Short Eared Owls at Speke

I ventured down to the Speke/Garston Coastal Reserve this afternoon with the intention of playing with my new scope (boys and their toys!), there was plenty of waders to see on the shore; with over 2000 Dunlin dominating, with smaller numbers of Curlew (45), Redshank (175), Ringed Plover (2), Lapwing (67), and single Grey Plover and Oystercatcher, apart from waders 65 Teal, 5 Cormorant, and a Peregrine filled the bill. This amount of bird life on the shore was pretty impressive considering the presence of two tractors on the shore working on the sailing club slipway! On the reserve itself there was not a great deal showing (it was getting close to dusk by then) but Reed Bunting, 2 Skylark, 2 Bullfinch, 2 Grey Partridge, 2 Pheasant, and 2 Kestrels (quite rare now in the south of the city) where still out and about.

As I prepared to leave I was surprised to notice a Short Eared Owl hunting the East side of the reserve and the Speke Hall land, I watched it for around five minutes as it quartered the area and worked the many ditches looking for rodents, it then drifted further into the international business park, I followed and found a second bird in the area; together with another Kestrel and a calling Tawny Owl it rounded the afternoon off nicely.

I visited Childwall Woods with Dylan on Saturday for the Wildlife Explorers Big Garden Birdwatch event, he managed to see 5 Nuthatches, 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers, Treecreeper, and a Fox.

On Thursday 2 Cormorants were fishing Greenbank Park lake at 8:40 am but when I returned half-hour later they had departed, but 2 Ring Necked Parakeets there.

Purple Haze

I took a wander down to the Speke/Garson coastal reserve yesterday late morning with the family. I have said it before but I will say it again; this really is a great site and well worth a visit. There was a good number of passerines on the reserve including 2 reeling Grasshopper Warblers, 7 Sedge Warblers, Blackcap, 2 Chiff Chaffs, 22+ Whitethroats, Swallow, complete with loads of singing Linnets, Skylarks, and Reed Buntings. Other highlights included a Buzzard, 3 Grey Partridges, 3 Pheasants, and a Raven which flew in from across the river and was mobbed by another local Raven. The shore was pretty quiet due to an incredibly low tide, yet small flock of Dunlins, Ringed Plovers, Curlews, and Sheldrakes aggressively pursuing the females with impressive aerial maneuvering! Holly Blue, Small Tortershells, and Peacocks also on the reserve. The best sighting was of a Little Ringed Plover that flew in low over the reserve from the shore, gained height and flew north over the city.

In Speke Hall the main attraction was the superb display of Bluebells in the woodlands behind the moat, it really is amazing to see something as spectacular as this in an urban area..........a real purple haze. 2 Buzzards, Raven, Garden Warbler, Chiff Chaffs, Blackcaps, Whitethroats, Treecreper, Goldrcrests, Nuthatch, Great Spotted Woodpeckers, House Martin, Swallows, Holly Blue, Brimstone, and Cowslips all put in a display around the hall, gardens or moat areas. But the best of all was a calling Green Woodpecker briefly heard from the gardens coming from the vicinity of the moat area woodland. See recent posts as this bird or another was recently sighted on the coastal reserve

Speke/Garston Coastal Reserve - Its Not All Quad Bikes and Pit-Bulls

Took a visit to Speke/Garston Coastal Reserve this morning and found a few goodies in before the threat of dodging doting dads taking their loved ones on their first Quad Bike ride of the year and the threat of marauding Pit-Bulls became to great (as usual when birding in urban areas an early morning visit is preferable). On the shore near Garston Docks I found a flock of roosting Redshanks complete with 3 Spotted Redshanks, my first in the South Liverpool area, see the photo below - one on the far left, one on the far right, and one crammed in to the main flock.

Other birds on the shore included a flock of 60 Linnets which contained at least 3 Twite, these could easily be found feeding on the salt-marsh. Male Pochard, male Shoveler, 3 Grey Plover, 2 Ringed Plover, 7 Canada Geese, and a Raven.

On the reserve proper there was very little in the way of passerines, 13 Reed Bunting only, this is very unusual as at this time of year the site can usually boast Stonechats, large numbers of Skylarks, Mipits and Skylarks; maybe the cold snap has moved them on or finished them off! 13 Grey Partridge and a Weasel where a nice surprise however.

After the Coastal Reserve I headed into Speke Hall Estate, again only small numbers of passerines with hardly any Tits, Finches e.t.c. Nuthatch, Great Spotted Woodpecker, 3 Goldcrest amongst the highlights. Some nice fungi in the woods though with loads of Birch Polypore present amongst others, and a Blackthorn on the moat bearing the first leaves of the Spring, surely a bit early!

Cant believe it no Waxwings today!

Oh and dont let the Blog post title deter you, this really is a great site.

Noisy.......But well worth it!

Although at times the area can be rather loud due to its proximity to Liverpool Airport, Speke Hall Estate and Speke/Garston Coastal Reserve is a very good (and under watched) area. I visited this morning and found quite a few highlights, a female/juv Marsh Harrier was pursued low over the coastal reserve and the Airport by the local crows, Peregrine at Garston Docks, Sparrowhawk still feeding young, 2 Kestrels, 2 Common Buzzards plus a recently fledged young bird calling out to its parents on the Speke Hall Estate; proving breeding in the area, who would have thought ten years ago that Buzzards would be regular in parts of the city now?

Coastal highlights included a juv Little Stint, Greenshank, 5 Turnstones, 65 Ringed Plovers, 250 Dunlin. Passerines included plenty of all three hirundines passing through, Tree Pipit and 2 Yellow Wagtails over, Chiff chaffs mixed in with mixed Tit flocks, and a flock of 250 Goldfinches!

Other highlights included plenty of Southern Hawkers, Common Darters and Brown Hawkers. I tried my hand at photographing Southern Hawkers in flight - harder than it sounds, managed to get some ok shots.


Things are certainly moving through now, AUTUMN HAS ARRIVED!