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

Martin Mere

A week or so ago, I went to Martin Mere to see the Whooper Swans and Pink-footed Geese. There were a couple of bonus birds too though, in the shape of a Glossy Ibis and a Ring-necked Duck. It was a lovely cold, frosty and sunny morning and we got quite lucky with the amount of birds we saw. We managed all 3 Egrets, with 2 Great White Egrets, 3 Cattle Egrets and a Little Egret to complete the set. Plenty of ducks and some Snipe on the water, while the usual woodland birds were hanging around the feeders. Over the marsh, there were Kestrel, a Sparrowhawk, Buzzard and 2 Marsh Harriers. All in all it was a great way to spend a Saturday.

You can see more of my visit here, on my YouTube channel: My YouTube Channel

Black-tailed Godwit

Glossy Ibis

Ring-necked Duck

Moorhen on ice

Pheasant

The delights of Cley

A bird that you will often hear rather than see, is the Cetti's Warbler. Notoriously tricky to pick out of the undergrowth where they like to skulk and hide, they will tease you with a unusually loud song. Just when you think you may have nailed down where it was last calling, it sings from deep within a different bush. Seemingly it can teleport. On this particular day I got lucky as it raised it's whole self up into the reeds to give me a brief glimpse. Don't be fooled by the picture. It wasn't there long at all.

Cetti's Warbler

Curlew 

A flock of Black-tailed Godwits, and if you can pick out the smaller bird that is left of centre, a Long-billed Dowitcher, with an Avocet two birds below it.

Long-billed Dowitcher just above the highest Avocet on the left.

Icy Cold

A pre-Christmas weekend break in Norfolk turned out to be a very cold one. Freezing conditions the week before and also a sprinkling of snow made the journey a little more hazardous than normal, but to be expected at this time of year. The ground was frozen solid, as were many of the water sources on the marshes. One bonus, was that the previously muddy areas were now not so muddy and passable without the need for wellies.

With so much water frozen a lot of the birds were forced to congregate together on smaller open patches. There was still plenty to see, with a good selection of waders and wildfowl on offer. It was just so bitterly cold that I couldn't stay out as long as I wanted to. The wind on the coast was really biting, and especially at my fingertips.

Dunlin

Dunlin flying over the ice. Not something I'm used to seeing.

Curlew

Curlew and Little Egret

Little Egret and Black-tailed Godwit

Little Egret

Morning Glory

Early mornings in Norfolk are great. If you can be out before the early dog walkers you can find some true gold. Much like these Golden Plover at rest with a few Lapwings. The sun was just starting to rise and the light was a nice orangey gold. I've said it many times, but this really is my favourite time of the day. When it's just me and nature, it feels like it belongs to me. Only I am seeing it at that time, and it feels special. Just need a few more of them to be bright like this, and not cloudy. Here are a few pictures of what I saw.

Golden Plover with a few Lapwings.

Grey Heron looking rather cold.

Grey Plover

Bar-tailed Godwits

Bar-tailed Godwit scouring the coast line

Black-tailed Godwit

Burton Mere

 A visit to the Wirral is always good, and especially RSPB Burton Mere at this time of year. Waders are returning from their breeding grounds and in good numbers it seems this year. There have been high numbers of Curlew Sandpipers on site, and I managed to see a few. A real bonus was a Pectoral Sandpiper which had been found just moments before my arrival.

Pintails were on the water, as were some Wigeon, a real sign of the changing seasons. Lots of Snipe were good to watch as they probed the mud. Teal numbers were climbing too. A Great White Egret was close in to one of the viewing screens, and a lone Avocet was also good to see. There was a good supporting cast of Cetti's Warblers, Green Sandpipers, Mallards and Coots. 

A few of the Black-tailed Godwits that were on the reserve.

A Curlew Sandpiper (centre) and a Snipe to the left.

This Great White Egret gave me my closest ever views of one, from behind a screen.

A Pectoral Sandpiper (centre) with some Teal 

3 Ruff (to the right) and a Curlew Sandpiper on the left

RSPB Frampton Marsh pt1

Last Friday saw me head down to my parents for the weekend. Along the way I planned to stop off at a few places to try and pick up some new birds for the year. Waders were what I was really after. My favourite birds, and it is just getting to that time when they are heading back after breeding. 

A nice early arrival and I could see many birds on the water just from the car park. I followed the path and made frequent stops to look over the reeds. I could see lots of Black-tailed Godwits, Spoonbills, and 100+ Little Egrets. The most I'd seen ever of this species in one place.

Only one hide was open, with all windows and doors open and hand sanitiser which was good to see. Only me in there though for half an hour and lots of birds to look at. A few Common Terns were fishing close in with Dunlins, Ruff and a few Spotted Redshank and Little Stint for company. Greenshanks, Green and Common Sandpipers helped to swell the wader numbers.

Black-tailed Godwit

A Godwit here still in most of it's breeding plumage with an Avocet in the background.

Dunlin

Common Tern