27th December 2025

 Weather: ENE force 2    frost early morning

 

 A Raven was heard and then spotted flying low along the east side heading north. It was otherwise a quiet morning visit. The only small 'visitors' were 3 unexpected Meadow PIpits which only stayed briefly. There were more Brent showing around the island this morning, 276, and a pair of Red-breasted Merganser fed out in the swash which seems to be their preferred habitat. Regulars recorded today were 60 Common Scoter, 3 Great Crested Grebes and 2 Little Egrets.

Photo AS

26th December 2025

 Weather: ENE force 3,     E 3/4 after midday

The highlight of the day was a Marsh harrier which seemed to have been flushed from the tussocky grass between the light and toilets, in which case it hadn't been there long as there were lots of visitors who had not long left because of the tide. 

 It departed towards Wales while being mobbed by gulls.

 

Earlier 6 Pinkfooted Geese had left the estuary over Red Rocks and meanwhile, a male with 2 female Goosander were off the north end early morning and strayed around all day. 

 

Noted preening on the far side of the gutter was the female Eider .

Shelduck were scarce this morning.

 On the tide edge east of the gutter were 240 Dunlin and 34 Grey Plover. Sixty Sanderling flew east passed the north end and 1300 Knot flew over the sands when moved by the incoming tide. Best of the sea were 56 Common Scoter, 5 Great Crested Grebes and a Guillemot. There was evidence today of the fox being present.

Photos AS

25th December 2025

 Weather:  ENE force 4/5 

Six Common Scoter were close in to the island this morning. 

 

A Guillemot was the sole other sighting on the sea. There were 52 Brent Geese and 15 Pinkfeet Geese flew north in the morning. Among the waders 170 Sanderling flew east, still 9 Purple Sandpipers were seen, also 60 Turnstone,

 

 and  3,500 Oystercatchers

 

 One each of Little Egret, Grey Heron and Kestrel also made the list.

 Photos AS
 

24th December 2025

 Weather:  E force 3/4     slight mist

 

On the ebb tide 11 wild swans flew out of the estuary across the West Kirby marsh  but could not be identified due to the distance from the island but later when the pictures were examined they were confirmed as Whoopers.

 

 The other scarce sighting occurred earlier when a Lapwing was logged. On the sea a single Red-throated Diver was recorded, also 3 Great Crested Grebes, 125 Common Scoter 

 and a Red-breasted Merganser which was fishing off the whaleback as the tide rose.

 

 Brent totalled 186 although more would be in the estuary, and 4 Shelduck were by Little Eye. Local feeders were 4 Grey Herons and 2 Little Egrets while good counts of waders included 255 Curlew, 115 Turnstone, 80 Redshank, 75 Grey Plover, 65 Sanderling and 4 Purple Sandpipers. The massive numbers belonged to 6,500 Oystercatchers, 4,750 Dunlin and 1,540 Knot. Just a few of the resident species were seen, including 3 Rock Pipits which are now all the year round regulars.  

Photos AS, SRW

22nd December 2025

 Weather: E force 3, some mist near midday. 

A female Merlin was recorded and was the sole raptor today. There were some good records on the sea this morning, 9 Red-throated Divers, 13 Great Crested Grebes and 160 Common Scoter, also numbers of waders included 158 Grey Plover, 146 Curlew, 95 Turnstone, 75 Redshank, 20 Dunlin, a single Ringed Plover and of course the ubiquitous Oystercatcher, 7,200 today.

  The 9 Purple Sandpipers today were, as always, one of our favourites. 

 

   As often the 131 pale-bellied Brent mixed with the small wdaers in between the islands.

 

 

 A single dark-bellied Brent was also present today. Records of Pinkfooted Geese are now regular during late autumn, winter and early spring as they move backwards and forwards from Wirral and today was no exception with 4 seen flying west, but in addition a single bird was down on West Kirby saltmarsh and was then flushed by a dog and flew between Hilbre and Red Rocks. Records of Pinfeet Geese on the shore are relatively scarce . 

Photos AS

21st December 2025

 Weather: E force 4  easing force 3 in afternoon with light mist

The female Eider was back again today after reappearing yesterday. A Woodpigeon appeared which is normally a bird of spring and autumn, while residents included 10 Wrens, 4 Blackbirds, a Song Thrush, a Robin and 2 Rock Pipits. Fifteen Purple sandpipers were the highlight of the waders, also 125 Turnstone, 70 Redshank, 40 Knot and 3 Grey Plover. Just 19 Brent were in sight around the islands, also 2 Shelduck. On the sea 4 Red-throated Diver, 160 Common Scoter and 8 Great Crested Grebes made the list,

 

Two each of Little Egret and Grey Heron fed the shore.  Both Peregrine and Kestrel showed today.

Photo AS

20th December 2025

 Weather: SE force 5,   ESE 4/5 later

Five Wigeon were here, also the female Eider which has been missing for over a week, with 3 Red-throated Divers and 140 Common Scoter and just 60 Brent in the morning. A Song thrush was among the small number of winter residents on the island. Waders included 160 Curlew, 1,500 Knot, 12 Purple Sandpipers, 21 Ringed Plover and 75 Redshank.

 

 

Photos AS

19th December 2025

 Weather: SW force 4, increasing 6 then WSW 4 early afternoon

An over the tide visit on a bright but blusty day was as expected quiet with waders being the main attraction. Another colour tagged Turnstone was added to our project today.

One of our flagged birds from spring 2024 was seen on the island this year after returning to the Arctic to breed and then coming back again. Not expected was a Dunlin caught for ringing, it is some time since we has ringed one here.

 As usual Purple Sandpipers were keenly looked for and 6 were noted around the island.

 

Hilbre has the distinction of recording the first ever Greenland sighting of a UK ringed Purple Sandpiper. There were 72 Turnstones and 15 Dunlin recorded also 23 Ringed Plover, 30 Curlew, 28 Redshank and a single Knot. Five and a half thousand Oystercatchers were estimated as they gathered to roost on Middle and elsewhere. On the sea were 4 Common Scoters and 2 Shelduck while 150 Brent stayed around at the tide. In the quiet paddocks and gardens 2 male Blackbirds and a Song Thrush were noted with 2 Robins, 4 Wrens and a Dunnock.

 Photos PSW 

13th December 2025

 Weather: SSE force 3, SSW 6 later 

A beautifully bright but cold December day on Hilbre today manning the Obs. Highlight was a Lapland Bunting that flew over calling with a flock of 20+ Skylarks heading west. We also had 2 Lapwings head in from the north and land briefly on the tides edge with the usual Oystercatchers.  

 

 

  

 

On the way on to the island in the gutter was an orange flagged Grey Plover which was ringed on 17th April 2019 and has been seen numerous times around the Dee and Mersey estuaries since. Coincidentally the last sighting was on Hilbre on the 8th December 2024 and amazingly our member was presnt at the ringing at Formby on that date.

 

 

The sole sightings from the sea were a Common Scoter and a juvenile Great Crested Grebe. Waders noted included 30 Ringed Plover, 80 Turnstone, 10 Knot, 20 Dunlin, 50 Redshank, 2 Purple Sandpipers and a Bar-tailed Godwit. Just 2 Little Egrets were present, also 2 Shelduck and an estimated 400 Brent.

 

 

A young Grey Seal was hauled at at the north end until a couple of visitors disturbed it trying to get a selfie with it ! 

 Ringed: 1 Wren

 Photos PSW

11th December 2025

Weather: SE force 2/3

A quiet day weatherwise and birdwise. A quick mid-morning visit found 192 Brent around the island at low tide with small waders being very scarce, just one Purple Sandpiper was seen although quite a few more must be here, while one Ringed Plover, 25 Turnstone and 19 Dunlin fed on the shore. Three Little Egrets were about reef area and a single Grey Heron was off the west side.  

 Firty five Common Scoter were mostly at least a few hundred yards off the north end although 2 rested on the sea closer in.

 

As the tide approached 1,000 Knot wheeled east of the island, by this time the light was already poor with some cloud and the early twilight.

 

Photos CJ   

7th December 2025

 Weather: ESE force 5, moderating to force 4

 A short pre-tide visit found 4 Eiders here including 3 males, also 65 Brent Geese and 40 Common Scoter. Thirteen Purple Sandpipers were logged.

 other waders were 2 Ringed Plover, 120 Dunlin, 20 Curlew, 25 Redshank and 40 Turnstone. 

 The German ringed Curlew was amongst the 20 present.

 A couple of Robins and 3 Rock Pipits were on the island and 2 Grey Herons and 3 Little Egrets on the shore. Back on the West Kirby lake the pontoons held 280 Redshank, 3 Knot, 25 Turnstone and 3 Dunlin.

 Photos AEH 

5th December 2025

 Weather: SE force 4/5    ESE 5 later

 A beautiful sky dawned before the cloud and rain arrived in the afternoon.

 A Pied Wagtail seemed to be the sole small migrant today in additon to the regulars here at this time ( 2 Wrens, 3 Blackbirds, 2 Robins, 1 Song Thrush). It was a big tide mid-morning and wader counts were completed while they were roosting. Eleven thousand 500 Oystercatchers of course was the largest number,

 

Others recorded were  225 Turnstone, 176 Curlew, 164 Redshank, 32 Dunlin, 12 Ringed Plover, 8 Knot, 6 Purple Sandpiper, 4 Grey Plover and 4 Bar-tailed Godwit. There were just 120 Brent seen and 165 Shelduck, 450 Cormorant, 245 Common Scoter, 2 Great Crested Grebes, 3 Grey Herons and 2 Little Egrets. Gull numbers noted were 6 Greater Black-backs and 450 Herring Gulls.

 Photos SRW
 

2nd December 2025

 Weather:  SSE force 3/4   ESE 3 mid-afternoon

A mid-morning arrival detected a Snow Bunting flying over Little Eye and became the highlight of the day right away. No other small migrants as expected and birds on the sea were restricted to 3 Great Crested Grebes and 450 Common Scoter.

 Other wildfowl fared better with 285 Brent.

and 220 Shelduck. 

 Wader numbers counted were 240 Curlew, 125 Turnstone, 115 Redshank, 25 Dunlin and 180 Sanderling.

 Four Grey Herons fed around the island.

 and 2 Grey Herons.

 

 Photos SRW