West Kirby

Redshanks

It was quiet in the garden: all the birds were staying undercover, making the occasional furtive sortie to the feeders then diving straight back into the bushes. It was a different story over on the school playing field where forty black-headed gulls were joined by three herring gulls, at least one lesser black-back and a common gull, together with the usual crowd of woodpigeons, rooks and jackdaws.

I decided to have the afternoon stroll on the Wirral I didn't have the other day. The train journey across to West Kirby was uneventful, though I notice there's engineering works going on just outside Birkenhead North so the mallards and coots won't be swimming on the side line anymore. I can't help thinking that's a pity.

West Kirby Marine Lake

I'd timed my arrival at West Kirby to coincide with the tide coming in, the hope being to see plenty of waders  (or as many as is possible at the seaside in half term) and possibly some brent geese as they've started to arrive on the Dee Estuary.

Little Eye from the Marine Lake

Shelducks and curlews

I did a turn around the marine lake as that gives the best views of the estuary as the tide comes in. Already there were lines of cormorants and oystercatchers clustering about the tideline over by Middle Eye and Hilbre, with flocks of redshank and shelducks and a few dozen curlews slightly further in. Gulls, mostly herring and black-headed gulls with a few lesser black-backs, loafed on the sand bars while they may and a couple of great black-backs stood aloof from the crowds. A little egret gave up on fishing in the pools and flew off into the salt marsh.

West Kirby Marine Lake

A bunch of windsurfers were taking advantage of the conditions so there wasn't a lot of birds out on the lake, just a few black-headed gulls and herring gulls and a couple of cormorants. The mussel beds in the lake are evidently still productive judging by the number of herring gulls dropping mussels onto the concrete path to crack them open.

Redshanks, turnstones and a dunlin

Redshanks and turnstones

Redshanks and turnstones

The wind was blowing a hooley and the rigging at the yacht club was singing in the breeze as I turned onto South Parade. The rocks by the little viewing point were littered with redshanks and turnstones, together with a single dunlin. 

Redshanks and turnstones

As I walked along, keeping an eye on the gulls and cormorants just in case there was anything different I heard something different. The nasal squeak of a Mediterranean gull somewhere in amongst a group of black-headed gulls fussing about mid-water. It took a couple of minutes to find it, a second Winter bird judging by the black on its primaries. It flew closer so I got my camera out and it sailed quickly over on the breeze and behind the houses on the other side of the street. Still, it's nice to see one. A couple of common gulls on the jetty made up the set.

Hilbre Island

I headed off towards Red Rocks, mostly accompanied by friendly dogs, friendly dig walkers and a flock of meadow pipits. Four little egrets fed in the salt marsh while a flock of starlings decided they didn't like the idea of landing while a male kestrel was hovering about. A flock of linnets were flushed by a dog walker and they disappeared into the long grass by the reed bed.

Meadow pipit

Out on the estuary more cormorants and gulls were coming in. There were two solid black lines at the water line: fifty or more cormorants and a couple of hundred oystercatchers. No brent geese for me today, though.

As I approached Red Rocks a black-headed gull decided to harass what I'd been assuming we're a couple of carrion crows but which actually were the resident pair of ravens.

Walking towards Red Rocks

At this point the light was starting to fail, a combination of it's getting towards teatime and an incoming rain storm, so I decided to call it an afternoon and toddled off for the train from Hoylake. It had been a good afternoon's stroll blessed by some magical late October light.

Red Rocks looking less red in the afternoon light