18th November 2024

 Weather: ENE force 1   veering ESE 2 later

 A pre-dawn start provided excellent views of the Barn Owl. Brent numbers remain high although as they were widely scattered throughout the day, no accurate count was possible. The three Eiders remained around the islands while several hundred Common Scoter were noted, some very close inshore. A four hour seawatch over the hide tide produced a good count of Red-throated Divers with 40 noted, together with 18 Great Crested Grebe and nine Guillemot. An impressive 18 Purple Sandpipers were found roosting on the western cliffs. A Raven paid a visit and there were still good numbers of Blackbirds on the island with one Song Thrush and one Redwing present.

13th November 2024

 Weather: NW force 3

 Quiet this morning with the continued change in wind direction. A good count of Brent (330) but despite the big numbers the first juveniles in a family party for some time were noticed among them.

 A Merlin turned up again but was the only raptor, but a Raven turning up can also disturb the peace, normally just as a scavenger.

 

 A Redwing logged was the sole migrant thrush, a Starling was also here. Waders recorded included 90 Curlew, 85 Turnstone, 40 Dunlin, 125 Redshank, a Grey Plover, 2 Ringed Plover, 2 Purple Sandpipers and 35 Sanderling.

 Just a Great Crested Grebe and a Shag on the sea and 2 female Eiders about the islands with 2 Grey Heron and 3 Little Egrets.

Photos  SRW

11th November 2024

 Weather:  WNW force 3

A very quiet morning with the wind in the north west and a short visit recorded over 300 Eider, 25 Shelduck, 85 Curlew, 120 Redshank, 3 Little Egret, 2 Grey Herons and on the island, 4 Blackbirds, 5 Robins and a Song Thrush. 

10th November 2024

 Weather: ESE force 3   SE 1 by noon

Another good day with plenty of variety. Thrushes were prominent again with 18 Redwings, 2 Fieldfare, 5 Song Thrushes and 15 Blackbirds. Other passage included over 40 Meadow Pipits, 2 Pied Wagtails, 5 Skylarks, several Robins and  a good selection of finches featuring 8 Chaffinch, 9 Goldfinch, 20 Linnets and 2 Greenfinch.

 

A Merlin as usual was an early visitor.

 

  Kestrel and this Peregrine and were also here, 

 which sent up some Brents and Oystercatchers.

Three Jackdaws flew by while wildfowl logged were 300 Brent plus a dark-bellied bird, 600 Scoter, 20 Shelduck in scattered records, 2 Wigeon, 3 Teal, a female type Goosander in the gutter below the obs and 4 of our regular Eiders. Sea watching produced 23 Gannets, 6 Red-throated Divers, 6 Great Crested Grebes, 9 Guillemot, 2 Razorbills and a Shag. A Great White Egret flew in from Wales before turning south and missing the island, records of these are now becoming almost a regular occurrance. 

 

 There were still only 3 Purple Sandpipers in view with other waders that included 105 Curlew, 200 Knot, 145 Redshank, 50 Dunlin, 50 Sanderling, 60 Turnstone, 45 Bar-tailed Godwit. Keeping the feeding waders company were 3 Little Egrets and 2 Grey Heron.

Ringed: 1 Song Thrush, 2 Blackbirds

Photos SRW

9th November 2024

 Weather: ESE force 3    misty

 Another great day of migration on the island. As with so many days recently, today started with the Barn Owl at dawn when it showed between the old obs and Telegraph west garden at around 7 am and sat on fog cottage.

 

 

It turned out to be an epic thrush passage day, counts were of 33 Redwings, 

 

 and 11 Fieldfares, 

also 5 Song Thrushes and 43 Blackbirds, most of the Blackbirds were moving through in a southerly direction and 7 were ringed and amongst them was the prize of the group which was a Swedish ringed bird,

 

Obviously the southerly direction was not a local movement!  A Blackcap was caught and ringed.

 

Fifteen Meadow Pipits also passed through and Starlings were another species moving with 36 birds.

 

 Many finches were featured this morning with records of 12 Chaffinches, 4 Siskins and 3 Goldfinches, although the 5 Brambling were a little more unusual. A male Blackcap was caught and ringed. The duck arrivals included 5 Teal, 3 Wigeon, a Pintail 

 

 and 3 Shoveler (which have not been so scarce lately).

Thirty Gannets fed on the sea off the north end as did a Guillemot and 2 Great Crested Grebes, while a Razorbill flew west. Normally a Woodcock (found by Matt Thomas) would stand out on a quiet day but there were so many records there were other distractions than just todays bird. There were no large gatherings of waders as the tide was low all day but a German colour ringed Curlew among 45 present was notable.

 

On the shore were 2 Grey Herons and 2 Little Egrets. Following the 8 dark-bellied Brent yesterday there were just 3 sighted today with 320+ pale-bellied. 

 The Kestrel hunted the island.

 

The Weasel was spotted in the old obs area.

 

Ringed: 7 Blackbirds, 1 Redwing, 1 Song Thrush, 1 Blackcap.

Photos AEH, SRW, Matt Thomas(Curlew)

8th November 2024

 Weather: ESE force 2/3    misty, slight drizzle in the air

Another Woodcock on the island this morning, this time flushed from the west side.

It was not seen again but could have still been here as there are lots of places for it to go to ground as Woodcocks are seldom found it they are not in flight.

 Record numbers of Dark-bellied Brent this morning, 8 birds,

 Overall there was a total of 446.

 

 A round-up of the rest of the wildfowl featured 4 Scoter on the sea, 20 Shelduck, 3 Eider and a Wigeon with 2 Teal on the shore.

 A flock of 50 Starlings flew south, and the thrushes did not disappoint, there were a few extra Blackbirds, 

and a Fieldfare flew south after the morning started with the usual Redwings (5) passing through.  

 Out to sea was a Guillemot and Gannets were feeding again today (55)

 

There were just 2 Purple Sandpipers seen this morning but more will be around the islands somewhere.

 Ringed: 1 Redwing, 3 Blackbirds, 1 Wren.

Photos:  SRW

7th November 2024

Weather: SE,  ESE  later in afternoon

A Merlin shot through down the east side early in the morning and was then seen pursuing passerines at the south end.

The regular Kestrel also hunted the islands. Morning thrush movements involved 5 Fieldfares, 4 Redwings, a small number of Meadow Pipits and a few Blackbirds including an adult male with a wing measurement of 139mm, a whopper indeed.

The odd finch made themselves known, there were 7 Linnets, 2 Goldfinches a Chaffinch and a Siskin. There were 300 Brent plus a dark-bellied bird that flew in on its own at the north end as the tide ebbed.

Six of the usual Eiders showed and a single Pintail arrived. The sea was quite profitable featuring 63 Gannets and a Guillemot. Three Little Egret and 2 Grey Heron shared the shore with 4,500 Knot, 30 Dunlin, 50 Redshank, 3,500 Oystercatchers, 40 Curlew, 130 Turnstone, 2 Bar-tailed Godwits and 3 Purple Sandpipers. There are numerous fungi around the islands at the moment including these and Yellow field-cap.

 Sunset but no sign of the Barn Owl tonight.

Ringed: 2 Blackbirds, 1 Redwing, 1 Song Thrush, 1 Chaffinch, 1 Goldfinch, 1 Rock Pipit.

Photos SRW

6th November 2024

 Weather: SE force 4,   ESE force 5 in the late afternoon

 The Barn Owl was here again this morning, and there were a few thrushes moving through, with 9 Redwings and a Fieldfare. Ten Starlings flew across and finches recorded here were 3 Siskin, 14 Linnets and 2 Goldfinch. There were not many other small birds of note apart from 14 Meadow Pipits, although a sizeable Woodpigeon visited.  A Merlin flew in and then a Woodcock flew from the south end of the main island to Middle Eye.

 

The Woodcock was zigzagging and putting up Oystercatchers and Brents that didn’t know what it was, giving us the usual view seen at Hilbre of a woodcock disappearing over middle with little eye on the background!

 Three Wigeon and a Pintail were the only duck recorded today.

 A Drak-bellied Brent stood alongside a pale-bellied for comparison.

While one of the colour ringed birds was also showing

A Black-tailed Godwit flew passed.

On the sea were a Red-throated Diver and 4 Guillemots. Meanwhile early this morning a Barred Warbler was caught in a members garden in Hoylake (which has had two records) less than 2 miles from Hilbre, whereas Hilbre still awaits its first!

Photos  SRW