Pickering's Pasture, a shared dinnertime.

Wildlife, nature garden  at Pickering's Pasture,  Mersey View Rd, Widnes WA8 8LP

As the sun was shining and it wasn't blowing a gale I decided to take a chance that the one individual in Warrington with Corona virus wasn't hiding in the Pickerings Pasture Nature Reserve's wildlife garden. Needless to say the reserve was full of dog walkers and mindfulness and the dreaded Corvid -19 seemed a million miles away.

Blue tit inspection...Tenant?

Whilst I was there I was amused by three blue tits squabbling over the nestbox we put up in the tree, a couple with a hopeful interloper I think, nesting should start any day now, well, going on my little blue tit pair at home, who started bringing in moss yesterday. 

Buzzard

These birds were not the only visitors today; As I sat eating my butty, I was happily surprised to see the Pickering's local buzzard land on the security cameras, me thinks dinner was on her mind as well, five minutes later she swooped over my head and landed on a branch by the bird feeders over the road, she waited observantly, then launched, down, landing with an audible thump, after a little stomping and wing flapping she rose from behind the hedge clutching a fine succulent rat, I like it when our feathered friends give us a helping hand, don't you? 😆😋😉




http://www.thefriendsofpickeringspasture.org.uk/

Pickerings Robins fighting over territory 090320

Laura

No moore birds, in search of the lesser spotted

In search of the lesser spotted woodpecker

We arrived mob handed at Moore. Over 20 eager birders arrived keen to find our target bird the lesser spotted woodpecker. All reports said it hung out in the woods by the car park in the morning and it had already been seen. Over half an hour later we still had not seen our quarry, despite straining our eyeballs searching, a great spotted showed well but nearly every flittering turned out to be a blessed blue tit.  And so it was to be, a day of chasing the tail of an elusive woodpecker, with passing birder conversations of ‘oh you've just missed it! Or no show’. Still along the way we saw some very nice birds...

We wandered down lapwing lane towards the feeding station hide, reed bunting, nuthatch, longed tailed tit, redwing; mistle thrush all appeared including a surprise sighting of bright yellow brimstone butterfly taking advantage of the fine weather.

A kettle of five buzzards were soaring on the thermals above the raptor watch hill...no woodpecker.

A report of a little owl hanging out in a nest box on the path to Norton marsh spurred us on. 

Red poll - Neil P

Two species of note observed along the path feeding in the trees were a redpoll and two fine siskins a striking male with his lady. 

As we reached the more open farmland landscape of upper moss side (acquired by the Mersey forest community project, complete with bird tables and nesting posts) we could see lots of birds in the hedgerow, tree sparrows perhaps? Yet no, stunning, not one but five yellowhammers, males so bright they stood out visibly with the naked eye, worth the detour alone...

Path to Norton marsh

We arrived at the area where the nest boxes were situated, something definitely in there, overhead a male kestrel hovered over the golden grass, soon to be joined by the bird in the box! It would appear our box wasn’t occupied by little owls  but beautiful kestrels, surprising as the box was not open fronted, but I guess better protected from the inclement weather of late, and the watchful crow positioned on the hedge nearby. 

Tables and posts -
 Norton marsh/upper Moss side

Kestrels - L Bimson

According to the signage, feeding tables positioned at various places attract great spotted woodpeckers, fieldfare, redwings, song thrush, linnet, tree sparrow and other common birds…we got mistle, redwing, robin, chaffinch, blackbird, blue and gt tits.  

A lunch stop at the Norton Marsh hide was next, overlooking the Mersey, opposite the looming high towers of the Fiddlers Ferry Power Station. Ranks of lapwings were joined by grey plover and shelducks.

Fox lox -Neil P

Returning to the path back to Moore we  came across a fox hunting on the  farmland, a fine healthy specimen, all bushy tail and inquisitiveness, puzzled by the human making distressed rabbit noises over the way!!

We meandered our way back through the mud, secretly hoping the lesser spotted would put in an appearance, it didn’t - no such luck. So we pushed on aiming for the distant eastern reed bed with reported sightings of a green woodpecker buoying us. Observing the lagoons on the way we noted the cutest little grebe, catching tiny silverfish in front of the hide, a little smile for the day. Resplendent gadwall and shovellers along with the more usual mallard, grey heron, Canadian geese and cormorant, sadly no sign of a goldeneye seen earlier- probably on the other side of the Island. Flitting through the lagoon side undergrowth a pretty marsh tit entertained us for a while, intent on finding its supper.

Alas, it was to be a day of elusive woodies, even the hoped for green was nowhere to be seen on the grassy areas by the pump house pool. Arriving at the phoenix hide we added teal and jay to our day list but no bittern, but then it was a long shot really; we waited as the afternoon sun waned, but the watery end of the reserve seemed quiet, as if the day's remarkably fine weather has given the birds a day off, a squealing water rail tormented us.

It was time to go, a day of mixed emotions, huge disappointment of not finding the lesser spotted... the much repeated tip was that we should have got there earlier, you don't say! No consolation green woodpecker and certainly not a sniff of bittern, but the kestrels and yellowhammers had been special and it had been a lovely if long day for the lesser spotted seekers.

The one that got away- lesser spotted woodpecker...Neil P

Laura

Birding with Rodders and Peaty

Our Sunny Sunday in Liverpool – 16^th June, 2013!

This Sunday saw Jenny and I  tripping the light fantastic along the coast from Hale, heading towards the Lighthouse then back to the village, and no, there was no pub stop, although I nearly suggested it, but who would drive me home??

It started out as quite a quiet day for birds, and then we saw the scrawniest Robin I have seen in years, he looked exhausted trying to find food for his brood.  Shortly afterwards we saw a very smart Mistle Thrush getting enormous worms out of the ground, then taking them off to a tree.  Then 5 male blackbirds all in a very small amount of field, I was surprised there were no fisticuffs amongst them.  

We carried on along the path, the reeds and grasses at times totally obscuring our view, and the cow parsley etc., waving over our heads.  We were lucky enough to see a couple of Reed Buntings, every time we spotted one, down he would go and disappear, to then re-appear on another reed!  Why don’t they keep still? 

Whitethroat R blythe

Shortly after we heard the lovely song of a Whitethroat, who rewarded us for our patience - not a word usually in my vocabulary – by sitting on a tree reasonably close to us. 

In the distance we could see lots of Lesser Black Backed Gulls, Shelduck, Black Headed Gulls, and 5 Grey Herons, as well as Crows.  A pair of Oystercatchers decided to shout at the world and the Mallard just sat and watched, preening and feeding in the very low waters of the Mersey and a couple of Cormorant flew by.

As we walked back towards Hale village a Buzzard came overhead and was set upon by a Crow, it was great to watch the dog fight over our heads, and yes, the Buzzard won!

In the lane we saw and heard numerous Goldfinches, chit chattering away to us.  House Martins darted overhead on both sides of path, not forgetting the Meadow Pipit and the glorious song of the Skylark.  

Rhodie