Odds and Sods

I spent last Friday at Leasowe Castle at a friends wedding (I was the best man!), before the booze took hold I managed to see a Whitethroat, Northern Weatear, and a Peregrine. On the Saturday we decided to go for a meal at Sheldrakes (Heswall shore) I managed 7 Little Egrets, Chiff Chaff, and ring-tail Hen Harrier, without the use of binoculars.......not bad.

Migration time

Migration is well and truly underway again, I had a quick look around a few sites today, all of which held newly arrived birds. The Riverside Drive area of Otterspool held a singing Willow Warbler, 5 Chiff Chaffs, 5 Mipits, and a male Sparrowhawk (complete with its prey). The shore adjacent to this site held small numbers of Redshanks and Curlews, with a female Merganser flying downriver being the highlight. The Japanese Garden in the Garden Festival compound, currently being refurbished looks amazing (a least when peering through the fence); I cant wait to have a look around, but its still a shame that this could only happen as part of a building contractual agreement! St. Michael's In The Hamlet wood held Blackcap and Chiff Chaff, and flowering Lesser Celandine accompanied by tonnes of (soon to be flowering) Ramsons (wild Garlic). The surprise of the day was yet another male Lesser Spotted Woodpecker calling along the Western flank of Sefton Park lake (near the Cedar of Lebanon) although by the time I got around the lake to it, it had shut up! This was around 11am, but again I heard it as I was coming back through the park at 12:30 pm; further North along the lake near to the tunnels. Although I have had Lesser Spots in the area during the early Spring before (annually), this year has been especially good, and it seems that their are indeed at least two male birds in the Sefton Park/Greenbank areas, yet a large part of the geographical area is in private land and these birds are mostly overlooked it seems. A Common Buzzard drifted high East and seemed to be migrating rather than a local bird, also:- 5 Cormorants, 2 Little Grebes, nesting Mute Swans, 5 Coot nests, 6 Nuthatches, 3 Greater Spotted Woodpeckers, 2 Grey Wagtails, and large numbers of Mipits overhead. Lesser Celandine, 2 Grey Wagtails, Cormorant, 2 Nuthatch, and a Great Spotted Woodpecker in Greenbank Park too.

Waxwings again

I was surprised to find 19 Waxwings today at 4:20pm perched on TV Ariels in Lidderdale Road, off Smithdown Road; this is a really strange place to find them and I have no idea where they must be feeding (treeless terraced streets) unless they where just passing through. I will have a search tomorrow, fingers crossed. Cant believe I am still tripping over these things, I have never known a winter like it for them! Lots of Mipits and Wagtails moving over Liverpool University today and Colts Foot in flower on Brownlow Hill/Metropolitan Cathedral.

Chiff Chaff must be Spring

Had my first Chiff Chaff of the Spring today; a singing male In the northern end of Greenbank Park, also there a calling male Lesser Spotted Woodpecker again, this was in the adjacent large wooded gardens. A Nuthatch, Great Spotted Woodpecker, 15 Redwings, female Sparrowhawk, Grey and Pied Wagatails in the park also. On a sad note, the Cormorant pictured on the previous post was seen freshly dead on one of the rafts, hopefully not but possibly the work of the local anglers. Spring has definitely sprung with all the daffodils in full swing, Coots nesting, Swans courting, and Greenfinches in their lovely song flights.........its only going to get better! Mistletoe in the Lime Tree above the Penny Lane sign on the corner of Penny Lane/Greenbank Road, this is a really rare sight in the city now and it would be interesting to hear of any others around. Sparrowhawk over the Liverpool Womens Hospital today also.

Its been a while!

I have been really snowed under lately, as the lack of posts show! I managed to briefly catch up with the Waxwings (55 in total) on Aigburth Road at 9:00 AM today, as they where perched up amongst the canopy and soon took flight and headed NE towards Allerton. I had a scout around, Sudley, Brodie Avenue, Rose Lane etc........ but no sign. These birds have been present since the beginning of February and I have tried to catch up with them on a couple of occasions, with no success; so finally finding them this morning was rewarding. 2 Cormorants on Greenbank Park lake was unusual also, along with Nuthach, nesting Coot, the pair of Mute Swans (male constantly tyring to drive off the Geese). I have seen a pair of Peregrines over the last couple of weeks in the Hope Street area, and a pair of Mistle Thrushes nesting in the UoL Campus. 6 Waxwings South over Hoole Road, Chester last Sunday morning at 11:15 AM.

Waxwing 12

I was working in Bootle on Sunday morning from about 5:30 am, by about 7.00 am a flock of around 25 Waxwings flew out of their roost in the tall Leylandii trees at the back of the large car park opposite Merton House, Stanley Road, and flew off low North. This may well have been a regular roosting site for them as they have been in the area in varying numbers since December. Also 10 Cormorants over.

85 Redwings on Wavertree Mystery yesterday.

Odds and Sods

It has been relatively quiet due to work/Uni/Family commitments! Yet I managed to see a few goodies in between; last Sunday I had a flock of about 10 Waxwings over Stanley Road, Bootle which seemed to go down behind the magistrates court, Grey Heron and a hunting Peregrine there too. On Monday a Sparrowhawk displayed over UoL at Brownlow Hill. The yellow ringed female Pintail is still at Greenbank Park along with calling Nuthatches, Great Spotted Woodpeckers, pair of Mute Swans, and a Grey Wagtail. On Thursday afternoon a female Peregrine was around the Metropolitan Cathedral, and a singing Blackcap on Mossley Hill Drive, Sefton Park, along with singing Song Thrush, Robin, Dunnock, Nuthatch, and Redwing; Spring is nearly Sprung!

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.

Waxwings on the march

I was lucky enough to spot 17 Waxwings over the City Centre today at 12:15 whilst I was on the TUC organised anti-government funding cuts march and rally! The birds flew over St Georges Hall, presumably from the area in Scotland Road they have been frequenting, they then circled over Lime Street/Copperas Hill area for a couple of minutes before heading South towards Toxteth, a strange sight indeed over the City! A Peregrine over the city too, as one was yesterday over University of Liverpool.

Waxwing 10

I caught up with the Waxwings on the junction of Scotland Road and Leeds Street again today, this particular flock of birds are very approachable as they feed away on the Cotoneaster berries, in total there where 37 birds this morning and early afternoon, but they are prone to flying off and disappearing for a good while.....be warned! Also there 2 Blackcaps, several Redwings and apparently a pair of Sparrowhawks have been displaying overhead over the last couple of days.

Bumped into another local birder who informed me of a male Goosander and 2 Mergansers on Princes Dock and a local pair of Peregrines in courtship lately.

Oh and to top it off I was interviewed for the Daily Post concerning the Waxwings, they are even getting into the local press!

Odds and Sods

Had a Raven East over Smithdown Road this morning and a pair of Peregrines hunting over St Helens town centre this afternoon.

Waxwings on the move!

I started the day well yesterday, as me and Mike "the cockney" Brown where sticking to a tight schedule we managed to tick the Waxwing flock on the junction of Scotland Road and Leeds Street in the city centre, without stopping the car! A sacrilege for sure! Maybe I will catch up with them during the next few days, I wonder if they where the birds I saw over the University of Liverpool during December?
We then had a quick look for the flock in Norris Green, but couldn't repeat the drive by pattern! Mike had 70 birds there on Townsend Avenue the day before. The birds I reported in Bootle during December are still around in that area too, there is plenty to go around!

We traveled up to Preston Docks to catch up with the long staying Iceland Gull, a rarity nowadays away from areas like Moore and its adjacent tip, the bird duly obliged and could also potentially had been ticked from the car! How is it that so many decent birds over the years have been found near Macdonalds? Does this point to a higher than average rate of obesity within the birdwatching community?

We made are way up to Fairhaven Lake, Lytham St Annes,to see the Red Necked Grebe. The bird was in its usual area in the East corner of the lake and showed really well. Also on the salt marsh adjacent to the lake; a flock of 70 Twite (according to the RSPB visitors centre there has been 300 reported).

Our next stop was Lytham Crematorium for the resident Ring-Necked Parakeets, we easily found 4 of the birds, due to their ear splitting calls! 4 pairs of these great birds bred here last year, and with one of the 4 birds present yesterday a 1st winter bird; they seem to be doing well, especially if they can handle the last couple of winters, good luck to them I say. One of the male birds was actively displaying and calling, and according to a couple of local birders; they are already carrying nesting material! Now if these critters think spring is on the way, it really must be!

When leaving the Crem at the bottom of the access road where it meets the main road, we had a flock of at least 12 Waxwings fly past us, I have never known a winter like it for this species, its hard not to see them at the moment!

One last look at the Iceland Gull on the way back rounded the day off nicely.

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

Two in Two Out

The 2 adult Mute Swans have now returned to Greenbank (Saturday), the adult birds have now kicked out the 2 imm Birds from last years brood, and the male bird has started pursuing all the geese on the lake, it wont be long before there all gone and the Swans start nest building, again signs of Spring creeping in!


Again on Saturday a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker was calling from the tree canopy on the SW end of the lake, before flying into the University halls land on Greenbank Lane.


A breeding plumaged male Heron has been regularly seen around the lake lately and today I found it today struggling to swallow a long dead fish, and I mean long dead, see the photo, urgggh! Treecreeper and Nuthatch in the park also.