Birding Group Visit to the Wirral for a low high tide 28th March 2017

The so-called high tide was supposed to be 9.7metres at 12:12pm which wasn’t particularly high but we thought it might be OK for Riverbank Road. We were a bit early so we dropped in to Burton Mere Wetlands where we just looked from and around the reception hide. The highpoint must surely have been the eighty-two Avocet right outisde the reception hide.

We heard Chiffchaff singing loudly from the car park and the day has sunny but very foggy and quite cold. The fog played havok with us all day and the complete lack of definition at distance made the more difficult identifications inpossible.

There were good numbers of black-tailed Godwit on the main lake and a pair of Black Swans and a single Pintail were interesting additions to the usual range of ducks. The usual finches and tits were present but we didn’t have time to venture further than the reception hide really before we had to get on to Riverbank Road.

Perhaps we should have known that we were on to a loser when we arrived there an hour before high tide and we were the only people there. The river seemed to be running out to the sea rather than you usually see with the sea surging back up it. Additionally the fog made vision of the sea line very poor, flat and grey – as well as it being cold.

There were some Redshank and Teal eventually and Meadow Pipit and Skylark of course, the latter already singing a little. I took a walk and got a good view of a Chiffchaff and a Buzzrd flew over but Curlews were in low numbers and we could not see clearly enoughif a group of birds out on the water line were Brent Geese or not. Very disappointing – obviously 9.7 is nowhere near good enough.

In a last fitch attempt to rescue the day – although it had been a nice enough day in its own way – we headed off for Neston Old Quay and, fortfied with a pint and a cheese toastie we had a look out on the marsh. It looked poor at first but a little bit of resolve and we eventually got a Kestrel and then, later, a ringtail Hen Harrier having a bit of a scrap with a Marsh Harrier – perhaps over a meal that one had stolen from the other. The Hen Harrier was a year tick. (I was able to have my observation of the intereaction between the ringtail Hen Harrier and Marsh Harrier confirmed later when I read on a report from someone on the Deeside Birding web site later that day)

A single Pheasant called out from the marsh and a Grey Heron flew over. There was a small group of Starling and Meadiow Pipits and Skylarks but our parting pleasure was the appearance in the bushes at the quay of three Song Thrushes having a singing competition and bustling through the bushes quite oblivious to us. Sometimes it is these little things that make your day not really wasted at all.

Bird Sightings : Burton Mere Wetlands : Reception Hide

Bird Sightings : Riverbank Road

Bird Sightings : Neston Old Quay