19th September 2013

Another slow start to the sea watching improved markedly after the high tide as the wind turned back to the west and picked up (sea watchers using the Obs garden as well as the North End slipway).

20 Leach's Petrels were counted and a single Bonxie was watched coming in from Hoylake; from where Obs members were alerted of its impending arrival thanks to AMC (www.lighthousebirding.blogspot.com).

The only other skuas were two Arctics which was an improvement on the previous couple of days.

Tern numbers remained good with 73 Sandwich and 10 Common recorded but only 3 Kittiwakes in which what is turning out to be a poor autumn for the species at Hilbre probably reflecting a very poor breeding season elsewhere.

A single Purple Sandpiper appeared at the North End (see below) and 4 pale-bellied Brent were present.

After the tide Mediterranean Gulls were present on the shore between Little Eye and WKML as well as at WKML.

(DB, RAE, AEH, KMc & Woolston Team, AO, CCS, CJW & PLN) photos by AEH (seawatchers) & David Bowman (remainder)

18th September 2013

The wind was stronger than forecast as observers crossed to the islands this morning but hopes were not too high of a repeat performance from yesterday but a few lingering Leach's were expected.

Despite a slow start to the seawatch with only two Leach's Petrels seen before high tide and none at all for about three hours birds began to appear on the ebb and the final count (by 630pm) was 28 Leach's Petrels, 32 Manx Shearwaters, 9 Red-throated Divers, 28 Gannet, 5 Fulmar and two distant Skua Spp.  The highlight, apart from the petrels, was a Slavonian Grebe found by a visiting birder (DG) off the North End unfortunately it drifted west rapidly and disappeared around towards the Whaleback but not before a very poor record shot (iPhone scoped and heavily cropped) was obtained (see below).

Three Brent Geese were on Little Eye again and waders were much in evidence including 46 Bar-tailed Godwits, 150 Curlew and 3 Black-tailed Godwit noted.

As the day wore on the Leach's came closer to the North End with birds following the surf line on the edge of the East Hoyle sandbank and occasionally resting on the sand.

[DB, SRW + visitors JB, JC, DG & PO] Photos SRW (Slav) and PSW (Leach's from yesterday)

17th September 2013

Another great day's sea watching - highlights included a Long-tailed Skua (iPhone scoped below and short iPhone video at http://youtu.be/W14GMi2rSJY or in slow motion at http://youtu.be/cRzL1dh_9LQ), 109 Leach's Petrels, Bonxie (the only other skua!) and 189 Manxies. 

Many of the Manxies (see below and short video at http://youtu.be/2EArWbntG6w) and Leach's came close to the North End and other species noted included a single Fulmar, 5 Kittiwake, 79 Sandwich and 6 Common Terns, 3 Guillemots and 5 Razorbills and 12 Gannets.

After the tide three Pale-bellied Brent Geese were found by Little Eye and good numbers of waders were seen including 84 Grey Plover, 16 Bar-tailed Godwit and 180 Sanderling.

[AEH, KMc, AW, PSW, SRW + Scott R, Liam L & Greg R] Photos SRW (Long-tailed top 2) & SRR (remainder)

16th September 2013

With the wind strengthening during Sunday and backing west overnight hopes were high that today would produce a reasonable seawatch and, after a slow start, Obs members and friends were not disappointed.

The highlights were the two juvenile Long-tailed Skuas (a dark intermediate and a pale bird) - the first of which came in from the East Hoyle tip and went down the east side before crossing the island behind the hide and heading off to the Point of Ayr; see photos below and short video on You Tube - http://youtu.be/JwJV_eIlGBI

26 Leach's Petrels past the North End during the day (in 8.5 hours) but mainly after the high tide; see below and short video at http://youtu.be/i9U6tezhJVA

The only other skuas were a single distant Arctic (and a distant Skua Spp) plus a Bonxie.

46 Manx Shearwaters were counted heading westwards during the day and good numbers of Sandwich and Common Terns were seen along with smaller numbers of Gannets and a solitary Kittiwake.

Observers in the hide were alerted late morning by mobile phone from Hoylake to two first winter Little Gulls being buffetted along the East Hoyle bank as they headed further up the estuary out of sight from the hide.  Later a juvenile Black Tern was seen first along the gutter on the ebbing tide then off the North End on a couple of occasions mid afternoon.

Other species noted during the seawatch included a single Peregrine and a Golden Plover.

With the wind still strong overnight hopes are high of a repeat tomorrow but perhaps with more petrels.

[DB, PSW, SRW + SR +1, RS & MT] photos by Scott Reid

Norwegian Black-headed Gull returns

The colour ringed Black-headed Gull seen distantly on the shore on Thursday was found on the pontoon at WKML on Friday evening (13th) and photographed (see below).  This bird J1CR was originally ringed at Breiavatnet, Stavanger, NORWAY, on 12th July 2012 before being seen at WKML by WBC Ranger Matt Thomas on 10th October 2012 (see blog on 12th October 2012).  It was then reported by several people (including Obs members DB, CS et al) during the Winter 2012-13 around West Kirby including at WKML and Ashton Park lake until 25th February 2013.

It was then seen back in Norway between 8th April and 5th August 2013 before being seen on the shore between WKML and Little Eye on 12th September 2013; presumably it will stay around the West Kirby area for the winter again before heading back to Norway next Spring.

Gulls, terns and colour ringing

Confirmation from the Belgium and Netherlands Mediterranean Gull colour ringing scheme that the juvenile/first winter photographed at West Kirby Marine Lake (WKML) on 6th September 2013 (see below) was ringed at Valdemarslot Slotso, Fyn, in DENMARK, on 16th June 2013 as a pullus.

It was then seen at Uttoxeter Quarry, Staffordshire, UK on 27th July 2013 before being found at WKML on 6th and still there on 10th.

Two adult Med Gulls were photographed at WKML on 31st August 2013 (see blog for 1st Sep) with one adult still present yesterday on the beach between WKML and Little Eye along with a confusing second winter (sub-adult?) bird with very little black on the primaries but a pale bill on the pontoons (see below) this latter bird still present this morning on the Lake itself (see flight shot below); there have therefore been at least four Meds in the area since 31st August.

An adult Yellow-legged Gull was photographed in "the usual place" west of Little Eye between there and "the ridge" on 11th September 2013 (see below).  There have been at least three Yellow-legged Gulls at Hoylake beach (see www.lighthousebirding.blogspot.com).

We are waiting for news on the color ringed Black-headed Gull (possibly from Poland) first seen on 6th September and photographed at WKML on 11th.  Another different color-ringed bird was present on the beach yesterday (12th) but like several color-ringed Sandwich Terns (see below) the lettering could not be made out but we will make enquiries anyway to see if their ringing location can be identified from the colour and sequence of the rings. We have had Sandwich Tern sightings/recoveries before from both North East Scotland and Dublin, Ireland, so it will be interesting to see if we can add to this knowledge.

12th September 2013

Weather:- Overnight rain or drizzle, clearing to sunny spells and light north westerly breeze force 2
A quiet day came to life at noon when a small grebe was seen on the sea to the north east of the island.Viewing was distant as it was low tide and it was watched from the obs balcony at the other end of the island, however it was clearly very much smaller than nearby Cormorants and was definitely a Grebe. As the bird stretched its wings there was no sign of a white patch caused by the colour of the secondaries and therefore it is assumed to be a Little Grebe. Little Grebe is a real 'mega' in Hilbre terms and is rarer than both Black-necked and Slavonian Grebe. Interesting that a Little Grebe was seen in flight over the sea from Hoylake last month (JET), almost certainly the same bird. More conventional seabirds included 2 Arctic Skuas doing their thing out towards the wind farms. Earlier excitement was caused by the arrival in off the sea on to the north end of the first Purple Sandpiper of the autumn, it will not necessarily stay to winter and may pass on elsewhere although others will arrive later. Other signs of autumn today were 2 Wigeon flying in from the north west, a Grey Wagtail over the shore and 2 Skylarks calling over the obs building. The remaining migrants this morning were limited to a dozen or so Swallows, a similar number of Meadow Pipits, a small passage of Robins and a Chiffchaff that arrived during the morning. About 25 Bar-tailed Godwits are now feeding to the east of the island and 3 Little Egrets were in the pools between the islands for a while.
Ringed:- 3 Robins, 1 Chiffchaff     [ 558-31 ]
(DB,AEH,CJ,KMc+SD)

Black Tern Update

No sign of the "Black Tern" all day yesterday but it reappeared this morning and flew past the North End and was only observed through bins but was showing a white rump... Hopefully more news to follow.