3rd January 2011

Visits on the 1st and 2nd January 2011 were made by members and, as with today, good numbers of waders (including Curlew below left), Pale-bellied Brent Geese (family party 4 juvs and 2 adults below right) and winter resident passerines (Robin, Dunnock, Wren, Song Thrush and single Blackbird and Rock Pipits) were noted. Wader counts today (3rd) for example saw 10,000 Knot, 5,000 Dunlin, 320 Bar-tailed Godwit along with 16 Purple Sandpipers roosting at the North End and feeding in the rocks on the ebbing tide (see right).

Today also brought a superb count of over 50 Goldeneye which involved two flocks (one each off the West Side and the East Hoyle sandbank), but excluded some birds which could be clearly identified from the Obs balcony (in clear light) on the recently unfrozen West Kirby Marine Lake!

Other ducks included 25 Red-breasted Mergansers and at least 40 Scaup (also off the East Hoyle), finally a drake Common Scoter flew in and spent the high tide period bathing just off the North East end of Middle (see below right).

A good count of 65 Great Crested Grebes was made on the flat calm sea along with 4 Red-throated Divers and 2 Guillemots.

A single Song Thrush was the first bird to be ringed yesterday (2nd) and a couple more new Song Thrushes were ringed today along with a new Robin. Meanwhile a male Kestrel hunted the island as did a Grey Heron again (one of two birds seen).

[JE, CJW, PSW, SRW and TGW] [3] Photos by PSW