Tuesday 29th July 2014

Weather; Cloudy with some drizzle, wind light westerly.

Offshore at Leasowe lighthouse over the high tide period were 32 Gannets, 11 Sandwich Terns, 10 Common Tern and 26 Common Scoter.
Waders present included over 150 Curlews, 27 Turnstones and 65 Sanderling.
Several Willow Warblers were in the area of the bridge on Lingham Lane thought by the observer to be a family group which indicates successful breeding nearby. This species is usually seen here as a migrant but one or two pairs occasionally breed.
A juvenile Cuckoo was by the western kissing gate. While this is more likely to be a migrant it is possible that this too is the result of local breeding.   Observer D.H.

Juvenile Cuckoo;  Dave Haigh.

Monday 28th July 2014

Weather; Light westerly wind, cloudy at first sunny later. Warm.

Offshore today at Leasowe were 33 Gannets, 3 Great-crested Grebes, 43 Common Scoter, 15 Common, 14 Sandwich Terns and an adult Mediterranian Gull.
Wader numbers and variety continue to grow. 50 Sanderling were present, all adults, together with 35 Dunlin, a Bar-tailed Godwit, over 100 Redshanks, 50 Turnstones and the usual Greenshank. Autumn passerine migration is starting to pick up with Willow Warblers, as usual, in the vanguard. 5 individuals were present in coastal scrub including 3 juveniles resplendent in their canary-yellow garb.
A juvenile Yellow Wagtail was in the paddocks yesterday.

Juvenile Reed Warbler  EW.

The local Reed Warblers appear to have had a good breeding season. Chestnut-washed juveniles well outnumber the paler looking adults, many of the latter still being in song and carrying food.

Adult Reed Warbler.  EW

Observers DH, EW.

     

26th July 2014

Wind: light Southerly
Hot and sunny

There was a report of a Black Scoter off Meols today on the incoming tide.  There was a Scoter with lot of yellow on its bill but it is clear from the attached photograph that it was only a Common Scoter. Whether or not this was the same bird reported by the observer is not known although bird forums seem to subsequently indicate it had been re-identified as a Common Scoter.  The bird in the photograph appeared to be ill, being observed as having difficulty swallowing.  Perhaps this is why it was so unusually close to land.

Other than the excitement caused by this bird very little was around at Leasowe.  The Greenshank was feeding in the gully close to the groyne and a mixed flock of about 40+ Linnet, Goldfinch, Greenfinch and Chaffinch were present in the horse paddocks.  The anglers at Lingmere Fisheries report a Kingfisher being seen early morning.  

JB

Common Scoter (Jeremy Bradshaw)

                                         

19th July 2014

Weather: E/NE becoming variable. Overcast and rain.

An adult 'Med' Gull remains on the foreshore off the Lighthouse car park. Other birds offshore included 14 Sandwich and 11 Common Terns, 23 Common Scoter and a stunning summer plumaged Bar tailed Godwit fed on the tide line.

Nearby the Green Sandpiper remains at Gilroy were there were an impressive 780 Black tailed Godwits.

DH

Tuesday 15th July 2014

Weather;  Hot and sunny. Winds light S.W.

Wader numbers are starting to increase along the north shore along with those of Gulls and Terns. Several small groups of  Dunlin, Redshanks and around 30 Curlew were off Leasowe together with 2 adult Mediterranean Gulls which were loafing on the sand with Black-headed Gulls.
A large female Sparrowhawk was quartering the mudflats at Meols like a small Harrier. 
Swifts were on the move with a group of 6 and one of 4 high flying birds heading due south inland over the embankment.
A single Common Sandpiper was on the groyne late evening

Mediterranean Gull.  EW.

Observers AMC, EW.

14th July 2014

Weather; SW-4, mild and overcast.

Morning update: The Green and Common Sandpipers remain at Gilroy whilst at the Lighthouse our first returning Redstart of the autumn was at the westerly kissing gate early morning.

An afternoon seawatch from the Lighthouse car park produced a single Gannet, 8 Common Scoter, a single Great crested Grebe, 16 Manx Shearwater and a flock of 14 Goosander flying west. Despite becoming commoner on Wirral over recent years we still only get a couple of records per annum at the Lighthouse  so a record shot of the flock was taken. With a little imagination and squnited eyes you can just make out they are Goosander and in fact all the birds were immature/female types, most probably part of a post breeding dispersal flock.

AMC, DH

14 Goodsander flying west at the Lighthouse (AMC)

13th July 2014

Weather: W/SW-4/5, sunny and clear

A moderate wetserly blow meant seawatching, so an hour over spent over high tide produced, 3 Kittiwake, 12 Gannet and 47 Manx Shearwater from Hoylake shore. Other birds in the high tide roost were good numbers of Sandwhich Terns including the arrival of the years first juvenile birds (photo below).

At Gilroy the Green Sandpiper remains and was joined by a Common Sandpiper and over 400 Black tailed Godwits

AMC

An adult with two juvenile birds (AMC)

12th July 2014

Weather: W/SW-3, overcast, warm and showers later

A seawatch from the Lighthouse car park was a sensible mid summer option. Highlights over the high tide included  27 Gannet, 17 Sandwich Tern, 130 Common Scoter and a pale phase Arctic Skua on the sea.

A late afternoon shower dropped another Green Sandpiper into Gilroy but no sign of any Med Gulls today. With so many Wood Sandpiper in the UK at the moment it would come as no surprise if one dropped in any day!

AMC, DH

8th July 2014

Weather: NW-2/4, clear, sunny and warm

The two adult summer Mediterranean Gulls remain on the shore form the Lighthouse Car park, whilst others have been reported recently from both Gilroy and West Kirby marine lake including two adults from the latter site on this evenings flood tide. All these birds fall into the pattern of a late summer / autumn build up of this species.

A Green Sandpiper was at Gilroy NP, early evening. Although always distant a couple of shots in the shimmering sunlight were managed. 

AMC

Green Sandpiper-AMC

Green Sandpiper -AMC

03 July 2014

Weather: NW-4, warm and overcast

largely quiet although numbers of Mediterranean  Gulls continue to build with three adult summers together at the Lighthouse Car park and a 1st Summer bird in the Mersey mouth from New Brighton.

Another summer plumaged adult was on New Brighton marine lake this evening .

A  few record shots were taken including one showing two of the birds together.

AMC, Colin Schofiled

Spot the Meds ??

Wednesday 2nd July 2014

Many Reed and Sedge Warblers are still in song in the Leasowe lighthouse area, together with a single Grasshopper Warbler. Large numbers of newly fledged Swallows are on the wing over the paddocks.
Offshore, however, autumn passage is starting to gather pace. Good numbers of Common Gulls have appeared together with two Mediterranean Gulls, an adult summer and a 2nd year bird. 10 Gannets and a Great-crested Grebe were on the sea together with around 40 Sandwich Terns which greatly outnumber Common Terns here at this time of year.
The reverse is true at New Brighton over the Mersey where Common Terns far outnumber Sandwich Terns. Around 50 were feeding over the river together with another Mediterranean Gull, an adult summer.

Observers AMC, EW.