Man who perseveres with rails gets run over by train

BMW's Water Rail - Neil Prendergast

Hi All,

Over the past few months I have driven over to Burton Mere Wetlands a thousand times ... (and yes, I know you have all told me a million times not to exaggerate ;-) and although I have seen glimpses of a kingfisher in the distance, I have always just been too late and missed not only the boat but the famous (for the want of other words) Water Rail there. 

So on Friday I decided to drive over and chance my luck again for a rare sighting hmmm!

When I got to the Tee junction of Burton village there was a road sign saying that the road was closed ... no explanation or for how long Grrrr! ... So had to retrace my steps back to the main Chester road and enter Burton via Puddington village. 

BMW reserve improvements in progress

I eventually arrived at the Burton RSPB site, walked in through the reception doors to be greeted by very excited members all flapping about like Lapwings .. (pardon the pun) and happened to over hear the illusive name of the Water Rail being mentioned.

I made a B-line to the window and was able to see it partly in the reeds by the waters edge. So I quietly opened the side door of the reception leading to the wooden walkway outside and got a clearer view of it and without having to take any photo's through the double glazing windows of the building.

I was promptly followed by another two people with cameras, one being the full time RSPB warden ...

From then on, a hail of camera shutters could be heard throughout the land, which made the Rail a little uneasy as they are at the best of times, just with the Moorhens and Coots that intimidate and bully it off the feeding areas and yes, being that Panto time of year again "They where behind it" ... but Water Rails never listen to you anyway, so why bother trying 

So all in all, I was very fortunate to have gotten a few photo's of it before it scampered quickly to the opposite side of the reception building.

 Rail with fish - N Prendergast 

To which I did stalk it (pardon the pun) to the other side and again, was very lucky to have photographed it with a small fish (a stickleback I presume ?) that it had just caught in its mouth, which was a real bonus.

So in those immortal words of Confucius .... he say, "Man who pelseveres with lails, either get lun over by tlain if in wong place ," but if in light place, get the pelfect picture of the correct Rail with fish and no chips."

("Man who perseveres with rails gets run over by train if in wrong place," but if in right place, gets perfect picture of correct Rail with fish and no chips.)

Egret - Another BMW favourite -Neil Prendergast

Neil

A tale of two Tides

 

Deceased Water Rail -Neil P

Parkgate – Thursday, 5^th November, 2013

Peaty Jen, Linda Rees and I rather foolhardily decided to go to Parkgate to watch the high tide.  On arrival we could barely stand up and decided to watch as much as possible from the confines of a very small but dry and warm car!!  We watched as thousands of birds took off from the encroaching water, it was too murky to see what they were, we knew we saw geese, think they were Canada and Pink Foot.  Lots of Cormorants battling but getting nowhere.  Ducks, Little Egrets, Waders all taking to the skies at once.  Wonderful to see, not good for them.  The small birds like Redwing, Linnet and Skylark were really struggling. 

We got out of the car, and immediately saw two Short Eared Owls.  We thought that perhaps the tide would not get to the wall. Wrong!  It overtook the wall causing untold devastation to the small mammals which were neither quick nor strong enough to get out of its way!  We saw lots of dead voles, shrews and other small things. 

Parkgate Rails- Rhodie B

As the tide continued to railroad in the Water Rail were flushed, we saw them being buffeted against the wall, and I have since heard that at least two have been found dead.  Such a sad sight.  A man decided to take a picture of a fox which was trying to get up the harbour wall, it was so distressed, it was last seen trying to swim out to sea away from him.  Another person lifted a little vole out of the water, took a picture, then put the vole back!!  Wish I had seen him, he would have joined the vole.  Cars were still driving along the coast road, and ran over the little creatures that had managed to escape the water until a very sensible motorist blocked the road and helped save numerous other mammals.  A wonderful spectacle in the sky, but a very different story on the ground.

Hoylake – 7^th December, 2013

Another day, another high tide and a very different outcome.  Hoylake on Saturday was very benign.  No rushing waters, just gentle rolling wavelets, but the birds were very skittish, possibly from the two days they had endured earlier!  I saw lots of Knot, Oystercatchers, Dunlin, Redshank, Curlew, Grey Plover and, the usual assortment of Gulls. 

As most people were looking out to sea a Sparrowhawk flew over our heads, and a good view was had by some of us, including me!

Peregrine on shore  - Rhodie B

Then the spectacle of the day was seeing a Peregrine Falcon sitting on a huge tree, near the edge of the water.  I watched it preen, it then took off and gave chase up the beach.  It didn’t catch anything so came back and hunkered down on a grassy mound in the sands.  The next thing it was off, flying low, at a tremendous rate across the beach.  It saw the Knot, the Knot saw it and started their wonderful synchronised flight.  The Peregrine singled one out and the chase was on.  They swooped, they rose higher and higher.  I think it was the luckiest Knot alive that day, it escaped.  I then walked back to the station, and home to a hot cuppa! 

Rhodie 

Meres Sands Field trip 28/10/12

Mere Sands Report.   Sunday 28^th October 2012

18 brave souls set out for a day birding around this mixed habitat reserve.  It started raining in Liverpool at 11pm last night and didn’t stop while we were out all day.  Not all the bird feeders and tables had food on it but it didn’t stop the Tree sparrows, Moorhens and Mallards from helping themselves to the dregs.  During the day flocks of Pink footed geese flew over the reserve and  5 Greylags others noted were,Lapwings, Snipe, Black headed gull, Lesser black backed gull. Most of the ducks, Teal, Pochard, Tufted duck and female Mandarin were taking shelter under the trees and bushes but the cormorants were standing on whatever stumps they could find.  A female Goosander and Little grebe had the fish jumping out the water!  Back in the woodland we had a mixed flock of birds from Nuthatch, Treecreeper, Chaffinch, Robin, Dunnock, Goldcrest, Wren, Blue, coal, great and long tailed tit.

Watching what was flying over the reserve was also important with Mistle thrush, Great spotted woodpecker, Jay, Jackdaw, Magpie,  and Crows mobbing a Buzzard.  Grey heron and Coots were around the Marshall hide, but no sign of the Water rail.

Back out in the woods we had Wood pigeon,Stockdove and Goldfinches.The last birds to be added were Canada geese and a juvenile Shelduck before we headed back to the reserve car park for a warm drink.  

Chris