Hoylake Bird Observatory (6 Viewers)

[Jane Turner]

I've added Brambling in the last few days. Flat calm conditions meant that I could try and count the assorted birds floating offshore. 475 Great-crested Grebes were a few fewer than I'd expect, but 27 Red-throated divers were more. 9 Gannets were more or less off Southport! Whilst looking at that range I picked up a large Cetacean which appeared to be a Pilot Whale, making its way north.

500 or so Common Scoter were visible, but despite trying I failed to find a Surfie. It can only be a matter of time!

 

[Tanny]

Red Rocks 2nd Nov

Hi Jane I was at Red Rocks on Friday at high tide, great flocks of Sanderling, Grey Plover and Dunlin drifted past where I was hiding along the wall out of the chilly wind. A smallish mixed flock landed about thirty yards from me and I clicked away taking pictures. When I got home and started editing them I discovered two of them where what I believed to be Lesser Yellowlegs. I wanted to be sure I was right in my observation and posted them on our mutual friends site, asking conformation of identify, I didn't tell him what I thought them to be. The reply was that the birds with the yellow legs were, Knot. Here are the pictures and I hope you agree with me.

 

[Jane Turner]

Yes... Lesser Yellowlegs looks like a really elegant lanky bird -like a leggie slim Redshank

http://naturemappingfoundation.org/natmap/photos/birds/lesser-yellowlegs_242np.jpg

You have Knot

 

[deeestuary]

Hi Jane I was at Red Rocks on Friday at high tide, great flocks of Sanderling, Grey Plover and Dunlin drifted past where I was hiding along the wall out of the chilly wind. A smallish mixed flock landed about thirty yards from me and I clicked away taking pictures. When I got home and started editing them I discovered two of them where what I believed to be Lesser Yellowlegs. I wanted to be sure I was right in my observation and posted them on our mutual friends site, asking conformation of identify, I didn't tell him what I thought them to be. The reply was that the birds with the yellow legs were, Knot. Here are the pictures and I hope you agree with me.

Never any doubt they were Knot, Tanny, and not a chance there were two Lesser Yellowlegs!! ||

 

[Tanny]

Would (KNOT) it be a rare sighting for this area, and the photo's are proof.
The Knot in my RSPB Bird book,and my book on Wading Birds of the World mention the bird has short grey legs.

 

[Jane Turner]

No, its actually the commonest wader here, though its the most important in terms of % of the world population that winter here

 

[Tanny]

I was referring to the Lesser Yellowlegs

 

[Jane Turner]

I'm really confused.... there is no Lesser Yellowlegs in the photos... they are Knot. There are no accepted records of L.Legs for the area, though I believe there was one that wasn't submitted in the 60s and we had a probable trying to land on Bird Rock during a seawatch in the 90s.

1stwinter Knot have yellowish-grey, yellowish-green, yellow-olive, or dull olive-green legs.


Here are Lesser Yellowlegs next to Redshank -you can see of long-legged and long slim billed they are

http://www.pixelbirds.co.uk/2012images/weblegs1.jpg
http://www.birdguides.com/media/std/00017000/00017927.jpg

 

[Tanny]

Thanks Jane, I have just been on the internet checking out Knot's and have seen hundreds of pictures of the bird with yellow legs. I am now satisfied that my pictures are of a Knot and I feel embarrassed about my lack of knowledge. I am now considering getting rid of all my bird books because they are obsolete, the internet, with Bird Forum and other places are far better than any book I have.

 

[Jane Turner]

Fabulous carpet of Knot visible from my settee just now

 

[deeestuary]

Problems with photographers again today.
See deeestuary for today's singtings.

 

[Jane Turner]

I could see that there very few Knot - just not why.

 

[Pitvar]

I was there today on the slipway at high tide. Speaking to the wardens they did say there had been disturbance and there was indeed one "photographer" on the tideline - however there was also - a dog encouraged to run through the resting flocks, one family who consistently pushed the birds down the beach [I think they were probably not aware of the stress to the birds and were encouraging their children out of interest] plus two lots of "birders" well people with bins anyway - who got too close in my opinion - to about 15m. There were also birders with scopes and at least four big lens photographers who stayed well back.

So sadly there was disturbance from people who should have known better and from some who probably weren't aware. I explained to a few people why it wasn't a good idea to venture out onto the sand and they were very accommodating and interested. The spectacle was well worth seeing and hearing from the slipway with no need to venture any closer I reckon.

 

[deeestuary]

I was there today on the slipway at high tide. Speaking to the wardens they did say there had been disturbance and there was indeed one "photographer" on the tideline - however there was also - a dog encouraged to run through the resting flocks, one family who consistently pushed the birds down the beach [I think they were probably not aware of the stress to the birds and were encouraging their children out of interest] plus two lots of "birders" well people with bins anyway - who got too close in my opinion - to about 15m. There were also birders with scopes and at least four big lens photographers who stayed well back.

So sadly there was disturbance from people who should have known better and from some who probably weren't aware. I explained to a few people why it wasn't a good idea to venture out onto the sand and they were very accommodating and interested. The spectacle was well worth seeing and hearing from the slipway with no need to venture any closer I reckon.

It may seem like we are picking on the photographers unfairly, but the four that were on the tide line before high tide were, by their presence, encouraging others to go out there - people are always curious about those big lenses.

My experience is that it is rare for birders to venture off the prom, and those that do can easily be persuaded to desist. Is also my experience that photographers are far less amenable to persuasion, except for the sensible ones who stay on the prom anyway! Dogs are a huge problem of course, but most dog walkers will stay away from the birds if asked – trouble is one dog let loose at one end of the beach can clear the whole roost in a minute or two, so it’s all about talking to the public and making them aware of the birds.
But given the good weather on a weekend, and the attraction of the spectacular wader roost, it was always going to be near impossible to keep the wader roost undisturbed yesterday; we needed about ten voluntary wardens. Anybody want to volunteer, photographers particularly welcome!!!!?? See the current (November) newsletter on Deeestuary for details.

Today in the wind with some rain we had a huge roost completely undisturbed including well over 30,000 Knot.

 

[Jane Turner]

There were more people and more dog walkers on Saturday, however the Knot were settled (and attracted many passers by who watched them from the prom). Having official looking people out on the tide edge legitimised the approach dog walkers and other people.

 

[deeestuary]

There were more people and more dog walkers on Saturday, however the Knot were settled (and attracted many passers by who watched them from the prom). Having official looking people out on the tide edge legitimised the approach dog walkers and other people.

There was a high tide birdwatch on Saturday - with Wirral Rangers and RSPB staff as well as many Voluntary Wardens, and they were there well before high tide and highly visible. Hence little disturbance on Saturday.

 

[Pitvar]

Good point about people looking official encouraging others - and I would encourage anyone who's there to help if they can by speaking to people if the volunteer wardens don't get to them - I wasn't sure how well received it would be but the people I spoke to were very understanding and interested. Good news that today's roost was more settled.

 

[Jane Turner]

Was kept awake last night by a ludicrously loud Avocet on the beach! New for the house

 

[Jane Turner]

I was looking for Sandwich Terns this morning. Failed to see any, but did muster Little Gull, 28 Brent Geese, 8 Pintail (2x4) and a rather extraordinary 4 Gadwall.

 

[Jane Turner]

I burnt my right retina out in a 3 hour seawatch from 1st light..... then on and off all day.

Set a few records for spring passage.

85 RT Divers , summ plum GN & BT (122 divers in 1st hour - many not identifiable)
590 Gannet
490 Razorbill
195 Guillemot
1 Puffin
6 manxies
12 Fulmar
1 Great Skua
95 Sandwich Tern
7 Arctic Tern