Birding Group Trip to Leosowe and Parkgate 2 Dec 2025
On 2nd December the birding group went to Leosowe and Parkgate. We started out by walking from the car park along the promenade in the direction of Meols and Hoylake. The tide was a long way out but we got three Turnstones and some Little Egrets close in and, with a scope, you could you could also see a good number of birds more distant.
As we walked along the prom it was clear that a lot of birds were on the groyne where they had presumably sheltered during the earlier high tide. As we walked further along, they started to disperse onto the sands but with a scope we could see good numbers of waders. There were plenty Oystercatchers and Dunlins and a few Sanderling. Further examination turned up Knot, Curlew and a few Ringed Plovers. A single Greenshank was closer in on one of the pools left by the receding tide.
We walked almost as far as the groyne (which by now was abandoned by all the birds) before scrambling over the wall where the path leads down to the paddocks. This was quite rough but not too muddy. As we got to the end and turned left to come back along the path parallel to the section of the promenade we had just walked along, in amongst some farm sheds and bric a brac we got a small group of Linnets and a single Gray Wagtail. We walked past the paddock with the tyres (and horses) in where we had recently seen the Lapland Bunting but, of course, it was long gone.
The return walk was fairly uneventful but we did get the local Kestrel hovering above us. Back at the car we decided we would drive down to Parkgate and then Little Neston for some lunch at the Harp Inn. At Parkgate we got a couple of Marsh Harriers and a Buzzard but no Short-eared Owls; they have recently been seen later in the afternoon towards dusk.
There was a smattering of ducks on the pools including Teal and Wigeon and Canada and Pink-footed Geese on the marsh. We got a couple of the usual Stonechats and some smaller birds.
The birding group seemed to really enjoy a change of scenery because they have not been to Leosowe very often. It was a lovely, sunny and wind-free day so we had a good day of it ending up at the Harp Inn for a toastie and a pint.