Dates with Nature RSPB Blacktoft Sands

Juvenile Marsh Harriers- Cameron Lee

Great field trip at RSPB Blacktoft Sands on Saturday. 8 of us did the drive up Goole to this wonderful reserve and it was well worth it.

Blacktoft Tree Sparrows- L Bimson

We watched tree sparrows, goldfinch and chaffinch feeding on the feeders by the farmland hedge while we waited for everyone at arrive and watched a hare running after a pheasant. We walked into the reception hide and were greeted by Sara the assistant warden. After a quick chat about what's about we watched 2 marsh harriers come close to the hide then one started to turn and patrol a small stretch of reedbed as if expecting to make a kill!! What emerged out of the reedbed was a large dog otter which walked towards us. A fantastic start but slightly disappointing as they have stopped putting out grit trays for the bearded tits.

A walk to the other hides and ruff, redshank, curlew, black tailed godwit and a water rail showed. A walk to the last hide and we saw a weasel run off in front of us, we stopped and watched and he came back to collect a mouse it had killed and then bounced off with it. 

Ruff  - L Bimson 

Lots of greylag geese, teal, wigeon, 6 pintail and a solitary gadwall. It might be a long drive but it always delivers something different.

Chris Tynan

Leader

RSPB Liverpool Local group
e; christtynan@aol.com

t;+44(0)7831352870

twitter: @RSPBLiverpool
website; http://www.rspb.org.uk/groups/liverpool

RSPB Blacktoft recent blog

 

https://ww2.rspb.org.uk/community/placestovisit/blacktoftsands/b/blacktoftsands-blog/archive/2018/10/09/waders-wildfowl-hen-harrier-and-fieldfares-winters-arrived.aspx

https://ww2.rspb.org.uk/community/placestovisit/blacktoftsands/b/blacktoftsands-blog/archive/2018/10/05/hen-harrier-sighting-and-old-foxy-develops-a-sweet-tooth.aspx

The RSPB is the country’s largest nature conservation charity, inspiring 

everyone to give nature a home. Together with our partners, we protect 

threatened birds and wildlife so our towns, coast and countryside will teem with 

life once again. We play a leading role in BirdLife International, a worldwide 

partnership of nature conservation organisations.

We're busy watching birdlife, all of the weekend through.

Starling Murmuration

A busy weekend started with a day out at WWT Martin Mere’s birdwatching festival. A diminutive fair compared to Rutland, more  intimate and confining, and  giving  some of our local organisations  a chance to sell their services like  http://www.rspb.org.uk/groups/southport      https://www.prestonsociety.co.uk/ http://www.ribblebirdtours.co.uk/Tours.htm https://www.facebook.com/BoltonAndBurySwifts/  http://nwecotrust.org.uk/?page_id=25 https://www.lancashirebadgergroup.org.uk/

More holiday providers were there http://www.heatherlea.co.uk/

https://www.speysidewildlife.co.uk/  http://www.grantarmshotel.com/events/

The event was well attended on both days, and I bumped into several friends out of our group during the course of the day.

If you had the time, there were some interesting talks on through the weekend and I know others have attended them, perhaps they’ll share their experiences. I opted for the Nick Baker guided walk, swan feed and starling murmuration viewing, oh and a spot of duck feeding, well you have to….

The Nick Baker (who had to leave Dartmoor at 3am to get to Martin Mere in time that morning!) walk was laid back and informative. Martin mere’s reserve manager Tom Clare adding additional narrative about the reserve along the way. It was surprising to hear that Nick hadn’t visited before, and you got the impression he was quite impressed by what it had to offer.

Nick Baker walk

If you were thinking this would just be a guided bird walk you’d be wrong; Nick chatted about all kinds of stuff including ivy leaf mining insects, the importance of holly to winter invertebrates and leaving damaged fallen trees were they fall, giving it the chance of regeneration such as the properties of willows. Reminiscing of laying on the floor whilst watching a crane fly being dissected by ants, climbing a favourite tree to watch badgers as a youngster and how this interest saved him during a particularly low period in his young life. We enjoyed laughing at the rats in the Janet Keir hide!! And seeing a kingfisher fishing from the Gladstone hide.

We wondered at the sight and sounds of pink foot skeins overhead and awkward whooper swan landing on the mere, more comical when there ice. More topical chat about birds seen on the reserves; like the incoming Scandinavian thrushes, redwings and fieldfares and putting apples out for them in your garden. Admiring the ruff on the mere and telling the different between godwits.

Video clip from his talk:

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkW4USR2WsQ&feature=youtu.be

The swan feed was mainly a shelduck fest in front of the discovery hide, despite there being 15,000 pink footed geese and 1660 Whooper swans on site, always good to see the scrum with its accompanying cacophony. Pintail, teal, mallard, redshank, wigeon, ruff, godwits joined the throng.

Ruff & black tailed godwit

The starling murmuration is bringing in bigger crowds by the day, 50,000 starlings swirling about, great to see them closer to home than Sunbiggin, It’s certainly a good year to see the spectacle, as there’s one in Frodsham as well.

It was a beautiful sunny still day on Sunday, the perfect day for our group’s field trip to RSPB Hesketh out marsh; this is an exposed sight and can be quite unpleasant in winter, so we were fortunate for once with the weather. Unfortunately the peace and quiet was disturbed by the repetitive recall of gunfire from the local clay pigeon shoot behind the reserve; at least no wildfowl were being shot.

Embankment

Twittering and moving through the hawthorn hedges we could see tree sparrows, linnets, goldfinches, long tailed tits, robin, blackbirds, fieldfare, redwing, song thrush and chaffinch. Pheasant, wood pigeon and a lapwing favoured the harvested sprout fields.  

Wigeon

On the marsh whistling wigeon outnumbered everything, others present included shelduck, teal, mallard, shoveler, a grey heron and a couple of paddling little egrets.  A couple of Whooper swan families numbering 10 individuals where on the back pools. 

A peregrine sat in a distant tree, later to be seen diving and   having an aerial scrap with a crow, whilst up to five marsh harriers were skimming the embankments below. A green wing tag which told us one of the female harriers had come from Norfolk, tagged by the North West Norfolk ringing group with hawk and owl trust.

Injured sparrowhawk

Other raptors included a kestrel hovering over the back fields and an injured female sparrowhawk; looking very sorry for herself, huddled close to the fence line, not so far away a shelduck carcass lay partially plucked on the mud bank. We can only surmise what might have happened to both birds

Scanning another pool two greenshank, their white plumage shining out alongside commoner redshank. A sprinkling of dunlin was present with black tailed godwits and a distant grey plover on a rear mudflat.

Sheep unperplexed as a flock fed alongside and over the footpath

A grey wagtail and several meadow pipits, foraged by the puddles on the path alongside the marsh edge.

Further along the path we found a ‘dopping’? of 11 female - goosanders, with two goldeneye and two great crested grebes.  We eventually found a single Spotted Redshank on the walk back, its long thin confirming its identity.Sporadic flocks of pink footed geese flew over heading in the direction of marshside, which is where we headed next.

The Marshside visitor centre was bustling with birders, so we decamped to Nel's hide to finish our trip. Sadly no dowicher had lingered but we were treated to additional sightings of snipe, gadwall and common gull.

Not a bad weekend at all.

Taking to the sky – young marsh harriers amaze at RSPB Leighton Moss

Juvenile Marsh Harrier- image David Mower

Summer is well underway at RSPB Leighton Moss with the emergence of some very special residents – the first young marsh harriers of the season have taken to the skies and visitors are invited to watch them in action.

 

As the largest reedbed in North West England, the Silverdale reserve is an ideal home for these iconic birds of prey. In early spring, they migrate from wintering grounds in Africa to the UK and Europe in order to pair up and breed.

 

Richard Miller, Warden at RSPB Leighton Moss and Morecambe Bay nature reserve, said: “Summer is a fantastic time to come and see marsh harriers here at RSPB Leighton Moss. We know that there are three nests on the reserve this year, with two chicks already having flown out; we expect to see more young harriers exploring the surrounding reserve over the next few weeks. We have also been able to put a camera on one of the nests which has two chicks in it. This live footage, which is showing in our visitor centre, is now giving visitors to Leighton Moss an amazing insight into the secret world of these magnificent birds!

 

Richard added: “We manage the reedbed here for a wide range of wildlife, but the marsh harrier is one of the most special. Once very much on the edge of extinction, marsh harrier numbers have recovered so that we now have around 400 pairs at various sites across the UK, Leighton Moss being one of the best places to come and see them, especially when the chicks fledge the nest.”

 

Visitors can look for these rare birds at Leighton Moss any day. Live footage from one of the nests is showing in the visitor centre cafe and on the website. For more information on the marsh harriers, other wildlife and events at Leighton Moss, visit www.rspb.org.uk/leightonmoss.

New Tramper is ready to roll at RSPB Leighton Moss

Visitors with mobility impairments now have greater access to RSPB Leighton Moss nature reserve thanks to the funding of a new Tramper.

 

As an all-terrain mobility scooter, the Tramper is ideal for exploring the Silverdale site, to discover the fantastic variety of wildlife that calls it home.

 

Jarrod Sneyd Site Manager at RSPB Leighton Moss said: “We have been working hard over the past few years to improve access at Leighton Moss and it is something which we are continuing to strive for. The vision and funding of our partners made the acquisition of the Tramper possible and now more people can enjoy experiencing nature at Leighton Moss.”

 

The Tramper has been funded in partnership with the Arnside & Silverdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) Sustainable Development Fund, the RSPB, Lancashire County Council, Lancashire and District Ramblers Association, Arnside Ramblers, Yealand Manor and Leighton Hall Estate.

 

Lucy Barron, Arnside &Silverdale AONB Manager said: “The Tramper will enable those who may need a little extra help getting around to experience the area’s special landscape and wildlife. We encourage you to give it a try or to let friends and relatives know about it, so that as many people as possible can benefit.”

 

Booking is essential, but the Tramper is free to hire and is available to use by over 14s. No prior experience of using a Tramper is necessary as users will be given an induction in how to operate it. To make an enquiry or to book the Tramper call RSPB Leighton Moss on 01524 701601.

Egrets, Harriers and Crackers for 24

A stormy day at Burton Mere

Our now annual Christmas trip to RSPB Burton Mere wetlands saw approx 2 dozen of the group arriving in a winter storm, and boy did it lash it down, so severe we had to face the austerity of the visitor centre and the hardship of observing the mere through its large picture windows, whilst sipping hot chocolate! Ha

Warm and cosy visitor centre

Needless to say the birds were making the best of it, backs to the wind and driving rain until the squalls passed.  Lots of wildfowl and waders on the water and scrapes, teal, shelduck, widgeon, coot, moorhen, mallard, tufted  duck,gadwall, shoveler, lapwing, black- tailed godwit, pochard, redshank, dunlin, whooper swan, little egret, Canadian and greylag geese

Buzzard on the fence was the first raptor seen, eventually followed  by a  peregrine spooking the flocks,  then a  ring tailed hen harrier quartering the mere edge visible from the visitor centre. Later a great view of a marsh harrier from the  marsh covert hide.

Target bird for many was the cattle egret that has been on the reserve since September, initially elusive, but  good views were eventually gained on our return to the visitor centre after our stroll around the reserve. The egret was having fun running to a fro between the legs of the reserve’s cattle herd.

Our merry, if slightly soggy band of birders then took  a stroll around the reserve, starting from the visitor centre past the old fisheries pools (no kingy unfortunately) down the boardwalk on the reed and fen trail to the Marsh Covert Hide. From here the trial has been extended and becomes the farm and willow trail. The trail runs alongside the mere and reed bed with 2 areas of wooden screens to look through (usually a good place for water rails and closer views on wild fowl)

Screen view looking towards Burton point

The boardwalk path ends at this point as it climbs up towards the back of the mere pools towards Burton point. Here a whole field is dedicated to feeding birds, planted with wildflowers – one of Burton mere's giant meadow bird tables!

In summer this was alive with warbler song including the much sought grasshopper warbler, today it was pretty quiet and people were focusing on negotiating the very muddy path!  This path eventually leads to the old Inner marsh farm reserve path and Burton point. Along the way there’s a spectacular view of the whole reserve stretching to the old barn and sailing club in the distance.

The car park woodland was the most productive for smaller birds, mainly around the feeders. Chaffinch, blue, gt, coal tit, goldfinch, greenfinch, nuthatch, wren blackbird, song thrush, robin, tree creeper and gt spotted woodpecker (shall I mention the supreme foragers -rats!!)

We returned to the visitor centre just ahead of yet another squall, which delayed us temporarily from moving to our next venue the boathouse for Christmas dinner.

A quick pic with Harry the mascot from August’s Hen Harrier day.

Laura and Harry

http://liverpoolrspb.blogspot.co.uk/2014/08/hen-harrier-day.html

Twenty-four of us sat down to a 3 course Christmas dinner at the boathouse. Great stuff, well recommended - the boozy Christmas pud to die for!

Happy revellers

Hats on, Cheers!

These are the days of our lives.

Merry Christmas everybody.

Laura. 

Liverpool RSPB Field trip report

RSPB Leighton Moss Sunday 22/04/12.

16 determined birders ignored the weather forecast and headed out to RSPB Leighton moss. We were not disappointed. 

Our first highlight of the day came with a chance sighting of 3 frolicking Otters, splashing about in the sunshine, observed from the roadside on the way into the reserve the first tick of the day and it wasn't a bird!

Once inside the reserve we were only confined to quarters on  2 occasions - when it really was raining stair-rods, but this proved to be no hardship tucked away  in the reserves  cosy hides observing -  smart spring migrant Garganey. A pair of Great Crested Grebes performing their ‘running on water’ courting ritual, pond weed offerings clenched in beaks. The barbarism of 2 male Moorhens locked in a fighting frenzy, furiously kicking out with their feet.  And the ‘Ahh’ moment? Watching the wobbly antics of 2 clutches of Greylag goslings finding their feet.

Without doubt one of the major events of the trip was the Osprey that flew in from the estuary ahead of a squally band of rain, you’ve never seen so many people move so fast, jostling to get a better view as the bird flew over the Eric Morecambe hide on the look out for its fish dinner. Other diners on the pools, alongside the many Godwits and Redshank were impressive Spotted Redshank, Avocets and Egrets. After lunch the group had a lucky break with a tip off of where to find the lonely, lingering Glossy Ibis, another tick for the day.

A walk round to the public hide rewarded us with some great views of a pair of Marsh Harriers flying low along the tree line and woodland slopes. A comical moment was a peckish Cormorant struggling to swallow a rather large eel, believe me that eel wasn’t going out without a fight; you could see it wriggling all the way down.

The day finished with the group taking a diversion from the road home. Stopping off on the A6 to a riverside spot, where we were told a kingfisher hung out; the bird was there but sadly only a few of us got a fleeting turquoise glimpse of it as it swooped along the riverbank. A dippy Grey Wagtail was a welcome bonus to our tick list.

The tickmasters list recorded 70 species seen and a few that got away, being heard but not observed, Reed warbler, and most frustratingly Cetti's warbler and Bearded Tit...Ping.  

Bar headed goose-Greylag goose-Pheasant-Collared dove-Robin-Woodpigeon-Jackdaw-Mallard-Great tit-Blue tit-Chaffinch-Buzzard-Black headed gull-Coot-Great crested grebe-Pochard-Gadwall-Tufted duck-Garganey-Canada goose-Greenfinch-Lapwing-Teal-Moorhen-Shoveler-Reed bunting-Great spotted woodpecker-Wigeon-Lesser black backed gull-Wren-Blackcap-Bullfinch-Coal tit-Magpie-Marsh tit-Dunnock-Grey heron-Chiff-chaff-Swallow-Spotted redshank-Pied wagtail-Shelduck-Avocet-Redshank-Oystercatcher-Little egret-Black tailed godwit-Carrion crow-Osprey-Meadow pipit-Long tailed tit-Goldfinch-House sparrow-Glossy ibis-Mute swan-Feral pigeon-Kestrel-Sparrowhawk-Marsh harrier-Cormorant-Great black backed gull-Little grebe-House martin-Sand martin-Willow warbler-Grey wagtail-Kingfisher-Skylark -Song Thrush.

A mix of heavy down pours and sunshine, but we didn’t get wet, and a great day out was had by all even if we did leave behind the sea odyssey spectacular.

Cheers

Stores & Laura.