Wirral on a Windy Day 6th April 2018
After a sunny day we were hopeful of a another one the following day when we decided to go up to the Wirral and visit some of the sites we rarely visit. Thes first stop was Leosowe Lighthouse but it was so windy and there tide was so far out that we soon abandoned that instead moving on to Meols Parade.
That wasn’t much better but the sea wasn’t so far out so there were some waders to be seen including some Grey Plovers and Curlew, Dunlin and Redshank. We shot past Hoylake and headed for Red Rocks but there was no water there at all and it was a bit bleak.
We decided, instead, just to drop down to Burton Mere Wetlands where there was likely less wind. It turned out to be so and it was a reasonably pleasant day there. It is usually better there if it is a bit overcast anyway as the sun can be a bit dazzling. The visibility was very good and you could easily see all the way over to Shotwick.
The main attraction on the scrape was Mediterranean Gulls – now four of them – among a multitude of Black-headed Gulls. The usual Black-tailed Godwits were well dispersed throughout the site and there appeared to be lots of them all round. There were lots of Avocet and I believe the record total on the site that day was 130 !
Elsewhere around the reserve, a good sighting was a single Cattle Egret in the company of a Little Egret. A Cetti and some Chiffchaffs were singing along the path to the Marsh Covert Hide where we found ten Spotted Redshanks, easily identifiable because they were already turning a bit black about the chest. They were in the company of some Common Redshanks so the comparison was easy to make.
That was about it for birds in particular but there were, of course, all the usual ducks and woodland birds you would expect. It being a Friday we wanted to get home before the rush hour so we set off home from Burton.
Meols Promenade
| Common Shelduck | 10 |
| Great Cormorant | 50 |
| Grey Plover | 6 |
| Common Redshank | 30 |
| Eurasian Curlew | 20 |
| Dunlin | 40 |
| Black-headed Gull | 40 |
| Great Black-backed Gull | 12 |
Bird Sightings : Burton Mere Wetlands : Reception Hide
| Mute Swan | 4 |
| Common Shelduck | 4 |
| Gadwall | 6 |
| Northern Shoveler | 10 |
| Common Teal | 60 |
| Tufted Duck | 24 |
| Common Moorhen | 4 |
| Common Coot | 8 |
| Pied Avocet | 50 |
| Eurasian Oystercatcher | 2 |
| Common Redshank | 8 |
| Black-headed Gull | 150 |
| Mediterranean Gull | 4 |
Bird Sightings : Burton Mere Wetlands : March Covert Hide
| Mallard | 2 |
| Common Teal | 20 |
| Little Grebe | 1 |
| Spotted Redshank | 10 |
| Common Redshank | 8 |
| Black-tailed Godwit | 20 |
| Black-headed Gull | 50 |
Bird Sightings : Burton Mere Wetlands : Environs
| Greylag Goose | 20 |
| Canada Goose | 100 |
| Mute Swan | 4 |
| Common Shelduck | 8 |
| Gadwall | 4 |
| Northern Shoveler | 1 |
| Common Teal | 50 |
| Common Pheasant | 1 |
| Little Egret | 2 |
| Cattle Egret | |
| Common Buzzard | 1 |
| Common Moorhen | 10 |
| Common Coot | 20 |
| Pied Avocet | 130 |
| Northern Lapwing | 30 |
| Common Redshank | 12 |
| Black-tailed Godwit | 100 |
| Black-headed Gull | 150 |
| Common Wood Pigeon | 6 |
| Eurasian Jackdaw | 8 |
| Rook | 30 |
| Carrion Crow | 20 |
| Great Tit | 6 |
| Eurasian Blue Tit | 8 |
| Eurasian Wren | |
| Cetti’s Warbler | 1 |
| European Robin | 3 |
| Eurasian Blackbird | 3 |
| Common Starling | 20 |
| Dunnock | 2 |
| Pied Wagtail | 1 |
| Common Chaffinch | 10 |
| European Goldfinch | 20 |