15th November 2018

Weather:  SE   2-3  vis 10 mls

A flock of 68 Pink-footed Geese left the estuary early morning.

Around the islands were 178 Pale-bellied Brent Geese and the Eider, 3 Shelduck flew west and on the sea 28 Common Scoter, 2 Great Crested Grebe and a single Guillemot were noted.

Two Purple Sandpiper were at the North End, 196 Redshank were counted along with 300 Dunlin, 100 Knot, 72 Turnstone and 4 Bar-tailed Godwit.

A Reed Bunting, 2 Redwing and a Song Thrush were on Middle as one observer arrived, with a second Song Thrush along with 3 Blackbird on the main island. Two Skylark and 42 Starling flew over, a Chaffinch was briefly in the Obs garden and a Pied Wagtail at the North End is possibly the same bird that has been around for a few days.

14th November 2018

Weather:  SW 3-4, 7/8 cloud, good vis

The wintering flock of Pale-bellied Brent remain around the island and are slowly increasing in number - this family group was present at the North End mid morning. 

The single Eider remained around the islands and four Wigeon flew past but it was an otherwise quiet day for wildfowl on the islands.

Nearby West Kirby Marine Lake still held the Scaup and three Red-breasted Mergansers but there was no sign of yesterday’s Little Grebe; a rare bird for the lake (or Hilbre).



Three Redwing were recorded in the trapping area but didn’t linger, likewise flocks of Starlings totalling 33 shot through. 

The final noteworthy record of the day was a dead Red-throated Diver found on the South End (headless so presumably taken or found by a fox).

Photos by PSW

13th November 2018

Weather:  West 3, vis 10 mls

It was a beautiful day to be out on the islands.

There were good numbers of waders along the north shore this morning, including 2,250 Dunlin, 1,560 Knot, 155 Redshank and 4 Bar-tailed Godwit. Two Purple Sandpiper were at the North End and 388 Curlew were logged, most being towards the Tanskeys.

Two Little Egret were around Middle Eye and the Brent Geese spread around the islands numbered 182. The Eider was off the North End as were 9 Great Crested Grebe and 57 Common Scoter.

A Song Thrush and Rock Pipit were on Middle, 4 Goldfinch and a Chaffinch landed briefly in the Obs garden, 3 Linnet stayed a little longer. Three Skylark and a Reed Bunting flew over the main island and the Snow Bunting is still feeding around the area north of the lookout (Telegraph Station).

A few large jellyfish (rhizostoma pulmo) were to be found stranded on the shore.

Thanks to visiting birder Pete Sutton for the great photos of Purple Sandpiper and Snow Bunting

12th November 2018

Weather:  SE 3-4   vis 8mls

A brief pre-tide visit found that the Snow Bunting was still present and feeding in the same area north of the lookout.

It is a first winter male of the subspecies ‘nivalis’ which breeds from northern Scandinavia, across to Greenland and Arctic Canada.

A Redwing was heard to call over the island and a single Song Thrush was down. The only visible migration noted was 274 Starling, 11 Skylark,  5 Chaffinch and 30 Meadow Pipit , a Rock Pipit was on Middle.

Two Purple Sandpiper were logged along with 80 Sanderling, 300 Dunlin73 Redshank and 97 Grey Plover.

A quick scan off the North End saw 38 Common Scoter, 2 Red-throated Diver and 4 Great Crested Grebe. The Brent Geese were counted at 174 and included the new Irish-ringed bird.

Photos AS (Brents) and CJW (Snow Bunting)

11th November 2018

Weather: SSE 4-5, 8/8 cloud, poor vis, occasional rain

A single observer found a Snow Bunting just after first light, as is typical it was approachable, feeding and calling near the light.  Our first record this autumn. 

106 Starling flew over in several parties, as did a single Fieldfare and two Redpoll. A couple of Purple Sandpipers fed at the North end of the island along with 193 Brent Geese including colour ringed bird HDRB.

A single Grey Heron fed successfully off the West Side of the main island and another was also present.

On arrival back at the mainland a female Scaup was noted on WKML.

10th November 2018

Weather:  SE  3   vis 15 mls

A nice start to the day was a drake Goosander spotted flying  west passed the North End and over towards Wales.

A little later it was noticed that the Eider which has been around for a few days had a dive buddy in the form of a Goldeneye, as the tide made they were feeding together in the Gutter, the Goldeneye was later off the North End with some of the 823  Common Scoter noted.

Also on the sea were7 Red-throated Diver, 7 Great Crested Grebe and an immature Gannet which was probably the same one as recorded yesterday. The cormorant roost consisted of 292 birds.

Numbers in the wader flocks are increasing with 8,200 Knot, 3,00 Dunlin and 244 Grey Plover logged. In smaller numbers were Ringed Plover (11), Curlew (121), Turnstone (64) Redshank (54) and 4 Purple Sandpiper.

There was only a small amount of passerine movement with 2 each of Chaffinch and Goldfinch, 4 Linnet and a single Skylark over. A  Blackbird, 3 Song Thrush, 30 Meadow Pipit and 2 Rock Pipit were around the islands.

The Kestrel had been absent for a few days, but reappeared today.  

9th November 2018

Weather: SE   3-4  vis 5 mls

The day started well with a Short-eared Owl just east of the island off the North End, it looked to be heading east but then turned and went west, being lost to sight over the West Hoyle.

(Photo from 29 October 2018)

There was a good passage of Chaffinch with 120 logged within a couple of hours, with just one Goldfinch and 28 Starling. Two Song Thrush and 3 Blackbird were on the island.

A sea watch noted just 2 Red-throated Diver, 2 Wigeon flying east, 2 Red-breasted Merganser flying west, 4 Great-crested Grebe and  singles of Guillemot and Gannet.

A total of 3,542 Common Scoter were logged, an Eider was again between the islands and at least 160 Brent Geese were present.

Knot numbered 4,300, with 800 Dunlin, 27 Sanderling, 202 Grey Plover and 31 Ringed Plover, mostly to the east of the islands after tide.

Two Harbour Porpoise were watched for some time quite close to the North End.

Ringing: Blackbird [546-34]

8th November 2018

Weather:  SSE 3, vis 12 mls

An interesting sea watch today despite the ‘wrong’ wind direction, as observers were checking through those of the 6,000 Common Scoter close enough to examine in detail, a Merlin flew in from the sea. It didn’t quite look right and as it got closer it was seen to be carrying unidentified prey, it flew down the west side of the island pursued by a Herring Gull. Then the first Great Northern Diver of autumn was spotted flying east, as were the 6 Whooper Swan that provided the next excitement.

Also on the sea were 9 Red-throated Diver, a Guillemot, 7 Great-crested Grebe and 3 Scaup that flew in and landed  off the North End.

Shelduck numbered 40 and 178 Brent Geese were around the islands. Over the tide 6,500 Oystercatcher roosted on Middle, other waders included 1,700 Knot, 1.330 Dunlin, 80 Curlew and 5 Purple Sandpiper.

There were only a small number of passerine migrants with singles of Linnet and Reed Bunting, 19 Starling, and 2 Blackbird. Five Skylark went over, also 2 Chaffinch and 4 Goldfinch.