Hilbre Island by Colin Jones had a Dutch ring with the words ARNHEM HOLLAND on it. (Truly fitting that it was found on Armistice day!!) http://hilbrebirdobs.blogspot.com/2009/11/11th-november-2009.html

Have you ever noticed that many robins seen in the garden in winter have an extra blue fringe around their red breasts? I noticed that there seemed to be about six of these particular birds at the Inner Marsh Farm hide, Burton, last winter, whereas in the Spring/Summer the red breasted variety exists.

I am pretty sure these are of the Scandinavian/Germanic species. - I have read this somewhere and I would appreciate any readers comments

A lot of work is done for uncommon birds regarding ringing, but I feel somebody needs to do some research with the common birds too (if they are not already). I feel sure that results from this research would reveal some surprising statistics.

Some questions for us all:

1 Where do our common garden birds go for the winter?
2 Are our Dutch friends already doing this type of research?
3 Do the 1st year young common birds follow their parents south?
4 Why did the Dutch blackbird make an epic trip to Hilbre Island?
5 Was it 'lost'?
6 Was it a young bird?

Food for thought?

I hope this has inspired readers to start inquiring about the current birding rhetoric (thinking outside the box!!!) rather than accepting the usual birding doctrine that has been passed down over the years - after all we all need something to think about during these dark and inclement winter months.

I would appreciate any comments...

Keith Duckers.

P.S - If anyone else wishes to contribute any articles (250-500 words) on anything interesting relating to birds or birding then I will consider them for publication. You can email me at pdshenton@yahoo.co.uk

Practically Perfect In Every Way

With the prospect of some decent flooding, I headed down to Dolydd Hafren in Powys this morning. By a nose, it just beats the RSPB’s Ynys-Hir as my favourite birding destination.

Whilst you are not going to get rarities galore – although it does produce good birds on a regular basis – its magnificent location overlooking an ancient flood meadow of the river Severn and its superb pair of tower hides make for an excellent site. Link: http://www.montwt.co.uk/hafren.html

It is also an absolute bugger to find as there is no signpost from the lane and despite having visited the reserve on a number of occasions I still struggle to locate the entrance. Perhaps this is a good thing, as you are very unlikely to meet another soul, leaving one to enjoy the peace and tranquillity.

Despite relatively few visits, Dolydd Hafren has produced a number of firsts for me: Goosander, Green Sandpiper, Tree Sparrow and Great White Egret. However, none of these birds will top a certain mammal I watched fishing here in May – my first and only Otter.

Today it was a bit of a struggle to be honest; the flooding had spilled over most of the path and splashing through the wet fields I felt I was getting a unique insight into the everyday life of a wading bird! Having said that, there is probably an iphone ‘app’ for that already – I wonder if there is an ‘app’ for making those bloody irritating adverts vanish too?

From the far hide, I could see the full extent of the flooding – biblical would be my best description as I was greeted with scenes more reminiscent of the Ganges basin than Montgomeryshire!

This had certainly had an affect on bird numbers: there were none, apart from small numbers of Teal and Mallard, plus a score of Curlew cowering on one of the few remaining exposed sections of riverbank.

An hour’s vigil produced very little else apart from a couple of Grey Herons and a Cormorant, so with rising water levels, I decided to call it a day and head for Coed-y-Dinas.

Safe in the hide at this little bijou wildlife sanctuary next to the A483 at Welshpool, I watched the rickety old oaks reluctantly bending in the gale and half expected to see Mary Poppins herself fly past on the high winds. Not many birds today, but for me anyway, Dolydd Hafren is still practically perfect in every way…

Until later.

Caught-a-flounder with Ease

The Dee at Connah's Quay was the scene of some serious fishing this morning with the local fisherman and the resident Cormorants competing to hoover-up the flatfish. Judging by the number of bulging throats, the Cormorants were winning hands-down. Have the fishermen not seen the HSBC advert – work together guys!

Cormorants have always interested me. How it is a bird so tied to the water has feathers that are so prone to getting wet is beyond me. This in addition to its rather prehistoric appearance leads me to think it must have just given up evolving…

They are certainly an optimistic species too; some of the twenty or so birds assembled on the edge of Oakenholt Marsh were attempting to dry their wings in the middle of a deluge, although according to somebody who shall remain nameless (!) the classic wings-out pose may also facilitate digestion.

Plenty of other activity too, with thousands of waders jostling for position as the tide quickly enveloped the marsh – its predicted height of nine point two metres seemingly increased by a combination of the low pressure, high wind and swollen river.

Oystercatcher, Dunlin and Knot completed the lion’s share of the roost. The Black-tailed Godwit numbers seem to have dropped-off markedly in the last couple of weeks. From a peak of around six thousand birds in October, the vast majority of them have seemingly moved on to either other areas of the estuary or to wintering grounds further south. Sounds like a plan to me!

Connah’s Quay 18.11.09

2,500 Oystercatcher
2,000 Knot
1,200 Dunlin
1,000 Black-tailed Godwit
300 Lapwing
100 Redshank
60 Curlew
3 Greenshank
70 Cormorant
90 Great Black-backed Gull
8 Great Crested Grebe
800 Teal
1 Kingfisher

Until later.

Blakemere Moss

“Britain braces itself for bout of mild weather” was the rather oxymoronic headline when I logged on to yahoo mail this morning - I do wonder sometimes.

Despite being in the middle of one the most well trodden sections of Delamere Forest, Blakemere Moss can provide a home for some interesting birds. Its thick, ebony, acidic and peaty water is not the first choice for a lot of wildlife, but in winter particularly it may hold things of interest – last year I found a Whooper Swan, a Woodcock and two Jack Snipe and a friend recently had great views of Firecrest.

A lap around the lake takes approximately an hour and there are plenty of access points leading to the water’s edge where you can scan round and take a break from dodging the mountain bikes.

There wasn’t much on the mere today; it was a little disappointing, although there were plenty of interesting passerines in the surrounding woodland.

Highlights included a lovely flock of circa twenty Siskin, a pair of Bullfinches (that I could hear but remained well hidden), and best of all four Crossbill flying over the ‘Go Ape’ adventure section.

I must confess that I do struggle to retain many bird calls – passerines specifically – but the ‘jip-jipping’ of Crossbills seems to be one of minority that has fortunately lodged in my brain – Bullfinch too, it’s just so feeble!

Until later.

Beachcombing

What is Etemophila alpestris’ common name? Is it Shorelark, Shore Lark or even Horned Lark – somebody make a decision!

No matter, it was great to see two of them at the Point of Ayr this afternoon -accompanied too by a handful of lovely Snow Bunting. For a family of birds not exactly renowned for producing the most dazzling of species, the Shore Lark is the exception that proves the rule.

It has been a few years I believe since they last graced the Dee Estuary and being a new bird for me, I think it was well worth the wait – the colouration around the head is exquisite making for a very handsome little passerine.

Finally getting to see the birds feeding on the spit was a quite a relief as I had already spent two frustratingly wet hours trying to locate them. I had initially searched the section of beech west of the red flag towards and including Gronant and seen absolutely bugger all.

When I had practically given up the ghost, I noticed a few birders assembled on the spit just east of the car park – an area I had avoided when I arrived as birds were roosting – and headed over to explore.

Both the Snow Buntings and the Shore Larks were extremely confiding, although predictably not confiding enough for one photographer (minus binoculars) who decided to indulge in a game of ‘grandma’s footsteps’ with the birds. Fortunately they didn’t seem to mind too much and I watched them fastidiously probing around the strand line for around an hour.

The Snow Buntings probably appreciated their presence even more. Usually very much the focus of attention, I imagine they would probably be enjoying their time out of the spotlight for a change…

Until later.

P.S - I have just received an e-mail from Keith Duckers detailing a day's birding around the Wirral side of the Dee Estuary on Sunday, including the Parkgate Raptor Watch. I have added it into the comments section below - apparently there were 200 people at Parkgate in the evening! Thanks Keith.

Lavan Sands

A window of decent weather in the middle of the current monsoon season had John Boswell, 007 and I motoring down to the Llanfairfechan to try and connect with at least one of the clutch of Slavonian Grebes reported from the Lavan Sands area over the last week or so.

The omens were not good when we searched the sea from the hide at Morfa Madryn – it was a struggle to find anything at all on the water except from a sprinkling of Wigeon, Red-breasted Merganser and Great Crested Grebe. We did however turn up a light-bellied Brent Goose - perhaps on a day excursion from Anglesey!

Noticing a few dots on the drink further west along the shoreline towards Abergwyngregyn we opted to chance our arm from the hide at Morfa Aber. When we arrived the heavens opened, the light worsened and the surface of the water became distinctly choppier – hardly ideal conditions and as before we could find the odd GC Grebe and Merganser but nothing else.

The appearance of a couple of rainbows then signalled a change of fortune – of sorts – and we located a small grebe, albeit at quite a distance. Frustratingly, it seldom spent more than a couple of seconds on the surface and teasingly drifted right with tide taking it gradually further away. I was fairly confident it was a Slavonian Grebe, but with the scope on x60 there is always that element of doubt…

Another pair of teases was two small passerines feeding around a roosting female Goosander on a grassy spit to the right of the hide. Again, they flatly refused to move close enough to confirm their identities and upgrade themselves from suspected Twite to confirmed Twite – not playing ball today these birds!

With the tide now creeping out we re-located to the promenade at Llanfairfechan via a quick excursion back to Morfa Madyrn to scour the sewage work environs for Firecrest. With the gates firmly looked, some low level trespassing was the order of the day but despite finding plenty of passerines in the surrounding wood, a Goldcrest was the best we managed, plus a couple of Treecreepers.

It was more productive at Llanfairfechan, although again the birds were fairly far out. The best two birds were picked up in flight: a Great Northern Diver and a drake Eider, but the Slavonain Grebes were playing it coy again and refused to show.

Lavan Sands 14.11.09

6+ Red-throated Diver
1 Great Northern Diver
1 Slavonian Grebe (Almost Certainly)!
30+ Great Crested Grebe
1 Gannet
1 Brent Goose (hrota)
1 Eider
2 Goldeneye
1 Goosander
15+ Red-breasted Merganser
2 Greenshank
2 Turnstone
1 Guillemot
1 Goldcrest
2 Treecreeper

With a couple of hours light remaining we rounded of the day by calling in at RSPB Conwy. Very quiet really, although JB did record the reserve’s first Perambulator Pipit – for those of you unfamiliar with the call, it is exactly the same as the noise a squeaky buggy wheel makes!!

Until later.

Gold Is The New Grey

I don't know what it is about Frodsham No.6 tank, but the plovers clearly love it. There must have been over three thousand Lapwings and around fifteen hundred Golden Plover roosting on the drier sections early this morning.

Golden Plovers are one of my favourite birds; unlike many waders they refuse to turn a dour grey colour in the winter and look magnificent on a crisp, sunny morning.

They also have a lovely, distinctive call, that is best heard at sunrise on the welsh uplands in spring – should you be lucky enough to find one!

I was down here ostensibly to find the Water Pipit that had been reported a few days ago, but Frodsham Marshes is a big area and as there were no details in the logbook - I was more likely to have bumped into Lord Lucan and Osama bin Laden pitching a tent.

There seems to have been a mini-invasion of these elusive critters over the last few days, let’s hope one sets up camp locally so I get an opportunity to remember what they look like!

Plenty of other birds around, including large numbers of Linnets, Goldfinches, Pied Wagtails and about twenty drake Pochards on the flooded section of the tank.

Not much else to report except that there appears to have been a plague of fly-tipping – is this one of those pathway activities that leads to harder pastimes like cow-tipping?

Until later.

Excellent...

It was news that would have delighted all the C. Montgomery Burns’ across the United Kingdom. The government recently proposed to build ten new nuclear facilities across the country - all on or near existing sites.

As somebody who is passionate about wildlife, I must confess that I could not be happier, especially if this controversial form of energy reduces the need for not only carbon releasing oil and gas power stations, but the necessity for wind, tidal and wave power too – the so-called ‘renewables.’

These supposed ‘green’ sources of energy are anything but. Climate change is a hot topic, but unfortunately it is drowning-out other equally critical issues, particularly habitat destruction and over population.

To the general public, building a tidal barrage across the Severn estuary would appear to be an excellent clean solution to our energy needs. However, those of us who strive to take a deeper interest in such matters know the trade-off of such a project in relation to wildlife would be calamitous – our estuaries are amongst some of the most important natural habitats in Europe.

One particular government-wallah, the permanently tanned Peter Hain once defended this proposal claiming that bio-diversity would increase. He is actually correct, the number of species would increase, but any intelligent person recognises this argument is specious.

For example, this argument holds true if one critically endangered species was lost, but three others that are very common elsewhere are gained. Biodiversity has indeed increased, but the cost is to lose an extremely important species of flora or fauna.

Wind and wave power seem less inimical to the interests of wildlife, but as with tidal energy I would be quite glad to see the back of both of them. My objections to wind power are largely aesthetic; wind turbines are as ugly as sin and very cost ineffective. Additionally – as is the case with wave power – many installations are close to coastal areas, where the affects on sea-dwelling and pelagic birds have not been fully researched.

Nuclear Power is expensive and produces dangerous by products that are difficult – if not impossible – to dispose of safely. However, they are largely passive, take up little space and produce carbon-dioxide free energy. Hooray for Nuclear.

Well that what a little heavy wasn’t it. No worries, back to the birds, bad puns and light-hearted quips tomorrow - I promise!

Until later.

(Major Parus) Hilton

Great Tits - real ones at that and probably in possession of a greater vocabulary too! They were everywhere this afternoon and I wasn’t even reading Nuts magazine or scanning one of those dodgy websites I’ve heard so much about.

It all started when I bumped into a large winter flock of passerines when out walking my dog at the Gowy Meadows CWT reserve this afternoon. I decided to search through the group to see if it contained anything interesting, but I soon discovered bar the odd Blue Tit or Goldfinch it was Great Tits all the way – about fifty in total.

Quite interesting as Stephen Fry might say, but hardly earth-shattering. I continued my walk towards the river Gowy, but I had to turn back when I noticed the cows had been moved to graze the pasture I needed to cross. I decided to drive to the woodland park at Mickle Trafford instead.

When I entered the park I encountered another large winter flock in the birch and willow scrub, and after scanning this gathering I found that it too was dominated by Great Tits – probably seventy of a flock of eighty or so.

It was then that I remembered that the level in my peanut feeder had been dropping quicker than the pants of a certain vacuous hotel heiress recently – a food source favoured by Great Tits.

I wonder if there has been a large influx of Great Tits this autumn. I have had a look on the interweb and cannot find much on the irruptions of this species, just one article alluding to increased breeding success following a good crop of beech nuts.

Has anybody else noticed similar numbers of Great Tits? Drop a comment if you have.

Until later.