Wirral - 30 Dec 20

Spring tides on the Dee Estuary were shown as straddling the New Year. With Covid restrictions being reviewed on the 30th December it seemed that this date would be a good bet in case the area became 'out of bounds' - as indeed it did, moving in to Tier 4 on 31st. First good decision.

Armed with information about the presence of Snow Buntings in the area but with scant information about where they might be along the 20-odd mile coast-line it was definitely 'fingers crossed'. After a blank at one of yesterday's reported locations it was off to a look at the incoming tide at Hoylake. As I stepped out of the car another birdwatcher said "they are here". And indeed the Snow Buntings were. Good decision number two

Here is a winter-plumage male with extensive white in the wing and a black-tipped yellow bill. In summer it is a stunning black and white bird with a darker bill. I am not sure of the provenance of the grain(?) but it did the job attracting seven (some said eight) birds to the area.

Another male. The birds were remarkably tolerant of people walking on the beach less than 20 yards away.

A reflective view of a male. As far as I can recall Norfolk 1984 or 1985 was the last time I saw this species so I was well-pleased to see them and especially to see them well. Saves having to climb Cairngorm - their only UK breeding site.

Here is a female. She has very little white in the wing. The yellow-brown flanks will go white and the other areas will darken but retain a mix of brown and black during the breeding season. The bill will go dark.

Another view of a female.

Two females.

This pipit popped up while I was photographing the buntings and the camera was not ideally set up. Its dark legs mean it is either a Rock Pipit or, just possibly, a migrant Water Pipit wintering from Scandinavia. Much reference to my Field Guides led me to conclude 'just' a Rock Pipit largely by the density of the streaking on the breast. Still it is my first in the UK this year.

This was rather worrying: the legs certainly do not look black! As my field-guide puts it "sometimes not-so-dark reddish-brown, never pink as in Meadow Pipit".

The Dee Estuary birding web site often records interesting ducks on West Kirby Marine Lake. Whenever I look it seems to have a few Black-headed Gulls and nothing much else. I did find a group of roosting winter-plumaged Dunlin.

Probably over-enlarged but this shows that they are not fully asleep. Many birds sleep with one half of the brain active and are constantly peeking to check for danger.

Towards the top middle of the group is a lone Redshank. Its legs are hidden but it is slightly larger and the plumage less marked.

(Ed Wilson)

Wirral - 15 Dec 20

Today the forecast was for a fine day and the tide tables showed a Spring Tide of almost 10 metres on the Dee. Time for another trip

The start was at a different venue for the high tide: Heswall

The main target species here was Pintail. There were several hundred of these quite splendid ducks around though none came very close and I have had to enlarge the images, possibly rather more than I should have. Here four pass by - three drakes and one duck. [The houses are across the estuary and in Wales]

And here three drake and one duck Pintail give scale to a duck Teal.

A larger group of Pintail again accompanied by a single Teal.

There was an impressive number of Curlews - a declining species. Here one flies by. Always great to see and, particularly, to hear their evocative calls.

The only bird to perch for a close-up was this female Pied Wagtail, here on the rope-knot of a tied-up small fishing boat.

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Then it was on to Hoylake one the receding tide. Waders were on the move back to their newly exposed feeding grounds.

The sea-front at Hoylake just about two hours after high tide. In the far distance the clouds are over the Snowdon Range.

One of many Shelducks to be seen here in winter.

Maintain Social Distancing guys. Or are they gals? Can't be sure as the drakes swollen bill-base has not yet developed. The narrower chestnut breast-band on the left-hand bird suggests a duck with two drakes on the right. The other bird is at an unhelpful angle.

I read that a 'cluster' or 'medusa' is the collective noun for Knots. Here some pass in front of one of the huge off-shore wind-turbines.

Settling down to feed. Towards the top right one bird has an orange 'flag' on its leg, part of a population monitoring scheme. I cannot read the flag ID more is the pity. Enlarging the image on screen shows a green or blue ring is below the flag

Two more arrivals as others get down to the serious business of feeding.

Here they are 'on parade'.

I'm not too good at holding the camera steady. A short video clip of the Knots on the move. There are a few Dunlin scattered about, most obviously getting left behind at the end.

A sextet in close-up.

"What's that over there?". The full name of this species is Red Knot. They acquire red plumage during their short breeding season in the high Arctic. In the UK we sometimes see blotchy red and grey birds in May or July.

And off they go.

Would you believe Redshank as the interloper? A well-named species.

 Two Redshanks on their own.

Not only Knots. This group of waders are Dunlin. A 'fling' is the collective noun for Dunlins according to the web

Very different when the sun comes out. If you look carefully there is a smaller wader at the bottom centre. It is one of the very few Sanderlings noted.

An enlarged view of some of the Dunlin. The bill length of this species is very variable with females averaging longer bills. There are also several different populations that adds further confusion though possibly not at the moment when only wintering birds are present and passage birds have left.

A study in black and white. A passing adult winter Black-headed Gull and an Oystercatcher.

An Oystercatcher probing deeply. Note it too wears a ring."

(Ed Wilson)