Pied Wheatear on the Wirral!

Pied Wheatear had been missing from my arsenal of British Wheatears for some time now, having never managed to make it down to the Nottinghamshire bird back in 2013. With no readily available birds in the 5 years since, I therefore jumped on the chance to pay a visit to the bird that took up residence on the sea wall at Dove Point in Meols on the Wirral in November, less than an hour away from home and showing extremely well to the masses.

Pied Wheatear!

The Wheatear and its many admirers! 

Sure enough, upon pulling up next to the assembled crowd of birders and cameras, the Pied Wheatear was instantly on view – quite possibly the easiest and quickest twitch I have ever been to!

Over the next few hours the Wheatear continued to show exceptionally well, flitting from point to point on the sea wall and never disappearing for more than a minute at a time, on one occasion flying down on to the floor and proceeding to scurry right up to my boots! Extremely confiding and showing no fear, it didn’t even seem too bothered when locals passed right next to it with their dogs!

Aged as a first winter male, whilst some questioned the ID with relation to the width of the black band on the end of the tail (and the similarity to Eastern Black-eared Wheatear), tail patterns vary between individuals and this particular bird is well in the range for Pied. The dark feather colouration of the mantle along with the white edges to the feathers creating a ‘scaly’ effect are also both classic for Pied, nailing the ID.

Note the scaly looking back - a key feature for Pied Wheatear

Having already been present for two days before being identified from photos and the news put out to the masses, this was the first record for Cheshire/Wirral and a fantastic local bird to connect with.

Whiskered Terns at Sandbach Flashes, Cheshire

With Whiskered Tern still being a species I needed in Britain, two turning up at Long Eaton Gravel Pits in Derbyshire on Friday morning before relocating to Attenborough Nature Reserve across the border in Nottingham for the remainder of the evening had me tempted to make the journey over the next day for my last remaining species of ‘Marsh Tern’ to see in the UK.

However, it seems the terns had other ideas, and checking my phone in the early hours of Saturday revealed them to have departed overnight, leaving just a solitary Black Tern in their wake. Fast forward a few hours and having drifted back off to sleep, I was this time woken up by a phone call from Alex (my previous weeks lie in had been cut short by the news of the White-crowned Sparrow at Woolston Eyes) – the two Whiskered Terns had been re-found at Sandbach Flashes in Cheshire, just 20 minutes away from my house.

Grabbing a quick breakfast on the way out, we were soon on our way, and 20 minutes later were enjoying great views as the two terns paraded around Elton Hall Flash, swooping low over the surface of the water to feed and displaying their gorgeous sooty grey bellies and bright white contrasting under tails.

Perching regularly on several of the wooden fence posts submerged in the water, we were treated to excellent scope views of the pair, on some occasions even flying alongside and perching with the single Common Tern that was present and in turn offering a great comparison between the two species.

Both Whiskered Terns together

Common Tern on the left, Whiskered Tern on the right

The size different was extremely noticeable in flight – the Whiskered Terns being much smaller, while the Common’s longer tail feathers were also apparent. We were also able to note another key identification feature of Whiskered Tern - their shallow forked tails were clear to see as they dipped and dived, while their greyish rumps also contrasted to the Common’s pure white backs.

The shorter forked tail and grey rump of the Whiskered Tern is clear to see in flight

Mostly keeping their distance and remaining in the middle of the flash, one would occasionally power over to the near side, on one occasion feeding just metres away in the corner, giving outstanding views to the gathered crowd before moving swiftly back over to the far edge of the water.

Looking superficially like a cross between a Black Tern and a Common Tern, the gorgeous jet black hoods, blood red bills and dark crimson feet all stood out, even at a distance.

Departing as expected the next day, two (probably the same) were reported from Saltholme RSPB in Cleveland, adding further mileage to their tour of the UK. With several other Whiskered Terns reported in Gloucestershire, Hampshire and Somerset over the past few days, the warm weather and winds from the continent seem to have resulted in a mini influx of these delightfully acrobatic terns, and being the very first site record, they are another great local bird for Sandbach Flashes.

Elton Hall Flash

Having seen just a single bird in Southern Spain two years ago and having missed a juvenile bird at Burton Mere Wetlands in the Autumn of 2010, these were the first local Whiskered Terns in 5 years that I could get to, and it was great to see this European rarity relatively close to home – always ideal!  

Mega!! White-crowned Sparrow at Woolston Eyes, Cheshire!

"Woolston Eyes – White-crowned Sparrow trapped and ringed, access will be arranged soon."

Still lazing in bed on the Saturday morning, the above email message from Paul Brewster at just before quarter past 9 soon had me leaping in to action! White-crowned Sparrow in Cheshire?! – Mega!! Just over 20 minutes away from my house, this was a huge bird for Cheshire, not to mention Britain, with just 5 previous records on these shores. With well twitched individuals such as the Seaforth bird back in October 1995 and the long staying Cley bird in 2008, this was a much needed species for the more recent listers, and not having been actively twitching 8 years ago, this was definitely a must-see bird, especially being so close to home.

David Bowman's lovely photos of the White-crowned Sparrow in the hand

With the sparrow having been released near the feeders at John Morgan hide and access hastily arranged for non-permit holders, I arranged to meet Alex on site at just before 11 – having been out on the Clwyd this was the earliest he could make it. Initially sceptical as to whether we would be able to connect (trapped and ringed birds often have a habit of completely vanishing once released) and with no further sign by 9:50am, the news at just after half 10 that it was back and showing well by the feeders came as a welcome surprise – maybe we would score after all!

Having duly paid our £2 to gain access in to the reserve and hurrying over to the hide in question, our hopes of this attractive American sparrow happily feeding on a mass of golden seed under the feeders and performing well for a crowd of admirers were soon dashed – the bird had apparently gone in to hiding in a large thicket of bush to the left hand side of the hide, and despite being just metres away from the assembled birders, had been impossible to locate for well over an hour. In fact, it later transpired that it was only spotted when two birders had walked in to the bush to ascertain whether it was still there or not, and the bird had flown on to a nearby branch.

Joining the swelling crowd and enduring frequent showers of heavy rain and hail, we kept our eyes focused on the bush the sparrow had last been seen in, willing it to make a reappearance and to get a glimpse of a flash of white from inside the thicket. Moving away from the shelter of the hide and further around the spot where the sparrow was last seen, it soon became clear that there was no movement amongst the bottom branches or the leaf litter – the White-crowned Sparrow most definitely wasn’t under there. Whilst everyone else was staring transfixed on the spot, I decided to scan the surrounding bushes just in case the sparrow had taken an escape route undetected. Turning my attention to the next bush across, I immediately clocked several Blackcaps and Robins feeding amongst the hawthorn, while a Chiffchaff flitted in-between the leaves.

The trees where the White-crowned Sparrow was hiding!

Then, a small brown and grey bird sat in the join of a branch soon caught my eye. Its head slightly obscured by the tangle of Hawthorn leaves, it was hard to pick out – could it be a Dunnock? Grey and black striped facial markings as the bird moved its head convinced me otherwise, and as it hopped down to a lower branch and out of view, a prominent white wing bar (looking like a string of pearls) became obvious. This looked increasingly good - although never having seen one before and with the crown partially obscured, I wasn’t 100% sure. Alerting Alex to get on the spot whilst checking my Collin’s app for the finer features of White-crowned Sparrow ID, Alex soon called out he had it – the bird had reappeared and settled on a branch for a matter of seconds before dropping down again – just long enough for Alex and several other nearby birders to get on it and get views of the white crown, confirming my suspicions. Fantastic!! White-crowned Sparrow in the bag!!

The finer points of White-crowned Sparrow ID!

With many birders yet to get on it but with our sparrow seemingly vanishing in to thin air, despite further vigils staring in to the bush, many left disappointed, and with no further sign throughout the afternoon and in to the next day, our sighting was seemingly the last of this trans-Atlantic vagrant. Incredibly jammy to say the least.

The bush the sparrow disappeared into

With the White-crowned sparrow most likely to have found its way over to Britain last autumn during the storms, or perhaps even elsewhere in Europe, the arrival at Woolston Eyes could well have been the result of a natural parallel migration north - American birds would also be heading north at this time of year in their normal range. The fact that the ringers reported that it appeared to be in a good condition when captured with plenty of muscle mass (as well as there being no particularly adverse weather during the spring originating from across the Atlantic) would support this theory, while a first summer Rose-breasted Grosbeak found yesterday on a feeder in Shetland only adds further weight to this - presumably another parallel migrant on the wrong side of the ocean.

White-crowned Sparrow was actually one of the American sparrow species we had missed on both of our visits to the states, so it was a stroke of luck and completely unexpected to be getting it as a lifer here in Britain! With lengthy gaps between records, it could be some time yet before Britain scores another, especially one minutes away from my house, so we both felt extremely fortunate to see it – albeit briefly – and it was refreshing to get our first mega of 2016. Woolston Eyes was also a fantastic reserve to visit, and with this only being my second visit (the first was for an escaped Bufflehead last year), I may well look in to investing in a permit for future trips. 

January Birding!

There have been a whole host of great birds during January in Cheshire, with some returning favourites such as the Burton Mere Long-eared Owl putting on a great show in the Hawthorn tree leading up to Inner Marsh Farm  hide, to finally getting a Green-winged Teal at my local Neumann’s Flash.

Long-eared Owl - Burton Mere RSPB

Record shot of the Neumann's Green-winged Teal

The start of the month also brought my first Cheshire Pallas’s Warbler in the form of the well twitched individual at Heswall on the Wirral. Present for nearly two weeks in the scrub around the sewage works on Target Road and associating with a group of Goldcrests, Long-tailed Tits and Chiffchaffs, we got great views of what is one of my favourite warbler species bumbling through the branches next to the sewage tanks. Giving fantastic scope views through the wire fencing, the yellow rump stood out a mile (a feature I didn’t manage to see on the Norfolk bird) as did the bold eye stripe, while the colouration was noticeably different from the accompanying Goldcrests, being much more of a green-olive colour on the back.

The Great Northern Diver at West Kirby Marine Lake also continued to show well throughout the month, and we managed to catch up with this impressive diver on the far side of the lake after seeing the Pallas’s Warbler just as the sun had started to go down. 

Great Northern Diver - West Kirby Marine Lake

It’s always lovely to see these beautiful divers up close, and this particularly confiding individual came to within just a few metres of the side whilst diving for fish and crustaceans.

Gull-billed Tern at Burton Mere RSPB, Cheshire

It’s not often that an alert pops up informing me of a bird just half an hour before I’m due to finish work (it’s usually mid-morning, meaning I then have to endure the rest of the day wondering if it will stick around!) so it was a nice change when ‘Gull-billed Tern’ popped up on my phone at half 3 on the Friday afternoon. It was an even nicer change to then see that it was local – being just under an hour away at Burton Mere RSPB.

A quick phone call home and we were soon well on our way, and although the bird had made a brief visit to reception pool, it now seemed quite settled on the pool in front of the Inner Marsh Farm hide - those leaving and on their way back all informing me it was happily roosting on the island.

On entering the hide the tern wasn’t immediately apparent, nestled amongst the Black-headed Gulls and facing away from the crowd with its back to us. However, it soon moved its head and the chunky black bill was instantly noticeable, much shorter and thicker than that of a Sandwich Tern and lacking the yellow tip, while the long wings projected well beyond the tail.

The long wings were really apparent

After watching it for around ten minutes, my dad finally entered the hide – just as the tern had took off and was swiftly flying past the window and away from the pool! In a mad scramble to the window I managed to get him on it as the bird made a speedy exit – highlighting just how every second really can count and can ultimately make the difference on whether you see a bird or dip a bird on a twitch!

Luckily, the tern flew back in ten minutes later, giving great views of the wings as it flew past and clearly showing the diagnostic thick black bar on the trailing edge of the wings (which is not present on Sandwich Terns).

Breeding in Southern Europe, Gull-billed Tern was actually my number one target on my world list on BUBO, and after not seeing any in Spain on our visits last year and not being able to catch up with the recent Yorkshire bird, it was great to finally see this rare visitor – made even better that it was totally unexpected and out of the blue!

With a bird seen at Ynys-hir RSPB the day before, and a bird at the Hayle Estuary in Cornwall on Wednesday, it is highly likely that this individual has been following the coast around. Departing from Burton Mere at 8:40pm on the Friday evening when it flew off towards the estuary and with no sign since, it is anyone’s guess as to where it will turn up next!

Gull-billed Tern sightings over the three days - a route along the coast is clear to see

5 beautiful summer plumaged Spotted Redshank were a nice bonus at Reception Hide, and with their jet black colours and star spangled white flecks, they are without doubt one of my favourite wader species and definitely deserved of a mention.

Remarkably, a second rare tern appeared locally at the weekend in the form of a White-winged Black Tern at Leighton Moss RSPB in Lancashire. Even though I caught up with the bird at Cemlyn Bay in Anglesey last year, me and Alex decided to take my mum up to Leighton Moss to see the individual that had been present there for two days.

Arriving at the reserve, we entered Lower Hide to find this stunning Eastern European visitor hawking over the pool for insects, flashing its gorgeous white and black wings for us all to admire – truly a beautiful sight. Often perching on the posts submerged in the water, we got great views of this fantastic bird – it’s always worth making the effort when such stunning individuals turn up locally.

Record shots of the wings in all their glory

A Great White Egret, Marsh Tit, a pair of Garganey and 4 Marsh Harriers (including witnessing the spectacle of a food pass between the male and a female) completed the day, and a special thanks to Alex for driving us up there.

Cheshire Corncrake!

Being away in New York for 10 days during the end of May meant I wasn’t able to catch up with the singing male Corncrake that had taken up residence at Carr Lane in Hale, Cheshire for nearly 2 weeks after news had been made public!

Arriving late on the Sunday afternoon, whilst some visitors had apparently had to wait several hours to get a glimpse, we were lucky in that ten minutes after taking up our spot by the hedge, the Corncrake gave up his position in the long grass with that familiar rasping call of “crex crex crex”. Not long after we could just make out a small head peeking from amongst the clover and flower petals, calling loudly and proudly and trying (sadly in vain) to attract a mate.

We watched this unusual summer visitor for the rest of the evening, calling regularly from his favoured patch in front of the pony paddock and showing very well at times, even coming right out in to the open towards the end of the evening and crossing the short grazed grass before creeping along the far left hand side of the fence line in full view.

Having travelled to the island of Iona in West Scotland last June (probably a year ago to the day from seeing the Cheshire bird) where we enjoyed brief (though close) views of two birds on a very wet and torrential day, it was great to see this particular individual for a lengthy period of time (in the sun!) and showing well.

It is a real shame that this once abundant farmland bird (my Grandad can remember a time when he would regularly get Corncrakes in the fields by his house) is restricted to just a few Scottish island strongholds, and it really is pause for thought that a bird that would once be considered the norm in farmland habitats across the country would cause a “twitch” on such a scale in the present day.

The presence of both Grey Partridges and singing Corn Buntings at the site (both steadily declining these days) demonstrates that this Cheshire farmer is doing something right at least, but it is a sad and sorry reflection on current British farming practices that the Corncrake, along with many other farmland species have become almost non-existent in many areas throughout Britain over the past few decades.

Sadly, after our visit on the Sunday, an irresponsible birder was observed tape luring the bird the next day, and unfortunately and frustratingly the Corncrake hasn’t been heard or seen since. Fingers crossed he has moved up north to one of the Scottish islands where he will hopefully be successful in finding a mate.

You've got to be having a laugh

With an alert popping up on my phone during a meeting on Tuesday causing panic after a Laughing Gull was reported at New Brighton, which then proceeded to show well on and off for the rest of the afternoon, it was a tense few days before I could really do anything about it. With work and the fact that Alex had parent’s evening and extra tuition from Tuesday – Thursday throwing a spanner in the works, it wasn’t until later on in the week that I could make it up there.

Just as I was leaving work, the dreaded news broke that the gull had flown off inland at half 1, and with just a narrow window that day in which to see it, the drive over was a little nervy.

Arriving at the Marine Lake, there was still no sign, and a walk along the promenade checking the beach and surrounding area proved fruitless. The bird had apparently flown off over Morrisons, but chatting to a local revealed that the bird usually returns to the lake around 3pm each day, so I decided that the best option would be to head back to the pontoon.

Whilst scanning the gulls lining the distant breakwater by Fort Perch lighthouse and feeling a touch despondent that this was going to be a dip, my mum of all people exclaimed there was a lone gull standing on the pontoon. Turning round to take a look, I was stunned to see that this was our target – the Laughing Gull had returned!!

Originally on the other side of the pontoon, we crossed over by the restaurants to get a better view.

It wasn’t until later that I found out she wasn’t as eagle eyed as she’d led me to believe, and had instead just spotted another birder raising his bins and looking excitedly in the direction of the pontoon instead of the actual gull itself….

Phoning Alex, he made a mad dash over from somewhere far up the promenade, wheezing like an 80 year old man as he set up his scope. Glad and relieved that we had connected with this often hard to come across gull, the first winter individual showed really well for around half an hour, at one point taking flight to snaffle some of the bread thrown down by one of the locals and swooping round right in front of us.

Differing from our similar sized Black-headed Gulls by the slightly elongated bill, more lengthy appearance and light brown colouration on the wings, this American visitor has proved harder to catch up with these last few years, after a huge influx back in 2005/06 when an amazing 104 possible individuals made it across to these shores. With only 26 records in the 8 years since however, and several being one day birds with really only one twitchable record up in Aberdeenshire, this was a much welcome opportunity relatively close to home.

Map showing the distribution of Laughing Gulls in the UK back in 2005/06

With some having a reputation for being long stayers – including the current Ballycotton bird in Ireland which has been present for over a year, there is every chance that this bird may follow suit and stick around for the coming weeks.