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

Turning up the Heat

It felt a little bit Tropical in Sefton Park today, what with Macaws, Parots, Kookabura, Coatis, Meercat, Snakes, Tarantulas, and Scorpions; but before you think im totaly barmy it was the RSPB organised event at the Palm House for the Big Garden Birdwatch. It has to be said that this event was a great success and a great way to introduce youngsters to birdwatching and wildlife watching in general. All credit to those involved in the organisation today.

At the Palm House good numbers of Coal Tits could be seen on the feeders along with Nuthatch, Redwings and a Rook.

On the main lake the female Mandarin was back from last winter, coupled with a female Pochard (very good local record), 6 Little Grebes could be seen around the island and are doing well in the park now, 14 Mute Swans, and an incredibly early nesting Coot. Later in the afternoon an imm Grey Heron under the big bridge and 3 Ring-Necked Parakeets could be seen on the feeders behind the Palm House and a sparrowhawk circling overhead.

Dylan getting to grips with a Meercat in the Palm House.

Cormorants in Sefton

I had a look for the Aigburth Road Waxwing flock yesterday morning (around 60 birds recently), however there was no sign of them, although the Cotoneasters they have been feeding on are clearly evident; with one tree being half stripped. I cant always get lucky with this species I suppose!
In Sefton Park an adult and a 1stw Cormorant were on the lake, at times striking the unmistakable 'wings out' pose, much to the delight of passers by. The female Mandarin was still present, and the 4 Little Grebes; clearly displaying and one bird starting to nest build. Coots are well on the way with their nests as are the pair of Mute Swans (female already sitting on the nest). Other birds included a further 13 Mute Swans, 30+ Siskins, Nuthatch, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Grey Heron, hybrid Goose and the female Pintail back in Greenbank Park.

A pair of Peregrines over Liverpool University yesterday too, with 13 Fieldfares on Long Lane playing fields, Wavertree on Monday.

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.

Goal Hanger

I was surprised yesterday to find a Common Buzzard on the football pitches next to Jericho Lane, Otterspool. The bird first flew down from the woods and landed on the pitches (in the process scattering all of the gulls) and then flew closer to Jericho Lane, landing on a goal, where it perched up for at least 20 minutes, they really are getting closer and closer to the city centre now.

There was nothing much on the shore as it was high tide, yet a flock of around 75 Redwings on the football pitches and Great Spotted Woodpecker and Nuthatch in the woods.

On Sefton Park lake the 4 Little Grebes are still present, along with 4 Tufted Ducks, the GreylagxCanada Goose, and 17 Mute Swans including the 2 imm birds from Greenbank and 2 adult birds already paired up around the island (I wonder if one of these is the male who's mate was killed by a dog last summer). Nuthach, Redwings and Great Spotted Woodpecker in the park too.

Grey Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, Treecreeper, Nuthatch, Heron, 2 ad Mute Swans and the usual Farm Goose in Greenbank Park

Another Purple Hairstreak

Visited Sefton Park later in the afternoon on Sunday and was surprised to find another Purple Hairstreak (my third for the day, see previous post) along with good numbers of Holly Blues. Apart from Butterflies Buzzard, Red-Eared Terrapin, Migrant Hawkers, all three hirundines and a Swift.

Later on at dusk in the woodland around Sefton Park Cricket Club I found a family group of Foxes out foraging (three young and the vixen), after spotting me the vixen then began to bark (or shriek) at me for at least a couple of minutes before I moved off! A distant calling Tawny Owl and Brown Long-Eared Bats where around the cricket ground also.

Sefton Park

Had a stroll around Sefton Park with the family in tow this afternoon, the park was packed, the weather was hot and sunny; so I didnt expect to see much, hence I didnt bring the camera with me. However I had a few unusual sightings-

Male Little Grebe, calling on the main lake behind the island, there was no sign of any other birds there and is a very intriging local record.
A Green Woodpecker flew low over me above the eastern shore of the lake and landed in trees further on, again this is a very unusual record, I have had regular (albeit in small numbers) early-spring records of Lesser Spots around Sefton Park/Greenbank areas over the last few years and I have suspected them of being resident in small numbers, but this is my first record of Green Woodpeckers in the South-end for five years.
Another unusual record today consisted of a male Black-Tailed Skimmer at the south-end of the main lake. Other insect records included Emperor Dragonfly and Common Blue Damselflys.
The family of Mute Swans, minus the female bird are still doing very well. JUV Grey Wagtail and JUV Pied Wagtail, and flowering Meadow Sweet in the park also.

Good news from Sefton Park

Below is a report from Liverpool Daily Post concerning the family of Mute Swans in Sefton Park.

Swan savaged by dog in Liverpool's Sefton Park
May 27 2010 By Laura Jones

THE dog owner involved in the attack on the swan last night has voluntarily contacted police.
She arrived at a south Liverpool station today to be interviewed under caution, although she has not been arrested.
A police spokesperson said: "Arrangements will be made for a police dog handler to visit the woman's home and examine the dog in question, however there is nothing to suggest at this stage that it is a banned breed."

A MUM plunged into a lake in a south Liverpool park in a bid to rescue a swan savaged by a dog. Kit Friery waded through the water as the swan lay dying in Sefton Park lake - the victim of a vicious attack by a bull terrier-type dog. Kit, who was walking in the park with her 10-year-old daughter Rachael, at first waited for the RSPCA to arrive. But after two hours she decided to take matters into her own hands. Despite dragging the injured bird to the safety it later died. It is thought the dog mauled the swan at about 7.30pm - although police officers did not arrive until 9.40pm.
A 31-year-old man who was in the park with his wife said: "We were walking round Sefton Park lake and saw there were two swans on the other side of the lake with five or six cygnets. "There was a pitbull-style dog that went towards the swans and started barking. "Its owner was in her late 20s. She pulled the dog away, but carried on walking towards the swans. The dog overpowered her and went for the swans and dug its teeth into one of the adult swans. "It had hold of it for 20 or 30 seconds. People went towards it. Somebody managed to grab the swan and rip it out of the dog’s jaws and got it into the lake. It was harrowing to watch. The swan was really badly injured. "I think it's another example of this type of dog being uncontrollable - just imagine it going for an infant or a baby. "There really should be a designated area of the park for people letting their dogs run loose. It shouldn't be anywhere near Sefton Park. "It was a dark brown or black pitbull or Staffordshire terrier dog."
Merseyside police today appealed for the owner of the Staffordshire terrier type dog, or any witnesses to the incident, to come forward.
Anyone with information should call neighbourhood police on 0151 777 5354.

The Swan killed in this shocking incident was the female of the pair, there was a fear that the male bird would abandon his six cygnets; however when I visited this afternoon he was still there and all six cygnets are healthy and growing rapidly........fingers crossed.

Also in the park I saw Great Spotted Woodpecker, Nuthatch, Blackcap, Treecreeper, Carp, 2 Siskins, and Meadow Sweet (on the footpath in-between Liverpool University and Liverpool College gronds).