2nd July 2017

Weather:  N.W 3  decreasing to 2 later vis 25 mls

Thirty two Linnets were counted today but it is still quiet on the island apart from breeding birds, although the female Kestrel was present.

A single Grey Plover was heard calling and 80 returning Curlew were at the edge of the tide south of little eye. The only other birds of note were 50 Sandwich Terns around the islands and 5 Little Egret.

Of other interest was the finding of a web ‘tent’ in the obs garden with a spider nearby, this was a Nursery Web Spider (Pisaura mirabilis) complete with nursery.

Lady’s Bedstraw (Galium verum) is doing very well this year and is spreading around the main island.

Photos by AS

1st July 2017

Weather:  NNW 2, 1/8 cloud, warm day

Return migration of waders was much in evidence today with 6 Whimbrel, 25 Curlew, 120 Knot and the highlight a single Common Sandpiper.

Black-headed Gull numbers reached 1,050 already but tern numbers are building slowly with 160 Sandwich and 30 Conmon noted.

Photo by AEH

26th June 2017

Weather: NW force 1,
A visit on a calm morning found 3 Eiders distantly on the north shore tide edge.

Three juvenile Pied Wagtails were presumably those that bred on the island.

A Kestrel sat on the newton trap and when disturbed flew off north in company with 2 others, probably family members.

A Kittiwake was in the grass next to the main path and was reluctant to fly and may not have been well although it had disappeared an hour later.

During the high tide 78 Gannets were logged, including 28 that floated out with the tide on the swash, also 50 Common Terns were noted but only 8 Sandwich Terns. Very few waders today, the best being 4 Curlews, 3 of which were not seen until after the tide.
Ringed; 2 juv Linnets, 2 juv Wrens       [ 397-32 ]    photos CJ

24th June 2017

Weather: WNW force 5, vis 30 miles
A pre-tide visit this morning saw 41 Gannets off to the north as the tide approached, also 41 Common Terns.

A Little Egret, 5 Grey Plover (below) and 4 Curlew were on the shore.

Six hundred Grey Seals were hauled out on the west hoyle sands at low tide.

A very large species of Woodlice known colloquially as 'jaspers' by members are frequently seen.

About 1,000 Herring Gulls were on the log today

The orchids are still in full bloom

photos AEH

23rd June 2017

Weather:  West 3 increasing later vis 5mls with light rain early on.

 

With so few birds on the islands today, a sea watch was in order and produced a couple of Great Crested Grebe and 2 Guillemot. Most of the 18 Gannet were feeding out by the wind farms but a couple ventured nearer to the North End, five Manx Shearwater were seen entering the mouth of the estuary and a group of 18 Common Scoter  went West.

As the tide ebbed 7 Little Terns were noted. Also seen off the North End were 5 Swifts.

A family group of Wrens were around the Heli trap area, two adults and two juveniles were seen but from the noise it is guessed that more juveniles were present.

Tufted Vetch (Vicia cracca)

22nd June 2017

NW 2, rain earlier 

A brief lunchtime visit produced the first Mediterranean Gull of the summer for the islands.  A small adult summer was picked up with Black-headed Gulls and Sandwich Terns moving along and dropping down on the North shore of the East Hoyle bank.

Having been watched for a short time in the company of a couple of Black-headed Gulls which seemed intent on giving the Med a hard time.  It decided to make its own way down the gutter past the Obs and between the islands over the North End of Middle off to the west (see photos above and below).

Elsewhere a single Little Egret fed in the gutter and the first Whimbrel for three weeks was heard (which way is it heading - north or south?)

To end an extremely pleasant brief afternoon visit three spikes of Common Spotted Orchid were found in one of the gardens; a single having been found in June 2014 (the first ever on the islands), two in 2015 but none seen last year - today's three spikes were therefore a welcome surprise.

The Grey Seal haul-out on the West Hoyle sandbank was very impressive with 769 seals counted (part of the haul-out shown below).

Colour-ringed Ringed Plover

Hilbre Islands LNR Ranger Matt Thomas spotted a colour ringed and leg-flagged Ringed Plover between the islands as he left the island on 13th June 2017.

It turns out it was colour-ringed by Chris McGuigan last year as part of only six birds (three breeding pairs) at a Dundee supermarket car park.  This bird, a female '108', was paired to male '101'.  She was ringed ringed on 17 June 2016 and last seen on 11 July 2016.

At least four have returned this year (including 101). A couple were seen to over-winter on the Tay estuary so it was assumed that these birds did not move far. So the Hilbre sighting is a somewhat surprising and interesting development.

Thanks to Matt Thomas and Chris McGuigan for the info. Photo by @mattthomas966 taken at Hilbre on 13 June 2017.

20th June 2017

WNW 2 vis 8mls

A typical very quiet June day. The Kestrel is still around the main island and 14 Shelduck were present.

The only wader of note was a nice Grey Plover before the early tide and 60 Black-headed Gulls were in the Gutter.

A dozen Sandwich Terns were feeding close in to the East side over the tide.

The breeding birds noted included 2 singing Wrens.