Mad dogs and birders go out in the midday storm! The weather forecast was not great, and as I drove into West Kirby the heavens opened! Not a promising start, but amazingly nine brave (or foolish?) Members congregated by the Marine Lake.
Having made the effort to turn out, we agreed to make a circuit of the Lake at least. There was not a bird to be seen on the Lake itself, but the beach had Redshank, Oystercatcher and two or three Curlew visible through the gloom. Luckily the wind was behind us to start with, and the drizzle began to ease after a while. Shelduck were further out, and a Turnstone was feeding on mussel shells on the walkway – these will have been dropped by Herring Gulls or Carrion Crows to smash open for the flesh inside. Clever birds!
As we walked further on, a male Goosander flew past overhead and flew out towards the river. Bird of the day.
Reaching the North end, we decided to complete the loop. Some of us stopped for refreshments in Tanskeys. A quick scan of the gardens only yielded a handful of Starlings on nearby roofs – any other small birds present were sheltering from the wind in the bushes.
A hardy trio of us went to the north end of the Prom and saw a single Little Egret on the marsh and distant Brent Geese on the shoreline. Periodically large flocks of waders, mostly Knot and Dunlin, took off and performed their incredible formation flying displays. This is definitely one of the natural wonders of the Dee in the winter. Finally even we had had enough and returned to our cars to dry off.
The weather on the day was a shame, but it blew the cobwebs away. We only saw 18 species and photo opportunities were limited. Hopefully conditions will be better for Marbury Country Park in January.
Photos by Hugh.
Hugh