Harriers and Hogs

Hedgehog, Cottam, 28/9/13

Great Crested Newt, Cottam, 28/9/13

I have been really busy of late as I have been carrying out ecological survey work day and night! Over the last couple of weeks this has led me throughout the North-West, Midlands, and North-Wales. I have spent a great deal of time at a Great-Crested Newt site at Over-Peover near Knutsford, apart from the Great-Crested Newts we have found Common Buzzard, Barn Owl, Tawny Owl, a regular pair of Raven, 5 Nuthatch, and singing Chiff Chaffs. A Bat survey in Telford resulted in Common Pipistrelles, and Brown Long Eared and being startled by a Badger as it made its way across a field of corn at night, and a Great Crested Newt survey near Preston on Saturday came up trumps with a Hedgehog rescued from a Newt pitfall trap! Also on this site I found two female Great Crested Newts, 47 Smooth Newt, and a Brown Hawker Dragonfly.
 



juvenile Little Grebe, Sefton Park, 27/9/13

More locally Little Grebes are showing well on Sefton Park Lake, with one adult bird feeding a striped plumaged juvenile; this must prove that they have raised two broods in the park this year, with two ages of juvenile on show on the lake, other birds included 4 Grey Wagtails, Chiff Chaff, 15+ Swallows, and family of Nuthatches near to the café, the family of Mute Swans with four surviving young, and a female Tufted Duck. Nearby I had 4 Common Buzzards over Camp Hill on Saturday, continuing their colonisation of the suburbs, and 2 Ring Necked Parakeets, and 4 Mute Swans at Greenbank Park.


 

Little Grebes, Sefton Park, 27/9/13

I have been involved in a Pink Footed Goose survey on the mosslands over the last week, which has turned up some fantastic birds, from my situated vantage point to the East of Haskayne I have seen a pair of Marsh Harriers on each visit since last Monday looking towards Downholland Moss, female Merlin, female Peregrine, 2 Little Owls, and a juvenile female Sparrowhawk pursued and killed a Red Legged Partridge last Friday and continued to pluck the bird in full view for over an hour, other birds have included 3 different Kestrels, another Sparrowhawk, plenty of Common Buzzards, Wheatear, my first Redwing of the Autumn, 90+ Goldfinch, 45+ Linnet, 250+ Red Legged Partridge (with one covey this morning holding over 60 birds) and best of all an Osprey this morning which left its overnight roost in trees towards Plex Moss shortly after first light. Apart from these great sightings the Pink Footed Geese put on a great show as they left their roosts, with the majority of birds feeding just outside our survey area on Plex Moss which held 5000 birds this morning and smaller numbers of 650 near to my vantage point at Haskayne.


Little Grebe, Sefton Park, 27/9/13

Things are really starting to heat up in the North-West now with a Blyths Reed Warbler, Common Rosefinch, loads of Yellow Browed Warblers, Lesser Scaup, and Glossy Ibises seemingly everywhere and this is only today! A little road trip may be required.



Hedgehog, Cottam, 28/9/13



Odds and Sods

Apologies for the recent lack of posts but I have been under the weather with a bout of chicken pocks (very embarrassing at thirty years of age!), anyway see a summary of recent sightings below.

Saturday 3rd - Sefton Park - a Buzzard appeared above the island on the main lake, it slowly gained height and drifted off towards the east; being aggressively 'helped along' by a Peregrine. A flock of 50 Pink-Footed Geese headed high west; probably towards the Dee marshes where growing numbers now winter. A Great Spotted Woodpecker was drumming in the wooded area behind the lakeside main cave together with a singing male Nuthatch. On the lake ten Little Grebes could be seen, ten Mute Swans plus the resident pair in the higher lake. A Raven flew south over the main lake. Around the Palm House a Ring Necked Parakeet and large numbers of common Finch species, the dell held a further three Ring Necked Parakeets and singing Goldcrests and Coal Tits.

Sunday 4th - Hoylake/West Kirby - Starting the walk at Hoylake station we crossed the Golf Course where a Little Egret was on one of the pools and Common Frogs could be seen spawning in a ditch next to the footpath. At Gilroy Nature Reserve 19 Black Tailed Godwits, 3 Redshanks, 2 Lapwings, 11 Teals, 25 Greylag Geese, 50+ Goldfinches could be seen,  and a male Kestrel was hunting up at the top of Grange Hill. Down on the shore a distant flock of 160+ Pale Bellied Brent Geese could be seen, together with 200+ Shelduck and a fine adult Yellow Legged Gull and 3 Goldeneye on the Marine Lake. 

Monday 5th - Greenbank Drive Woodland - Had a walk through the woodland that is sandwiched between Greenbank Drive and the allotments, spring was certainly in the air with many species including Goldcrest, Treecreeper, Nuthatch, Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Song Thrush all in song. A Great Spotted Woodpecker was drumming away on its chosen tree and a Buzzard drifted over heading south-east. Primroses where in flower, as was Scilla and the leaves of Ramsons now carpet the floor ready and waiting to flower as the days lengthen. A vixen Fox rounded it off nicely.

Wednesday 7th - Golden Plover on the cricket pitch off Penny Lane, 3 Redwing, Buff Tailed Bumblebee, Mistletoe, and flowering Blackthorn on Penny Lane too.

Thursday  8th - Small Tortershell - Elmbank Road

Monday 12th - 2 Ring Necked Parakeets, 2 singing Nuthatches and a nesting pair of Coot - Greenbank Park, and a Buzzard perched in trees next to the gaelic football pitch.

Tuesday 13th - 4 Siskin north-east over the house

Wednesday 14th - 30+ Siskin and 10+ Meadow Pipits over Penny Lane. Calling Great Spotted Woodpecker in Greenbank Park where the pair of Mute Swans are rapidly driving the Canada Geese off for the summer.

Thursday 15th - 13 Redwing - Cricket Pitch off Penny Lane, drumming Great Spotted Woodpeckers at Penny Lane railway bridge and Greenbank Park, 5 Meadow Pipits north east over Greenbank Road

A Morning in Sefton

I had a really good morning in the local area today starting with 450 Pink-Footed Geese heading NW and 25+ Redwings in Wavertree Mystery. The Pink-Feet presumably migrating North from East Anglia.

Later in Greenbank Park the male Grey Heron was ever present, Redwings, 4 Nuthatches and a female Brambling, pair of Mute Swans, and the Farm Goose. With a further 2 Nuthatches on the University land.

At Sefton Park the 4 Little Grebes where still present along with a female Mandarin Duck, 5 Tufted Ducks, Grey Heron, hybrid Goose, 17 Mute Swans; with the resident pair trying in vain to drive the others off, 3 pairs of Coots nest building, Sparrowhawk, 3 Nuthatches, Great Spotted Woodpecker, 20+ Siskins, and a colour ringed Coot (yellow and white on the left and red on the right).

Although I did miss out on a Kingfisher that was seen by a local birder, earlier in the morning, oh well maybe next time!

This is the first Kingfisher I have heard of in the park since the works where completed, at one time they had become fairly regular during the winter months, hopefully they will become so again.

Later in the day I had another 160+ Pink-Footed Geese heading NW over the mystery and a Grey Wagtail over Greenbank Road. Pretty good local birding.