Rainford mosslands,
I visited Dairyfarm Road today. A blue headed wagtail was in a ploughed field with a female and obviously a pair. A cuckoo was seen near the coach road. A corn bunting was singing in the distance.
I then moved to Berringtons lane. You just can't not be impressed by a cock yellowhammer singing his heart out in his bright yellow suit on a glorious sunny day. In the space of five minutes I had four raptors. A peregrine and a buzzard drifted over the fields. A male kestrel was hovering over some scrub. I had just finished taking some images of the cock yellowhammer. I was sitting in the van when a cock sparrowhawk landed on a post only a couple of metres away . It looked at me and I looked at him just for a second or two and then he was away. One of those nice little moments.
Prescot Reservoirs
2 common terns and 4 shellduck with 14 ducklings between them. Another house sparrow was nice.100 lesser black backs and 5 herring gull.

Delightful Dorset,
I have just got back from a short family holiday at Weymouth in Dorset. I managed to do some birding whilst there, mostly on Portland.
May 29th
I dropped the cases off at the B+B and it was straight over to Portland. A hobby flew over at ferrybridge. I was just in time for the woodchat shrike that had been at Coombefield quarry for a couple of weeks. It was showing well on the fence posts and low bushes but this was to be its last day. A report of a hoopoe nearby at another quarry and half an hour later I was watching a hoopoe flying around the rocks and bushes. Was I in Portland or Spain.
May 30th
I was back on Portland early next morning and first I did a bit of seawatching. Nothing special but plenty of Gannets, Fulmars, Guillemots, Razorbills, Shags and cormorants. There was no sign of the Stormies that had been displaced into the Channel the previous few days. A cold northerly was blowing today.
May 31st
A serin today at the obs was seen in flight and calling. A pair of peregrines flew close over.Reed warbler in the obs garden. Later today a marsh warbler was trapped at the obs but I had long gone. We went to Studland point later today and Dartford warbler,Tree pipit, Green woodpecker were seen.
June 1st
A common rosefinch had just been calling in the obs garden when I arrived but was not seen. It was seen briefly later that day and was found to be a first summer male. 2 wheatears. The Cetti's warbers were showing well at Radipole lake today. At Chesil beach later today the little terns and sandwich terns were showing well. 2 Little Egrets also.
June 2nd
The little owl was peering out of a crack in the quarry by the obs. A bee eater was reported calling at Southwell but was not seen. The serin flew over the obs again this morning. A striped hawkmoth and a pine hawk moth had been trapped .

Blue-tailed Damselfly (Ischnura elegans

Female holly blue

Pine hawk moth

Striped hawk moth

Prescot reservoirs

All these images today were taken with my new little camera, the Canon A95 and my zeiss diascope 85. Just thought I would try a bit of digiscoping for a change and I'm glad I did. Click on the image to see a larger image.



This Red breasted goose has been around for a couple of years at least. First time I have seen it this year though. It was on no4 this morning.



This little fella must have hit the wire perimeter fence.

Prescot Reservoir,

3 common terns over no4 today for five minutes then flew off west. 3 shellducks , 3 oystercatcher,50 swift and 4 house martins were about the best of it. 50 lesser black backs 5 herring and 2 adult black headed today.

BH had a Hobby yesterday over no4

Great tits nesting in a road cone at Prescot reservoirs. Strange but true.

Prescot Reservoirs
A late sand martin over the ranch and 1 common sanpiper today. 1 shellduck over no4, 20 tufted duck, 2 ruddy duck, 1 great crested grebe, 1 cormorant. 1 buzzard 1 male kestrel, 100 swift ,20 swallow 5 house martins. There are plenty of mallard ducklings and 7 canada goose goslings.

Crosby coastguards,
A visit late Saturday afternoon after the rain had stopped produced a couple of whimbrel, 10 bar tailed godwits,50 turnstone, 3 curlew, 20 dunlin. A strong nw wind was blowing but produced nothing of note during a couple of hours seawatching.

Prescot reservoirs ,
Not much happening today. 3 common sandpipers, A pair of ruddy duck, 1 great crested grebe,1 cormorant, 4 gadwall, 10 tufted duck, 50 lesser black backed gull and 10 herring and 1 1st summer great black backed gull.
No photos today so a sketch of the Wirrals spring highlights.

Seaforth nr,
A female Baikal Teal on the freshwater pool today. It has apparently been there for 3 days . It was not good viewing as it was quite distant and the sun haze did not help. Oh and the 8 foot fence sort of got in the way.The white loral spot, white throat and the wing pattern was noted and all seemed ok for female baikal teal. The bird was to distant for me to notice that it has a pale base to the bill which has put a slight doubt to the birds ID. A very interesting bird. Baikal teal is not on the british list at present. A male bird was present in Northern Ireland in February which arrived with an influx of teal.
The lesser whitethroat was singing and showing well near the carpark. I also noted 8 first summer little gulls.A couple of wheatears and a white wag were also seen.

Crosby coastguards
3 wheatears, 9 whimbrel, 60 turnstones,50 dunlin and 1 sandwich tern where the highlights today. A report of a laughing gull at Hilbre island had me checking every gull.




Prescot reservoirs,
A reservoir rarity today in the form of a house sparrow. I have been birdwatching at the reservoirs regularly for about two years and this is the first house sparrow I have seen there. A stunning male was feeding beside no 4 res. A flock of 30 jackdaws on the covered res. Not much else to report there today . Andy spot reports whinchat and reed warbler over in the safari park.

Liverpool Victory.
Congratulations to Liverpool F.C. on winning the F A cup. A great performance from Stevie Gerrard again and I just hope he reproduces that form for England. If only he played for Everton.

Marsh warbler at frodsham marsh?
I went to see the possible marsh warbler last night. It was very difficult to see well but I managed a fairly decent view front on whilst it sang low in the reeds. It did seem to have a greyish cast to its brown peaked head. Its white throat stood out. I did not get any good views of the wings or legs. It seemed to like the hawthorn bushes as much as the reeds
Its song was like reed warbler at times and at other times it mimicry was astounding when it got going . I have no experience of marsh warbler in this country and have only seen them a couple of times abroad so I will have to let other more able birders decide if this bird really is one.

Crosby,
A quick visit to Crosby Marina early morning and the lesser whitethroat was rattling away in the bushes by the first car park but I didn't see it. North of coastguards 5 whimbrel on the beach and a flock of 8 over the golf course. Some of the sanderling and dunlin were looking smart in summer plumage as were the grey plover. 8 common tern flew north. Whitethroats sang everywhere and a sedge warbler was in the scrub by the railway but no sign of the recent cuckoo. A couple of male stonechats sang from prominent perches
Back at the Marina. 3 1st summer little gulls flew from seaforth onto the marina. PK said he had just heard and seen the lesser whitethroat by the carpark but I had no luck but heard whitethroat and sedge warbler.

Martin Mere,
A visit after work today to see the 3 black winged stilts was rewarded with distant views into the sun. These elagant waders were only the 2nd record for Lancashire. They were seen yesterday at Far Ings in Linconshire and obviously decided that Lancashire was a better place to be. Also whimbrel over.

A holly blue in the garden today
Prescot reservoirs,
About 70 swifts over no 3 + 4 res mid morning with 20 swallows. Blackcap,chiffchaff and willow warbler seem to be everywhere now. 1 sedge warbler in the ranch and a garden warbler singing in the bottom wood were new birds. 3 whitethroats singing. Green woodpecker calling.
2 male wheatears
2 common sandpipers
Goldeneye have all left now
10 tufted duck
3 great crested grebe
3 oystercatchers
10 lapwings
30 lesser black backed
1 1st s common gull
6 herring gull
5 buzzards
2 kestrel

Fortune favours the brave,

As I crossed the sands towards Hibre Island at 07.00 with the wind and rain biting at my face I started to question my sanity. The subalpine warbler had not been seen since 13.30 yesterday and then only briefly but the weather had been windy and rainy during the night so I thought that it was probably still there. Two other birders were already there when I arrived and two others joined us soon after. I thought there would have been a few more birders here with this bird being only the 4th record for Cheshire and the 2nd for Hilbre. The buckthorn around the heligoland trap seemed birdless except for the odd linnet popping up. We had the strong wind at our backs from the west. One of the birders said he was going around to the east side were it was more sheltered on the beach and look up at the buckthorn overhanging the sandstone cliffs. Its a good job he did because half an hour later he came back saying the subalp had just been showing with a willow warbler. We all rushed around to the beach on the east side to look up at where it had just been seen. A bird flitting about at the bottom of the buckthorn was flushed by the warden checking the traps. The subalpine warbler flew out and landed in a small bush out in the open and gave excellent views if only brief.It then flew back into the buckthorn and was not seen again by us. Five birders with big smiles then left to walk back to the mainland. This bird is a first summer male and was trapped and ringed yesterday morning

I then drove the short distance to leasowe to see the great grey shrike close to the lighthouse. It was perched low in a hawthorn sheltering from the wind around midday. All five of the Hilbre birders met up again and the group photo was taken below.

These are two great birds for Merseyside or is it cheshire?