Bird Counts

Wetland Bird Survey Count for Heswall Shore - (Kindly provided by the Wirral Ranger Service). 11th August. 
1 Great Crested Grebe, 71 Cormorant, 9 Grey Heron, 235 Shelduck, 69 Mallard, 1,290  Oystercatcher, 24 Ringed Plover, 8 Lapwing, 2 Knot, 1,770 Dunlin, 5 Black-tailed Godwit, 4 Whimbrel, 2,109 Curlew, 4,550 Redshank, 2 Greenshank, 3 Common Sandpiper, 3,940 Black-headed Gull, 1,180 Common Gull, 290 Lesser Black-backed Gull, 7 Great Black-backed Gull and 129 Herring Gull.

Wetland Bird Survey Count (highlights) for Connah's Quay and Flint - (Kindly provided by Brian Grey), 11th August.
3 Little Grebe, 55 Cormorant, 7 Grey Heron, 3 Little Egret, 3,560 Oystercatcher,  18 Ringed Plover, 253 Lapwing,  46 Dunlin,  325 Black-tailed Godwit, 1 Whimbrel, 6 Spotted Redshank, 1,280 Redshank, 13 Greenshank and 1 Common Sandpiper

Hilbre Island, count on 3rd August kindly provided by Steve Williams of the Hilbre Bird Observatory.
.4 Gannet, 1 Grey Heron, 200 Sanderling, 2,000 Dunlin, 1 Curlew Sandpiper (sum. plum.), 250 Curlew, 4 Whimbrel, 120 Turnstone, 50 Redshank, 3 Arctic Skua, 1 Kittiwake, 350 Common Tern, 250 Sandwich Tern, 80 Little Tern, 3 Whitethroat, 1 Garden Warbler, 1 Willow Warbler, 1 Tree Pipit and 1 Yellow Wagtail.

Wetland Bird Survey Count from West Kirby, Little Eye and Red Rocks on 11th August, kindly provided by Karen Leeming of the Dee Estuary Voluntary Wardens.
3,275 Oystercatcher, 26 Great Black-backed Gull, 80 Linnet, 695 Common Gull, 2,000 black-headed Gull, 2 Little Gull, 1 Mediterranean Gull (2nd Sum.), 12 Little Tern (110 before high tide), 25 Sandwich Tern, 3 Arctic Tern and 975 Dunlin. 

The five Avocet (4 juveniles) which visited Inner Marsh Farm at the end of last month stayed just one more day before moving off. But it has been very much a Green Sandpiper year at Inner Marsh Farm with several being present most days and the maximum being a very good eleven. The rarer Wood Sandpiper has also been seen with up to two at the 'farm' and much more unusually a single at Hilbre Island and one, may be two, heard over West Kirby. Eight hundred Black-tailed Godwits was an excellent count at Connah's Quay and between 500 and 750 have been present at Inner Marsh Farm most of the month. 

As usual Greenshanks have been frequenting the Boathouse Flash at Parkgate with 55 the highest count so far. Not many Curlew Sandpipers around yet but I was lucky enough to see a 'red' adult at Hilbre, hopefully good numbers of juveniles will pass through in September. We have got yet another record number of Little Egrets with 26 at the Inner Marsh Farm roost. These were counted early in the month since when they seem to have dispersed but last year we didn't get our maximum until October. Spotted Crakes are getting almost boringly regular at Inner Marsh Farm! This is now the seventh year in a row they have been here. One bird was present for all of the second half of the month with a second seen on the 26th. They were a bit earlier than normal, in previous years being present mostly in September and October.

With most of the month virtually windless sea watching hasn't been great, until the last three days when the wind returned along with a good passage of Skuas - 12 Arctic Skuas both at Point of Ayr and Hilbre along with a few Great and Long-tailed Skuas. But the highlight was a single Sooty Shearwater off Hilbre. We usually get just one or two sightings of this species each year off the estuary late summer/ early autumn. Sooty Shearwaters come a long way to get here breeding in our winter on Antarctic Islands, from there they wander the oceans of the world getting to both the north of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. 

What to expect in September: 

Gales! Well, let's hope so. Two days or more of north-westerly gales should result in a good passage of Leach's Petrel as well as plenty of other sea birds including some rare American gulls, such as Sabine's. Last year was particularly good for both Leach's and Sabine's but as we normally only get a good passage every three or four years maybe it is too much to expect another one so soon, but who knows! The north Wirral coast, Hilbre Island and Point of Ayr are the places to see this passage. (See Leach's Petrel species spotlight for more info.).

September can be excellent for Skuas with all four species to be expected - Arctic, Great, Long-tailed and Pomarine. Curlew Sandpipers and Little Stints will pass through, usually more numerous in the first half of the month. Both species may be seen just about anywhere in the estuary - some years favouring Point of Ayr and Hoylake, other years Heswall, Burton and Connah's Quay. Last year we had a record count of 108 Greenshank at Parkgate Boathouse Flash, expect to see good numbers there all month.

The more common waders, Oystercatcher, Curlew and Redshank, usually peak in September. All three species breed in Britain in large numbers but this Autumn peak is caused by incoming birds from further north - from the Faeroe Islands and Iceland in the case of Oystercatchers, Curlew from Scandinavia and Redshank from Iceland.

Duck numbers will also increase rapidly during the month after their summer moult. This particularly applies to Shelduck since they started using what is now the country's biggest moulting ground, the Mersey Estuary, a few years ago. They now only have to fly a few miles across south Wirral to the Dee once moulting has finished, expect to see at least 7,000 most of which will be off Thurstaston - an amazing sight. One other species that is certainly worth looking out for is the Great Crested Grebe of which over 100 gather off Greenfield Dock - best seen at low tide - walk south from the dock. 

As you can see below September marks the return of the really big high tides, and with a gale behind them this could make for some spectacular birding.

Many thanks go to Colin Wells, Karen Leeming, Brian Grey, Peta Sams,  Alan Chapman,  Mike Hart,  Stephen Williams,  Chris Butterworth,  Martyn Jaimeson, Frank Gleeson, John Campbell, Warwick Roberts, David Esther, Tom Hubbard, Peter Poole, Colin Schofield, Mark Feltham, Roy Palmer  and Jane Turner for their sightings during July. All sightings are gratefully received.