22nd March 2026

 Weather: SE force 1   with mist   WNW 1/2

 

Before dawn the sky was clear then the sun rose to a very calm but chilly morning.

 

 Another nice day on the island, not the grounded migrants of recent days (with only 3 Goldcrests, Chiffchaff that arrived after high tide and 3 Wheatear), but still small numbers of finches and alba wagtails (including 3 definite White Wagtails). The Chiffchaff landed an hour or so after noon. 

 There were of course typical early spring visitors such as a House Sparrow which hung about the island for a while, particularly liking the large pittissporum bush in the obs garden.

A Reed Bunting made itself known, also a single Starling which came down for a short time.

and a single and later 4 other Jackdaws passing over. Goldcrests and Chiffchaffs were far fewer today than yesterday but finch species performed almost as well today. Ten Goldfinches were top of the list and others were 3 Chaffinch, 3 Siskin, 2 each of Greenfinch and Redpoll, plus 36 Linnets. Three Wheatears were here again today (2males). As usual the sea was calm when 2 Porpoise were seen swimming off the west side.

 

 

Birds on the sea were varied: 2 Red-throated Divers, 10 Red-breasted Mergansers, 18 Great Crested Grebes, a Guillemot, a Razorbill, a Wigeon (here with some of the 184 Brent, plus a drak-bellied bird)   

 and 'our' drake Scaup, 2 Shelduck and 2 Canada Geese, and then another 7 flying off the east side

 and a female Eider.

Waders were in normal numbers, including 145 Curlew, 68 Turnstone, 2 Grey Plover, 11 Ringed Plover and 6 Purple Sandpipers. A Merlin arrived and sat on the lifeboat station at high tide (and was later seen pursuing and catching a small wader south of middle with crows also in pursuit).

 

 

Nine Rock Pipits are present and 4 Robins and 4 Blackbirds were seen in the gardens and paddocks.

 At high tide and with little disturbance Grey Seals can give close views if you are lucky.

Photos CJW, SRW

21st March 2026

Weather: SE force 2  mist around the estuary,  N light air by noon

 Misty again but the sun came out and it became a great migration day. The first Willow Warbler of the year arrived to confirm it really is spring. It was seen firstly on the main island and a few minutes later on Middle, soon flying off to the south in both cases. Four Chiffchaffs were also recorded.

 

 Over 20 Goldcrests landed during the day, some were already leaving the island not long after dawn.

 

A very long list of migrants were recorded on the sheet, most typical of early spring. There were 7 Pied Wagtails and 5 White Wagtails about 50 or so Meadow Pipits, the second Swallow of the year and 2 Wheatears.

 

Many more finches than yesterday, 25 Linnets, 16 each of Chaffinch and Goldfinch, 2 Greenfinch, 26 Siskin and 4 Lesser Redpoll.

 Passing over was a Brambing, a much scarcer finch to the island. Closely related, 2 House Sparrows roamed the island.

 

 Also a Reed Bunting.

Other typical early autumn migrants were a Starling, 34 Jackdaws in small parties, 2 Collared Doves (the first of the year) flying south and 34 Woodpigeons.

 

 Another first for the year was a Sandwich tern flying east passed the north end.

 

Other sea birds were 2 Red-throated Diver, 4 Red breasted Merganser, 8 Goosander and a Great Crested Grebe. On the shore were 2 Little Egrets and 3 Grey Herons. 

 

Three Little Gulls were noted to add to the small passage through over the last week. There were quite a long list of duck today, 3 male Mallard were in the island pond, 5 drake Wigeon visited, 2 Shelduck were here, also a Canada Goose, 125 pale-bellied Brent and one dark-bellied Brent. The drake Scaup came over from the lake when it got too busy over there. Sixteen Purple Sandpipers showed up today together with 65 Turnstones, 40 Dunlin, Redshank, 16 Sanderling, 15 Ringed Plover and 2 Bar-tailed Godwit.  The Peacock butterfly is a regular early spring splash of colour in the sunshine.

 

 

Ringed: 12 Goldcrest,1 Chiffchaff, 2 Chaffinch, 1 Linnet, 1 Meadow Pipit, 1 Robin, 1 Wren, 1 Redpoll

 Photos: AEH, CJW, SRW 

20th March 2026

 Weather:  SE force 4 with fog,   turning to mist by the afternoon

 The fog was thick enough to make the island initially out of sight from the shore.

 A Chiffchaff and a few Goldcrests were the clue that it could be another good day and as the tide approached the numbers grew to 3 Chiffchaffs and 9 Goldcrests. One of the highlights was the first Swallow of the spring which was spotted at the north end and then again at the south end. It is well known at Hilbre that most passage birds travel south in both autumn and spring, theories abound for this, none of which can be proven. A small movement of Meadow Pipits were as expected, with other arrivals being 5 Pied Wagtails, a Skylark, just a single Woodpigeon today and 8 Siskins and 3 Chaffinches (below in mist)

Wheatears did not let us down, the first was at the south end of Middle, then 2 more and another down the west side ending up on 'Wheatear Hill'. There were 3 caught for ringing including 2 females. One was seen to arrive in the mist.

 

 

  

  

 Eight Rock Pipits seem to be resident at the moment, most have our colour rings. 

 

A Raven was the sole corvid today apart from the 2 Carrion Crows hanging about the island. 

The breeze eased to calm conditions later in the morning making a sea watch desireable and increasing the number of sightings. Great Crested Grebes numbered 22, there were 22 Common Scoter, 8 Red breasted Mergansers and 2 Red throated Divers. A single dark-bellied Brent was here with about 120 pale-bellied Brent. Eight Shelduck were noted and a pair of Eider flew passed the north end.

 The male Scaup from the WKML seems to have made Hilbre it's new home.

 Six Little Egrets was a better total than over the last week or so. A few wader counts on the very high tide today were 2,500 Oystercatchers, 70 Grey Plover, 70 Curlew, 12 Ringed Plover, 130 Redshank, 42 Sanderling, 35 Turnstone and just one Purple Sandpiper. Seventeen birds ringed today is slightly less than Wednesday but is still a good total for a March day. Two Small Tortoiseshell butterflies enjoyed the spring like weather and frogspawn was sighted in the pond.

 Photos SRW

18th March 2026

 Weather: ESE force 3,   slight mist

 Even though it was a glorious day of weather, no visitors (except the obs) made it over before the high tide this morning.

 The day started with a brief sighting of a Woodcock at the north end of Middle which immediately flew south down the east side and could not be located. Before reaching the main island, 2 Canada Geese could be seen between the islands with the Brent.

 Also on arrival between the islands a Pink-footed Geese flew around and landed on the rocks, these are now familar birds in the Dee but a single bird at Hilbre is decidedly unusual.

Overhead 5 Woodpigeons flew in briefly and later another flock of 29 went west.

 Jackdaws were also on the move totalling 18 during the morning while 2 Stock Doves (scarce at Hilbre) settled on the island for a few minutes.

 

As far as migrants were concerned it was a Goldcrest and Chiffchaff day with 20 Goldcrests estimated.

  and 15 Chiffchaffs.

  

 Meadow Pipits numbers were slow at first but increased towards noon while 2 Skylarks flew across and 2 Starlings made landfall. Robins were more numerous than usual today, 5 were ringed. Fifteen Pied Wagtails came through and a White Wagtail fed at the north end.

 Relatively speaking finches were in low numbers today but there were sightings of  2 Chaffinches, 2 Siskins, a Lesser Redpoll, a Greenfinch and 6 Goldfinch.

  

A Reed Bunting was a pleasent surprise in the heligoland trap, although they are fairly frequent visitors at times of passage but we do not ring them very often. 

 

There were no Wheatears here first thing but after mid-morning a splendid male appeared by the obs for a short while. This is only the second this year, the first came on the very early date of 4th March.

The land was the main attraction rather than the sea today but noticed was a single Red-throated Diver loafing off the north end with some of the 150 or so Common Scoter while the now well known Scaup did the same.

 Ringed: 8 Chiffchaffs, 7 Goldcrests, 5 Robins, 1 Reed Bunting, 1 Meadow Pipit.

Photos PSW, SRW