The Dee Estuary Voluntary Wardens Bird Report  2001

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Whimbrel                                                              Numenius phaeopus 
Passage
First recorded :- 2 April 8th.
Peak count for year :- 9 April 23rd.
First returning birds :- 2 July 18th.
Last recorded :- 1 September 19th.
[ The amount of disturbance this spring, due to the Foot and Mouth outbreak, had a severe effect on migrants utilising the wardening area. This was shown by the difference between the Whimbrel figures for West Kirby / Red Rocks and those reported from Hoylake shore, a far less heavily frequented stretch of beach. There were 31 individual Whimbrel recorded over both passage periods this year. ]

Eurasian Curlew                                             N. arquata Resident. 
More common in winter
Peak monthly counts :-
No systematic counts were made outside the Wardening period

[Numbers of Curlew using the roost were extremely low in the first winter period. This may have been due to the ground conditions inland as on most days numbers were seen flighting onto Hoylake Langfields. Counts on the estuary are rising and the Internationally Important numbers recorded place the Dee in third place in Britain.]

Common Redshank                                             Tringa totanus 
Resident. More common in winter
Peak monthly counts :-
No systematic counts were made outside the Wardening period

[ Redshank are usually considered to be a flighty wader but they are the last to leave the roost site during very high tides and remain in the saltmarsh throughout the lower ones despite the dogs etc. This is another species to show a consistent decline throughout the estuary over the last decade even though the Dee is still the second most Internationally Important site in Britain.]

Common Greenshank                                                T. nebularia 
Rare passage
2 Red Rocks August 8th, 2 in flight August 18th. 3 in flight August 21st.
[ A common passage migrant in autumn higher up the estuary and a scarce winterer, Greenshank are probably kept from being more regular on site by ecology more than disturbance. ]

Green Sandpiper                                                         T. ochropus 
Vagrant
Singles August 21st., September 3rd.
[ Although the dune slack and Natterjack enclosures are ideal habitat for smaller waders the amount of disturbance probably prevents this from occurring more often. These were the first records for the wardens ]

Common Sandpiper                                              Actitis hypoleucos 
Vagrant
Singles April 16th, July 16th.
[These two records are possibly only the 12th and 13th from the site, and most of the others concern overflying birds. Up to 3 birds at a time were reported by ringers as being present on Hoylake shore at night during August.]

Ruddy Turnstone                                                    Arenaria interpres
Scarce resident
Monthly maximum on Marine Lake :-

[The small flock of roosting Turnstone still occurs on the rock arbour at the site of the old baths but, more and more, people are climbing through the fence to sit on the rocks over the tide, even in the middle of winter. Another species that is found in Internationally Important numbers on the estuary.]

Arctic Skua                                                      Stercorarius parasiticus
Vagrant
2 May 1st, 1 July 20th., 1August 18th., 3 September 1st., 2 September 3rd., 3 September 21st., 1 October 7th. All between Red Rocks and Hilbre. 1 on West Kirby beach September 16th.
[Although both Arctic and Great Skua have been recorded off Red Rocks by the wardens in previous autumns the birds in May were our first spring records for this species. Many other Arctic Skua were seen off the north end of Hilbre but are not included in the reporting area.]

Long-tailed Skua                                          S. longicaudatus 
County Rarity
1 dark phase juvenile on West Kirby shore September 16th. ( CB, D and K L, RF. )
[Long-tailed Skua are the scarcest of the accepted species of skua to pass through British waters and this bird on the beach was the first record, for the wardens, actually inside the mouth of the estuary. The sight of this bird struggling against the wind a few yards from the watchers and looking like a giant Leach’s Storm-Petrel, less than 30 minutes after an Arctic Skua, and on the first day of the second period of wardening, was incredible. Awaiting confirmation from CAWOS Rarities Committee.]

Great Skua                                                       Catharacta skua 
Vagrant
1 April 7th, May 3rd, 1 August 28th., 2 August 29th. 2 September 21st. All off Red Rocks
[ As stated above spring records of Skua have not been previously recorded by the wardens so the appearance of two species in spring was quite stirring. Great Skua is the only species we have recorded inside the mouth of the estuary, until this year, the last being seen flying upriver in 1997.]

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Red-throated Diver to Shag.
Bittern to Brent Goose.
Shelduck to Common Scoter.
Velvet Scoter to Osprey.
Merlin to Grey Plover.
Lapwing to Bar-tailed Godwit.
Mediterranean Gull to Reed Bunting will be published in the July 2002 Newsletter.