WWT Martin Mere 13th Feb 

An early Saturday start was required to meet Peter and Philip outside Martin Mere near Ormskirk on a bright and Frosty morning. Peter was visiting his brother so Philip had arranged with me to meet them at the Lancashire birding hot spot for a half day walk around. M Mere is great place to get up close to wildfowl and today was no exception. 

Peter's request was to see both Bewicks and Whooper Swans. Although one Bewick had been reported, this was going to be a hard task but I was confident of showing him the difference.in the birds.

Outside the reserve, Pink Footed Geese were feeding in the fields and once inside, more were seen feeding across the vast expense of wetlands. Whoopers were everywhere but I wanted to show them a roosting Tawny Owl, and soon they were viewing a very tired one in the ivy. Tree Sparrows were busily feeding in the tree tops and the feeders, whilst Goldcrest, Nuthatch and Treecreeper mingled with the Tit flocks.

In the distance Marsh Harrier and Buzzard flew over the vast numbers of Lapwing and Ruffs and a few Black Tailed Godwits as well. Four Snipe were sleeping at the waters edge and once the scope was on them, Peter was thrilled to get such good views of these beautiful birds. 

Now the task of showing them the difference between Whooper and Bewick Swans.  Now I have to admit I cheated on this trip by showing them a Bewicks from the wildfowl collection but that is why the WWT is so good. You can get great views of birds that you don't normally see and this really helps in improving identification skills. 

Whooper Swan

Bewicks Swan

                                                                 

As you can see from the head shots above, the Yellow on the bill of the Bewick is short and stubby  whilst on the Whooper it forms a triangle. The Bewick is also a smaller Swan and the   head shape is more rounded. Pintail, Shoveler and Pochard were the pick of the ducks on show. Lunchtime was fast approaching so a quick walk to our final hide visit gave us exceptional   views of a Barn Owl. A truly remarkable finish to the morning's birding.

Barn Owl

If you would like an introduction to Birdwatching by having a guided walk around Marbury Country Park, just give me on a call on 07731 658 125 or send me an e mail at JGILLY53@GMAIL.COM 

Start time arranged to suit you. The cost is £10 P/P.

 

If you would rather have a private day trip out around Cheshire, Wirral or North Wales,  Price for a full day for one person is £60.

Each additional guest is  £15 / person. 
Max 3 guests.

Children under 16 go free.

Why not treat a loved one to a gift voucher for a future day out.     

Contact: John Gilbody: e-mail: jgilly53@gmail.com 

Telephone  07731 658 125

North Wales 10th Feb 2016

A request from Reg and Alan to see Black Grouse gave me the opportunity to take them to the splendid beauty that are the Welsh Hills. An overcast day quickly developed into clear sunshine and we were soon enjoying  a wonderful Lek of twenty four birds.

Black Grouse

Viewing from the car at a safe distance with telescopes to keep disturbance to the minimum, hearing the faint bubbling calls of the males is one of the wonderful sounds of nature and we were not disappointed as they performed their exotic display.

We left them to carry on in peace and soon we were enjoying fabulous views of Peregrines, Buzzards and Ravens soaring in the cold bright sky. A female Black Grouse glided through the air far away in the distance then a Goshawk came into view, its massive chest standing out a mile, a real bonus.

On leaving the hills we enjoyed another Peregrine preening on a rock as we made our way down to the River Clywedog. Here we came across the normal Tit flocks, Nuthatch's and a lovely pair of Goosanders fishing. The river was high but not as high as our next venue at the meeting of the River Alyn and the Dee. Water was lapping at the top of the bund walls and bubbling out into the fields below through the bund.

Goosanders

Big flocks of Chaffinch did not reveal a Brambling but two Grey Wagtail fed on the accumulation of rubbish at the waters edge. Reg heard Tree Sparrow and we were soon onto them and a Yellowhammer stood out like a sore thumb in amongst them.

The day had quality rather than quantity in the species seen but we left for home content.



 

If you would like an introduction to Birdwatching by having a guided walk around Marbury Country Park, just give me on a call on 07731 658 125 or send me an e mail at JGILLY53@GMAIL.COM 

Start time arranged to suit you. The cost is £10 P/P.

 

If you would rather have a private day trip out around Cheshire, Wirral or North Wales,  Price for a full day for one person is £60.

Each additional guest is  £15 / person. 
Max 3 guests.

Children under 16 go free.

Why not treat a loved one to a gift voucher for a future day out.     

Contact: John Gilbody: e-mail: jgilly53@gmail.com 

Telephone  07731 658 125

Half day trip to a Warrington Nature Reserve.

Friday 5th February

A half day tour of a local nature reserve near Warrington was booked for today and whilst the weather was cloudy, no rain was forecast for the morning. Magpies and Crows greeted us in the car park and overhead hundreds of gulls swirled around in the air. The first hide overlooked a small lake which held lots of Gulls and we quickly starting scanning through them. 95% were Black Headed Gulls with the remaining few Herring and Lesser Black Backed Gulls, but alas no Mediterranean Gulls were found. Male and Female Goldeneye  fed with purpose whilst Little and Great Crested Grebe mingled with the Tufted Ducks. 

We had heard that a Bittern was in the reeds at the far end of the reserve so we set off with hope and anticipation. Great Spotted Woodpecker, Nuthatch and Long Tailed Tits kept us entertained on the way there. Once at the hide we settled for the long wait in the hope of a glimpse of the elusive brown bird.

Grey Heron were starting to congregate in the trees as their breeding season will soon commence.

Grey Herons

The call of the Kingfisher got our eyes moving and we were treated to some spectacular views of the bird as it perched in front of the hide.

Kingfisher

Pochard and Tufted Ducks gently paraded in front of us then the wait was justified as a Bittern came into view and flew in the distance above the reed bed. It was only for a few seconds but it's always a joy to see this rare reed dweller. A buzzard drifted over the reeds and we hoped it would spook the Bittern again but no luck, but the Kingfisher did come back to show its iridescent plumage to us again.

Bittern

 

The trip nearly over we ambled back to the car  stopping to scan the Gulls on the lakes and adding two Shoveler to the day's list. A quick stop off at the feeding station boosted the day's sightings and with two Great Spotted Woodpeckers jostling for the best peanuts we went home with a smile on our faces.

 

If you would like an introduction to Birdwatching by having a guided walk around Marbury Country Park, just give me on a call on 07731 658 125 or send me an e mail at JGILLY53@GMAIL.COM 

Start time arranged to suit you. The cost is £10 P/P.

 

If you would rather have a private day trip out around Cheshire, Wirral or North Wales,  Price for a full day for one person is £60.

Each additional guest is  £15 / person. 
Max 3 guests.

Children under 16 go free.

Why not treat a loved one to a gift voucher for a future day out.     

Contact: John Gilbody: e-mail: jgilly53@gmail.com 

Telephone  07731 658 125

North Wales Trip. Jan 20th

A beautiful day for bird watching in North Wales started with a 9 am pick up in Broughton near Chester.
Tony, Sue and Jon wanted to see something different rather than the birds down on the Chester meadows, so we set off for our first port of call at Abergele. A bitter wind greeted us and a search out to sea gave us good views of Red Throated Diver and Common Scoter. A few Red Breasted Merganser were in with the Great Crested Grebes, whilst on land, Meadow Pipits, Greenfinch and Goldfinches battled the elements on the nearby fences.


Next was Rhos on Sea. Here the tide was receding but with the sun blazing onto our backs a good selection of waders were seen. Redshank, Oystercatcher and Curlew were abundant with a few Dunlin scattered about as well a Ringed Plover. In amongst the rocks Turnstone's started to show themselves and numbers of these increased as we quickly got to grips with spotting them feeding in the seaweed. To finish off a Purple Sandpiper was found feeding with the Turnstone's.

A short drive down to the Little Orme, a beautiful part of the rugged coast, gave us some splendid views of a few North Wales specialities. Chough and Raven competed for the skies with the Jackdaws, whilst Fulmar glided on stiff wings across the cliff face.

Raven

Fulmar

Then a rarity showed itself to us. A Black Redstart, overwintering in the area was a welcome sight whilst Stonechats sat bolt upright on the bushes. Down in the bay, Grey Seals basked in the sun and some were playing in the water whilst Shags were sunning themselves along the lower cliffs.

Grey Seals

Grey Seals

 

We could have stayed there longer but the chance of seeing some Hawfinch up in the Conwy valley was too much of a temptation.

Arriving, still in glorious sunshine, we had tea and coffee and an excellent slice (well two) of Victoria sponge cake lovingly made by Sue. Sparrow Hawk and Buzzard soared overhead whilst Redwing and Nuthatch entertained us in the trees. Scanning these trees, increased the bird list with 5 Goldcrest being the highlight.

HAWFINCH, I shouted as one flew into a pine tree and huddled up close to the trunk. I managed to get the telescope onto it but it was not the best of views as it was partially hidden by a branch. Jon found a couple feeding further up the road. Fleeting views were had of them and we found a spot where the other finches were feeding on the ground. Hoping that the Hawfinches would join, them we watched and waited but none turned up. As a Red Kite drifted by and a Great Spotted Woodpecker drummed away close to us, the soothing welsh countryside noises were drowned out by a quad bike from the local farmer racing by.

Hawfinch picture from previous visit

The finches flew away in all directions but a Treecreeper, unperturbed by the noise, was the only bird left to be seen. 55 species of bird had been seen and 5 of those were seen by Sue for the first time, lifers!!

Driving back, a Kestrel hovered over the dual carriageway, bringing the total birds seen to 56.

A very enjoyable day.

If you would like an introduction to Birdwatching by having a guided walk around Marbury Country Park, just give me on a call on 07731 658 125 or send me an e mail at JGILLY53@GMAIL.COM 

Start time arranged to suit you. The cost is £10 P/P.

 

If you would rather have a private day trip out around Cheshire, Wirral or North Wales,  Price for a full day for one person is £60.

Each additional guest is  £15 / person. 
Max 3 guests.

Children under 16 go free.

Why not treat a loved one to a gift voucher for a future day out.     

Contact: John Gilbody: e-mail: jgilly53@gmail.com 

Telephone  07731 658 125