Aber Fab

Beautiful Aber

Another sunny Sunday and the group were back at Aber falls. Meeting in the lower car park we were met by dozens of house martins flying around the Aber falls cafe.

Dipper

Peering over the bridge we found Mr.  Bobbity, bob, a dipper, back and forth to over the rocks, no doubt has a nest nearby.

Moving onto the higher car park we set off alongside the path that runs along the river, the Afon Rhaedr Fawr. Woodland, shrubs and grassy glades either side. We were aiming for the Aber waterfall; here the River Afon Goch plunges about 120 feet over a sill of rock, a view worth the trip alone. Once again we were reminded at how beautiful this place; is on a sunny day, stunning; bluebells carpeted the glades, hawthorn blossom gleaming white and intoxicating. No wonder the area attracts lots of day trippers and dog walkers. 

Birdsong hung in the air, blackcap and song thrush particularly lusty. Scanning through the shrubs and trees that line the river we also observed ,blackbird, dunnock, chaffinch, robin, great, blue and long tailed tit, to name a few. But some of us had come for finer prizes and we were rewarded when we caught sight of a popular spring migrant the spotted flycatchers.  

Redstart tree

Further along the path, an old tree with broken boughs held a secret, a sudden streak of red as the bird flew up into an adjacent tree, revealed a striking redstart a pleasure to watch. But we were not done as this tree held another, a treecreeper appeared, intent on finding some insect morsel.

Waterfall

Onwards. Arriving at the plunge pool, the recent rain had given the falls a boost, and the waters flowed a little faster over the rocky bottom; here a crafty grey wagtail plundered the riverbed. Here, we scoured the high ground and tops for raptors and cuckoos. Several buzzard and raven were espied but raptors seemed scarce, perhaps they knew what was coming, as from the heaven's a deluge ensued, well that was a bit of surprise especially for those without a coat!

Sheltering

Twenty minutes later rain clouds had passed and as stomachs rumbled, we strolled back to the car park picnic tables, checking for wood warblers along the way, sadly not found although we did see a great spotted woodpecker probing the trees were our redstart had been seen earlier...

As we ate, we were serenaded by a blackcap a rich, fluted warble whilst a sweet twittering siskin circled over head, lovely.

After lunch we had hoped to move to the car park that serves an open hilly area in the valley of the Afon Anafo.  Here we had observed ring ouzel and cuckoo in 2014. However the car park was jammed full, and we had to retreat.

Ah well plan B, a drive to RSPB Conwy for cake, coffee and for some a lot of plants. The reserve was holding a local plant fair event outside the visitor centre, lots of wildlife friendly plants of course. 

A little saunter around the back path of the reserve saw us still looking for wood warblers again... just not to be. However a magnificent punk haired red breasted merganser and a lesser whitethroat proved to be worthy compensation 

A long day started well and promised more but the weather and day trippers got the better of us.

Seaforth Nature Reserve, a hidden Gem

Lagoons, Seaforth Nature Reserve  L Bmson

It's been many years since our group visited the Seaforth nature reserve. Covering an area of 30ha the reserve is situated within the north end of the Bootle docks system, at the mouth of the Mersey. Comprising of two lagoons, one freshwater and the other saltwater, surrounded by land formed by tipped infill now rabbit-grazed grassland, and a small reed bed. Three hides are located by the freshwater lagoon.

A magnet for many species the reserve is a major roosting site for waders and seabirds and ducks in winter; and nationally important for spring passage Little Gulls. Wader roosts form 2-3 hours before high tide, so we coincided or trip with the tides approach. 

Swift J Binks

Arriving at the car park at Crosby marine lake (our meet up point) our first sighting was a swift flying in over the lake, a welcome harbinger of spring, newly arrived from its long migration. This was the first of our migrants for the day and a very good omen it turned out to be.

The reserve itself is a tadge difficult to locate, nestled in the dock complex and its maze of units. Entrance to the reserve is by yearly permit £20 from Peel ports,  if you have a permit you just arrive at the docks, show your pass at the gate and go into the reserve. As this reserve is leased and maintained by the Lancashire wildlife trust you should really be a member of the trust (Join your local Wildlife Trust | The Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside) and you may be asked to present your membership card when applying for the permit. Reserve manager Fiona Whitfield 0151 9203769 seaforth@lancswt.org.uk

The first thing you notice as you drive through the complex is it’s a dump! Industrial waste littered about, fortunately the reserve is better looked after. The second thing you should notice as you enter the reserve is the recently completed tern rafts by the trust offices, ready to be placed on the lagoons for the returning common terns. The reserve has a breeding colony of between 150-180 pairs of common terns and is one of the largest in the north of England. 

What a racket, we are greeted by a cacophony of calling gulls, intermingled with wader peeps and duck whistles and babbles. What a fabulous place this is, sensory heaven. 

We situated ourselves in the main hide, and by the wooden screens either side. Our group was comprised of new birders and experienced birding stalwarts, it wasn't long before bird species seen were being reeled off, complete with informative identifying factors and other bird insights. 

Oystercatchers, geese and gulls on grassy banks  N Prendergast

Shelduck, godwit,canada goose,wagtail   L Bimson

On the lagoons we found ducks such as tufted, teal, goldeneye, shelduck and mallard. On the grassy banks, two flighty, twittering linnets foraged for small seeds. Large numbers of oystercatchers huddled and gulls squabbled - black-headed, common, herring, lesser and great black-backed. On the shoreline a large group of cormorants, which roost on the reserve daily, sun bathed, whilst a   mute swan snoozed the morning away. Other guests, Canadian geese, lapwings, redshank, godwits and a flamboyant ruff re-fueled or just took time out.

Little ringed plover   N Prendergast

Little ringed plover nest  N Prendergast

Knot and turnstone buddies   L Bimson

To the left of the hide on a narrow spit, we were delighted to find a diminutive pair of little ringed plovers raking through the shingle. Turned out these little clockwork dynamos had a nest a little further back on the shore. Wonder what their chances are with all those predatory gulls about...mmh. 

Moving to the right of the hide another spit had a knot hanging out with a turnstone, or so it seemed, as they stayed close for all the time we were there. They were visited briefly by a common sandpiper and a white wagtail. 

White wagtail  N Prendergast

The arrival of two whimbrel landing on the causeway spit, created a stir and a discussion ensued on the differences between them and their larger cousin’s curlew.  (Excellent BTO video -    BTO Bird ID - Curlew and Whimbrel ) Easily spooked they didn't stay long, calling as the fled, a loud, rolling twitter. (XC301139 Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus) ) Wonderful.

Whimbrel   N Prendergast

Another call of note alerted us to another surprise rare visitor to the reserve, a spotted redshank   (http://www.xeno-canto.org/141507)

Black and bar tailed godwits  L Bimson

Several black tailed godwits were already on the reserve on our arrival, another chance for an id lesson came when 3 bar tailed godwits arrived, smaller with their upturned bill, splendid in their stunning summer plumage (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecJSoImIT2Y)

A little flock of wheeling dunlin came in as with the tide, making 'shapes' as they circled the lagoon before landing on the shoreline, their summer plumage little black bellies obvious.

Perhaps not one we expect to see here was a raven, spotted high flying over the northern end of the reserve. 

Without a shadow of a doubt the terns that dropped into the reserve during our visit made our day. It appears we were fortunate that on the day of our visit the wind direction had changed to a south easterly and this meteorological shift brought in a large fall of terns to our shores.

Black tern  N Prendergast

When the first black tern turned up at 11.10am a commotion erupted, twenty one birders dashing out the hide for a better view. Little did we know that by the end of the day an astonishing twenty four will have arrived, taking a break from their migration from Africa to their European breeding grounds such as Finland. What fantastic birds these little terns are, with their distinctive black head, swooping over the lagoons, dipping the surface for insects.  

Terns in flight  J Binks

Seventeen sandwich terns gracefully winged in along with the Common terns, some alighted on the shore and gave us yet another id lesson, larger with their distinctive black head crest 

Sandwich and common terns  J Binks

(https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/bird-and-wildlife-guides/browse-bird-families/terns.aspx

Last but not least worthy of a mention was the little gull, a popular spring migrant to the reserve. This feisty endearing gull thoroughly entertained us with his antics; little but full of character, hyper-active, tern imitator and not afraid to take on bigger birds, at one point our bird appeared to be having a flying face off with an oystercatcher!

Little gull  N Prendergast

Little Gull and Common Tern   L Bimson

Bird list

Swift, house martin, sand martin, swallow, starling, magpie, wheatear, linnet, reed bunting, house sparrow, yellow wagtail, pied wagtail, white wagtail, cormorant, little ringed plover, mute swan, Canada goose , greylag goose, heron, whimbrel,  knot, turnstone, dunlin, redshank, spotted redshank, oystercatcher, ruff, black tailed, bar tailed godwit, teal, tufted duck, goldeneye, mallard,  shelduck, g.c grebe, herring, little, black headed, lesser black backed, gtr black backed gulls, sandwich tern, common tern, black tern, crow, raven.

Have your say……

“I too loved the Black terns not least because we had seen so many in Romania and it was amazing to see the same species on home ground.  Another 'ooh' moment for me was when the 2 whimbrel took flight and called with their lovely 7 syllable 'pee'.”   Dr Jenny Jones

“Great idea to get various perspectives on the day.

Day started off with an almost military operation in a choreographed convoy through the security checkpoint. Our leader, Chris, negotiated any visa issues with pin point precision. So we were all in safely without any losses. 

Once settled by the reserve, the day just got better and better.  Being a complete novice I was in awe of the many experts in the group. They made me feel very welcome and taught me so much. I had never heard of half of the birds present so that was a fantastic bonus. 

Can't wait for the next time. Thanks to everyone for a great day.”   Paul Cunningham

“It was a great day! I learned a lot from the group, much more than I could ever do alone. I can now spot the difference between sandwich and common terns and black and bar-tailed godwits. I got to see the similar species next to each other, and hear from the experts what the key id points were in flight and on the ground. Seeing the increasing numbers of amazing black terns was a big highlight!”  Jennie Geddes

Black Terns  L Bimson

MERSEY MUD MATTERS

QUESTION: How many calories are there in one cubic metre of lovely Mersey mud?

ANSWER: 4160, the same number of calories as 16 Mars bars. Yum! No wonder thousands of birds are willing to fly all the way from the Arctic to feed here.

The Mersey Estuary is an amazing place. It’s been vital for the economic prosperity for the area, an iconic part of our history and always stunning for wildlife. It’s a European Special Protection Area ( SPA ), a designated Ramsar site, and one of the four nationally designated Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI’s)

 http://www.ukmpas.org/mapper.php

Each autumn, birds arrive on the Mersey Estuary all the way from the Arctic . The estuary is a vital link in the chain of migration that sustains many birds through the winter. They choose the estuary as their winter quarters because it’s a sheltered site with an abundance of food. And it’s not just wintering species who love it on the Mersey . The estuary is also a popular and important breeding ground for skylarks and redshanks, as well as colonies of gulls.

Together with Morecambe Bay , and the Rivesr Ribble and Dee estuaries, the Mersey forms part of Europe ’s most important wetlands network for wintering and passage birds, hosting almost a million every year

Who feeds here?

49,000 Dunlin, 1,600 Curlew, 3,000 Teal, 10,000 Widgeon, 10,000 Shelduck, 11,000 Black Tailed Godwit, 5,5000 Redshank, 10,000 Lapwings, 2,500 Golden Plover and 1,300 Grey Plover.(approx figures,Wetland Bird Survey 2000-01)

A site is considered to be of international importance for any species of bird if it supports more than 1 per cent of the European population. The Mersey Estuary is internationally important for three species of duck and four species of wading bird and so qualifies as a Special Protection Area, a status reserved for only the most important bird sites in Europe. It also qualifies as a Ramsar site; a wetland of international importance. This recognises wetlands as vital links in a chain where migratory birds can stop and refuel en route between their breeding and wintering grounds. To be considered nationally important, a site must regularly support more than 1 per cent of the UK population of any species.

Turnstone

Shelduck

Curlew

Dunlin

RSPB's Tim Melling tells us more about Important Bird Populations on the Mersey Estuary

http://www.merseybasin.org.uk/archive/assets/173/original/Flocking_To_The_Mersey.pdf

*****For up to date sightings and bird counts go to

https://www.facebook.com/pg/Mersey-Estuary-WeBS-216178248450013/about/

"April 2017 Mersey WeBS Count

Two things stand out this month: a new record for black-tailed godwit with 3,852 beating the previous record of 3,304 and our third record of green-winged teal found at Manisty by Paul."

Get involved:

https://www.bto.org/volunteer-surveys/webs

The River Mersey supports a typical estuarine fauna. Invertebrates include such species as pink and green ragworm, white catworm,  lugworm in sandy foreshores, shore crabs, small Hydrobia snails and shrimps  (as well as sand gobies) in small pools, mussels, prawns, sea anemone in rock pools along Egremont shore, Korean sea squirts and common jellyfish in some of the docks whilst damselfly, dragonfly and caddisflies are found further up river.

Plant Species occurring on the salt marsh  include, for example, sea couch, common salt marsh grass, halberd-leaved orache, sea aster, scurvy grass, annual sea-blite, sea plantain, sea milkwort and sea clubrush.

Barnacle

Caddis fly

Shore crab

Sand Goby

Clam

Hydrobia snail

Lugworm

Ragworm

Mussels

Water quality improvements now means the Mersey supports a wide range of fish species including Salmon, Trout, Lamprey and Dace. The increase in numbers of fish in the river has encouraged a number of other animals to return to the estuary. These include porpoises, grey seas and even octopus!

Cheshire fire and rescue with porpoise

http://www.thefriendsofpickeringspasture.org.uk/stranded-porpoise.html

Fire damages important wildlife area on the Dee Estuary

Fire damage 

Firefighters were recently called out to tackle a blaze on the RSPB Dee Estuary nature reserve which damaged an important area for nesting birds and wildlife.

Thankfully the fire was quickly brought under control and caused far less harm than the previous incident of this kind in 2013 which was started deliberately and destroyed a large swathe of Neston Reedbed and spread to Parkgate Marsh.

However, the incident has raised repeated safety concerns from RSPB staff as arson attacks on the site have been an ongoing problem for a number of years. Due to this, the RSPB operates a wardening scheme with volunteers patrolling the area, on the lookout for any inappropriate or potentially damaging behaviour.

Colin Wells, Site Manager at RSPB Dee Estuary nature reserve, said: “This is a stark reminder of how vulnerable the reedbed and its surrounds are at this time of year. The last few weeks have been relatively fine and combined with periods of strong winds, the conditions on the marsh have become brittle and dry, which meant the fire would have started easily.

“We have a team of volunteers who warden the area in the evenings to try and discourage people from starting fires, which has successfully prevented any for a few years. It was the fast action of one of these volunteers on Saturday evening to promptly raise the alarm and allow the fire to be extinguished quickly before too much damage was done.”

The RSPB are concerned about the damaging impact the blaze may have had on local wildlife living in the affected site, particularly harvest mice and nesting birds.

Colin added: “The harvest mice have lost their habitat and many of them may have been injured or killed. The area is an important breeding ground for birds such as reed buntings and water rails. They have lost their nesting areas.  It’s devastating as we work so hard to create and maintain this site for wildlife and people to enjoy.

“We would benefit from having more volunteer wardens to help keep an eye on the reedbed area in spring, so if any local residents are keen to help protect this special wildlife habitat, get in touch with us at Burton Mere Wetlands.”

Police are treating the fire as a potential arson case. Anyone with any information is asked to call Ellesmere Port and Neston Neighbourhood Policing Team on 0845 458 6373.

To enquire about the volunteer warden opportunity, email deeestuary@rspb.org.uk or telephone 0151 336 4932. For more information on the reserve and its activities, check out the website rspb.org.uk/deeestuary

Shrug off those winter blues at RSPB Burton Mere Wetlands this spring

Bluebells of Gorse covert

Now is the perfect time to discover one of the best bluebell woodlands in the region at RSPB Burton Mere Wetlands on the Dee Estuary. Each spring, the nature reserve’s Gorse Covert, an area of ancient woodland, bursts into colour with a blanket of blue and this year, the bluebells have not disappointed.

Due to the mild winter, many of the flowers have already begun to emerge and tease admirers with their colour well before their usual May bloom.  Last year, hundreds of visitors to the nature reserve told staff of their delight at seeing such a pristine area of the iconic British flower.

Dan Trotman, Visitor Experience Manager at RSPB Dee Estuary reserves, said: “It’s one of my favourite times of the year, when the woodland floor gradually changes from its dull winter green and brown to the vibrant blue hue, signalling the start of fresh life across the reserve. Over the past couple of years more and more visitors have commented on the extent of the bluebells; people were coming to the reserve purely to see the spectacle. The contrast of the deep blue against the greenery of the trees creates a lovely setting for a relaxing stroll.”

While Gorse Covert and Burton Point can be enjoyed independently by all visitors to the reserve, joining the popular ‘Bluebells and Birdsong’ guided walk will allow participants to discover more about the bluebells plus other interesting flowers and wildlife on the reserve.

Dan added:  “On our event this year, visitors can not only enjoy a stroll into the heart of the bluebell woodland, but there will be the chance toventure up to Burton Point, where there is another impressive stand of bluebells, along with breathtaking panoramic views over Burton Mere Wetlands and across the Dee Estuary to the Welsh hills.

“The walk is a great way to discover more about the wildlife which lives on the reserve. The nesting birds will be singing, adding to the tranquil atmosphere, and you will be given tips on how to pick out the songs of different birds. It’s a great way to spend a morning.”

The ‘Bluebells and Birdsong’ guided walk will be held on Sunday 30 April, from 10 am to 12 noon.  The cost is £6.50 per person, (£5 for RSPB members) and half price for children under 18.  This includes a hot drink in the reception hide, and covers the entry fee to the reserve for non-members.  To book your place, phone 0151 353 8478 or email deeestuary@rspb.org.uk.

For more information on the reserve and its activities, check out the website rspb.org.uk/deeestuary

Wild Challenge with Miranda Krestovnikoff | Get involved!

Rspb images - Taking the Wild challenge 

Find out how you can get involved with this year’s Wild Challenge! It’s free, fun and the perfect way to get up close and personal with nature. With 30 different activities to choose from you’re sure to have a fun filled time.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9MYFVU_J-Y&feature=youtu.be&spfreload=5

Wild Challenge is a call - to get up, get out and get wild!

It's a challenge for you to connect with the natural world in brave new ways - to reach out and touch it and meet it head-on, up-close and personal.

All you need to do is create an account and an online profile, and within a few quick and easy steps you'll be ready to get stuck in to your wild adventure! 

You can go as quickly or slowly as you like and we have a wide range of activities to suit your needs and location. There's something to do throughout the year, no matter what the weather brings!

Selected other RSPB activities, such as Big Garden Birdwatch and Big Wild Sleepout, count towards your achievements too!

Wild Challenge replaces the Wildlife Action Awards – an awards scheme for schools and families which we've been running since 1988. Thousands of children have taken part over the years and Wild Challenge's shiny new content and online presence ensures that many more children can get wild and closer to the nature on their doorstep.

If you would like to focus on wildlife gardening and helping nature thrive in your outdoors spaces, check out our Giving Nature a Home pages where you can create a personal plan with six simple activities to help you give nature a home where you live. 

https://ww2.rspb.org.uk/kids-and-schools/kids-and-families/wild-challenge/