Southport & RSPB Marshside - 25 November

I had always wanted to visit RSPB Marshside which is a few miles up the Sefton Coast from Ainsdale near Birkdale. It also provided a good opportunity to try to see some of the winter birds of the saltmarsh at Southport which is where I started the day having arrived just after 9.00 a.m. The temperature was just above zero with clear blue skies so perfect for birdwatching. Within about 30 minutes I located the flock of 5 Snow Buntings which had been reported recently, including 1 male. They were very approachable and could be observed down to 10m. I then walked up the coast to RSPB Marshside, flocks of Pink-footed Geese constantly flying overhead with some settling close by the road on the saltmarsh. At Marshside there were excellent close views of Wigeon, Pintail and Shoveler together with Curlew. Finally I walked back to where I started the day, near Southport Pier, and found the flock of 50-60 Twite. They mostly spent the time ca. 100m out on the saltmarsh but on one occasion came closer on to the shingle, albeit briefly, to allow some photos.

male Snow Bunting

female Snow Bunting

male Snow Bunting

male Snow Bunting

male Snow Bunting

Pink-footed Geese

Pink-footed Geese

Pink-footed Geese

male Pintail

male Shoveler

male & female Wigeon

flock of Twite

flock of Twite

Frodsham & Ince Marshes - 21st November

After last week's successful first trip to Frodsham Marsh I thought I would revisit to see what else I could find. Again the weather was good with clear skies. This time I started by walking around No.6 tank where there were large numbers of Black-tailed Godwit feeding in amongst the Teal and Wigeon. Overhead Pink-footed Geese and Lapwings constantly moved around in flocks. Back down to Lordship Lane I found the flock of 17 Whooper Swans standing in the field and at one point they took off and did a fly around. Other birds of interest were a male Stonechat and some Redwings and Fieldfares in the bushes. Moving on to Ince Marshes proved successful this time with 2 Cattle Egrets in amongst the Little Egrets feeding with the impressively sized pigs.

Whooper Swans

Whooper Swan

Whooper Swans

Whooper Swans

Black-tailed Godwits

Pink-footed Geese

Cattle Egret & Little Egret

Cattle Egret

Cattle Egret

Cattle Egret

Frodsham Marsh - 14th November

I found an excellent website for Frodsham Marsh (www.frodshammarshbirdblog.wordpress.com) which is a large area of mixed marsh and farmland in Cheshire ca. 40 minutes drive from Manchester. On the northern coastal side it represents the point where the Manchester Ship Canal begins its journey towards Manchester. The list of birds seen throughout the year is very impressive and so I thought I would try it out on a bright but cold sunny day. 

I arrived just after 9.00 a.m. and walked along Lordship Lane where I soon found a mixed flock of Chaffinch, Pied Wagtail, Goldfinch and Reed Bunting with a very nice surprise of 2 Tree Sparrows - the first I have seen for several years. Further along there were plenty of Redwing zipping around and a few Raven flying overhead and landing in the trees. I also heard a Cetti's Warbler singing. At the end of Lordship Lane I found a few Curlew and a flock of Black-tailed Godwit which were quite mobile. By now the temperature had warmed up to 12oC and a fresh looking Red Admiral appeared in the sunshine. To end the day I drove on to Ince Marshes but unfortunately failed to find the Cattle Egrets, only Little Egrets being present among the pigs at the farm.

Tree Sparrow

Tree Sparrow

Tree Sparrows & Pied Wagtail

Goldfinch

male Reed Bunting

Black-tailed Godwits

Black-tailed Godwits

Red Admiral

River Mersey, Didsbury - 7th November

A fine cold day with a 10Km round trip walk down to the River Mersey and back. The highlight, apart from the autumnal colours, was a Little Grebe on the river.

Little Grebe

River Mersey

River Mersey

River Mersey