Dee Estuary Birding

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December 2017 Newsletter

Pallid Harrier on the Dee estuary.
New WhatsApp Wirral Birders Group.
Colour Ring Report.
November Bird News.
Forthcoming Events.
Latest Newsletter.

Below is Phil Woollen's account of the Pallid Harrier which visited the Dee estuary marshes, first spotted towards the end of September 2017 and it gave particularly good views from September 29th to October 1st. The account is taken from Phil's A Wirral Birders Blog. Quite correctly, Phil headed his account with 'potentially a 1st for Cheshire' as it has not yet been accepted, but there seems little doubt it will be.

Pallid harrier is one of those rarities that seem to have got commoner over the last decade as they've increased their breeding range westwards into Finland. A pair also bred for the 1st time in Holland this year and there was a long staying male displaying at Bowland. With a winter harrier roost off Parkgate Old Baths we've been hoping for a Pallid Harrier for some time - especially as their now almost expected on our annual Shetland jaunt. The 1st one I ever saw was when I was working in Finland in 1983 when it was still scarce over there and I twitched it with a mad group of Finnish birders. The first UK one I saw was the juvenile at Winterton, Norfolk in June 2006 - I took a very young Dan Pointon along with me! Photo of this bird I took is below:

When Alan Davies reported he'd seen an interesting, small, long winged harrier distantly on the Dee estuary last week my interest was aroused. Unfortunately I couldn't get down during the week and after a few days with no news it was temporarily forgotten. Until the weekend............

Independently both Eddie Williams and Mark Garner saw it and both confirmed it was a Pallid Harrier. Mark P arranged to come to our house and we travelled the short distance to the marshes in pouring rain to find we'd just missed the harrier by a few minutes! It was quite a social gathering of Cheshire & Wirral's finest waiting patiently in the pouring rain. At this point the bird was tentatively being aged as an adult female, not a juvenile, and to make things even more confusing there was a ring-tailed Hen Harrier in the same location that some people were watching whilst others were watching the Pallid Harrier! It didn't help when people claimed they'd seen it then asked what it looked like and what the identifying features were. No wonder the bird information services got their undies in a twist on the Sunday and were putting out Pallid / Hen Harrier!

After a long wait the bird appeared again and flew past at distance before pitching down into the marsh where it spent the next 90 minutes barely visible. A Hen harrier appeared and we were all watching that and comparing diagnostic features when the Pallid decided to fly again! This time it put on a good show to an appreciative audience and video footage and photo's were obtained seemingly proving it was an adult female.

Mindful of the spectre of hybridisation with Hen Harrier (common in Finland) a great deal of attention was paid to the all important wing formula. Jack Ashton Booth's blog was great help in this respect:
http://raptor-id.blogspot.co.uk/2017/06/harrier-hack-1.html?m=0

A bird we also saw at Loch Hillwell, Shetland, that had been apparently oiled by a Fulmar also caused a lot of discussion at the time. See here:
http://birdingfrontiers.com/2011/10/13/juvenile-pallid-harrier-identification/

Overall we were happy it was a sub adult female rather than a juvenile. I didn't take my camera with me because of the pouring rain. Luckily Simon Slade was braver than me and took the pictures below.

A great afternoons birding with great company, a good craic, some good discussion and some good birds. As well as the Pallid Harrier there was a supporting cast of 3 Short-eared Owls (all in the air together), Hen Harrier, at least 3 different Marsh Harriers, Sparrowhawk, Merlin, Peregrine and Kestrel as well as at least 2 Great-white Egrets (seen together).

A WhatsApp group has been set up to allow Wirral Birders to share their bird news for the area. The advantages of having access to this WhatsApp group over the likes of Twitter & Facebook are that everyone can send out their own news without having to go through a central person, and when a message is sent out everyone will see it, unlike Twitter & Facebook where news is easily missed. 

https://elliotsbirdingdiaries.wordpress.com/2017/11/24/whatsapp-wirral-birders/  

One of the benefits of colour ringing birds is to show just how site faithful they are, not just in the breeding season but also both during passage and on their wintering grounds. The pontoons on West Kirby Marine Lake seems to be particularly attractive to colour-ringed Black-headed Gulls and we've had four there over the past few weeks which we've recorded in previous years. A few years ago we appeared to have several colour-ringed Mediterranean Gulls visiting us but they seem to have dried up recently, so it was good to have another one in November with an interesting history.
As expected, the Black-tailed Godwits stopped using their inland roost site at Caldy at the end of October and we know many ended up north of us at Marshside (Southport). But it has also been obvious that there was an influx of birds from south-east England, both the Wash and Thames estuary. Of the 22 birds we recorded during October and November (and for which we've received feedback) exactly half had spent late summer and early autumn on the south-east coast.
We continue to see good numbers of colour ringed Knots and I will be going into more detail about those next month.

Black-headed Gulls

TMEN (black on white ring)
Ringed near Lodz, Poland, on 12th April 2013.
Recorded at West Kirby Marine Lake on September 19th 2017.
This bird was first seen on the pontoon at West Kirby Marine Lake on 6th September 2013 and a further 30 times since then. The only other records for this bird was on the sand at West Kirby in July 2014 and at Hoylake in November 2014.

Mediterranean Gull

Black-tailed Godwits

Recorded on West Kirby Shore on 11th August 2017 then eight times in the same month roosting at Caldy Wildfowl Collection. It was on the Ribble estuary (Lytham) at the end of August then at Marshside RSPB, Southport, at the end of October 2017.
After ringing this bird wasn't seen until early 2011 when it turned up at Marshside. The large majority of records are during late summer/autumn and again in early spring - all either at Marshside or Leighton Moss. So we do not know where this bird spends the winter. It has been seen once back in Iceland, presumably breeding, in July 2013.

YGR-RNR - ringed on the Swale estuary, Kent, on 12th October 2015, as an adult.
Recorded at Caldy Wildfowl Collection on 9th October 2017, it then flew to Marshside RSPB, Southport, where it was seen at least twice during the rest of October.
Since it was ringed nearly all records are from the Oare Marshes Nature Reserve, Kent, where it spent it's summer/autumn moult both in 2016 and 2017. It was at Marshside on 5th November 2016 but back in Kent the following month.

Richard Smith.
Colour-rings were also recorded by Steve Hinde, Matt Thomas, Peter Haslem, Derek Bates, Mark Turner, Colin Schofield and Charles Farnell.

There was a record influx of Hawfinches into the country at the end of October and into November - and we had our share with  five at Burton Mere Wetlands on the 8th, with more further inland in Cheshire. A Siberian Chiffchaff was a good find by Leasowe Lighthouse and this was recorded on several days early in the month. Two Snow Buntings were in Leasowe Bay and a Black Redstart was spotted on a couple of days in Hoylake. Somewhat more numerous was a roost of 85,000 Starlings in the reed bed at Gronant.

Out to sea was a rare Little Auk which flew past Hilbre on the 18th, whilst early in the month was a total of 20,000 Common Scoter and 18 Red-throated Diver, a flock of up to 12 Eider stayed all month.

                                  One of several Eiders off Hilbre, November 18th © Elliot Montieth
                                              https://elliotsbirdingdiaries.wordpress.com/    

Marsh Harriers will feature in next month's newsletter but the roost at Neston Reedbed is now well established with numbers well into double figures. There appears to be two grey male Hen Harriers and at least two ringtails on the marshes and the highest count of Short-eared Owls was seven. 12 Great White Egrets were between Parkgate and Burton on the 5th.

November 23rd was a late date to have 11 Greenshank at Connah's Quay, where there was also nine Spotted Redshanks, a Common Sandpiper and an Avocet. 

                                                           © Hilbre Bird Observatory

337 Brent Geese were off West Kirby at high tide on the 20th, one of the highest counts ever - these lovely geese are obviously increasing again after remaining at around the 250 level for several years. At least 5,000 Pink-footed Geese are in the area. More unexpected were nine Greenland White-fronted Geese at Warren Farm, Talacre, for several days.

                               Short-eared Owls at Denhall Quay, November 24th © Jeff Cohen

What I would like is days on end of sunny frosty days with no wind. Just fabulous to be out and about in such weather and so easy to spot the birds in those conditions. But I expect it will be wet and windy as usual!
There are some nice big tides early in the month, if they are blown in by strong west winds we can get spectacular views of thousands of wildfowl and waders over the marshes, plus Short-eared Owls and Hen and Marsh Harriers.
We've already had good numbers of Brent Geese arriving and the trend over the past couple of winters is for some of them to disperse away from Hilbre - so we can expect them on West Kirby Marine Lake feeding on the wall by the prom, and also near the causeway at Thurstaston, seemingly unconcerned by the dog walkers on the beach. Thurstaston is also the best place to see that lovely duck, the Pintail, probably best about two hours either before or after high tide and they often congregate at the stream coming from Tinkers Dell where they gather for a drink of fresh water; we've had increasing numbers over the past three or four winters with up to 2,000. This is also a good spot to see Teal feeding on the mud when the tide is out. 
Other wildfowl to look out for are Pink-footed Geese on the marshes, Red-breasted Mergansers on West Kirby Marine Lake and Scaup off Hilbre and north Wirral.
Connah's Quay Nature Reserve has become one of the most important wintering sites for Twite in the north-west of England and numbers have reached 200 here in the past couple of years. Look out also for Snow Buntings, never very common here but we can get one or two along north Wirral and Hilbre, with may be a small flock of six or so at Point of Ayr and Gronant.

                                    Lapwings at Burton Mere Wetlands, November 1st © Roy Lowry

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Forthcoming Events

December Highest Spring Tides (Liverpool)

Also see Tides page.

4th December, 11.09hrs (GMT), 9.9m. 
5th December, 11.55hrs (GMT), 9.9m.  
6th December, 12.43hrs (GMT), 9.8m. 

Forthcoming Events

Organised by the Wirral Ranger Service , Flintshire Countryside Service and the RSPB (Dee Estuary):
All these events and walks have bird interest, even those not advertised specifically for birdwatching. No need to book for these events unless specified - please check below. 

Sunday 3rd December, Wetland Wonders - Waders and Wildfowl at Burton Mere Wetlands.
8.30-10.30am
Price: £8 per person (RSPB members £6.50)

Booking essential, ring: 0151 353 8478.

The UK's wetlands are a vital winter home for thousands of wading birds and wildfowl, and the Dee Estuary is one of the best places in the country to see them. Join an experienced guide for a morning walk around Burton Mere Wetlands to brush up on your ID of the various waders, ducks, geese and swans that spend the winter here.
There's also a great chance of seeing a range of birds of prey including harriers and peregrines, plus impressive flocks of finches and buntings in the sacrificial crop fields, whilst kingfishers have been very active this autumn.
The walk will stick to the reserve's normal trails which are mostly hard-surfaced, but the outer reaches of the reserve have natural paths and a couple of sets of steps to reach the Inner Marsh Farm hide. Warm up back at the Reception Hide with a hot drink and a chance to see what may have been pushed in from the saltmarsh by the rising tide.

Tuesday 12th December, Dusk Chorus at Burton Mere Wetlands.
2-4pm
Price: £8 per person (RSPB members £6.50)

Booking essential, ring: 0151 353 8478.

We're all familiar with the dawn chorus, but have you ever stopped to listen to the sounds of the countryside as the sun goes down? Honking geese, whistling waders and chattering jackdaws soundtrack peaceful sunsets at Burton Mere Wetlands, with one of the country's largest egret colonies returning from the marsh, and a small starling murmuration over the reedbed.
Join us for a late afternoon guided walk as the temperature drops and the birds start to prepare for another long night, returning as the light fades and many birds return to Burton Mere Wetlands to roost. Finish with a hot drink back in Reception Hide and chance of seeing a barn owl emerging to hunt.
Places are limited, so advanced booking and payment are essential.

Sunday 14th January, Big Farmland Bird Walk at Burton Mere Wetlands.
8-10am.
Price: £10 per person (£8 RSPB members)

Booking essential, ring: 0151 353 8478.

Join us on this exclusive early morning, behind-the-scenes walk to get closer to the managed farmland parts of the reserve and hopefully find a range of songbirds alongside large flocks of others you might see on your Big Garden Birdwatch.
Large flocks of small farmland birds - particularly linnets and reed buntings - feed on our bird cover crop, along with flocks of gold and greenfinches and other more familiar garden birds. These in turn attract merlins, sparrowhawks and hen harriers to hunt.
The nearby wet pasture and barley stubble offer excellent natural grazing for the geese and swans spending the winter on the estuary and this walk should provide closer views particularly of the swan flock on the neighbouring Shotwick Fields.
Please note this event is weather-dependent. A cold, hard winter will push more birds to the west coast, so we'll keep our fingers crossed!
Wear wellies and warm, waterproof clothing, and bring binoculars if you have them. Price includes a hot drink in the Reception Hide afterwards. Places are limited so advanced booking and payment are essential.