High Tide on the Wirral : 12th February 2016

A second chance for a high tide on the Wirral arose on Friday the 12th. We thought that we would give Riverbank Road a go first instead of Parkgate, which we would normally go to. The tide wasn’t particularly high at 9.9m at 1.45pm but we still fancied it and we took in several Wirral sites. Ee were not to be disappointed and even managed to get year ticks at Burton Mere Wetlands, Riverbank Road and Parkgate.

As the tide was not due until 1.45pm we decided to drop in to Burton Mere Wetlands first. We only had about an hour and a quarter so didn’t have time to go up to Burton Point but we still got some nice birds including the first Avocet of the year at BMW. A Water Rail was showing right in front of the reception hide and a small flock of Pink-footed Geese flew in to the scrape in front of us.

We just had time to go down to the feeders near the barn and there we got the usual Finches and Tits including a large flock of Linnets. We did not see the Green Woodpeckers who had earlier been feeding in the field just to the left side and slightly behind if you are standing on the hillock where the bench is.

We then set off for Riverbank Road where, apart from a very talkative photographer, we were the only people there for a while at least. The water seemed to be a very long way out but sure enough the tide did eventually come in and it was higher than it often is at Parkgate. Another member of our birding group turned up there and we all agreed that it was probably a better place than Parkgate – quieter and more easily flooded.

From the car park we could see the Oystercatchers edging forwards towards us. Redshanks and Dunlin flew in and Curlew appeared from the gulleys as they flooded. Pink footed Geese flew over in good numbers and there were plenty of Teals. A Merlin at distance confused a few observers until it took off from its perch and we were then all convinced it had been a Merlin. It later perched atop one of the boat masts which is a common habit of Merlins.

A single Whooper Swan emerged from somewhere and eventually we saw what we had really been looking for – a Short-eared Owl. Then, after a while, a second one appeared and both were getting mobbed so much that they eventually drifted off. We didn’t see the hoped-for Hen Harrier but we had had a pretty good couple of hours

Bird Sightings : Burton Mere Wetlands : Reception Hide

Species	Count
Pink-footed Goose	6
Canada Goose	50
Eurasian Wigeon	8
Mallard	12
Northern Shoveler	10
Common Teal	100
Great Cormorant	8
Grey Heron	1
Little Egret	1
Water Rail	1
Common Moorhen	30
Common Coot	10
Pied Avocet	1
Northern Lapwing	30
Common Redshank	2
Eurasian Jackdaw	4
Common Chaffinch	12

Bird Sightings : Burton Mere Wetlands : Environs

Species	Count
Northern Lapwing	100
Eurasian Magpie	6
Eurasian Jackdaw	10
Carrion Crow	8
Great Tit	4
Eurasian Blue Tit	8
European Robin	1
Eurasian Blackbird	4
Common Chaffinch	20
European Greenfinch	10
European Goldfinch	20
Common Linnet	40

Bird Sightings : Riverbank Road, Heswall

Species	Count
Pink-footed Goose	40
Whooper Swan	1
Common Shelduck	40
Common Teal	100
Red-breasted Merganser	6
Common Pheasant	1
Little Egret	10
Eurasian Oystercatcher	100
Common Redshank	30
Eurasian Curlew	40
Dunlin	20
Short-eared Owl	2
Merlin	1
Carrion Crow	20
Sky Lark	10
Grey Wagtail	1

Bird Sightings : Parkgate

Species	Count
Pink-footed Goose	30
Common Teal	20
Grey Heron	2
Great Egret	2
Little Egret	8
Common Redshank	30
Black-headed Gull	20
Great Black-backed Gull	2
Common Wood Pigeon	10
Common Starling	20
Meadow Pipit	10
Common Linnet	40

High Tide on the Wirral : 12th February 2016