30th December 2022

 Weather: SW force 4  with rain and squalls

A brief afternoon visit saw a Sparrowhawk fly out over the sand and then return to West Kirby. A Common Seal was on the rocks off the west side, while there were 5 Eiders around the island.

Photo GB 

26th December 2022

 Weather: WSW force 6

 A short morning boxing day visit found 3 female Eiders at the island, 6 Great Crested Grebes on the sea, 80 Turnstone and 48 Redshank. A Robin was showing, also 6 Wrens and 2 each of Blackbiord, Song Thrush and Rock Pipit.

Photo  AS

24th December 2022

Weather:  SE force 3, later ESE 5

The Christmas Eve bonus this morning was the presence of 5 Eiders (4 female types and an immature male), other wildfowl were 5 Wigeon flying east, 77 Shelduck and 212 Brent in view of the island. A sea watch came up with 7 Red-throated Divers, 25 Scoter and 6 Great Crested Grebes. Waders flocked in large numbers including 4,500 Knot, 3,800 Dunlin and 5,700 Oystercatchers. A single Oystercatcher unusually fed on top of the island.

A hundred Turnstones roosted as did 19 Purple Sandpipers.

 and 9 Ringed Plover.

A young seal was at the south end of middle before the morning tide, it seemed to be  healthy.

  A pair of Common Scoter preened on the rocks below the east side, 

 Five Rock Pipits and 3 Meadow Pipits were counted.

Photos AS

16th December 2022

 Weather:  SE force 2, later SW 4   still cold with plenty of frost.

In a cold wether movement today 17 Lapwings flew west, mostly as seen out towards the wind farm but a flock of 15 flew over the north end later. 

Three Snipe were noted, one on Middle, one by the island pond and another flying down the west side. Six shelduck flew into the estuary early morning and 3 male Scoter were resting on the Whaleback, although 500 were counted more distantly as the tide made.

 

 

The 22 Red-throated Diver and 12 Great-crested Grebe recorded were also mostly distant. Only 4 of the Eider were noted today.

In the afternoon, counts on the east hoyle included 1,800 Knot, 300 Dunlin and 40 Grey Plover.

The Skylark was still on Middle and 1 and then 7 Starlings passed through.

 The Brent count of geese was 259.

  Three Goldeneye were on the West Kirby marine lake.

 

 Photos AS, SRW

15th December 2022

 Weather: E force 2, NE light air later

 

The observers who were too slow to get a photo of the fox yesterday were better prepared when it was disturbed from the same garden today!

The Skylark was again on middle along with 3 Linnet. Four of the Eider were spotted out on the West Hoyle Bank but later there were 6 feeding in the gutter, they were joined by 3 Shelduck.

 A Snipe flew south over the main island and 5 Pintail also went south over the East Hoyle, with a sixth later seen in the Gutter as the tide rose.

Ten Purple Sandpiper fed below the obs , the Knot and Dunlin were closer than the last couple of days with 9000 and 2000 respectively on the east side of the Gutter with 125 Grey Plover mixed amongst them.

 Photos AS

14th December 2022

 Weather:  NNE force 4

Some parts of the shore were frozen up during the night

 The island cliffs also were a sight to behold this morning.

The rarest birds today (in a Hilbre context) were a flock of 9 Shovelers that showed on the tide edge before flying off to the north.

 

 A Woodpigeon visited the island and a Raven flew over Middle and then the main island.

Just 4 Eider were seen in the flooding gutter today.

 A always the Brent were also about.

Waders counted included 13 Purple Sandpipers feeding on rocks at the south east corner at the flooding tide, 75 Grey Plover, 5,000 knot, 2,500 Dunlin, 80 Turnstone, 16 Sanderling and 8 Ringed Plover.

 The Kestrel and the recent Skylark were again present. A Fox was spotted briefly but in broad daylight on telegraph house east garden wall (too quick for a photo). A Common Snipe was flushed from Middle later in the day.

 

 Photos SRW