Hide Tide at Parkgate

With the high tide being around 10 metres today, I set off for Parkgate on the Wirral wondering if it would bring the raptors in close for some decent photos.  Unfortunately the signs weren't good because the weather was just too nice for once!  It was sunny, calm and settled with high pressure dominating the UK.  For a 'good' high tide you really need low pressure and strong north-westerly winds to help blow the water further inland, and that just didn't happen today.

Nevertheless many raptor species were present including Marsh Harrier, Hen Harrier (male and female), Merlin, Peregrine and Short-eared Owl.  The only regular here that I didn't see today was the Barn Owl but I did have a brief glimpse of a distant Bittern when it sat upright in the reeds across the Marsh.

I thought I'd give the Cottage Lane end of Parkgate a try as the water comes in fastest here along the channels. Almost as soon as I got out of the car there was a Short-eared Owl flying in front of me, but when I went for my camera it soon disappeared over the golf course.

The next bird of note was a distant Merlin on a post. Everything is wrong about this photo - a distant bird, camera looking into the sun with heat haze, but hey, it's the best photo of a Merlin that I've got to date. A female Marsh Harrier also passed by in the distance little later and there were quite a few Reed Buntings in a small patch of Phragmites in front of me.

I walked further down the old sandstone quayside to where the path was a bit wider allowing people to pass me without having to move my tripod. It's amazing to think that in the days of sailing ships the River Dee once lapped against these walls before it eventually silted up and created the salt marsh we have here today.  From here I saw both ringtail and grey male Hen Harriers, but all too distant for decent shots.

At about 1:30pm I decided it was time for lunch, and in this area there is only one place to go as far as I'm concerned - the fish and chip shop in Parkgate. I was a little concerned that I might not get there in time as I had to get back to my car first of all, drive round to Parkgate, find somewhere to park (high tides are always busy days here and parking is very limited) all before 2pm when it shuts.  Luckily I got in and joined the queue of about nine people shortly before the door was closed.  You always know somewhere is good if there is a queues of people willing to wait to be served.

With a small fish and small chips parcel in hand, I drove back to the Old Baths car park at the northern end of the promenade to eat it.  As I arrived I noticed Phil Boardman, a birding friend from Lunt Meadows, standing at the wall with his camera.  I offered him some chips before having a look round to see if anyone else I knew was here.

Phil and I wiled away the afternoon chatting about birding things whilst looking for raptors and bitterns.  An indeed it was here that I got my best photos from today, a Short-eared Owl which appeared in the late afternoon.

It did start to get very cold towards the end of the day, but Phil was determined to see the Bittern fly to its roost, so I left him at around 4:30pm when the light was still OK for viewing but not great for photographs.

High Tide at Parkgate on the Wirral

There was a 9.77 metre high tide on the Wirral today, so I and some of my birding buddies set off to meet at Burton Mere Wetlands RSPB before heading off for the old baths car park at Parkgate.

A Rather Blustery Day in North Wales

I had another trip to the seaside today with Purple Sandpipers as my main target species.  These hardy little winter visitors from the Arctic visit Rhos Point at Rhos-on-Sea each year and the best time to see them is at high tide when they are roosting on the breakwater rocks along the shoreline.

I'd managed to get some shots of Purple Sandpipers last month at New Brighton, but they were roosting on the marina pontoons and this is hardly a natural setting, so I was looking for better natural habitat for my photos today.

As can be seen and heard in the video, it was blowing a gale whilst I was there and this made taking photographs and video very difficult - despite using a heavy tripod and gimbal system, I couldn't really keep the camera steady.
 

At first I struggled to find these birds, and when I thought I had spotted one it turned out to be a dark Dunlin.  But with a bit of perseverance walking up and down the promenade, I eventually spotted one bird feeding on the rocks and then later a group of four roosting.

Other birds present included Turnstones and Ringed Plovers as well as the ubiquitous Oystercatchers.  I did think I might have seen some Twite feeding on the beach, but they turned out to be Linnets.

 

Unfortunately this is not a Twite as I first thought, it's a Linnet.

Later I went on to RSPB Conwy a little further up the coast as I'd heard that a male Hen Harrier had been seen in recent days.  I did get a very brief glimpse of it and took the worst record shot in the world!

There was also a pair of Red-breasted Mergansers in front of one of the hides - here's some shots of the male.

And this female Scaup was also present in the deeper water, along with some Pochards.

And finally, this little Robin came incredibly close, but then Robins do, don't they?

First Steps in Mull, Coming Soon ...