Archived Latest Sightings

January and February 2005.

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February 28 1 Long-tailed Duck (drake) - West Kirby Marine Lake, just by car park at north end at 11am.
2 Cetti's Warbler - Neston Reed Bed, southern end, please keep to the footpath on the inland side (birds have been present for 10 days but news has only just been released) - they are somewhat elusive!
10,000 Dunlin, 10,000 Knot, 700 Grey Plover, 200 Redshank and 50 Sanderling -  West Kirby Shore at high tide, as counted by the Dee Estuary Voluntary Wardens.
42 Brent Geese (pale-bellied) - Little Eye at high tide.
1 Smew (drake), 98 Golden Plover, 12 Bewick's Swan, 4 Gadwall and 154 Pink-footed Geese - Inner Marsh Farm.
February 27 1 Long-tailed Duck (drake) - West Kirby Marine Lake, just by car park at north end at 1030am.
2 Peregrine, 10,000 Dunlin and 15,000 Knot -  West Kirby Shore at high tide, as counted by the Dee Estuary Voluntary Wardens.
February 26 1 Long-tailed Duck - West Kirby Marine Lake, showing well on the north end at 11am.
5,000 Dunlin, 1,500 Knot, 100 Grey Plover and 200 Sanderling - Hoylake Shore.
1 Smew (drake) - Inner Marsh Farm.
32 Brent Geese - Hilbre Island early this morning, were also seen at Red Rocks at high tide.
4 Hen Harrier including TWO adult male birds, clearly seen together, also 1 Short-eared Owl, 1 Merlin and 1 Peregrine - Parkgate Marsh.
4,000 Knot, 5,500 Dunlin, 330 Grey Plover, 19 Sanderling, 15 Ringed Plover and 55 Redshank - West Kirby Shore at high tide, as counted by the Dee Estuary Voluntary Wardens.
3 Purple Sandpiper - Wallasey Shore (by life-guard station).
February 25 1 Long-tailed Duck and 7 Goldeneye - West Kirby Marine Lake, a few hundred Knot and Shelduck on the shore.
6,500 Dunlin, 5,000 Knot and 100 Sanderling - West Kirby Shore at high tide, as counted by the Dee Estuary Voluntary Wardens.
1 Smew (drake), 8 Ruff, 5 Black Swan, 2 Common Buzzard and 1 Peregrine - Inner Marsh Farm.
1 Short-eared Owl and 1 Spotted Redshank - Point of Ayr, 40 Pink-footed Geese and 2 White-fronted Geese in the fields.
February 24 1 Long-tailed Duck, 7 Goldeneye and 1 Red-breasted Merganser - West Kirby Marine Lake.
220 Shelduck on Tanskey Rocks.
3 Purple Sandpiper - Wallasey Shore.
24 Brent Geese (2 dark-bellied, 22 pale-bellied) - Little Eye.
3 Hen Harrier (2 ring-tail and 1 male) - Parkgate Old Baths.
February 23 1 Hen Harrier (ring-tail), 1 Peregrine, 360 Golden Plover, 270 Black-tailed Godwit, 7,600 Knot and about 8,000 Oystercatcher - Heswall Shore as tide came in.
1 Long-tailed Duck (drake) on West Kirby Marine Lake.
Estimated 3,500 Dunlin, 3,500 Knot and 500 Grey Plover on West Kirby Shore at high tide.
1 Spotted Redshank, 1 Chiffchaff in the hawthorns - Point of Ayr.
February 22 1 Long-tailed Duck (drake) on West Kirby Marine Lake all day.
3 Avocet seen flying north over Heswall.
February 21 1 Long-tailed Duck (drake) there all day, also 7 Goldeneye and 2 Red-breasted Merganser, 340 Shelduck on the sand bank beyond the lake wall - West Kirby Marine Lake.
1 Green-winged Teal - Inner Marsh Farm.
February 20 1 Long-tailed Duck (drake) - West Kirby Marine Lake, showing well all day.
1 Green-winged Teal, 1 White-fronted Goose and 140 Pink-footed Geese - Inner Marsh Farm.
2 Purple Sandpiper - Wallasey Shore.
40 to 50 Twite in fields next to Burton Marsh.
February 19 1 Long-tailed Duck (drake) and 10 Goldeneye - West Kirby Marine Lake, this morning, 'LTD' still there at 2.15pm.
1 Smew (drake) and 140 Pink-footed Geese - Inner Marsh Farm.
February 18 1 Long-tailed Duck (drake) - West Kirby Marine Lake, this morning, at south end of lake at 1130am, still there 3pm.
February 17 8 Goldeneye and 1 Long-tailed Duck, Long-tailed Duck flew off early this morning and hasn't been seen since - West Kirby Marine Lake.
February 16 8 Goldeneye - West Kirby Marine Lake, also 1 Long-tailed Duck (drake) at high tide.
300 Black-tailed Godwit - Caldy Shore.
1,600 Black-tailed Godwit, 1,200 Pintail and 700 Wigeon - off Flint Castle.
4 Short-eared Owl and 1 Hen Harrier (ring-tail) - Burton Marsh.
48 Pink-footed Geese and 2 White-fronted Geese - Warren Farm fields, Point of Ayr.
7,700 Knot - Heswall Shore.
1 Hen Harrier (ring-tail), 2 Spotted Redshank, 4 Ruff and 1 Smew (drake) - Inner Marsh Farm.
2 Velvet Scoter, 150+ Common Scoter, 129 Great Crested Grebe and 1 Slavonian Grebe (but to far out to rule out Black-necked) - Hoylake Shore at high tide.
February 15 47 Brent Geese (45 pale-bellied, 2 dark-bellied) - Hilbre Island.
500 Black-tailed Godwit and 48 Pink-footed Geese - Warren Farm fields, Point of Ayr.
February 14 1 Hen Harrier (male), 12 Little Egret and Short-eared Owl - Parkgate Marsh.
1 Hen Harrier (ring-tail), 4 Spotted Redshank, 24 Bewick's Swan, 2 Common Buzzard and 1 Smew (drake) - Inner Marsh Farm.
2 Short-eared Owl, 2 Hen Harrier (ring-tail), 100+ Bewick's Swan and 4 Stonechat - Burton Marsh.
1 Water Pipit and 25 Little Egret - Neston Old Quay.
4 Common Buzzard near Shotwick.
February 13 1 Little Auk - Point of Ayr, flew by hide and settled on relatively calm water at high tide.
10 Waxwing - Heswall, across the main road from Tesco (Puddydale).
6,530 Oystercatcher, 2,100 Knot, 4,780 Dunlin, 1390 Curlew and 2 Water Rail - Heswall Shore at high tide.
1 Mediterranean Gull, 3 Water Rail and 257 Curlew - Hoylake Langfields.
February 12 1 Hen Harrier (ring-tail), 1 Water Rail, 110 Pink-footed Geese, 2 Short-eared Owl, 1 Peregrine and 2 Merlin - Parkgate Marsh, tide came well in today with the gale behind it.
2 Hen Harrier (1m.), 3 Spotted Redshank, 1 Green-winged Teal (drake) and 1 Smew (drake) - Inner Marsh Farm.
February 11 18 Little Egret, 4 Common Buzzard, 1 Hen Harrier (ring-tail), 2 Short-eared Owl, 2 Peregrine and 1 Merlin - Parkgate Marsh, Buzzards were soaring over the fields behind and Little Egrets were mostly off the south end of Parkgate. Tide just about made it up to the wall.
4 Red-breasted Merganser, 1 Hen Harrier (ring-tail), 2 Merlin, 2 Peregrine, 1 Water Rail and 1 Short-eared Owl - Heswall, Riverbank Road at high tide.
11 Goldeneye and 3 Red-breasted Merganser - West Kirby Marine Lake.
45 Pink-footed Geese flying east over Thurstaston Hill.
90 Twite - Flint Castle.
February 10 1 Kingfisher - Red Rocks, by Natterjack pool.
2 Hen Harrier (1 male), 6 Short-eared Owl, 10 Water Rail, 2 Peregrine and 2 Merlin - Parkgate Marsh at high tide. Tide came all the way in.
1 Slavonian Grebe - Inner Marsh Farm, this morning, flew off towards Shotwick.
1 Slavonian Grebe, on small reservoir next to Shotwick Boating Lake.
1 Black Guillemot and 15 Red-throated Diver - Hoylake Shore at high tide.
February 9 1 Short-eared Owl, 2 Hen Harrier (ring-tail), 1 Peregrine, 1 Merlin and 26 Brent Geese (1 dark-bellied, 25 pale-bellied) - Heswall, Riverbank Road at high tide.
1 Snow Bunting - Wallasey Shore, by Lifeguard Station.
5 Spotted Redshank, 6 Ruff, 4 Water Rail and 1 Smew (drake) - Inner Marsh Farm.
4 Hen Harrier (1 male) - Parkgate Marsh.

Tide covered the marsh at Riverbank Road Heswall today, and came in about halfway at Parkgate - this in a brisk SW wind but fairly high atm. pressure. With same conditions tomorrow and a higher tide it should come in a lot further. But *if* the wind increases and goes round more to the W, and the atm. pressure drops then it should easily reach the wall at the Old Baths car park. See you there!
February 8 1 Snow Bunting - West Kirby Shore.
1 Firecrest flew from garden bottom of Black Horse Hill, West Kirby.
250 Pink-footed Geese flew over Meols.
2 Snow Bunting - Wallasey Shore, by Lifeguard Station.
1 Chiffchaff (singing!) - Lingham Lane. 
1 Hen Harrier, 3 Short-eared Owl, 12+ Little Egret and 128 Pink-footed Geese - Burton Marsh.
February 7 Over 50 Brent Geese flew in behind Little Eye before high tide.
5,000 Dunlin, 3,000 Knot, 2,000 Grey Plover, 700 Bar-tailed Godwit, 260 Curlew, 60 Sanderling and 1 Peregrine - West Kirby Shore high tide roost, as counted by the Dee Estuary Voluntary Wardens.
5,300 Bar-tailed Godwit - Leasowe Shore, low tide.
4 Short-eared Owl, 1 Peregrine, 1 Merlin and 6 Little Egret - Parkgate Marsh.

Latest Newsletter published.
February 6 3 - 4 Short-eared Owl, large flock of Linnet, Reed Bunting, Chaffinch and Greenfinch in trees near Harp Inn - Burton Marsh.
February 5 14,000 Knot - Thurstaston Shore.
1 Spotted Redshank, 9 Ruff and 1 Smew (drake) - Inner Marsh Farm.
2 Hen Harrier, 1 Short-eared Owl, 6 Little Egret and 48 Pink-footed Geese - Burton Marsh.
February 4 18 Waxwing, 4 Stonechat and 1 Chiffchaff - West Kirby, seen from footpath leading from China Farm Lane to old RAF camp (behind Larton Farm).
1 Common Buzzard - Frankby (near Royden Park).
4+ Short-eared Owl, 2 Hen Harrier (ring-tail) and 5 Little Egret - Parkgate Marsh.
February 3 1 Green-winged Teal (drake) and 1 Smew (drake) - Inner Marsh Farm, about 15 Pinkfooted Geese in the fields.
February 2 63 Brent Goose (61 pale-bellied, 2 dark-bellied) and 5 Purple Sandpiper - Hilbre Island.
9 Goldeneye - West Kirby Marine Lake.
1 Green-winged Teal (drake) - Inner Marsh Farm.
January 31 54 Brent Goose (53 pale-bellied, 1 dark-bellied) - Little Eye.
12 Goldeneye, 7 Red-breasted Merganser and 2 Great Crested Grebe - West Kirby Marine Lake.
2 Water Rail and 3 Stonechat - Red Rocks Marsh.
5 Purple Sandpiper on rocks - Wallasey Shore.
January 30 1 Hen Harrier (male) off Riverbank Road, Heswall.
January 29 5 Great Crested Grebe, 2 Little Egret, 800 Grey Plover and 1 Peregrine - Point of Ayr, 580 Black-tailed Godwit in nearby field.
1 Green-winged Teal (drake) and 1 Smew (drake) - Inner Marsh Farm.
6 Little Egret, 1 Peregrine, 1 Merlin, 3 Hen Harrier and 1 Short-eared Owl - Parkgate Marsh.
58 Brent Goose (57 pale-bellied, 1 dark-bellied) - Hilbre Island.
January 28 1 Green-winged Teal (drake), 1 Smew (drake), 7 Ruff and 1 Spotted Redshank  - Inner Marsh Farm.
1 Barn Owl - Burton.
7 Purple Sandpiper on rocks - Wallasey Shore.
2 Peregrine, 1 Hen Harrier (male) and 2 Short-eared Owl - Parkgate Marsh.
1 Peregrine off south end of West Kirby Marine Lake.
January 27 12 Goldeneye and 1 Great Crested Grebe - West Kirby Marine Lake, no sign of the Glaucous Gull.
1 Water pipit and 1 Hen Harrier - Neston Old Quay.
January 26 1 Glaucous Gull (ad), 6 Goldeneye and 14 Red-breasted Merganser - West Kirby Marine Lake.
1 Peregrine - Little Eye.
January 25 3,000 Dunlin, 328 Curlew and 80 Grey Plover - West Kirby Shore at high tide.
43 Brent Goose and 20 Shelduck - Little Eye.
30 Waxwing - Saughall Massie, seen just before dark by Kingfisher Way flying towards Express Dairy.
8 Little Egret - Burton Marsh.
5 Little Egret - Neston Marsh.
January 24 3,100 Dunlin, 230 Curlew and 45 Grey Plover - West Kirby Shore at high tide, numbers well down on last month.
22 Brent Goose and 60 Shelduck - Little Eye.
62 Brent Goose (60 pale-bellied, 2 dark-bellied) - Hilbre Island after high tide.
January 23 1 Short-eared Owl and 4 Hen Harrier (1 male) - Parkgate Old Baths this evening.
4 Goldneye - Ashton Park Lake, West Kirby.
1 Green-winged Teal (drake) - Inner Marsh Farm.
1 Water Pipit, 2 Jack Snipe and 1 Hen Harrier (ring-tail) - Neston Old Quay.
January 22 62 Brent Goose (61 pale-bellied, 1 dark-bellied), 1 Shag (imm) and 1 Peregrine - Hilbre Island.
2 Stonechat (pair) and 3 Water Rail - Red Rocks marsh.
2 Great Crested Grebe, 7 Goldeneye and 9 Red-breasted Merganser - West Kirby Marine Lake.
1 Yellow-legged Gull, 200 Lapwing, 2,000 Oystercatcher, 4,000 Knot and 3,300 Bar-tailed Godwit - Leasowe Shore.
1 Smew (drake), 1 Green-winged Teal (drake) and 1 Hen Harrier - Inner Marsh Farm.
4 Short-eared Owl - Burton Marsh.
January 21 4 Spotted Redshank, 1 Smew (drake) and 1 Green-winged Teal (drake) - Inner Marsh Farm.
2 Water Pipit - Neston Old Quay.
January 19 14,000 Knot and 23,000 Oystercatcher - Thurstaston/Caldy Shore at low tide.
Report of 4 Water Pipit at Neston Old Quay.
1 Mediterranean Gull - Mosslands School, Wallasey.
January 17 93 Waxwing - Greasby, near junction of Frankby Close and Frankby Road, tree which was full of berries now stripped bare! Birds were feeding on berries on ground on grass verge at 0930hrs. We think 93 is a record for Wirral  - no sign of Waxwings at 1145hrs.
8 Waxwing - near Gilroy Pond, West Kirby, flying towards Newton, 1030hrs.
200+ Fieldfare, 145 Redwing, 6 Bullfinch, 9 Tree Sparrow, 4 Stonechat and 17 Grey Partridge - Hoylake Langfields.
4 Spotted Redshank and 1 Green-winged Teal (drake) - Inner Marsh Farm.
January 16 80 Waxwing - Greasby, at junction of Frankby Road and Frankby Close, birds are on tree full of berries seen from Frankby Road - split up into 3 flocks this morning and mobile, some on trees near Frankby Church - still there at 1300hrs.
1 Spotted Redshank, 16 Waxwing (briefly), 1 Smew (drake) and 1 Green-winged Teal (drake) - Inner Marsh Farm.
20 Pink-footed Goose and at least 10 Bewick's Swan - Denhall Quay.
2 Hen Harrier (ring-tail) and 4+ Little Egret - Parkgate Old Baths.
63 Brent Goose (pale-bellied) - record number - and 1 Glaucous Gull (ad. male) - Little Eye, gull moved to West Kirby Shore just in front of wardens.
January 15 1 Glaucous Gull (ad.), 48 Brent Goose, 9 Purple Sandpiper, 2 Rock Pipit and 2 Twite - Hilbre Island.
45 Waxwing - Greasby, at junction of Frankby Road and Frankby Close, birds are on tree full of berries seen from Frankby Road.
2 Peregrine (pair) which killed a knot, 200 Pintail, 400 Wigeon, 6 Red-breasted Merganser, 3 Great Crested Grebe, 600 Knot, 1,300 Dunlin, 3,000 Oystercatcher, 38 Sanderling and 8 Brent Goose (pale-bellied) - Point of Ayr over high tide.
1 Smew (drake) and 1 Green-winged Teal (drake) - Inner Marsh Farm.
4 Hen Harrier (1 ad male) and 6 Little Egret - Parkgate Old Baths, coming in to roost.
January 14 13 Woodcock by Mudhouse Lane, Burton.
2 Stonechat, 1 Smew (drake) and 1 Green-winged Teal (drake) - Inner Marsh Farm.
55 Brent Goose - Point of Ayr.
January 13 59 Brent Goose to the west of the rocks between Little Eye and Little Hilbre, 3 hours before high tide.
1 Red-crested Pochard (drake) on Central Park Lake, Wallasey.
January 12 1 Red-crested Pochard (drake) on Central Park Lake, Wallasey.
1 Short-eared Owl, 1 Hen Harrier and 9 Little Egret - Parkgate at high tide.
1 Short-eared Owl and 6 Little Egret - Denhall Quay.
1 Smew (drake) - Inner Marsh Farm, flew towards Shotwick Lake.
1 Red Kite over 'Two Mills', about 2 miles east of Burton.
70 Twite - Flint Castle.
January 11 46 Brent Goose (pale-bellied) - West Kirby Shore.
5 Purple Sandpiper - on breakwater, Wallasey Shore at high tide.
50 Pink-footed Goose - Parkgate.
Good numbers of Oystercatchers in the estuary but Dunlin and Knot seemed to have more or less disappeared, probably gone east due to W. gales and mild weather.
19 Purple Sandpiper - Hilbre Island.
January 10 37 Brent Goose, 140 Cormorant and about 1,000 Oystercatcher - Little Eye at high tide.
45 Brent Goose (pale-bellied) - West Kirby Shore.
January 9 1 Common Buzzard over Stapledon Wood, 120 Curlew, 50 Black-tailed Godwit and 35 Oystercatcher in field below the wood.
100 Twite near Flint Castle, also 1,000 Black-tailed Godwit on the shore.
7 Goldeneye on Shotwick Lake, 1 Lesser Canada Goose with other Canadas on Shotwick Fields.
11 Whooper Swan, 54 Bewick's Swan, 50 Mute Swan and 1 Little Egret on inner Dee Marshes (near new Dee Bridge).
1 Smew (drake) and 1 Green-winged Teal (drake), 1 Waxwing flew over - Inner Marsh Farm.
1 Water Rail - Red Rocks Marsh.
25 Scaup, 100 Pintail flying west, 100 Golden Plover flying south - Leasowe Gunsite, also pair of Stonechat.
4 Hen Harrier (1 ad male, 1 imm male, 2 fem.) - Parkgate Old Baths, coming in to roost.
28 Red-throated Diver and 1 Black-throated Diver - Hilbre Island.
January 8 12 Twite - Wallasey, on the football pitch in Harrison Park on Harrison Drive.
1 Spotted Redshank, 1 Smew (drake) and 1 Green-winged Teal (drake) - Inner Marsh Farm.
5 Purple Sandpiper - Wallasey shore.
2 Dark-bellied Brent Goose and 50+ Pale-bellied Brent Goose - Hilbre Island.
January 7 58 (+/- 3) Brent Goose (pale-bellied) on Bird Rock this morning - Red Rocks.
60+ Bewick's Swan, 10+ Whooper Swan, 1 Black Swan and 20+ Mute Swan - Burton Marsh.

January Newsletter published.
January 6 80+ Waxwing about 4 miles west of Queensferry (don't know exact location).
120+ Pink-footed Goose seen flying over the 'new' Dee Bridge in to the estuary at Connah's Quay.
1 Smew (drake) and 1 Green-winged Teal (drake) - Inner Marsh Farm.
2 White-fronted Goose and 1,400 Canada Goose - Oakenholt Marsh.
January 5 59 Brent Goose - Hilbre Island.
1 Peregrine (juv.) - West Kirby Shore.
80 Black-tailed Godwit - in field next to A540, near Stapledon Wood.
1 Smew (drake) and 1 Green-winged Teal (drake) - Inner Marsh Farm.
January 3 1 Smew (drake) and 1 Green-winged Teal (drake) - Inner Marsh Farm.
49 Bewick's Swan (10 imm.) and 7 Whooper Swan (1 imm.) - Burton Marsh near rifle range.
1 Water Pipit, 1 Short-eared Owl, 1 Hen Harrier (ring-tail) and 3 Little Egret - Neston Old Quay.
January 1 60 Brent Goose (pale-bellied), still going up! - Hilbre Island.
4 Hen Harrier (1 male), 1 Peregrine and 1 Merlin - Parkgate Old Baths, coming in to roost.
100+ Waxwing - Ewloe, by St David's Hotel (Ewloe is about 1 mile west of Queensferry). 
2 Little Egret and 1 Whimbrel - Neston Marsh.
9 Waxwing - Little Neston, on Colliery Drive.
1 Smew (drake) and 1 Green-winged Teal (drake) - Inner Marsh Farm.
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