Wildlife at Pickerings Pasture Autumn 2015
                                                                                                            September to November                                      click on photos to enlarge

On the 2nd September at the high tide roost on the marsh we found an adult Mediterranean gull in the gull roost.  There were also eighty dunlins, one curlew sandpiper and a little stint. Scattered about the marsh were about a hundred wagtails: mainly whites with a few pieds and three yellow wagtails. Opposite the car park on ‘No-mans-land’ was a massive flock of 900 ringed plovers with a large mixed flock of gulls and about ninety curlews.

The Mediterranean gull was still present in the roost on 5th September with 350 lapwings and one oystercatcher. A great white egret flew up the river and carried on up Hale Marsh towards the Decoy. On the scrape pool a common sandpiper and a grey wagtail were noted as well as a kingfisher. In the bushes by the hide a few migrants were present including three blackcaps, a chiffchaff and, surprisingly, a reed warbler.

Blackcap

Chiffchaff

Reed warbler

Common blue

The 13th was sunnier and at least ten common blue butterflies were present on the meadows with twelve speckled woods. Two small tortoiseshells, two peacocks, a comma and a green- veined white were all seen by the bird hide while two migrant hawkers and three common darters were flying by the scrape pool. The following day two whimbrel, a turnstone and a great white egret were on the marsh but, with the lower tides, most of the waders and gulls were still roosting on No-mans-land. The ringed plover flock had risen to at least eleven hundred birds.

On a visit on the 28th September to the high tide roost we saw a curlew sandpiper, a little stint, twenty eight dunlins, 220 lapwings and forty eight redshanks. Also around the scrape pool was a kingfisher, a grey wagtail, 9 alba wagtails whilst overhead four ravens were cavorting and calling over the meadows. Five migrant hawkers were seen over the scrape pool with one laying in the pool. A very late brown hawker was seen over the meadows.

Migrant hawker

Common darter

Brown hawker

A Friends of Pickerings Pasture work party on the October 4th had to be cancelled owing to the severe weather. On the 8th a visiting birdwatcher reported a stonechat in the reeds by the hide and a little egret on the scrape pool. Four golden plovers were on the sandbanks with the other waders, a great-crested grebe was on the river, and 240 pink-footed geese flew over us going east.

On the 11th October two kingfishers were on the scrape: both were fishing and catching small shrimps. Feeding on the marsh were three grey wagtails, twenty five meadow pipits and fifteen pied wagtails. Eight grey partridges came out of United Utilities to feed on the marsh. Forty wigeons came floating up the river with the tide. In the high tide roost there were a hundred and sixty redshanks.

Grey partridges

Twenty four cormorants, seven grey herons, 450 lapwings, 900 dunlins, a turnstone, 130 redshanks and five curlews were present at the high tide roost on the 29th.  On the scrape there were two common sandpipers, a kingfisher, two grey wagtails and several meadow pipits. In the woodland several siskins and redwings were present.

On the 31st October two female common scoters came flying up river: they had been seen earlier by another observer at Hale Lighthouse. Scoters are sea ducks and are an unusual sight this far up the estuary. In the high tide roost on the salt marsh we found twenty five cormorants, five grey herons, an oystercatcher, 150 dunlins, a little stint, two golden plovers, eight black-tailed godwits, 550 lapwings, 180 redshanks, four curlews and a common snipe. On the scrape pool the common sandpiper was still present with the kingfisher and fifteen pied wagtails. On the meadows there were thirty fieldfares. Twenty five chaffinches and several goldcrests were calling in the bushes. A sparrowhawk made an attack on the feeders by the hide, whilst thirteen house sparrows were by the feeders in the car park. A bank vole was feeding on some spilt grain near the hide.

Female common scoter

Goldcrest

House sparrows

Bank vole

A very late red admiral was noted flying South-west across the Mersey on 4th November. These butterflies are known to migrate south across Europe in Autumn. Two days later at low water there were 800 lapwings, 150 golden plovers and about a thousand dunlins on the sand banks below the car park.

Two great spotted woodpeckers were noted at the feeders together with a grey squirrel which was trying to get at the peanuts. Large numbers of the commoner tit species and a few greenfinches and chaffinches were at both the feeding areas. A flock of up to twenty house sparrows are using the feeders by the car park. Several of the robins are becoming quite tame; one is actually coming to a volunteer’s hand when offered mealworms! The new mini-feeder coconuts have helped spread the availability of food, with many visitors regularly putting a handful in their favourite ones. The new protective cover on the tables have helped by keeping the greedy squirrels and pigeons at bay. We request that only small bird food is used on the feeders. Corn and bread can be put on the meadow in front of the carpark where larger birds can feed and decrease the risk of rats visiting the tables.

On the 9th the Friends group had a work party: mainly concentrating in the hide area: leaves were brushed from the main path to help cyclists avoid an accident, work was undertaken to repair the dam on the scrape pool by inserting a large concrete slab held in place with scaffolding pipes. The new feeding table in front of the bird hide was installed by one of our members.

At the high tide roost on 11th over forty five cormorants, 150 redshanks, a few dunlin and a little stint were noted. Also feeding out on the marsh was a flock of over a hundred starlings and whilst we were watching them a raven appeared and caught a starling in flight! Almost immediately another raven and two buzzards appeared and perched by the bird with the starling, presumably waiting for any leftovers.  In the control meadow thirty redwings and a few fieldfares joined the many blackbirds feeding on the hawthorn berries.

The pale-bellied brent geese.

Five pale-bellied brent geese were feeding out on the marsh on 13th. These small geese are about the size of a shelduck and were first seen at Frodsham before later relocating to Hale and are a rare visitor to this area. There are two populations of pale-bellied brents visiting UK in Winter: an Irish population which breed in the Canadian arctic and the breeding population from Svalbard which winters in Northumberland. With the remnants of the recent hurricane these birds are most likely to be part of the flock from Strangford Lough, Ireland. At the high tide roost 2,400 dunlins were present with the usual redshanks, lapwings and curlew. Amongst the roosting gulls we picked out an adult yellow-legged gull and an adult Mediterranean gull. A kingfisher and a little egret were present on the scrape pool.

By the 15th the dunlin numbers had risen to 3,320 and gathered with 965 lapwings, 150 redshanks, a little stint, forty two cormorants, 373 Canada geese, 124 shelducks and a host of mixed gulls. A merlin was seen hunting on the far side of Hale Marsh. On19th five whooper swans were seen by the white bridge: two adults and three juveniles. Whooper swans usually migrate as family parties.

A lesser redpoll, two goldcrests and twenty five fieldfares were in the woodland whilst twelve long-tailed tits entertained us on the new feeder in front of the hide on 29th. The pale-bellied brent geese were still present with a pink-footed goose nearby. On the scrape pool a surprise visitor was a great-crested grebe, which appeared to be finding plenty of small fish and shrimps to eat, much to the annoyance of the kingfisher! Again a female merlin was harrying pipits and wagtails feeding out on the marsh.

Family party of whooper swans.

The long-tailed tits soon utilised the feeder in front of the hide.

Juvenile great-crested grebe on the scrape pool.

The great-crested grebe was still present on 25th together with two little egrets, a kingfisher and a common sandpiper: all were utilizing the scrape pool and giving excellent views to the many visitors. One visiting bird watcher reported a brambling visiting the car park feeders and it was seen as we returned to the car park. In the late afternoon a flock of over a hundred pink-footed geese landed in the far corner of the marsh with the Canada goose flock.