The Wirral

The sun came out and I made an early start on the Wirral. I was hoping to see my first Wheatear of the year, but that didn't prove to be successful. However, as always in this area, there was plenty to see and I went home happy. 

Starting at Burton Marsh, there were plenty of Egrets (Great White and Little) to see. A Marsh Harrier flew over and Chiffchaffs, Song Thrush, Meadow Pipits and Reed Buntings provided a nice background chorus as I walked the path. There were still hundreds, if not thousands, of Pink-footed Geese out on the Marsh. Moving on to RSPB Burton Mere, I heard and then saw my first Willow Warbler of the year. Other firsts for 2026 included Spotted Redshanks and Med Gulls. All in all a very nice morning out in some very nice weather for a change.

Come with me on my walk here: 

Avocet

Black-tailed Godwit

Lapwing

Long-tailed Tit

Marsh Harrier

Mediterranean Gull (bottom centre) Common Gull to its left

Ruff

Water Vole

Willow Warbler

Kingfisher

A couple of weeks ago I spent a day in a Kingfisher hide. Yes, a hide set up specifically to photograph these wonderful but hard to spot birds. I arrived at the site in Shropshire and was in place by 8:30am. After that it was a case of getting comfortable and being ready for the bird when it turned up. It wasn't a long wait, and within just 15 minutes a male had been in and landed on the perch before diving to catch a fish. After that he can every hour, before tailing off the visits in the afternoon. 

It was a very special day and a very special bird, one of my favourites, and I managed to get my best every shots too. Normally there are branches in the way, or it is a long way in the distance. That day was just magical.

Come and relive my day here:

Patch Birding

The weather has turned recently (for the better) and it is beginning to feel as though Spring is finally on the way. The sun has been out and the temperature has risen a little. I've noticed the Blackthorn is in blossom, along with cherry and the Magnolia. Chiffchaffs are here and singing and even some butterflies are on the wing again. There is light at the end of what feels like a very long winter.

I've taken some very nice walks on my local patch at Woodford, where there is a real cross over of the seasons, with winter Thrushes still around and Daffodils and Summer migrants singing. It has lifted my mood and put a real spring in my step. Add into that mix an early afternoon Barn Owl, and you can imagine my excitement. Can't wait to see what the next few weeks bring in.

Come with me on my trip around my local patch here:

The Barn Owl came out to enjoy the late afternoon sunshine.

Curlew

Redwing

Ring-necked Parakeet

Stonechat (female)

Stonechat (male)

Dippers

I spent some time recently looking for and checking out the local Dippers. I've not been to see them since before Christmas, but I knew that at this time of year, they should be pairing up and looking for nest sites. Always a good bird to see, but not always the easiest, as they are spooked easily and they only need sight of you before they're off. So it was no surprise that on my first visit I didn't find one. I went back the next morning and I found a pair, and even better, I was able to watch as one was plucking moss from the rocks and taking it away to a potential nest site, which was great news. I then had the pleasure of watching and listening to one sing as it stood on a rock in the brook. Truly magical, and I look forward to following their progress in the coming weeks and months.

You can see my Dipper adventures here on my YouTube video:

Dipper

This male Pheasant kept me company 

A pair of Red Kites flew over, but the light was poor for good shots.

Lancashire Birding

I took an early morning trip to the North West coast near Southport recently, as there were a number of good birds in the area, and there are always good numbers of geese and swans to see here too. I started at RSPB Hesketh Outmarsh, where I had good views of many Tree Sparrows in the hedges, and Whooper Swans in the fields. Then I had a Merlin overhead trying to catch another bird. Moving on to RSPB Marshside where I was looking for a Smew that wasn't there. I did find a Scaup though, which is not very common here, so that was a bonus. 

There were hundreds of Lapwings and Geese on the Marsh. These were mainly Pink-footed, but there were lots of Canada and Greylags too. Oystercatchers, Black-tailed Godwits, Tufted Ducks, Wigeon and Shelduck made for a good supporting cast.

I moved on to Southport where I was fortunate enough to watch a flock of 30 or so Twite. This is a bird that I've really struggled to find over the years, but was in the right place at the right time. So that concluded a very good morning. 

You can see more of my trip here:

Grey Heron

Pink-footed Goose

Pintail

Poor, distant images of the Scaup

Shelduck

Distant possible Snow Goose

Whooper Swans

Norfolk Coast part 2

Day 2 of the Norfolk trip included a terrific little bird that had been around since before Christmas, and was high on my list of birds to see. Sheringham has a good record of over-wintering Black Redstarts, but this year they had one that that was of Eastern race that is usually found in Asia, rather than Europe.

It had been a very wet day, and you can tell by the state of the poor thing. Really bedraggled and looking rather sorry for itself. That said, it was feeding well and no worse off for the soaking it had endured. A great bird to eventually see.

Click here to see my vlog of day 2 of my trip:

Eastern Black Redstart (rather wet)

Little Egret

Meadow Pipit

Oystercatcher