Weather was sunny but the odd breeze blew very cold.                    Marton Mere Blackpool, this reserve is a real gem.  Although it is squeezed for space by a large caravan park, it always attracts some wonderful birds.  The reserve is a mixture of habitats, from lake, reedbed, scrub and farmland. The place has changed since our first visit.  The hides used to be containers and the feeding station used to use old plastic milk bottles.  The weather was dry although the ground was very wet and that suited the woodcock that got disturbed.  The new feeding station is very nice and help us add some of the smaller birds.

The group then walked on to where the Long eared owls roost. The birds were only 20 foot from the path and we managed to count 4 of them in one tree.  The rest of the day was slightly disappointing as we failed to see Bittern, Cetti's Warbler. It was also decided to leave a bit earlier and have a look for a local Firecrest but we failed on that.  Who cares the Owls were the best!!

          Total  Species Seen   45  

Weather was mainly dry but overcast.

A fairly quiet but nevertheless rewarding day, but which had a rousing finale, with the sighting of a flock of 8 wonderful Tree Sparrows, a low flying Buzzard , plus a large mixed flock of Fieldfares and Redwing.

         Total  Species Seen   33

     Total  Species For Year 53

Weather was dry and mild.   

A very rewarding visit to one of our local woods. The main highlights, apart from the number of mischievous grey Squirrels and Wood pigeon seen, was undoubtedly the superb close up views of Goldcrest and Treecreeper.

  Total  Species Seen  19 

 Total  Species For Year 57

 Leader: Eddie Seal 

The magnificent six braved the trip to Wales, which as the forecast foretold was indeed a very, very wet trip.  Before our hardy travellers decamped for steaming  Coffee and retail therapy at RSPB Conwy they managed to clock  Red Throated  Diver, Common Scoter and Little Grebe at  Llandulas Breakwater, Conwy... Llanddulas is known for  thousands of gulls that congregate at the river mouth following a feeding session at the local dump...except for today!  Conwy birds, that were not hunkered down hiding from the poor weather boasted, Cormorant, Great Crested Grebe, Curlew, Turnstone, Oystercatcher, Gadwall, Mallard, Tufted Duck, Goldeneye, Red breasted Merganser, Water Rail, Coot, Moorhen, Reed Bunting, Lapwing, Black headed Gull, Lesser Black backed Gull and Herring Gull

 Total  Species Seen   21

 Total  Species For Year 67

Weather:  Dry & Bright.

A joint trip with the MNA, seventeen adventurers took an outing to a local venue on a rewarding very pleasant day. Main highlight was the sighting of 3 Sparrowhawks together, plus excellent sighting of Jay, Nuthatch and Turnstone amongst others. .

          Total  Species Seen   31

     Total  Species For Year 69

MAMMALS: GREY SQUIRREL.                           OTHERS: PEACOCK BUTTERFLY

Site guide: Dibbinsdale & Eastham C.P

Weather  Dry & Bright.

A pleasant walk through one of Liverpool's major parks. After a mediocre start, a Sparrowhawk being mobbed by gulls started the ball rolling, followed by excellent sightings of Nuthatch, and to round off good views of Gt Spotted Woodpecker and Goldcrest.

          Total  Species Seen   28

     Total  Species For Year 69

  MAMMALS: GREY SQUIRREL.

Weather:  Sunny  & Warm.

A rewarding visit to a  local area of varied habitat so close to Liverpool. Soon after starting we sighted a popular summer visitor, the House Martin, and en route had excellent sightings of Yellowhammer, Reed Bunting and Willow Warbler amongst others. However, compared to the thousands of punters at Aintree still waiting for their horse to find the finishing post, our meeting ended on a high with the close up sighting of another popular visitor, namely  the Swallow.

          Total  Species Seen   36

    Total  Species For Year 75

MAMMALS: RABBIT

Weather:  Mostly Dry & Bright, few Showers later.

A visit to the highest point on Merseyside, Billinge Hill, and the surrounding area of farmland and woodland, provided the venue for a rewarding day out. Thus hi- lighting again what can be found on our doorstop. A good variety of species were seen, but probably Yellowhammer, Skylark and Great Spotted Woodpecker were the main stars of the day.  After several hrs walking Coffee, cake, tea and scones were a close runner up, enjoyed at the Cafe at the Fir tree farm plantation - an  newly planted woodland area of great promise. 

   Total  Species Seen  38 

 Total  Species For Year 77

MAMMALS: GREY SQUIRREL

OTHERS:  BUTTERFLIES - PEACOCK,  WALL BROWN, GREEN VEIN WHITE.

Weather:  Mostly Dry 

          Total  Species Seen  28 

     Total  Species For Year 81

Weather  Dry but overcast.

A very rewarding visit to North Wales. An excellent start seeing Dipper returning with food to it's nest, followed by good sightings of Great Spotted Woodpecker, Buzzard, and Raven. A Fulmar was the highlight of the afternoon session, along with the sighting of 3 different species of tit at the same time.

          Total  Species Seen   40

      Total  Species For Year 87

Weather:  Mainly Dry & Bright.

Due to recent  wet weather - yes you would never think it was high summer, a walk in the woods was too muddy to contemplate, so the gang walked the canal towpath to Appley Bridge. A quiet but nevertheless rewarding outing. Great sightings were had of a colourful Yellowhammer singing his heart out from his favourite perch (same place on the walk back) and a stunning Kestrel perched on a dead tree across the canal. The main highlight of the day though  was  watching Sand Martins utilising an old drainage pipe in the retaining wall of the canal, as a nest site.

By the way canal cruises can be boarded at the Waters Edge Pub,  Appley Bridge, and the pub has an outside seating area overlooking the canal - nice meals!

   Total  Species Seen  25 

  Total  Species For Year 89

MAMMALS: 

OTHERS:  BUTTERFLIES - GATEKEEPER,  MEADOW BROWN, GREEN VEIN WHITE, SMALL TORTOISESHELL, BANDED DAMOISELLE

Weather:  Dry & Warm.

A quiet warm day saw 12 walkers following  the 6 mile trail through Birkdale woods and Sandhills from Ainsdale  to Southport. Good sighting of   Kestrel and Shrub perched Stonechat were had, both  positioned as if posing for your camera. Other bird highlights were a small charm of Goldfinch flitting through the dunes and several colourful little grebes on Sands lake. Being August there was an abundance of wild flowers in bloom with their attending Butterflies and Moths,  a pleasant place for a picnic or diversion  testing your identication skills.

          Total  Species Seen   31

    Total  Species For Year 89

MAMMALS: RABBIT.                

OTHERS: PEACOCK, SPECKLED WOOD, GATEKEEPER, COMMON BLUE, MEADOW BROWN, BUTTERFLIES. 6 SPOTTED BURNETT MOTH, SILVER Y MOTH.

Weather:  Sunny & Warm.

Another quiet but worthwhile outing to a local venue on the Wirral. An excellent start sighting a Buzzard and House Martins, followed later by 4 Buzzards soaring high in the thermals. The group enjoyed good sightings of charming  Goldfinches and a normally secretive Jay, letting his guard down  as he was too busy burying acorns in a field from a nearby oak tree (Autumn is  always a good time to spot Jays). The main highlight after lunch was the sightings of a pair of Little Grebes on a large pond in a farmers field, no the expected location to find these birds, but welcome all the same.

          Total  Species Seen   28

     Total  Species For Year 89

A discreet and exclusive group met at Frodsham for a pleasant walk upstream along the river Weaver as far as Kingsley. A mixed array of species were  seen with the highlight being the 200+ mixed flock of Redwing and Fieldfare near to Catton Hall, our first of the year. One bird still in summer plumage glowed in the sun from the top of a tree on the other side of the river. The return to Frodsham was finished by a Kingfisher on the river below the nursery.

Total  Species Seen   27

Total  Species For Year 90

MAMMALS: .                          

OTHERS: 

Site guide: 

Weather:  Dry & Cloudy with strong North West wind.

Despite the very strong wind, an excellent visit to another local venue. Good variety of species see, flocks of waders, lapwing  and superb close up views of Stonechat and Sparrowhawk. A stoat scurrying across a road just in front of us added to our enjoyment...

      Total  Species Seen   36

   Total  Species For Year 93

MAMMALS: RABBIT, STOAT

OTHERS: 

Site guide: 

Leader: Chris Tynan

The weather forecast said heavy rain over the north west of the UK. Well the merry band of 8 set off in search of what ever we could find before it arrived. Treecreeper in the car park was a good start, followed by loads and loads of Redwings, a couple of Blackbirds and the usual Tit flock. The call of a Nuthatch soon had that added to our list. The Holly and the Yew berries were being devoured by huge flocks of Redwings. A Mistle Thrush alarm calling gave away the presence of a Sparrowhawk. The lakeside feeding hide was just a hive of activity but mostly Great, Blue and the odd Coal Tit, Robin, Dunnock, and Chaffinch. Looking at the lake added Mallard, Tufted Duck, Great Crested and Little Grebe, Moorhen, Coot, Wigeon, Canada Goose, Cormorant, Grey Heron, Starling, Black headed, Common and Lesser Black Backed Gull were noted. In the woods  a quick checked through a flock of Long Tails  moving brought us a female Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, enjoyed by us for a good 10mins.. We soon added Buzzard as we walked down to the Witton Lime beds and Song Thrush. At for Neumann's Flash a huge flock of Shoveler, Gadwall, Mute Swan, Black Swan (not really a tick!) Goldeneye. Walking back through Diary House Meadow we got our first Pied Wagtail, then Stock Dove. The Redwing numbers for the whole site must have been over 1000 but just as you got fed up at looking at another I managed to find a Fieldfare with them. Reed Bunting was next to be seen, then Grey Wagtail. The final bird of the day was a Greenfinch. Not bad we broke over 50 for a wet day in November. 

   Total  Species Seen   50

   Total  Species For Year 95

MAMMALS: SQUIRREL

OTHERS: 

Weather:  Wet & Windy.

Bracing, Dreich, Gloomy, Blustery, Wet...just a few weathery adjectives to give you the idea.

      Total  Species Seen   37

  Total  Species For Year 99

MAMMALS: BROWN HARE

OTHERS: 

Site guide: Marshside