Haw-esome Vizmigging

Due to a number of reasons I haven't been able to do as much vizmigging at Hale this year as I would have liked. However the last day of forecasted SE'lies (before a switch to much colder E and NE'lies) and with some pretty impressive numbers moving during the week, I made sure that I got an early start. As is normal I arrived at Hale well before first light so had a stop along Carr Lane, however it was fairly quiet with not a peep out of any of the Water Rails from last night.

Arriving at the end of Church Lane I parked up and put on an extra 20 layers of clothes (I always forget how cold it is just standing about!!). The wind felt more ESE rather than the forecast SE, and there was a thick cloud cover. I was joined by Rob Cockbain and we watched 3 Great White Egret heading out towards Ince Marshes (presumably having left the decoy at pretty much first light). It was fairly evident that it was going to be fairly slow going though, with next to nothing moving as Clare Gower joined us.

Thankfully things did start to pick up as the first flocks of Redwing and Fieldfare started to move through. A nice group of Pink footed Geese (having been roosting on the Mersey) flew up and over our heads and headed north (to return back south again not long after). Finches seemed be in pretty short supply with only a trickle of Chaffinch, many u-turning as they got half way down Lighthouse Lane. A couple of Sparrowhawk and Kestrel kept the migrants on their toes, whilst a Merlin hammered through west.

Finally as the clouds started to break and the sun started to break through migration started to pick up. With some impressive (for this late in November) movement of Woodpigeon. A Hawfinch was heard uttering its "pix" call as it headed south, but we were unable to pick it up. We were joined by Mike Roberts as migration continued to pick up with an increase in finches evident from around 9am. A Bullfinch was a surprise as was a Water Pipit that flew around over our heads. A Tree Sparrow headed south (quite a late record for Hale), whilst the first few Brambling of the day were picked up in small Chaffinch flocks.

The cloud had disappeared by 10am and had left behind a stunning bright blue sky. Chaffinch, Fieldfare and Redwing numbers continued to increase as the winds dropped and the sun started to feel warmer. I was about to leave when I picked up a big bulky finch....a Hawfinch. Getting Clare onto the bird, I explained it was just being joined by 4 more finches and it was the front bird, but suddenly realising that they were ALL Hawfinch! Pretty good going, and a few more attempts of leaving site were further delayed as a few more waves of Redwing and Fieldfare moved through.....I finally decided to declare at about 10.30. Full details can be found on trektellen.

Before heading home I decided to pop into Town Lane and pulled up on the bridge. I immediately picked up 2 Water Pipit feeding amongst good numbers of Meadow Pipit, Pied Wagtail and a few Goldfinch and Linnet. They showed remarkably well and were soon joined by a 3rd bird. Further out on the Marsh there were a couple of Little Egret, whilst Common Buzzard and Kestrel sat on posts watching on. Crossing the road I picked up the 3 Mute Swan sat in the wheat field, whilst the Town Lane floods were covered in Eurasian Teal and a handful of Common Snipe.

As I scanned the open water in front of me I picked up another 4 Water Pipit having a wash. All 4 birds showed remarkably well....even if the dodgy phonescope pictures don't show it! A minimum of 7 Water Pipit is the highest count of the winter, and quickly turning Hale into the best location in Cheshire for this species. With time running out I finally headed home after a pretty successful mornings birding.

......and Relax!!

I managed a brief visit to the patch during Sunday afternoon, and was again rather surprised that nothing rarer had been reported despite plenty of people on patch. It was disappointing to hear that the people had been walking through the fields to try and find the Lapland Bunting, and it was not overly surprising to hear that it had only be seen briefly.

I again checked out the paddocks by Burnt Mill Farm, but was again left disappointed with no Wheatear present still. However there were good numbers of Linnet and Meadow Pipit present, and the oilseed fields at the back held singing Corn Bunting and Reed Bunting. It surely won't be too long until the first Wheatears are back......

Moving around the sharp bends I was surprised to find no birders at all. I picked up the Lapland Bunting quite quickly, whilst it was calling and flying around. However, unlike the last two days it didn't seem keen on settling - I'm not sure whether this was due to the Kestrel in attendance or the persistent flushing that it had received earlier in the day?! With limited available time and having had good views over the last couple of days I decided to leave it in peace and move down Carr Lane.

The flooded field held the usual Little Grebes, who were exceedingly vocal. A female Merlin was perched up in the hawthorns behind the floods and gave good scope views (but clearly not good photo opportunities!!). A single Water Pipit was feeding on the Carr Lane side of the road, but was rather mobile and didn't want to settle either. It all seemed rather quiet in comparison to the last couple of days.

Moving round to the gate on Town Lane I relocated the male Garganey, which was sadly feeding right at the back of the Pools. A good number of Black tailed Godwit were present, but were feeding in the deep water so no chance of colour ring reading on this occasion. A single Ruff was present in the back corner, whilst the single male Wigeon, 40+ Eurasian Teal and 24 Shoveler were again present.

I walked up to the bridge on Town Lane hoping that the first Little ringed Plover would be in by now, but sadly there was still no sign. A couple of Little Egret were feeding out on the Marsh, but otherwise it was very quiet. Meadow Pipit and Skylark were present in good numbers, but despite a thorough search I couldn't find much else of interest. With my available time running out I headed back to the car. A rather tame patch visit compared to the last couple of days, but then I shouldn't really complain given that it is still only March! 

Lapping It Up - Cattle Style

I received a twitter message from Luke Ozsanlav-Harris after my visit on Thursday to say that he had found a Lapland Bunting near Burnt Mill Farm. Needless to say I was keen to get out after work to have a look around to see whether it had stayed put. The weather was more late-Spring than early, with bright blue skies, WARM sunshine and only a light breeze.

Parking up on the sharp bend past Burnt Mill Farm, I could hear a number of Meadow Pipit, Reed Bunting and Yellowhammers, and a single Corn Bunting jangling away. Seconds later I could hear the distinctive "prrrt" of a Lapland Bunting, and quickly picked it up in flight. It landed close to the hedge opposite the farm, so I made my way round to the public footpath. Amazingly I picked it up on the deck, and although the heat haze was fairly bad I got some good pics and video (sadly I have managed to delete everything other than those that I posted on Twitter somehow!!?!?! - Grrrrrr!). I enjoyed prolonged views of what is only my second record on the patch, and got a few other local birders onto it before I headed off towards Carr Lane.

Great Boar Wood was again alive with singing Chiffchaff and Blackcap, and it surely won't be too long now before they are joined by some of the other regular migrants. The flooded field was fairly dead, but 2 Little Grebe were whinnying from their hiding place. Common Buzzard seemed to be absolutely everywhere, whilst Kestrel and Sparrowhawk were on the wing. The male Garganey had moved out onto the main Pools whilst a single Water Pipit was again showing well in the wet horse paddock.

I again moved round to Town Lane where the single Ruff was feeding in pretty much the same location. Duck numbers are pretty static at the moment with 24 Shoveler, 29 Eurasian Teal, 2 Gadwall and a single Wigeon. Walking along Town Lane I could see a white dot sat at the top of the trees, which I expected to be a Little Egret. I was amazed when it turned out to be a Cattle Egret, a patch lifer and patch first! Although their rarity status has been somewhat devalued, and it was an "expected" addition to the patch list it was still a bit of a rush!

Cattle Egret (pics c/o Mike Roberts)

I was joined by Mike Roberts and Paul Lees on the bridge, but within seconds of Mike setting up his camera the Cattle Egret took off to the east! Fortunately it pitched down in the horse fields, and Mike was able to get some distant shots of the bird feeding. Sadly the patch stalwarts Rob, Carol and Iggy were all away in different parts of the UK, so it is frustrating that despite the bird going to roost in the decoy it has not been relocated since.

Hale Marsh was fairly productive with a single Swallow flying through east. A couple of Little Egret were feeding in the longer grassy areas. A female Merlin was zooming about at the back of the marsh, whilst a Peregrine towered over before heading off towards Frodsham. With my available time running out I headed back to Burnt Mill Farm briefly, where a couple of local birders were having no luck in relocating the Lapland Bunting. 

After a couple of very poor months, it is great to see the patch finally returning to form. Cattle Egret also took my patch life list to 201, not bad for a quiet little corner in the north-west!! 

Last Patching of the Holidays

With the return to work looming, I managed to get a few hours in on patch. The early morning fog and mist had started to clear quite nicely and bright winter sunshine was starting to break through at home; however by the time I reached the patch it had turned quite murky and I could see a big bank of fog drifting my way. It was relatively mild though, with the car thermometer indicating it was 12 degrees.

Reaching Burnt Mill Farm I had a good look around for any Finch and Bunting flocks and eventually found a small group of Chaffinch, which also contained a Yellowhammer and 2 Reed Bunting. However a thorough scan of the hedges finally revealed 2 Corn Bunting feeding on their own close to the hedgeline. A few Meadow Pipit and Linnet in the weedy fields were pretty much the only other birds I could locate. 

Heading down Carr Lane I entered the big bank of fog, and needless to say it was hard going seeing anything. The Cetti's Warbler showed well by the bridge on Carr Lane, probably the best views I have had to date of a very skulky bird. A Water Rail was squealing away, but there was little else on the flooded field. A single Water Pipit was feeding in the wet paddock in front of Carr Lane Pools, whilst there were good numbers of Redwing and Fieldfare feeding in the hawthorns around the back of the Pools. Sadly the fog was too thick to pick out much on the Pools!

A brief trip up to Church Lane was pretty much a waste of time, with the murk clearing but still making viewing the Mersey or the marshes opposite near impossible. However there were a few Grey Partridge and 50+ Curlew feeding across the fields. A Sparrowhawk caused chaos as it shot across the fields, scattering the Curlew. Driving back along Church Lane I could suddenly hear screeching as 4 Ring-necked Parakeet shot over heading towards Hale village, presumably the same birds I had seen before Christmas.

A quick stop on the bridge on Town Lane was painfully quiet, with no sign of any Pipits, and very little else out on the Marsh. A couple of Little Egret stalked the edges, whilst c.200 Canada Geese were busily feeding in the deep grass. The flooded field was deserted with only a handful of Eurasian Teal and a single Mallard - clearly some disturbance had pushed them elsewhere.

Moving on to Pickerings Pasture I picked up c.6 Bullfinch feeding in the hedge as usual. The tide was relatively low and there was a good selection of waders busily feeding away including c.400 Golden Plover, c.900 Lapwing, c.60 Dunlin and a few Curlew, Oystercatcher and Black-tailed Godwit. There was a group of c.300 "large" Gulls gathered towards the Runcorn Bridge, and a decent scan finally revealed 2 adult Yellow-legged Gull, but sadly no white-wingers. A Common Sandpiper was busily feeding on the rocky shore, but with light deteriorating I decided to head round to Carr Lane to check out the what dusk would throw up.

Meeting up with Iggy and Paul Lees who had the same idea, we had great views of a female Merlin, that was sat along the fenceline on the Carr Lane Pools side. The mild and misty conditions were clearly not helping matters, with the Water Rails barely making a squeak and a half hearted burst from the Cetti's Warbler. Even a Pipistrelle Bat was flying around, showing clearly how mild even it felt it was. With a no show from any Owls or Woodcock, I decided to call it a night. However walking back to the cars Iggy picked up a Little Grebe flying over our heads, whilst a few Common Snipe squelched away as we unlocked the cars. 

So a productive couple of days on patch to start off the New Year, and with some rather glaring gaps still there is plenty of birding left for January.