13 of us gathered at the visitor centre, being made to feel particularly unwelcome by some of the
volunteers. We didn’t linger too long in the centre as a result, but managed to see various wildfowl and waders including many avocet and black tailed godwit, and a single ruff. We also distinguished a couple of mediterranean gulls amongst the screeching black headed gulls and enjoyed watching the sand martins dashing in and out of the holes in the purpose built wall.

From the centre we then went on the Mere trail – a very pleasant walk around former fish ponds. Various birds were calling from the bushes and trees and we spotted black cap, and a treecreeper close by on a trunk with its tail unusually fanned out. An egyptian goose was spotted through the shrubbery and as we made our way round to more open water we noticed it had 3 gorgeous goslings. From there we carried on along the wetland trail – there wasn’t much to see from the reedbed screen, so we moved on to the Marsh Covert hide. We sat in here a while and had lunch – as we were sat there a sparrowhawk flew past the windows. We saw more wildfowl from here too including pintail and teal.

After lunch we continued along the trail – cetti’s warbler shouted at us from the reeds and
chiffchaff and willow warbler were calling too. We followed the trail and then veered off to go up to
Burton Point. Here we stopped and spent a long time looking for redstart and green spotted woodpecker which had been reported. Most of us were lucky to see redstart from a distance and some also saw the woodpecker in flight briefly. From the top of the hill we enjoyed panoramic views of the Dee, though it was abit windy. We retraced our steps and rejoined the wetland trail to go to the furthest hide. On the way we noticed several people stopped on a bridge taking photos of something – water vole! A delightful encounter – the first for most of us. On to the hide where with the sun behind us the colours of the birds were enhanced - we had great views of the godwits showing off their chestnut summer plumage and in contrast 5 very dark spotted redshank. There was also a common sandpiper, a couple of snipe and 1 bar- tailed godwit too. In the background marsh harrier patrolled the reserve.

We had reports of green winged teal in the Marsh hide so, as we made our way back, we called in there again. After scanning all the teal for quite a while we eventually found it and helped a lot of other people in the hide see it too! A good day after a most inauspicious beginning.

Sightings: cormorant, heron great white egret, little egret, greylag goose, canada goose, shelduck,
egyptian goose, mallard, gadwall, wigeon, teal, green-winged teal, pintail, shoveler, tufted duck,
sparrowhawk, buzzard, marsh harrier, moorhen, coot, oystercatcher, avocet, lapwing, redshank, spotted redshank, common sandpiper, ruff, black-tailed godwit, bar-tailed godwit, snipe, black-headed gull, mediterranean gull, woodpigeon, great spotted woodpecker, sand martin, blackcap, willow warbler, chiffchaff, redstart, robin, song thrush, long-tailed tit, great tit, blue tit, treecreeper, reed bunting, goldfinch, magpie, rook, jackdaw
Water vole

The forecast wasn’t great but 10 of us gathered at the rendevous and donned our wet weather gear, fully doubting our sanity! We set off along the road in wind and rain. Visibility was poor but we managed to pick out some fieldfare in the distance. We struggled to keep our glasses and binoculars clear but could see a great crested grebe bobbing about on the rough water. We also had oystercatcher fly over and a lone lapwing. After about half an hour we decided to call it a day and trudged back to the cars thoroughly wet, cold and miserable.

Sightings: great crested grebe, oystercatcher, lapwing, fieldfare, pied wagtail, black headed gull, starling, lesser black-back gull, crow.

Nine of us congregated on the cafe verandah at Sizergh Castle for the hawfinch watch. The weather on the journey was abit grim, but the forecast was good for the rest of the day. As we waited, there was plenty of other birds to keep us entertained: great spotted woodpecker, various tits including marsh tit, greenfinch and nuthatch coming to feed on the ground. Finally 2 hawfinch alighted in a bare shrub just above hedge height and the female stayed a while so we all got a good look. That was the only appearance, but we were all pleased to see them. After the watch ended we enjoyed refreshments in the cafe and then set off on our walk up towards Helsington, down to Park End Moss and back up through Brigsteer wood. The weather had improved and we enjoyed clear skies and sunshine. The birds were singing, the daffodils were glorious and the views were wonderful across the Lyth valley and towards the Lakes. We sat in the hide at Park End and ate our lunch watching the birdlife on the water. The little grebes in particular were resplendent in breeding plumage. After lunch we walked back through the woods – birdsong accompanied us but sightings were hard to come by.

On returning to the cars we then made our way to Foulshaw Moss. We sat in the feeder hide and
marvelled at the constant comings and goings as the birds vied for food. Siskin, redpoll, and tree sparrow were notable visitors. We carried on along the boardwalk and were delighted to see 2 adder among the bracken, having had them pointed out to us – they were well camouflaged! We visited the osprey viewing point, but as suspected they hadn’t yet arrived, but we enjoyed listening to the info from the volunteer monitoring the nest. We did hear that one arrived the next day – c’est la vie.
There’s always something to go back for.

Sightings:
Sizergh – Great spotted woodpecker, greenfinch, nuthatch, robin, chaffinch, song thrush, great tit, blue tit, coal tit, goldfinch, wren, hawfinch, blackbird, crow, marsh tit, dunnock, pied wagtail, jackdaw, woodpigeon, rook, magpie, little egret, little grebe, teal, gadwall, canada goose, wigeon, greylag goose, moorhen, reed bunting, long-tailed tit, chiffchaff, buzzard.

Foulshaw Moss – Grey heron, robin, siskin, great tit, chaffinch, redpoll, goldfinch, pheasant, tree sparrow, greenfinch, blackbird, wren, reed bunting, treecreeper, kestrel, chiffchaff
Adder

As our group set off on this lovely Winter's morning, the surrounding fields provided us with Goldfinches, Magpie, a large "Clattering" of Jackdaw feeding, as well as two Buzzards enjoying the slight warmth of the sun as they glided on the thermals above us.

Heading towards Hoghton Tower, we added more common species such as Crows, Robins and Great Tits, letting us know they were there by calling their "Teacher, Teacher" call. 
A Kestrel provided a wonderful view as it perched on a branch just above us on the footpath. Patiently scouring the surrounding land for it's lunch no doubt.

One of the more unusual sightings of the day was the Albino Crow that was sighted. These are extremally rare to see, caused by a genetic lack of melanin, leaving the crow with white feathers, pink eyes and a pale beak. We wondered if it would be ostracized by it's group but they did appear to have accepted it. However, due to their lack of camouflage they are highly vulnerable to predation.

Crossing over the very boggy fields, we observed a couple of Curlews and an Oystercatcher, the only waders we would see on todays trip. 

Finally reaching the River Darwin, we stopped for lunch watching the fast flowing river rushing by. A Grey Wagtail was seen feeding on the banks and making its way upstream.
But the highlight of everyones day was undoubtedly the Kingfisher that was seen after lunch. Firstly it was only seen briefly flying downstream, and we thought we'd lost it to view. But as we were walking by, in fact we'd almost walked past it, one member caught a glimpse of it's beautiful orange breast feathers, perched opposite us and showing itself perfectly. It stayed there for several minutes, before we decided to leave it in peace.

A very enjoyable walk, in some beautiful scenery finished off with a bird to highlight any day out. 

​

A party of 15 met in the foyer at the famous Martin Mere Nature Reserve of 363 acres that was purchased by Sir Peter Scott and Ronnie Barker, a local farmer, in 1968 and opened in 1975.

The party set off visiting first the Discovery hide to search for the not-so-common male Ring Necked Duck from North America. This was soon located having some pure white marking on its flank along with a band on the bill.

We then continued to the left, eventually ending up at The Ron Barker hide for lunch.
Just before leaving the hide, a Sparrowhawk was seen following it's characteristic low flight which blends in to pick off any unsuspecting victim.

The afternoon consisted of visiting all the reserve hides enroute, ending up at the Reed bed and the outlying hides. Several Marsh Harriers were observed and you never get tired of watching their graceful flight.
Other highlights on the second half of the reserve included three feeding Repolls but best of all was a Barn Owl which allowed us some fantastic views as it hunted over the fields. A great bird to end a brilliant outing at the reserve.

After managing to locate the rest of the group in the large car park (and without getting too distracted by the flitting Blue Tits, Great Tits and Magpies), our party of 11 set off in hope of some Winter birding joy at Marbury Country Park. 

We managed all of 10 meters before spotting a large group of Chaffinches searching for seed along the path ahead. Chaffinches can be seen in larger groups during the Winter period, as our year-round resident birds are joined by huge flocks from Scandinavia. These birds can be joined by the scarcer Brambling at this time of year, but despite our best efforts we couldn't spot one in amongst the group. 

As we were admiring the Chaffinches, a familiar call was heard from the taller trees behind. A Nuthatch was quickly spotted making it's way up the branches, shortly joined by a second individual. 
We still hadn't moved on yet when, in the Holly bushes below,  we spotted Europe's smallest bird, the Goldcrest. Trying to point out this bird can be a challenge, as their constant restless flitting behaviour means they are always on the move, seeking out small Spiders and Insects on every branch. Luckily this would be the first of a few Goldcrests seen during the day.

Just above the toilet blocks behind us, a small flock of Redwing added to our already brilliant bird list. Another Scandinavian winter visitor, these thrushes were gorging themselves on the berries that they cross the North Sea for. It was a fantastic start to see all these species around what was one of the busiest areas of the park.

As we were already 20 minutes into the day and had barely left the car park, we decided to finally make a move and headed towards the Arboretum. This botanical collection of trees and shrubs, remaining from when Marbury was a grand estate in the 1850's, is one of the best areas to see the elusive Hawfinches and Crossbills that sometimes make an appearance in the park. Sadly, none could be found today, however we were treated to some great views of three Common Redpoll. These finches were acrobatically feeding on seeds, allowing us to see the difference between the "redder" males and "browner" females. The redness becomes much more distinctive during the breeding season.

Making our way back out of the Arboretum, we headed to the first hide. Adding Mistle Thrush and the first of four Jays seen during the day to our list, we reached the hide overlooking the large expanse of Budworth Mere. We were told that a Kingfisher had been seen not long before we arrived, so binoculars raised, were examined all the nearby branches and perches overhanging the mere. No luck, but a Grey Wagtail catching flies was a good spot. 
In the reedbed to the left of the hide, a Bittern had been seen the previous evening, but we had to make do with a preening Great White Egret.
Out on the mere itself, Tufted Ducks, Goosanders, Great Crested Grebes and Shovelers were in abundance, with Lapwing and Curlew seen on the far bank. 

Eventually, we decided to move on from the hide, following the path along the edge of the mere. It didn't take long before the sharp eyes of one party member spotted what we'd been looking for earlier. A kingfisher! Always a highlight of any walk, this beautifully coloured male (identified due to it's all black bill, compared to the orange lower mandible on the female) sat totally unbothered by us as he waiting for his lunch to swim below him.

As lunch time beckoned we headed towards the second hide, where we enjoyed our lunches looking out to the bird feeding stations. The highlight here was the Great Spotted Woodpecker that came to feed on the peanuts, so close to where we were sat. It was great seeing the vivid red colouration only feet away from us.

After lunch, we headed across the canal towards the area of Neumann's Flash. The mouse-like Treecreeper was seen swirling it's way up the trunk of a large tree and a single Stock Dove was perched on the branch of another.
A loud "Kronk" call above notified us of the Raven circling above us, and a second bird shortly after could indicate a pair looking for a breeding territory.

Making our way back towards the car park, we were treated to a field filled with Mistle Thrush, Redwing and Goldfinch. It was a good opportunity to admire the size of the Mistle Thrush and compare the differences between itself and the Song Thrush.

An enjoyable day was had by all, with the full 45 species seen found below:

Magpie
Black-headed Gull
Blue Tit
Woodpigeon
Chaffinch
Blackbird
Nuthatch
Goldcrest
Redwing
Buzzard
Cormorant
Common Redpoll
Great Tit
Robin
Crow
Mistle Thrush
Jay
Wren
Tufted Duck
Goosander
Great White Egret
Long tailed tit
Coot
Great Crested Grebe
Grey Wagtail
Grey Heron
Mallard
Herring Gull
Moorhen
Dunnock
Mute Swan
Coal Tit
Shoveler
Kingfisher
Lapwing
Little Egret
Curlew
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Feral Pigeon
Goldfinch
Treecreeper
Collared Dove
Raven
Stock Dove
​
  

Five of us gathered on a very grey and cold morning. We first visited the feeders and were delighted to see a marsh tit amongst the more expected birds. We then went to the Lillian hide. The water was frozen apart from a small opening at one side which was filled with a small mixed flock of teal, shoveler, pintail and gadwall. We got a good sighting of a female marsh harrier as it danced above the reed bed.

We then took the path round to the Causeway hide – as we walked along we had a few redwing up in the trees and a female bullfinch perched in a bush. As we carried on along the boardwalk we kept our eyes peeled for water rail, but only saw moorhens. We also stopped briefly at the grit trays for possible glimpses of bearded tits, but nothing doing. As it started to rain we hurried to the hide. The view from the hide was disappointing – no birds, apart from a group of mute swans to one side and some black-headed gulls in the far distance. As it was now raining heavily we stayed in the hide admiring the view, chatting and occasionally checking to see nothing had flown in.

When the rain eased we retraced our steps, then went the other way to the Tim Jackson hide. On the way we got a treecreeper and all along the paths we were accompanied by very confiding robins. The story at the hide was the same again – no birds – so we carried on to the Grizedale hide with low expectations. We did do abit better here, - as we walked in we immediately had good views of a great white egret, which stayed around quite a while as we sat eating our lunch. A flock of lapwing flew over and landed in the sloped field beyond the reserve. We also had the female marsh harrier again and at one point buzzard, sparrowhawk and harrier all in the sky together, with the sparrowhawk mobbbing the buzzard. Just as we were about to leave a male marsh harrier also
appeared giving us great views.

We went back to the visitor centre and enquired whether the road to the
estuary hides was OK – a staff member told us he’d just been down there and it was fine. So we drove down and walked to the Allen hide. What the staff member could have told us was that there were no birds! None at all in the area in front of the hide and only a couple more great white egrets in the marsh area beyond the fence, and a great black-back gull. So we decided to call it a day at that point. In terms of volume of birds we agreed we had never seen it so quiet, but we enjoyed seeing the smaller woodland birds and the raptors.
PS. One of the group arrived an hour and a half before the rest of us and saw both bearded tit and water rail – the early bird and all that .......grrr

The weather wasn’t promising, but 7 of us gathered in the car park at Crosby, all togged up prepared for rain. It was already raining when we set off up the coast keeping as close to the beach as possible. The tide was already part way out, but there still seemed plenty of birds about. We immediately saw 4 black-tailed godwits probing in the mud, quite close in. Whilst viewing was difficult with rain spots on glasses and binoculars we soon saw oystercatchers, curlew and a single turnstone. Then followed grey plover and ringed plover with plenty of dunlin scattered about. The rain wasn't heavy or constant and we had the wind behind us. It was obviously windy on the beach as the sanderlings ran even quicker than usual and were quite comical. As we approached the spit a third of the way up the path we could see a flock of Lapwings which occasionally rose up in agitation before settling down again. As the tide went further out flocks of pink-footed geese flew over to land in the distance at the waters edge to feed. Moving further up the coast the rain eased off, and we stopped to admire the sea buckthorn with lovely orange berries. We dropped onto the beach itself and made our way up to the where the river Alt comes out from the mainland at the firing range. Here there were shelduck feeding on the mud, and more curlew and several redshank. Retracing our steps we stopped for lunch at the picnic tables by the sailing club. As we walked back the light had improved, but we were now walking into the wind. There were still quite a few birds about, but nothing new, so we set a faster pace on the way back. As we neared the coastguard station the Antony Gormley statues could be seen – a welcome sight, just as it started to spit again.

Species - 22:
starling, black-tailed godwit, curlew, dunlin, ringed plover, turnstone, redshank, grey plover,
sanderling, great black-back gull, black-headed gull, herring gull, lapwing, shelduck, pink-footed goose,mallard, moorhen, pied wagtail, wren, crow, magpie

Six of us met in the car park on a grey dismal day. We already had 8 species from the car park looking out over the main flash, including a pair of goldeneye. We walked to the first hide looking over one end of the flash and the spit. Here there were about 40 lapwing at the end of the spit with a single oystercatcher and a couple of teal hunkered down in the grass. Cormorants hung out on the posts and 3 herons stood solemnly at the edge of the water. Further out on the flash we spotted pochard, and great-crested grebe including a couple of juveniles, then a couple of little grebe popped up. A couple of pairs of goosander surfaced near the spit, the males looking particularly clean and dapper.

We carried on to the next hide – a great white egret immediately stood out at the back of one of the smaller flashes. There were also a number of gadwall and shoveler. As we progressed around it started to drizzle. We walked through an open area surrounded by trees – birds were flitting about, but it was difficult to see as the light wasn't great. A small flock of long tailed tits worked their way along the tree line and we caught glimpses of medium sized birds, which we eventually got a clearer view of and identified as redwing. We also got a brief view of great spotted woodpecker. Some of the group walked up to the canal and saw a kestrel.

We continued round and the rain was heavier for a time. There was fungi in various places including candle snuff, jelly ear and turkeytail. We visited the other hides – the water was quite high, so there weren’t any waders, and the birds were similar to previously, with plenty of teal and gadwall. The hide with the feeders only had fairly common birds to view. The last hide didn’t bring us anything new but we enjoyed looking out at the colours, with the dogwood showing off nicely.

Species 33: tufted duck, mute swan, coot, black-headed gull, goldeneye, Canada goose, moorhen,
cormorant, herring gull, grey heron, lapwing, oystercatcher, teal, wood pigeon, magpie, crow, goosander, pochard, mallard, great crested grebe, little grebe, great white egret, shoveler, gadwall, redwing, long-tailed tit, great spotted woodpecker, blue tit, chaffinch, kestrel, dunnock, great tit, robin

A really enjoyable outing was had by those that joined us at Hesketh Out Marsh, with a focus on looking for waders for the World Wader Watch we were taking part in.

We had barely left the car park before 'scopes were aimed at the fields South of the marsh. Many Whooper Swans were probing the soft mud for tasty treats, most likely left over crops such as potatoes or grain. Trying our best to study the beaks, we unfortunately couldn't turn any of the Whoopers into their now much rarer relatives the Bewick swan. Bewicks are seemingly not making the same migratory journey as often as they once did, mostly due to climate change. This means that milder winters in more northerly countries now provide a suitable wintering ground for them.

Once we'd had our swan fix satisfied, we began to notice our first waders of the day scattered amongst the swans in the same field. Lapwings, Golden Plover, Snipe and a couple of Curlew were fantastic to see, the Plover in particular very active with their "run-stop-peck" feeding technique.

As we headed further up the path, skeins of Pink-footed Geese noisily honked above us, most likely making their way to Martin Mere. The hedges surrounding us were full of the usual Robins, Blackbirds, Greenfinch and Dunnocks; but it was a group of Tree Sparrows that we enjoyed the most, their chestnut brown caps showing clearly in the early morning Autumnal sun.

Finally reaching the main viewing point at Hesketh Out Marsh, we instantly noticed the difference in the breeze now we were on higher ground, thankful for our warmer layers. Out on the pool below us we were greeted by several ducks, their "whistling" call revealing them to be Wigeon. A few Redshank probed the edges of the pool and three Black-tailed Godwits were observed preening at the back. A distant Great White Egret was seen, still a nice bird to see despite them becoming a more regular sighting in Lancashire.

It was at this point that the star bird of the day made it's appearance. Drifting gracefully, low over the marsh was a ringtail Hen Harrier. A beauty of a bird that's always very special to see. 'Our' ringtail was being mobbed by a couple of crows, so didn't stay for too long, but we all thoroughly enjoyed some great views of the Harrier as it glided out across the Marsh.

Moving slightly on to view the next pool, we added more birds such as a distant Avocet, a Buzzard and a very obliging Merlin that too help with it identification, flew to a much closer post for us all to see!

Before leaving, we decided to head back to the car park, and check out the pools to the East. New birds were added such a Little Grebe, Goosander, Pied Wagtail and Grey Plover. Just as we were thinking of heading back, the unmistakable flash of blue from a Kingfisher whizzed by us all, our 48th species of a very enjoyable morning.