The Wirral shrikes again,
A Subalpine warbler on Hilbre today and a great grey shrike in the north wirral CP provided excellent birding on the Wirral, close on the heels of the Alpine Swift. Let us hope they are still around tommorrow. Alpine swift and subalpine warbler, I see a pattern emerging here. Anyone checked Thurstaston cliffs for alpine accentor!!!

Oil spillage sparks beach clean
A beach clean up is underway off the Merseyside coast after an oil spillage from a rig in the Irish Sea.
The spillage contaminated a mile long stretch near Formby Point and people are being asked to avoid the beach.
A spokesman for BHP Billiton said a small quantity of oil was released from the Lennox platform, about five miles offshore from Ainsdale.
Droplets of oil were found on the beach about a mile north of Formby Point by the firm's incident response team.
A statement from the company, which apologised for the incident, said: "We are working actively to minimise any impact on the beach and the marine environment.
"Whilst this work is in progress, it is advised that the public avoid the area to allow the work to be completed efficiently."
An investigation has been launched into the cause of the leak.

Lets hope the birds and wildlife escape the oil unharmed.

Prescot Reservoirs,
A passage of swifts was evident with a flock of 60 Swifts moving through early morning. There were 7 Common Sandpipers around no3 today and a Green Sandpiper was with them. I flushed it with 2 common sandpipers and its distinctive square white rump and call was obvious. Andy Spot reported a Jack Snipe in the ranch this morning.
Also on the reservoirs today
4 Goldeneye 1m 3f
20 Tufted Duck
1 Little Grebe
2 Great crested grebe
2 Cormorants
2 Meadow Pipits displaying with flight song
2 Whitethroats displaying with flight song
1 Sedge Warbler singing
3 Buzzards
2 Kestrel m+f
20 Lesser black backs, 10 herring gulls and 2 black headed gulls.



A female Speckled wood was in the plantation.

Knowsley safari park,
A drake garganey showed extremley well on the Mizzy dam today. Found by Andy Spottiswood this morning.

Crosby Marina,
A summer plumaged Black Tern for its second day with 100 little gulls on the marina this morning and also 2 common sandpiper on the rocky edge.

Crosby Coastguards,
A Peregrine as we left the car park was a good start. Light westerly winds and a high tide today so a couple of hours seawatching was in order. The roof of the pumping station gives an excellent vantage point and a bit of shelter also. The best bird again today was the summer plumaged Spotted Redshank which flew past close by south with 8 redshanks but was not seen again. Most birds were along way out, the winds not being strong enough to bring the birds closer.
30 Gannets
5 Fulmars
4 Red Throated divers
2 Common Scoters
30 Cormorants
A couple of unidentifed terns a long way out.
Clouds of thousands of waders off formby piont.
On terre firma
2 wheatears on the golf course
2 Whitethroats
2 grasshopper warblers



Prescot reservoir
2 common sandpipers ( BH had 8 yesterday) 4 goldeneye and a green woodpecker in yates wood.

Bold Heath,
A hobby flying over the fields along the A57 was a very fortunate sighting as I drove towards Penketh. It flew over the road in front of me from the adjacent field as I had one eye on the bird and one eye on the road.

Crosby Coastguards,
A walk up the coastal path north of coastguards produced excellent numbers of waders today. Wader of the day went to a superb summer plumaged Spotted redshank. An uncommon bird in our area although one was reported at Crosby Marina a couple of weeks ago during a high tide and was probably the same bird. I had a single winter plumaged bird in november at the Alt estuary so maybe a single bird has over wintered on our coast.
Over 100 Grey plovers with some smart summer plumaged birds amongst them. 30 Bar tailed and 10 black tail godwits, 300 Knot, 200 dunlin, 30 sanderlings,2 ring plover,15 turnstone, 20 oystercatcher,20 curlew,30 redshank.
A single Whimbrel went past calling and a few singles of little gulls out in Liverpool bay made it an excellent couple of hours birdwatching.In the dunes a couple of grasshopper warbler were reeling and one popped up on to a stalk for a few seconds for us to enjoy it reeling. 3 male stonechats were also along the path with several swallows passing overhead.


Crosby Marina
A quick visit to see the Little gulls mid morning produced 140 mainly resting on the Marina.


Prescot reservoirs
A quick visit early morning produced a single male wheatear, 2 common sands, 1 swift, 5 house martins and 30 swallows. The goldeneye were at 4 . Sedge warbler and whitethroat were still present in the meadow.

Old Coach Road, Rainford Mosslands

Colin Davis had reported some yellow wagtails on the Rainford mosslands during the last couple of days so I thought I would take a stroll down the Coach road in search of them and anything else that came along. It was a glorious day so me and the wife took the afternoon sunshine together. Good numbers of wheatears, 20 plus. A couple of Yellowhammers even had the binoculars up to my wifes eyes. I met another birdwatcher who had just been eyeballing a couple of yellow wags and he had said one of them was a blue headed wagtail but they had just flown off. We searched the next field and found them feeding under the feet of a few bulls. Excellent views of the two male wagtails were had and good enough one of them was a blue headed. Nice, very nice.

Talk about colour co-ordination!!!

Deseased feet
I don't know if you noticed the feet on the white wagtail below but they are very deformed and swollen . I wondered if this was because of parasites or have they just been accidently damaged. Any ideas?
That reminds me I must cut my toe nails.

A good day for migrants at Prescot Reservoirs,
A white wagtail on the causeway, a cuckoo calling from Yates wood, a sedge warbler and a whitethroat in the meadow where all firsts for the year at the reservoirs. Early morning 3 swifts, 15 house martins, 6 sand martin and 30 plus swallows were over the green box area but all had drifted off by 9.15am. Goldeneye were back up to 9 , tufted duck 10, a single great crested grebe, 3 gadwall, and a mallard had 6 ducklings in tow. A green woodpecker was calling in the bottom wood .50 lesser black backs, all adults, 10 herring gulls and a single 1st summer black headed gull.

Prescot reservoirs
A single Tree pipit was a nice bird in the ranch today. 2 common sandpipers fed around the concrete parapet of no 4 res.The goldeneye have decreased to 5 today with tufted duck at 10. A pair of wheatears where on the grass around the green box area. Three buzzards floated over no3 res and a pair of Kestrels were displaying around the plantation. Willow warblers, balckcap and chiffchaffs were singing all around.Yesterday BH had a Whimbrel on the causeway for ten minutes and 2 swifts over. The first Swift last year was on the 16th so 4 days later this year.
Our resident canada goose 'righty' is to become a father with his mate sitting on eggs. Righty has a broken wing so its quite an achievement!!!

Crosby marina
A beautiful sunshiney day at the marina brought a lot of people out and about but it also brought the Little gulls out in force . A count of 530 at one point in the afternoon was a real treat to see. Later in the afternoon some of the little gulls started to move back out to sea and some over the fence into Seaforth NR. An adult kittiwake was also on the marina. I also had 4 wheatears ,30 plus white wags and good numbers of swallows moving through. I met Tim later in the afternoon who told me he had just been threatened by a 5 year old. Its getting rough around Crosby!!!

Aren't Blogs BRILLIANT!!!!!!!!!!!
Being new to blogging (first post april 2nd) I wasn't sure what to expect. At first I was a little bit apprehensive putting myself out there. I have posted photos before but the last bit of writing I did was at school -- years ago. Now I just love the format . I think that they are a great way of sharing ideas and imformation with like minded people. Every blog has its own style and format, they are all different, all having something to offer ,all with a personal touch. One of first things I look at on my computer in the evening is the other local blogs to see whats been happening , what I've been missing whilst at work. I like 'Another Place' with their team effort , great photos and interesting writing. Andy's blog always interests me to see what I've been missing over the fence from Prescot res at Knowsley safari park. He recently turned up a superb summer plumaged red necked grebe and a firecrest, not bad on your local patch. Colins blog covers the Rainford mosslands and Eccleston mere. Colin had the four cranes recently over the mosslands (jammy git) and he said that they headed towards prescot res but alas nobody was there. You can't be everywhere all of the time and thats what Brilliant about blogs letting others know whats been happening, especially on a local basis. So if you have a similar interest in the merseyside area or the north west get your own blog. Its easy, the more the merrier. Merseyside is a great place to watch birds with a big diversity of habitat and birdwatchers! Keep up the good work lads.
Steve

A Swift pint on the Wirral
A cracking Alpine swift was present for its second day at Barnston on the Wirral. It conveniently preferred an area around the 'Fox and Hounds' public house and after getting it 'under the belt' a nice pint of bitter was downed. This was a lifer for me although I have seen plenty in southern Europe. It was hunting insects with a few Swallows and a house martin giving excellent views.

Prescot reservoirs
A quick visit after work produced the female ring ouzel on the covered res with 2 wheatears but it looks like the male redstart has moved on. A male sparrowhawk circled above. On no 3+4 res were 50 lesser black backs and 10 herring gulls. 22 goldeneye, 11 tufted duck ,3 great crested grebe , 3 gadwall, 1 ruddy duck f, and 3 cormorants.

Prescot reservoirs
The ring ousel and redstart were still present this morning. Later the grass cutters were out in force at the reservoirs and this afternoon there was no sign of either bird.The common sand was still on no3 res. 2 Chiffchaffs and a willow warbler were singing in the bottom wood and a pair of long tailed tits were busy nest building. Also today 32 goldeneye, 4 pair of tufted duck, 3 great crested grebe, 10 cormorants , 10 canada geese, 2 oystercatchers and 20 lapwing 2 buzzard and a male kestrel. There were 20 lesser black backed, 2 herring ,4 black headed gull and 3 common gull on no4 res. A peacock and comma butterfly were sunning themsleves in the meadow.