Incredibly, following on for the recent Bearded Tit and multiple Black Guillemots, I had another new species for Hilbre in the space of three weeks! Not the most inspiring species as their status is clouded by feral breeders, exotic escapes and possible migrants from the feral breeding populations in Holland and Germany - Ruddy Shelduck!
No sooner had we arrived on Hilbre I'd gone to put the kettle on when Mark shouted he'd found 3 Ruddy Shelducks on the tide edge! As the tide dropped they followed it out and eventually joined the flock of nervous Brent Geese who didn't like their presence at all. Being a Hilbre rarity it created a bit of interest from the regulars who all managed to see them from the mainland.
Theres currently a review into the status of Ruddy Shelduck in the UK by the BOU so these birds were added to the list of sightings and an email record duly submitted. See here
See here for an article on the status of Ruddy Shelduck in the UK by Birdguides. The Hilbre birds coincide nicely with the peak time for genuine overshoots for Dutch birds..........being a small 'flock' may also help their credentials.......but they may also be the regular birds seen on the Mersey Estuary or even those that have been seen regularly in North Wales.
Whatever their origin they brightened up an otherwise quiet day bird-wise.
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