2018 - A Year of Patchbirding

So 2018 saw me enter into my fourth year of the Patchwork Challenge. Each of the preceding years had seen an increase in the number of species seen within the Patch boundaries, so I knew it was always going to be a challenge to maintain the pace. The house move that had restricted my patch activity towards the end of 2017 continued much further into 2018 than I had planned or anticipated (the joys of buying a house that requires a substantial amount of work!). But despite a slow start to the year I managed to visit the Patch on 115 occasions (an increase on 2017). However 2018 was a very tough year for birding, with a slow Spring, an even slower Autumn and some unbelievably warm, drought like conditions that decimated the Pools. In total I managed to see 170 species (my lowest total by 10 species of taking part in Patchwork Challenge), however I did manage to add two Patch lifers (Nightingale and American Golden Plover). 

January

Patch visits - 2
Patch lifers - 0
Patch Yearlist - 92 (xxx points)

The house move that curtailed the back end of 2017 continued into 2018, and the subsequent (extensive) work required to get it to a liveable standard meant that any birding went out of the window for the majority of the month. I finally was able to get the yearlist up and running on the 26th with a late afternoon scoot around the patch. Although nothing overly unexpected was seen it was nice to add Goosander, Common Sandpiper, Jack Snipe and Merlin alongside some of the more expected species. I was back out on the 28th cleaning up on some of the woodland birds around Hale Park before heading to Hale Lighthouse for my first Gulling of the new year. Iceland Gull, Short eared Owl, Brent Goose were quickly added (the latter species a scarce patch bird) and ensured that the month wasn't a total washout.  

Iceland Gull - Hale Lighthouse

Eurasian Teal - Town Lane

Little Egret - Pickerings Pasture

February

Patch visits - 1

Patch lifers - 0

Patch Yearlist - 99 (xxx points)

The house had pretty much taken over my life, but with the final touches of decorating completed I was finally able to move in on the 20th. However the impact on my patch birding was massive, and I only managed one visit on the 25th, however it proved rather very productive filling a few of glaring gaps from my yearlist alongside some quality patch species Ruff, Glaucous Gull, Spotted Redshank. It was also nice to catch up with some of the scarcer wintering species again including Iceland Gull, Goosander and Common Sandpiper. So despite a lack of birding, it was still only the end of February and with lighter evenings on the horizon I was in a fairly positive mood to kick on for the year. 

Mistle Thrush - Church Lane

Kingfisher - Pickerings Pasture

Wren - Carr Lane (c/o Mike Roberts)

March

Patch visits - 9

Patch lifers - 0

Patch Yearlist - 120 (xxx points)

March was bitterly cold with the Beast from the East doing it's best to remind us that winter was still very much in charge. The 4th produced my first Brambling of the year, whilst I managed to locate the Glaucous Gull (that had been seen near to Runcorn) at Pickerings. The same day also produced some further Iceland Gull and 2 Goldeneye (a fairly scarce patch bird). The 8th saw me add 2 Red breasted Merganser, alongside some good winter waders (Bar tailed Godwit  and Knot) and another Iceland Gull. The 10th produced both white wingers again alongside an impressive murmeration of c.25,000 Starling. As the full brunt of the Beast from the East hit on the 17th a further Iceland Gull was seen from Hale Lighthouse. The 25th finally saw my first "migrant" of the year in the shape of a White Wagtail, and a Green Sandpiper on the former Ibis Pool. The slight increase in temperatures also finally saw some singing Chiffchaff and Blackcap around the patch. Scanning Frodsham Score on the 25th also paid dividends with 3 Whooper Swan flying around. The month ended with some birding on the 31st adding 2 Little Stint (that had been overwintering) at Pickerings Woodcock and a Common Scoter. Despite heading into April, there was a real lack of migrants about, with blocking northerlies keeping everything well away from the north-west. 

Fieldfare - Pickerings Pasture (c/o Mike Roberts)

Water Pipit - Carr Lane Pools

Glaucous Gull - Pickerings Pasture (c/o Mike Roberts)

April

Patch visits - 20

Patch lifers - 0

Patch Yearlist - 149 (171 points)

So into what should be one of the best months of the year for migrants on the patch, but the majority of birds seemed to be at least 1-2 weeks later than normal. The 1st saw me add Pochard to the yearlist, but otherwise there was still a real wintery feel although the Water Pipits were trying their best to feel a little more amorous by moulting into their breeding plumage. The 3rd finally saw my first Wheatear of the year, but with the rather cold weather lingering on they looked distinctly non-plussed. The 5th saw my first Garganey of the year, whilst 2 Bewick's Swan were rather useful additions on Ince Marshes. The 7th finally saw a few more migrants about, including my first Willow Warblers and Swallow of the year. Red legged Partridge and Barn Owl were also nice to finally catch up with. The 8th was a bit of a pea souper, but produced 2 Tree Pipit and a few more migrants, alongside the first returning Avocet of the year. The 11th saw the first Redstart of the year along Carr Lane, whilst the 12th produced the first Sedge and Reed Warblers of the year. The 13th was the first productive day of the Spring with Ring Ouzel alongside the remaining Redstart, and a clear increase in migrant numbers. The14th saw an increase in Wagtail numbers with the first returning Yellow Wagtails on Hale Marsh, alongside c.70 White Wagtail. Mid month was fairly slow, but by the 19th things were starting to pick up a little (along with the temperatures!), including my first Grasshopper Warbler of the year. The 21st was probably the best 'migrant' day of the month with the first returning Channel Wagtails, Lesser Whitethroat, Whimbrel and Greenshank (along with plenty of other migrants including Grasshopper Warbler, Redstarts and Ring Ouzel). A few quieter and greyer days were followed by the first big influx of Wheatear and Cuckoo on the 24th. The 25th saw Wheatear numbers peak at c.30 birds, and a very smart Whinchat was tagging along for the ride at Burnt Mill Farm. The 25th also saw my largest patch count of 7 Ring necked Parakeet flying towards Halebank. The 28th saw my first returning Swift of the year, but also saw a drop off in migrant numbers. The 29th produced my last yeartick of the month, with a smart Hobby swooping across Carr Lane. Despite a smattering of migrants, it still felt that Spring hadn't really got started, and despite lots of effort I just didn't seem to be getting any luck.

Common Redstart - Carr Lane (c/o Mike Roberts)

Corn Bunting - Burnt Mill Farm (c/o Mike Roberts)

Kestrel - Within Way

May

Patch visits - 17

Patch lifers - 1 (Nightingale)

Patch Yearlist - 160 (189 points)

Surely May (ordinarily the best month on patch) would produce the goods...…..The first couple of days of the month continued in the same vein as the majority of April, with only a smattering of migrants. However the 4th produced a brief moment of excitement with Pied Flycatcher, another Redstart and 2 Whinchat around Carr Lane in the space of about 15 minutes. Yet another early start on the 5th produced what would ultimately be one of my highlights of the year. Arriving at the bridge on Carr Lane, I had just poured myself a coffee, when I suddenly heard a song that I was very familiar with (having grown up with them nesting in my family garden)…..a Nightingale. Quite possibly my favourite songbird, and one that always takes me back to why I connected with birds at such an early age. The next couple of visits were painfully slow until the 13th produced yet another Whinchat and a slightly more unseasonal Tree Sparrow. The 19th saw my first Spotted Flycatcher of the year, but it wasn't until the 21st that wader migration saw any marginal upturn with the first Sanderling of the year. The 26th finally saw a good days birding! Wood Sandpiper was a very late first of the year along Town Lane. Twitter was starting to go a bit crazy with groups of Terns moving a couple of miles up the Mersey, so I swiftly made my way to Hale Lighthouse. Wader numbers were well up with at least 57 Sanderling and first Curlew Sandpiper of the year, however the Terns seemed to take an eternity to arrive, but finally I added c.50 Arctic Tern, Sandwich Tern and a couple of Common Tern. To top off the day I was delighted to see an Osprey heading over towards Hale Marsh....now THAT is what Spring should be about!! I ended the month dipping a Quail on a couple of attempts, but adding Tawny Owl to the year list at Hale Park. So not quite the May I was hoping for, either in terms of migrant numbers of scarcity, but still some exciting moments.  

Skylark - Within Way

Whinchat - Burnt Mill Farm (c/o Mike Roberts)

Sanderling - Hale Lighthouse

June

Patch visits - 6

Patch lifers - 0

Patch Yearlist - 162 (193 points)

Into June, which can be quiet at the best of times, and sadly 2018 was not to be much different. A distant Red Kite on the 2nd was a bonus, as was a singing Cuckoo (my second of the year) from Hale Decoy. The UK Rosy Starling invasion coincided with one of the hottest and driest spells for the UK, and despite a lot of checking of the Starling populations around patch I failed to find one (which made the late news that a stunning adult was present on the 9th even more annoying). The 9th did produce my first Little Gull of the year, along with some more Common Tern. The remainder of the month was very poor with only small high tide roosts on Hale Marsh (despite some decent tides). Carr Lane Pools looked in desperate need of some rain and had all but disappeared by the end of the month, which meant that going into the start of the wader migration months my hopes of finding anything decent were severely reduced.

Great Spotted Woodpecker - Hale Park (c/o Mike Roberts)

Eurasian Swift - Carr Lane Pools (c/o Mike Roberts)

Yellow Wagtail - Within Way

July

Patch visits - 11

Patch lifers - 0

Patch Yearlist - 164 (195 points)

The start of the month saw me "twitching" the pair of Egyptian Geese on Hale Marsh....yes, it had really got to that stage! Despite the drought like conditions on Carr Lane Pools, I'm lucky that I still have the Mersey to fall back to. The 8th saw the first returning waders including Greenshank and Common Sandpipers. A female Garganey flying over the Mersey was a surprise (but sadly only my 2nd of the year). The 14th produced 3 Crossbill  flying over Pickerings Pasture (strangely June/July seems to be the best time of year to catch up with them on patch - and presumably indicates post breeding dispersal?). The middle of the month was pretty slow going, although it was nice to see my first returning juvenile Yellow Legged Gull. The 22nd also produced 2 singing Garden Warbler at Pickerings, a strange record, making me wonder whether I had just overlooked them earlier in the year. My 2nd Spotted Flycatcher of the year on the 22nd was nice to see. Wader passage started to increase on the Mersey on the 28th with a Whimbrel, Bar tailed Godwit and Turnstone starting to move - whilst I also caught up with the dodgy Ruddy Shelduck (although it was unringed, fully winged and exceedingly wary...….!! Haha). A few final visits to the patch didn't really see much on the move, but it was nice to see a couple of the local juvenile Peregrines playing about over the Mersey and surrounding patch. 

Peregrine - Pickerings Pasture (c/o Mike Roberts)

Egyptian Goose - Hale Marsh

Great White Egret - Hale Decoy

August

Patch visits - 10

Patch lifers - 0

Patch Yearlist - 165 (197 points)

The prolonged dry spell had dried the entire patch out, making it look more like the Spanish Steppes rather than a quiet corner in the north west of England. The month started well with a juvenile Caspian Gull (a plumage tick, with most birds that I have seen being more advanced 1st winters) on the 2nd, whilst Yellow legged Gulls also started to turn up in the gulls at Pickerings during the month. Small numbers of waders started to move through with Whimbrel and Common Sandpiper (including a monster 17 on the 9th at Pickerings) much in evidence in the first couple of weeks, whilst the first returning Curlew Sandpiper appeared on the 11th. There was also some evidence of passerine migration with Tree Pipits moving and the first Whinchat  of the autumn. Unfortunately my months birding was prematurely ended on the 18th when I returned to my car to find someone had crashed into it (damaging the side, rear bumper and breaking the suspension.....needless to say it was written off!) and had not even bothered to leave a note. I suppose the only positive was that it wasn't slap bang in the middle of Spring or Autumn!!

Common Sandpiper - Pickerings Pasture

Yellow Legged Gull - Pickerings Pasture (c/o Mike Roberts)

Caspian Gull - Pickerings Pasture

September

Patch visits - 11

Patch lifers - 0

Patch Yearlist - 165 (197 points)

A family holiday to Pembrokeshire and finally buying a new car, meant that I wasn't able to get out onto the patch until the 9th. However I was treated to 4 Hobby that lingered along Higher Road, and afforded great views. An early returning Merlin was also a surprise on the 9th. Some rain also meant that the Pools were looking a little better (although well short of what they ordinarily would be) whilst the roosts were also slowly improving with Curlew Sandpiper, Little Stint, Greenshank, Ruff, Green Sandpiper starting to appear amongst the increasing numbers of Dunlin and Ringed Plover. My first Barn Owl in quite some time was a nice surprise on the 12th (and was joined by a second bird for the majority of the winter). By mid-month the first returning wintering species such as Wigeon and Rock Pipit were already starting to turn up. A juvenile Black Tern from Hale Lighthouse on the 18th was a surprise, although there seemed to be plenty moving about elsewhere. Wader migration picked up further from the 20th, and provided probably one of my most frustrating incidents of the year. I picked up an interesting long-winged Peep, but as I tried to move to get better views flushed the whole flock. Despite trying to relocate it I failed, and it will have to join the "one that got away" pile. Storm Bronagh on the 21st failed to deliver much other than a Arctic Skua, Kittiwake and a Goosander (a far cry from the wind blown seabirds last year). A break away to Spurn meant that I only squeezed in one more visit on the 30th, which was fairly uneventful. A pretty poor September (yet again), lets hope that 2019 delivers some proper autumnal birding!

Whimbrel - Hale Shore (c/o Mike Roberts)

Eurasian Hobby - Higher Lane (c/o Mike Roberts)

Eurasian Wheatear - Burnt Mill Farm

October

Patch visits - 8

Patch lifers - 1 (American Golden Plover)

Patch Yearlist - 167 (208 points)

October carried on in the same vein as September, and working the patch became increasingly frustrating. 5 Rook (a scarce patch species) on the 14th were pretty much the only birds of mention in a very slow period. I was unable to get out when the first wave of Yellow browed Warblers finally turned up at Hale, and I missed out on a few decent vizmig sessions too. However finally on the 20th after a few failed visits I found a silent bird (clearly trying to sneak through) in a mixed flock at Pickerings Pasture. The 25th produced probably my scarcest species of the year, when I found an American Golden Plover at Pickerings. Having spent hours over the last 5-6 years checking the Golden Plover flocks it felt like just reward. The first returning Water Pipits of the winter turned up from the 26th, with numbers slowly increasing during the winter period. By the end of the month the species were turning increasingly wintery, however a very late Yellow Wagtail on the 28th was a big surprise. The month ended with 3 Mute Swan turning up at Town Lane, a rare sight on this side of the Mersey (although commonly seen on Frodsham Score/Ince Marshes).

Common Buzzard - Hale Marsh (c/o Mike Roberts)

Pink footed Geese - Church Lane

Sparrowhawk - Within Way

November

Patch visits - 12

Patch lifers - 0

Patch Yearlist - 170 (218 points)

Wader numbers were still good at Pickerings at the start of the month, but my attentions were slowly turning towards the evening roosts on Hale Decoy. The 3rd provided one oft the most exciting roosts I have seen with a Cattle Egret, 7 Great White Egret, 17 Little Egret complimenting the raptors (including Hen Herrier, Merlin and Peregrine) and owls (Short Eared, Barn and Little). The 4th produced my second frustrating Peep of the year, this time at Pickerings. The plumage and some structural features didn't seem to fit Little (although it didn't seem to fit many other Peeps either), and the call sounded more Semi-palmated (although the features didn't seem to fit). Sadly a Peregrine flushed everything and I was unable to relocate it on further visits, so yet another sitting in the possible "one that got away" pile. A post Pied Wheatear twitch visit to the patch on the 9th produced a very smart 1st winter Caspian Gull (my second of the year, and a plumage that I was more comfortable with!). Vizmigging on the 10th produced some good movement, but best of all 3 Hawfinch. The ringtail Hen Harrier also kept us company for the majority of the morning as well, although annoyingly was sat deep in the stubble field along Church Lane. A couple of decent dusk sessions, were followed by some more vizmig on the 17th. Again it was a productive morning which produced a further 6 Hawfinch (including a flock of 5!). Water Pipit numbers were continuing to increase, and upwards of 9 were now seen regularly along Town Lane. The 25th provided another really good dusk session at Hale Decoy, with a great selection of raptors and owls but also a surprise Whooper Swan that flew over my head before landing on Town Lane.

Hen Harrier - Church Lane (c/o Mike Roberts)

Redwing - Hale Park

Dodgy Stint/Peep - Pickerings Pasture

December

Patch visits - 8

Patch lifers - 0

Patch Yearlist - 170 (218 points)

The 7th saw my first white-winger of the winter in the shape of a 1st winter Iceland Gull (hopefully it will be another good winter). Some bitterly cold weather failed to push anything new into the area, although the birding was still good with raptors (including Hen Harrier, Merlin, Peregrine) and Owls (Short-eared, Barn, Little) being seen regularly. Woodcock were seen on most visits either at Big Boar Wood or along Within Way. Little Stint and Common Sandpiper were seen on a number of occasions at Pickerings, and look set to overwinter. Iceland Gulls (at least 2 adults and a 1st winter) were seen on a number of evenings at Hale Lighthouse from the 27th onwards, with varying numbers of Yellow Legged and Mediterranean Gulls. With the New Year fast approaching there seemed to be a good variety of species wintering, although nothing new appeared before my last visit on the 30th.

Merlin - Hale Marsh (c/o Mike Roberts)

Eurasian Teal - Town Lane

Linnet - Hale Shore

2018 Summary

So 2018 was my worst year for species numbers and variety in the four years that I have taken part in Patchwork Challenge. The winter periods were both productive (although the lack of birding time in January and February probably held me back. The biggest difference in 2018 was the poor Spring, compounded by late snow and cold weather (from the Beast from the East) and then blocking northerlies. Even when the winds swung more southerly, migrants seemed to be in short supply (compared to previous years) and at least 1-2 weeks later. The drought like conditions from late April through to the end of July, had a major impact on both summering species, but also local breeders. Although the Lapwings and Redshank both appeared to get off some early broods, ducks seemed to fair pretty poorly (with even migrant ducks like Garganey in very short supply this year). The patch never seemed to recover from drying out, and it is only now (in early 2019 that the water levels appear to be close to normal again). The autumn was also one to forget with one Atlantic system followed by another, which would not have been so bad had they not been backed by dreadful south-westerlies as well. Given the conditions, it is probably not too surprising that the variety of species I encountered was well down on previous years. 

So what did I miss out on this year? Probably too many to mention, but of the birds that I am aware of - Spoonbill, Bittern, Bean Goose, Green winged Teal, Eider, Honey Buzzard, Quail, Little Tern, Waxwing, Rosy Starling, Richard's Pipit, Twite,  Mealy Redpoll, Siberian Chiffchaff,  Lapland Bunting.....a pretty good bunch of stuff really!

So as 2019 kicks off, it is good to see that there is a good selection of overwintering species about. I am keeping everything crossed for a better Spring this year, and maybe a little more luck with finding something decent.

As always I have to thank the Hale regulars - Rob and Carol Cockbain, Ian Igglesden, Mike Roberts, Sean O'Hara, Geoff Bond and Dominic Gannon for the regular news, information, updates and cajoling throughout the year. 

End of Days

With commitments pretty much all weekend, I wasn't able to get out for any birding until Sunday afternoon. Then again as I have previously said, late afternoon and dusk is probably one of my favourite times to be out on the patch at this time of year. The good variety of raptors and owls at the moment, obviously helps with enthusiasm levels given the rather cold conditions.

Starting off at the area around Burnt Mill Farm, I concentrated on the fields on the west side of Carr Lane. About 30 Meadow Pipit were buzzing about, although they would frustratingly dive deep into the cover not allowing me any time to actually look at them properly. A Kestrel was keeping a close eye, and made a few swipes at the Pipits, also flushing out some Linnet, Goldfinch and more surprisingly a Common Snipe. 

Moving along Carr Lane I parked at Marsh Bridge and walked along towards Hale village. The former Ibis Pools held the usual selection of Greenfinch (6), Goldfinch (15+), Linnet (25+) and Reed Bunting. The area has an area of reedmace which seems to be expanding, and looks almost ideal for a Penduline Tit - a Blue Tit did get the pulse racing for a second today! There were again good numbers of Starling (c.250), however despite a good grilling I couldn't find any of their Rosy cousins. Carr Lane Pools held 7 Shelduck, c.90 Eurasian Teal, 3 Shoveler, 2 Mallard and a Redshank, but viewing the pools is still proving difficult.

I headed round to Town Lane and parked on the bridge, flushing 17 Eurasian Teal that were feeding in Ramsbrook, along with a Grey Wagtail. The decoy marsh held 7 Pied Wagtail, but precious little else. The Town Lane floods were not much better, with very few ducks (19 Eurasian Teal and a single Mallard) and next to no Pipits. A single Water Pipit flew over calling, but there were only 3 Meadow Pipit in the area. The 3 Mute Swans were again sat on the winter wheat field....if only they would bring in some winter swans as well.

With plenty of light still available I decided to try a different approach by finding a good vantage point on Within Way, instead of trying to cram in a few different areas in the same time. Finding a good location I scanned Hale Marsh picking up 4 Barnacle Geese among the Canada Geese and Cormorants. A very smart Sparrowhawk landed close to me in the hedge, whilst a Merlin whizzed past towards the end of Within Way. 5 Little Egret were feeding out on the edges of the marsh, whilst I was surrounded by Skylark, Linnets and calling Grey Partridge.

Raptor numbers started to increase with a couple of Kestrel, 5 Common Buzzard and a further Merlin (male) came and went. I was scanning the increasing numbers of gulls moving west along the Mersey when I heard a trumpet above me, looking up I was surprised to see a single Whooper Swan heading towards Town Lane.....and then dropping into the same field as the Mute Swans (what was I saying....just typical I was miles away!!). The ringtail Hen Harrier finally put in an appearance, but again it stayed distant along the path towards the Lighthouse. A female Marsh Harrier looked like it was going to cross the Mersey from Frodsham, but got half way and decided against it.....surely it can't prefer the dark side of the Mersey?!?

The Short-eared Owl also made a brief appearance towards the end of Within Way - it would be nice to finally get some decent views of this mobile bird. Another Merlin (fem/juv) headed west towards the Lighthouse, whilst a Peregrine powered over my head towards Hale Village. The Hen Harrier finally made another appearance, and thankfully this time showed a little better as it headed out onto Hale Marsh. 2 Great White Egret headed towards the decoy, but surprisingly only 7 Little Egret came into the roost tonight (again, well down on recent numbers). The Barn Owls were the next to appear on the edge of Hale Marsh, whilst a Woodcock left the copse behind me and headed out onto Hale Marsh. As the dark closed in further the Little Owl started yelping, and I could just about make out a hunched up figure from one of the oaks.

One of the highlights of the dusk session was the number of Meadow Pipit that were moving west over Within Way. With numerous other distractions I wasn't able to properly count them, but counted a minimum of 180 birds, although I feel that this was an underestimate, with birds constantly calling as they headed over. If only they didn't all feed out in the middle of the marsh....they surely must be something rarer lurking amongst them. 

With darkness almost upon me I decided to pop into Carr Lane for the last embers of light. 2 Water Rail were calling from the former Ibis Pool, whilst again there were good numbers of Common Snipe moving about. Grey Partridge and some Fieldfare going into roost were the only other birds of note, and having finally lost all feeling in my toes and fingers I decided to retreat to the warmth of home. With plenty of decent birds already about, the winter will continue in the same vein as it has begun. 

Funtime Friday's

I managed to get away from work a little earlier to get some late afternoon birding in on patch (these dark nights are a killer for getting any midweek birding in). It was still pretty cold, though the easterly breeze had thankfully subsided from the last few days; however it had left a fairly murky low hanging cloud in it's place.

I had a mooch around Burnt Mill Farm and had a good check through the Meadow Pipits that were bouncing between the fields and the paddocks. A Common Buzzard was sat along the fence line, whilst a couple of Kestrel were hunting in the area - probably the reason why there were only small number of Goldfinch and Linnet buzzing around. 

Moving down Carr Lane I checked out the former Ibis Pool where a Sparrowhawk was hunting the sunflower strip. The mixed finch flock of c.50 Linnet, 20 Goldfinch and 12 Greenfinch along with a handful of Reed Bunting didn't want to settle. A Water Pipit flew over and headed back towards Carr Lane Pools, and small groups of Meadow Pipit were moving about. The Pools seemed fairly quiet other than 2 Shelduck and a handful of Eurasian Teal and 4 Shoveler, although viewing is still limited due to the height of some of the weeds.

Moving to Town Lane, I parked up on the bridge and scanned the Decoy Marsh. c.12 Pied Wagtail and a single Meadow Pipit were feeding close in, but there was no sign of any Water Pipit. A single Little Egret and a flyover Grey Wagtail were the only other birds of any note. The 3 Mute Swan were again in the fields on the opposite side of the road. Turning my attention to the Town Lane floods. A single Water Pipit and 2 Common Snipe were feeding on the section closest to the bridge. Walking back towards Hale village I picked up some large groups of Pipits heading my way. As they all dropped into the weedy section of the main pool I counted at least 9 Water Pipit and c.60 Meadow Pipit. I'm not sure whether the murky conditions were getting them to go to roost earlier than normal? A check of the ducks only found Eurasian Teal (c.140) and a single Redshank.

I headed round to Pickerings, planning to check the Gull roost and waders. However as is often the Gulls and waders were present in good numbers but were all far too distant to do much with (mostly all on feeding on no mans land or the section closest to the Runcorn Bridge). c.1000 Golden Plover, c.700 Lapwing and c.2000 Dunlin was about as much as I could pick up in the distance. A Common Sandpiper was again feeding along the rocky edge. A look through the very distant big Gulls didn't produce anything too obvious although the light was terrible. A Common Buzzard was sat on top of the visitors café whilst he hedges were alive with finches and mixed tit flocks. Given the conditions I decided to give up on Pickerings and head back round to Within Way to watch the roost.

I walked along Within Way to view from near to the sharp bend. A good spread of Canada Geese sadly didn't hold anything else. I picked up the ringtail Hen Harrier as it scattered some of the Skylarks and Reed Buntings in the field. Looking back down towards Hale Marsh I had a couple of brief views of the Short eared Owl as it frustratingly kept low over the marsh and just below the reeds. Grey Partridge and Meadow Pipits were a constant background noise by now. I was joined by Paul Long just as a Barn Owl emerged and headed back towards Hale Village, and a Merlin followed shortly after. Surprisingly I didn't see a single Egret entering the decoy roost tonight (the rather unpredictable nature of the decoy roost is both exciting and frustrating in equal measures at the moment). With the light almost gone I decided to head to Carr Lane to have one last check for Woodcock. A pair of Water Rail were squealing away from the former Ibis Pool area, but despite waiting until well after dark I didn't pick up any Woodcock, although there were loads of Eurasian Teal and Common Snipe moving about. Not a bad couple of hours on patch, and a nice end to the week.

Sunday Madness

I'm not a big fan of birding during the day on the patch at the weekends (especially on a Sunday) due to the amount of disturbance and Sunday walkers. However I never turn up the opportunity to get out, so with a brief window I managed to head to the patch for a few hours. Driving along Higher Road I noticed quite a large flock of Starling along Burnt Mill Lane. This is just outside of my Patchwork Challenge area, but is probably somewhere I should give more time.

There are some seriously good looking paddocks (which I have previously checked in passing but not on a regular basis) that I'll have to keep a closer eye on in the future. There were about c.500 Starling spread out feeding in the rough areas, whilst Pied Wagtails, Linnets and Goldfinch made the whole area look alive. Despite my best efforts I couldn't pick out any Rosy Starling, which was hampered further as a very smart male Merlin shot through. A few Common Buzzard, a single Sparrowhawk and Kestrel also probably didn't help the smaller birds to feel at ease!

I had a few stops along Carr Lane before heading down to the former Ibis Pool to catch up with Iggy. We kept a close eye on the sunflower patch, which held c.50 Linnet, c.20 Greenfinch and c.15 Goldfinch. Reed Bunting were constantly flying around, whilst it was a surprise to see 2 Water Pipit fly out - which gave Iggy some good flightshot practice on his new camera (pretty impressive as well!). A female Stonechat was sat on the fencing around Carr Lane Pools. With limited time I said goodbye to Iggy and headed round to Town Lane.

There was no sign of any Water Pipit around Town Lane or the Decoy Marsh today, but the Pools were full of c.110 Eurasian Teal, 10 Wigeon and 17 Common Snipe. 5 Mute Swan were sat out in the wheat fields, whilst a Sparrowhawk soared overhead. The Marsh held at least 4 Little Egret, and a couple of Common Buzzard were hunting the outer edges. Another check of the Decoy Marsh revealed a few Pied Wagtail, a Kingfisher zooming away along Ramsbrook and a flyover Grey Wagtail but still no Water Pipit.

I decided to have a quick look at Pickerings, although fully aware it would probably be heaving with people and dogs......sadly I was right. Despite this there were good numbers of waders spread out across the mud with c.1000 Dunlin, c.500 Lapwing, 36 Golden Plover, 75 Curlew and loads of Redshank. A Common Sandpiper was feeding along the rocks towards the bridge. 2 Peregrine (full marks if you can pick it out in the dodgy pic!) were sat up on the Runcorn Bridge, whilst a Common Buzzard was eating an Eel on one of the sandbars. The Gulls were all too distant to do much with in the time I had available, although there seems to have been a big increase in "big" Gulls, so hopefully it won't be too long before our first white wingers start to materialise.

Strolling back to the car I picked up at least 4 Bullfinch in the hedge by the car park, along with good numbers of Goldfinch. A single Goldcrest was calling amongst the large tit flock...I would have liked to have stayed longer to check the flock out, but I had run out of available time. 

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.

The Dusk Sessions

With the clocks going back, trying to get any midweek birding in is an absolute nightmare at this time of year. However I managed a brief post work visit to the patch on Friday arriving just before 4pm (which didn't really give me a great deal of time, but just enough to get a birding fix). Dusk is one of my favourite times to visit the patch, especially in the winter months with the prospect of roosting raptors, owls and egrets.

In the rapidly deteriorating light I decided to head to Town Lane bridge, rather than my normal (preferred) option of Within Way. I could immediately hear a Water Pipit buzzing around with a couple of Meadow Pipit. A Kingfisher buzzed along Ramsbrook, whilst the fields along Within Way held at least 300 Fieldfare. Scanning the Marsh I picked up 2 Kestrel, Sparrowhawk and 3 Common Buzzard (including the very pale morph bird).

The Town Lane flood held a few Eurasian Teal and a single Common Snipe, whilst the fields held 3 Mute Swan (surprisingly still a relatively scarce patch bird). Turning my attentions swiftly back to Hale Marsh I picked up a smart female Merlin. 10's of Cormorants continued to head towards the decoy roost, but amazingly I didn't see a single Egret?! Continuing to scan the Marsh I eventually picked out a distant Short Eared Owl. However by now the light was pretty bad and with the street lights coming on it made scanning the Marsh close to impossible. 

Heading round to Carr Lane for the last embers of light I was almost decapitated by a Woodcock as I stepped out of the car. It did 2 loops around my head before it headed out onto the wet areas around Carr Lane Pools. A Barn Owl was hunting the rough area before the first house, whilst at least 2 Water Rail screeched from the remnants of the Ibis Pool. A couple of late Reed Buntings dropped into the reeds, and a few Common Snipe came squelching out of Carr Lane Pools. Before heading home I decided to drop into Within Way, where the Little Owl was yelping away and a few more Common Snipe could be heard in the darkness. My final detour took in Hale Park where a Tawny Owl was hooting away......maybe with a few more carrots I'll be able to stay out all night! All in all, not a bad dusk session and with colder weather on the way hopefully we may get a few more goodies to add to the regulars.