High Tide at Hoylake and Parkgate 22 August 2024

There were two high tides on the Wirral this month – 22nd August (13.48hrs 9.7m) and 23 Aug (14.30hrs 9.7m). We opted to go on the first day despite there being some weather warnings. As it happened it stayed dry but there were strong winds. We started of fat Meols before dropping down to Hoylake where we sheltered from the wind by the lifeboat station.

As the tide started to come in we followed the birds down to Parkgate which is much changed these days. The marshland has extended part the lifeboat station and is a long way up the promenade to Meols. It looks like it will only be a couple of years before the sans is completely covered by vegetation. We met a local who was very saddened at the loss of the sand, and she said that it had been caused because the plants had been planted on the Welsh side of the Dee estuary and the seeds had blown over. The council, thinking weed killer could control it, used poison but eventually had to conclude that they were using so much of it that it risked poisoning the birds.

A good description of what is going on can be found at this Facebook site where it is explained that Hoylake beach id turning into Atlantic Salt Meadow and embryo dune system. It is said that the sand will prevent it becoming a marsh like Parkgate. There is more information on the local unhappiness at this development in this BBC News article.

Despite the high winds the tide didn’t come in as much as we hoped but we still got some good birds including some Ringed Plovers and lots of Grey Plovers mostly still in nearly full breeding plumage. The usual high numbers of Oystercatchers were present and a nice flock of Knot gave a good show. A single Bar-tailed Godwit was seen and a few Swallows were still flying about.

We went down to Parkgate to see what was happening there but the water was a long way away. We did get nice views of a pair of Marsh Harriers and there were House Martins flying about. I believe a saw a pair of Spoonbills at the Boathouse Flash but they had their bills in their feathers so I could not get a definitive identification.

Not too bad of a return for our journey and it is very interesting to see how the habitat is changing rapidly – for better or worse. Two year ticks – Grey Plover and Ringed Plover.