Dawlish Warren, Exmouth and Topsham

Any morning that includes a singing male cirl bunting can't be all bad.

Cirl bunting, Dawlish Warren

A misty start to the morning, which made seawatching first thing a bit less rewarding than hoped. This wasn't a big deal as the plan for the day was to explore the length of the Warren anyway.

First port of call was the bit of woodland by the Wardens' office. A Siberian lesser whitethroat had been reported a couple of times over the weekend so I thought I'd try my luck. No joy for me, which might be as well as I'm not wholly convinced I'd recognise one if I saw one. A late juvenile willow warbler tagging along with a mixed tit flock was a nice consolation prize.

Greenland Pond, Dawlish Warren

No joy, either, with the Cetti's warbler that had been reported from the reeds by the Greenland Pond. A couple of coots and half a dozen mallard disappeared into the reeds.

The open heathland was heaving with meadow pipits, linnets and goldfinches with a couple of greenfinches bobbing about in the brambles. An unfamiliar bird was singing from one of the hawthorn bushes by the golf course. The song sounded a bit like the "A little bit of bread" phrase of a yellowhammer but with a more jangly note like a corn bunting. A couple walked up and disturbed the bird, which then to my immense relief flew back to the same branch once they'd gone. A lovely male cirl bunting.

One of the ponies grazing Dawlish Warren

Storms had knocked down the dunes between groynes 10 and 18 so the usual path from the heath round to the hide on the bight had been destroyed. This meant a detour along the beach and joining the path near the end of Warren Point. Not many waders on the beach: a few turnstones, a dunlin and a sanderling by one of the groynes.

Dunlin and Sanderling

Plenty of gulls — mostly herring and black-headed, with a couple of lesser black-backs — flying along the shoreline along with a dozen sandwich terns. Further out there were a few cormorants and shags and a couple of great black-backs. The mist had burnt off by now and it was possible to see a flock of kittiwakes out where the river meets the English Channel. Towards the point a few dozen herring gulls and black-headed gulls loafed on the beach with some oystercatchers and a couple of curlews.

Linnets

From here it was a matter of following one of the paths through the dunes that roughly follow the line of the bight. There were a couple of big flocks of linnets on this stretch, together with a pair of stonechats.

By the time I'd arrived at the hide it was well past high tide and most of the waterfowl and waders were well out. These included good numbers of dark-bellied brent geese, oystercatchers and wigeon; cormorants and great black-backs loafed on the sand. Amongst the dunlins skittering about the shorelines I could see a couple of ringed plovers and a single greenshank. Out in the water a pair of black swans were keeping aloof from the herd of mute swans drifting over towards Cockwood.

Old man's beard

Then a long walk back, taking a different couple of paths through the heath and past the Greenland Pond. The arrival of a low-flying kestrel was heralded by a sudden rush of finches and pipits into the brambles.

Hovering kestrel

I'd spent five hours traipsing round Dawlish Warren and was feeling the strain a bit so after a cup of tea I got the train to Starcross, got the last ferry over to Exmouth. The channel used by the ferry runs parallel with the curve of the bight and comes quite close to the north side of the point. This gives you the chance to check out the birds on the sand banks in the middle of the estuary and a second chance at the birds out in the open water. The crew pointed out a common seal perched on a nearby boat as we passed (it stuck its head behind the life jacket store when I tried to take its picture).

The usual Slavonian grebe isn't in its Winter colours yet so I had trouble finding it without the white cheeks acting as a flag. Eventually I spotted it when one of the distant lumps of mud protruding from the water suddenly dived, reappeared a few yards away then started swimming off to the right.

I'd aimed at immediately getting the train to Dawlish Warren once I'd arrived at Exmouth but by the time the machine printed my ticket the guard had closed the doors. Sherlock Holmes would have been screwed if the old railway companies closed the doors half a minute before leaving.

Anyway, I wasn't for kicking round aimlessly so I got the next train to Topsham and toddled over to Bowling Green Marsh to see if the long-billed dowitcher was still about. It was right in front of the hide. Fast asleep with its bill tucked into its back feathers. Behind a pintail duck. The pintail finally decided to move on, but sleeping beauty wasn't the most cooperative model.

Long-billed dowitcher, pintail in the background

Sleeping shoveler

Once twilight had firmly set in I called it quits and got the train back to Dawlish Warren.

Morecambe Bay

Leighton Moss

A few hours' wandering round Leighton Moss. I didn't go down to the saltmarsh hides as the tide was out and there weren't many waders about as the train passed the pools. I decided that now I know I can get a over 55's train ticket that's £7 cheaper than the usual day return to Silverdale I'll come back next week for these hides.There were plenty of little egrets about, though and also a group of four great white egrets at the edge of the Eric Morecambe pool.

Lillian's Hide

It was relatively quiet, for all intents a late Summer's day without most of the Summer's visitors. The only warblers about were a few chiffchaffs and four singing Cetti's warblers. Dragonflies, particularly common hawkers and common darters, were very much in evidence.

As always the robins insisted on being photogenic

At least three great spotted woodpeckers, two males and a female, made themselves obvious in the willows around the reedbeds. Probably two of these flew over to the marsh harriers' favourite perching tree opposite the Griezedale Hide while I was there. One flew back over and fussed about in the willow tree next to the hide door.

I was trying, and failing, to get a photo of a great spotted woodpecker in the willow tree by the path.
This dunnock was not impressed.

Not sure if there was one or two male marsh harriers around, the one I saw late afternoon from the path by the road might have been the same one I saw from the Griezedale Hide.

The Causeway itself was exceptionally quiet but there was plenty to see from the Causeway Hide. Star of the show was probably the cormorant fishing very close to the front of the hide, swimming around with its head only just below water as it worked its way through a school of small fish. Every so often it would dive and reappear a few yards away, usually to the consternation of a raft of shovelers that were trying to have an afternoon kip. A couple of wigeon working their way along the edge of the reeds on the far side were harbingers of Autumn.

This cormorant was fishing close to the Causeway Hide

Shovelers, an eclipse male (right) and a couple of immature males

The light suited the shovelers nicely

Mute swan family off the public causeway

I seem to be seeing fewer marsh tits than usual at Leighton Moss this year, and nearly all on the path to the Lower Hide. I'm hoping this is just bad luck on my part and not an indication of decline.

Marsh tit

I did wonder if it was going to be the first day of Autumn without hirundines when, about four o'clock, a flock of swallows descended on the fields by the path to the Lower Hide.

Grange-over-Sands

It was still only half five by the time I'd finished at Leighton Moss so I thought I'd milk my old man's rail rover ticket and move a few stations on for an hour or two's birdwatching on the Cumbrian side of the bay. After checking the train timetables it looked like Grange-over-Sands was my best bet as it allowed a good hour and a half's window before the train back to Preston.

Kent Estuary from Grange-over-Sands

From the Promenade I could see a big flock of black-headed and lesser black-backed gulls out in the estuary with a few herring gulls and a couple of great black-backs. Nearer to shore there were half a dozen black-tailed godwits and a handful of curlews, with a dozen shelduck dabbling in the mud. Walking along the Promenade towards the river I found a flock of goosanders swimming in one of the channels and a lone whimbrel walked along the shoreline. A flock of about thirty lapwings clustered on one of the rocky islands.

With twenty minutes left I decided I should go and find somewhere that might offer a cup of tea (no such luck). Passing the ornamental gardens by the station I think I found out where Hodbarrow's bar-headed geese come from.

Bar-headed geese and friends, Grange-over-Sands ornamental gardens.
Sadly, I can't count the snow goose to the year list.

As I waited for the train a flock of twenty or thirty swallows flew high over before descending for a few minutes to grab a last few midges from over the salt marsh and then going on their way.

A picturesque sunset on the way back.

Arnside

Eric Morecambe Pool, Leighton Moss

The Wirral: West Kirby and Hoylake

Sketch map of West Kirby, Red Rocks and Hoylake

The North Wirral Coast is very productive for birdwatching, has some excellent walking and is easily accessible by bus and train (the trains run every quarter of an hour). There are a few waders on the estuary all year round, the numbers increase enormously on passage and in Winter. At this time of year it's always useful to take a turn around the marine lake at West Kirby for sea ducks or even divers. The Red Rocks area is a good place to check out passage migration and do a bit of seawatching. Hoylake offers a big sandy beach popular with gulls, ringed plovers and white wagtails.

Hoylake beach looking towards the Dee Estuary

You can walk to Hilbre Bird Observatory from Red Rocks or West Kirby. Being an overly-cautious sort with one eye on the train timetables home I've never got any further than Middle Eye, the island before Hilbre so I don't cover it here.

West Kirby on the Dee Estuary is at the end of one of the Merseyrail lines. Cross the road from the station and go straight down Dee Lane and you'll get to the marine lake. There are generally a few gulls and a wader or two loafing round on the slipway if it's not in use by the sailing centre. The South Parade makes up one side of the lake and a retaining walkway takes you around the outside. Towards the southern end check out the rocks by the small concrete platform, this is a favoured roosting spot for redshanks and turnstones. Any sea ducks will tend to be at this end of the lake.

Scaup, West Kirby Marine Lake

Redshanks, West Kirby Marine Lake

Walking round the perimeter of the lake gives you a chance to check out both the lake and the Dee Estuary. Most of the waders near the lake will be dunlins and redshanks, black-tailed godwits and curlew will be further out. And there's always the chance of something else being out there if your luck's in. Brent geese winter off Hilbre, sometimes a few will come in to graze on the edge of the lake.

Light-bellied brent geese, West Kirby Marine Lake

Walking north from West Kirby to Red Rocks the paths run through a thin strip of sandy marsh. A high path runs alongside the golf course, if you're doing this walk in Summer look out for lizards basking on the boardwalk. There are a couple of lower-level paths running parallel to this that work better if you're not steady on your pins. Most of the passerines will be skylarks and meadow pipits, as you approach the reedbeds around the small pond you'll bump into a few reed buntings, in Summer you'll find reed and sedge warblers.

Walking from West Kirby to Red Rocks

In Spring and Autumn the trees and bushes along this stretch are always worth checking out for passage migrants.

Red Rocks

Red Rocks is a small outcrop of the local red sandstone. It's a good vantage point for a bit of seawatching on the turn of the tide.

From Red Rocks you can walk down to Hoylake's North Parade either along the beach or, if the tide's in, along Stanley Road then turning left and down King's Gap. This is the beginning of a long stretch of roads and paths that would eventually take you over to New Brighton. Look out for wagtails on the beach and by the golf course: pied wagtails are around all year round, in Spring they're joined by white wagtails on passage.

Ringed plovers, Hoylake.

Quickest way to Hoylake Station from the beach is to go down from King's Gap: the road takes you straight there.

Useful links:

• Hilbre Bird Observatory blog
• Dee Estuary Birding latest sightings