The wind steadfastly refused to come around from the south west this morning despite the forecast, resulting in a very quiet visible migration day. As the breeze died altogether late morning a bonus was the calm sea that enabled distant views of at least 60 Little Gulls out towards the north west, the first seen from Hilbre this spring. Also out in the direction of the wind farms were 6 Red-throated Divers, 40 Great Crested Grebes and groups of Common Scoters, totalling 150 in the short period of watching. A Goldeneye flew west between the islands. Counts from the shore included flocks of 180 and 100 Sanderling, 12 Purple Sandpipers, with the Brent at 164 pale and 2 dark-bellied birds.
Twenty Carrion Crows were south of Middle on the flood tide, a Little Egret towards the West Kirby shore, and 3 Peregrines hunted the waders while the Merlin did its usual patrol around the cliffs (right). Two Goldcrests were in the paddocks, one of which was ringed a few days ago, but a male Chaffinch (top right) was new today and showed adult features of dark spots at the tip of the central tail feathers (above). Nothing else was on the ground, and overhead was not much better, just 3 Pied Wagtails, 3 Greenfinch, and a single Skylark.
Ringed:- 1 Blackbird, 1 Chaffinch
(BSB,DB,CJ et al) [138-14] photos CJ
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