So what of 2008? Well I decided to do a ‘Cheshire year list, spurred on by Frank’s record-breaking endeavours of 2005. I ended the year on 227 ( 223 BOU recognised species and three recognised races – Dark-bellied Brent, Blue-headed Wagtail, White Wagtail & ‘Siberian’ Chiffchaff). This year was certainly a good one for county listers with a good number of BBRC rarities if not a ‘mega’. A twitchable Cattle Egret was long overdue and one was duly discovered in the very first month of 2008 on the Wirral followed very soon by another one near Poynton. Other firsts include a potential American Herring Gull at the gull mecca of Arpely tip – it appeared at the same time as record numbers of Glaucous, Iceland, Yellow-legged and Caspian Gulls. All picked up by the gull fanatics of Seaforth.
Cetti’s Warbler(s) settled at Neston Old Quay and with a bit of patience showed well for most of the late winter and spring period. Spring proved eventful on Hilbre with their first ever Bluethroat and a flyover Woodlark. Both county firsts for me. A summer plumaged male Black Redstart in the gardens of the old peoples home along Stanley Road was also a county first and was complimented by an autumn bird a post Christmas bird at the same place.
Who can forget Pods amazing discovery of a pair of Black-winged Stilts at Neuamans Flash. I certainly won’t after receiving his phone call at 06.20 on the morning we were due to travel down to Norfolk for Groucho’s stag-do.
Temminck’s Stint is not a major rarity but still a good bird for Cheshire and with record numbers in the UK during the spring hopes were high we’d get one – eventually! It took Steve Menzies to dig one out at Frodsham No. 6 tank.
Next up was Mays Whiskered Tern that graced Inner Marsh far for most of the month. I’ve seen more Whiskered Terns in Cheshire than White-winged Black Terns – one of which appeared over Shotwick Pools with occasional forays into Cheshire in the autumn.
Inner Marsh Farm provided another county lifer when the long staying Merseyside Glossy Ibis decided to pay a visit before returning back to Southport. With a supporting cast of Cheshire’s only Pectoral Sandpiper of the year as well as several Black Terns, Spoonbill and breeding Avocets it was a case of the Carmargue comes to the Wirral. Scarce waders were, well, scarce, so a phone call from Frank just after the last of my daughters wedding guests had departed to say he’d got a Semi-palmated Sandpipier on Frodsham No 6 tank had me scurrying down just before dark and catching up with it and yet another Spoonbill. A good move as the peep buggered off overnight much to the consternation of those that turned up Saturday morning.
As usual sea-watching off the Wirral was only occasionally productive but a couple of Velvet Scoters amongst the 3000+ Common Scoters were a good find by the President of the Wirral sea-watching association. Another county lifer for me but we still failed to find either a Balearic or Sooty Shearwater. A decision has to be made as to whether the articles of association (an empty polystyrene cup) should be changed to incorporate our like-minded brethren at nearby Crosby but the acronym ‘WANC’ sea watching association could be a bit off putting and discourage members who’d then be known as WANCers.
A major highlight of the year was Novembers Rough-legged Buzzard re-found by Mark Turner and was just reward for his persistence in carrying on the search when most of us had given up. Yet another county lifer.
The final icing on the cake was a self found Richard’s Pipit at Parkgate in December (the Dee Estuary is beginning to become a regular winter haunt for this species with a number of December records in recent years) and a small flock of Twite reported at Thurstaston and followed up by a couple of cynical bastards who assume every Twite seen on the Wirral is a Linnet. Am I glad we followed this one up!
So what nationally? The long staying White-crowned Sparrow in Cley was my first lifer of the year and a lucky strike with Lincolnshire’s Audouin’s Gull was one of the major highlights. Especially as it was so frustratingly unpredictable and elusive. Another was catching up with the Blakeney Trumpeter Finch and dragging Mark Payne down there the day before he was due to go on honeymoon. Another bogey laid to rest after not moving fast enough for the Landguard bird and missing the Kent bird by one day. Others include finally banishing the nightmare and catalogue of near misses that was Red-eyed Vireo, catching up with Dark-eyed Junco after contriving to miss Rich Bonsers’ Chester zoo special, almost completing my British Shrike list with both Brown Shrike & Steppe Shrike (all I need now is Long-tailed……) and potential UK firsts in the form of Fair Isles Citril Finch and Cornwalls Alder Flycatcher. I end the year with 10 ‘lifers 4 of which are American passerines.
So what of 2009? I still need to see Lanceolated & Pallas’s Grasshopper Warblers so Shetland will be a ‘must’ during the Autumn. A Cheshire Ring-necked Duck or Lesser Scaup has to be a good bet for one of the minor rarities whilst a repeat of Hilbre’s Yellow-breasted Bunting would be well received not least by the Obs Chairman!
Final shot of 2008 - female kestrel Neston Reedbed.
Here's a toast to 2009 and whatever it may bring!
The Snow Bunting was equally as obliging though the low sun created lots of shadow. Two good winter birds within metres of each other and all this followed by a bacon butty with the Wirrals premier pelagic skipper and a walk around the lighthouse whilst putting the birding World to rights.
Who'd be a rodent out on the marsh with this number of silent but deadly predators hunting all the while. Meanwhile the wintering Pinkfeet provide an atmospheric shot as they move off to roost at dusk.
Great little birds and a real Cheshire rarity these days. With Al helpfully volunteering to stay out of the way whilst Mrs C cleaned the house for Christmas we retreated to the nearby cafe for a cuppa and a toasted teacake before deciding to make an abortive attempt for the Richard's Pipit again. With a strong breeze blowing any sensible passerine was keeping its head down.
Interestingly the bird above shows a hint of dark wing tips. Shades of Kidwelly anyone?
The female Kestrel posed obligingly whilst hunting invertebrates on the marsh and bringing them back to a favoured perch to munch.
Whilst waiting for the Richard's Pipit to reappear the boredom was relieved by the presence of two Hen Harriers, including an adult 'grey' male a brace each of Short-eared Owls & Stonechats and a single Merlin. A female Kestrel provided a good photo oppurtunity as the light faded.
Rumour has it that our friend Paddy O'Poynton (see yesterdays posting) has been seen running around Bristol in his Leprachaun disguise baring part of his anatomy trying to prove he is a hariy arsed birder, in the mould of our hero Pod, whilst singing 'Blue Moon'. A good choice of song considering the current freezing conditions. A distraught local woman forwarded the photo below taken as he tried to nick her tights off her washing line as he'd laddered his stuffing to many socks down them.
Meanwhile Podster himself is still awaiting the men in white coats after he was sent over the edge on reaching the milestone of 500 species in the UK & Ireland and then realising he'd have to do it all over again to reach the only acceptable total of BOU only. He has spent so much time in Ireland this year he's beginning to look like Father Ted.
As a student somewhere in the deepest corners of the South West he can be found perfecting his disguise by singing 'Danny Boy' whilst quaffing the cheapest rot gut cider he can afford on his student loan.
The rising sun pierced the frozen wood giving some fantastic atmospheric photo oppurtunities. Meanwhile other birds were a bit thin on the ground with only the Nuthatches being they're usually noisy selves.
With garden chores completed it was time to wander the local fields again in search of something new. The flooded field still held its large flock of Lapwing but suprisingly there were three Snipe out in the open around the edge of a frozen pool of water. I've very rarely recorded Snipe in this area so three was a major bonus. A closer scan revealed another two - making 5. Even rarer! Whilst working my way closer another 3 flew up form where they'd been roosting amongst tussocks in a cow field - 8 Snipe. A patch record.
The Grey Wagtails were elusive along Rivacre Brook but I eventually tracked them down near one of their favourite haunts by the old road bridge.
Mooching along minding my own business with eyes open and ears strained I was pondering why Rivacre doesn't seem to hold any Tawny Owls - their absence in Stanney Woods is probably due to the restricted amount of habitiat but Rivacre comprises several woods separated by the golf course. So, imagine my suprise when coming across this lot as I turned a corner! 
A fantastic piece of woodland art but I wonder how long it will be before the local inbreds try setting it on fire. 
Intitially she made several low level pass over the pools flushing all the Lapwings and ducks in one panic stricken flock before choosing her prey and flying it down. She knocked it to the ground and then circled high before landing and devouring her kill out of sight. An awesome display. Hoping for either a stray Bean Goose or Whitefront I scanned the distant flocks of Greylags but managed only a solitary Pinkfoot.
Doxey Marshes (suppression capital of Staffordshire) has been hosting a flock of 30+ Eurasian Whitefronted Geese. All they've got to do is fly north and we could see them on their old wintering grounds on the Gowy water meadows. I wish.............................................................
