Wirral

Little egret, Leasowe Lighthouse

It was going to be the last day before the onset of yellow snow so I thought I'd try and make the best of it and headed over for the first visit to the Wirral of the year, a lot later than usual (where does the time go?)

Kestrel, Kerr's Field

I got off the train at Moreton and walked down to Kerr's Field. It was a hazily sunny day and surprisingly mild for February, just right for a walk. Three buzzards flew low over the new housing estate where the broken biscuit factory used to be and a male kestrel sat in the top of one of the trees, I saw his mate as the train was pulling into the station.

The Birkett, Kerr's Field

There's been a lot of hacking back of the hedgerow at the entrance to Kerr's Field which was a bit disorientating at first. Robins and a song thrush sang in the hedgerows by the paddocks. The Birkett was quite high, which gave a couple of mallards and a few moorhens something to paddle in.

Oystercatchers, Kerr's Field

The paddocks further along were awash. One was busy with oystercatchers, woodpigeons and redshanks, the one at the end had a couple of dozen shovelers sleeping in the company of a dozen teal. It struck me that in a month or so's time I'll be chasing after Spring migrants in here.

Shovelers and teal, Kerr's Field

Looking down the revetment towards New Brighton

I walked up and joined the revetment. The tide had turned a while back and was in full ebb now. The beach was dotted with groups of oystercatchers, herring gulls and black-headed gulls and there was an abundance of redshanks scattered about liberally. Way out there was a handful of curlews on the mud and perhaps a dozen cormorants on the tideline. Halfway out to the wind farm a flock of nearly a hundred common scoters rose and flew out into the bay with the falling tide.

Herring gull, Leasowe Lighthouse

It was a nice lunchtime so it was busy with people, dogs and cyclists but not oppressively so. I stopped to try and identify a wader rummaging at the base of the revetment, it obligingly flew out into the open so I could add greenshank to the year list. A few little egrets were shrimping in the pools at the base of the revetment, one of them catching a couple of gobies as a chaser. A flock of light-bellied Brent geese flew by and wheeled out towards the tideline sounding like nothing so much as a venerable Brussels terrier contentedly rummaging round an old compost heap.

Light-bellied brent geese, Leasowe Lighthouse

Redshanks, black-headed gulls, little egret and lesser black-back, Meols

As always the groyne marked a change. In this case, as well as starting to see shelducks and knots on the mud the wind, though still light, had a cutting Wintry edge to it.

Turnstone, Meols

Knot, Meols

There weren't a lot of knots, a few dozen at most, all in groups of less than half a dozen. A couple of turnstones rummaged around the base of the the revetment, they were notably absent on the Leasowe side of the groyne where the base had been pretty comprehensively scoured by recent storms.

Redshank, Meols

The further I walked along Meols Parade the thinner the birdlife on the beach. By the time I got to the lifeboat station there were just occasional redshanks nearby with a few pairs of shelducks way out on the mud. I'd hoped to find some ringed plovers but no joy. A pied wagtail and a meadow pipit were thin pickings.

I decided to call it quits and headed over to Manor Road for the train home. I'd had a good walk, it had been a good day.