Burton Mere Wetlands and Parkgate 2nd January 2019

We didn’t get out on the first day of the year but we did manage the 2nd and we were in need of some exercise and fresh air after Christmas and New Year. With a dry, clear and cold day we thought a trip uo to Parkgate would be a good chance to try for some of the birds of prey now back on the marsh for winter. We were not disappointed.

We started off at Burton, first but the birds were elusive, the water on the scrape having frozen over. Most of the birds were in the fields and hiding in the ruta and folds that so wasily disappear into. A Marsh Harrier was a good start but in the course of an hour and a half we got some of the usual suspects to strart off our year list. The addition of Treecreeper was particularly pleasing but we also got Nuthatch and Great SPotted Woodpecker (this last actually at the bottom of Station Road as we left Burton.

We walked down to the Marsh Covert Hide but that was frozen too and we decided that we should head off to Parkgate instead of spending much longer at Burton. When we got back to the reception hide there had been a Green Sandpiper showing but we didn’t anage to see it. A final, great bird, we did see was a Merlin perched in a nearby tree just above the toilets outside reception. It gave clear and prolonged views but, of course, flew off just as I was starting to set up to digiscope some video of it.

We drove up to Parkgate and got a cup of tea out intending to settle in for the afternoon. After a period of just the odd Marsh HArrier, though, we thought we would try West Kirby Marine Lake to see if anything of interest was there. It was a low tide and a lot of people had decided to walk their dogs over to Hilbre Island so there was nowhere at all to park on the prom. I jumped out and had a look but apart from a couple of Cormorants drying themselvess, there wasn’t anything to be seen without finding parking.

A bit cheesed off we decided to return to Parkgate where there were a few people including several photographers. They had seen – in our short period of absence, Hen and Marsh Harrier, Short-weared Owl etc. so we were a bit miffed.

A bit of patience, however, and we were rewarded with plenty of Marsh Harriers (hard to really estimate how many  but seeing three together was not unusual) and, eventually, distant views of a Short-eared Owl. Given we had not seen any in 2018 this was a good chance to get one on the board early in the year. A couple of Peregrines perched on near-adjoining posts and a Buzzard and a Kestrel added to the growing list of Birds of Prey we had seen.

We also got a Great White Egret and some nice Pink-foots so we weren’t doing too badly and with it only being the 2nd day of January almost all of our ticks were year ticks. Our year list so far, then, was a modest forty-eight species but we had some good ones in there and ones we do not always get in any given year.

Most of all we had got out and got some fresh air in our lungs. It was just a pity that all the dog walkers were out and about in force making the marsh a bit of a busy place – again!!

Bird Sightings : Burton Mere Wetlands 2nd January 2019

Bird Sightings Parkgate 2nd January 2019