23 September 2023 - West Kirby, Meols, Burton Mere, Burton Marsh

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Rock Pipits, Grey Plover, Wheatear, Arctic Skua, Cattle Egrets, Black-tailed Godwits, Ruff, Peregrine, Hobby

Yesterday during westerlies, a few Leach's Petrels had been recorded on the Wirral and the North Wales coast, so Andrew and I decided to have a go.  Unfortunately the winds had subsided by the time we got there, and not just that, but the tide was out too.  We went to Meols where a Baird's Sandpiper had been seen recently, but no luck. Nearby we encountered a group of three Rock Pipits, and saw a distant Arctic Skua. Shoreline birds included several Sandwich Terns, Grey Plovers, Knot and Black-tailed Godwits, with a couple of apparently stranded Guillemots and a presumed Fulmar distantly on the sand.  We did encounter a little bit of migration, with a couple of Wheatears on the rocks just at the shoreline.

We decided to try Burton Mere, where a Pec Sand had been around recently, but typically there was no sign today.  By this time, the sun had come out and the day was warming up significantly. We walked around the circuit to the hides and saw three of the reputedly seven Cattle Egrets, as well as lots of Godwits and a few Ruff. Having not seen a Marsh Harrier, we decided to finish at Denhall Lane/Burton Marsh.  We didn't get Marsh Harrier, but just after parking the car we heard a 'kee-kee-kee' call, and looking up, a Peregrine was overhead, being mobbed by a Hobby!  Not a bad finish to the day.

Rock Pipit A, 1/500 sec, f/7.1, 500 mm, ISO 400

Rock Pipit, 1/640 sec, f/7.1, 500 mm, ISO 400

Wheatear, 1/500 sec, f/7.1, 500 mm, ISO 125

Cattle Egrets, 1/2500 sec, f/7.1, 500 mm, ISO 800 (view full size image)

Black-tailed Godwit, 1/2500 sec, f/7.1, 500 mm, ISO 1000 (view full size image)

Peregrine And Hobby, 1/640 sec, f/7.1, 500 mm, ISO 100 (view full size image)