MARSHSIDE RSPB

Tim Wilcox · Status: Offline

RE: MARSHSIDE RSPB

Ian Campbell · Status: Offline

This a.m. 1 Little Stint a GB 1st for me

, also 2 male Gargany plus all the usual marshside birds, 4 Avocet on eggs in front of main hide also.
Cheers Ian

Karen Foulkes · Status: Offline

The last stop on our mega twitch saw us at Marshside where the Lesser Scaup showed well for us. Also seen Snipe Redshank Black Tailed Godwit Pintail and a few more although time constraints meant we didn't have chance to spend as long as we would have liked there

Gary Gorner · Status: Offline

nice to meet you to Steven and welcome to Ians forum .Hope to see you about and look forward to reading any more reports cheers Gary

steven burke · Status: Offline

had much off the same as gary minus wheatear & grey partidge

but had hundreds off grey plover on the beach near southport pier mixed with redshank,dunlin,curlew,blacktailed godwit and golden plover. plenty off shelduck and meadow pipits on the walk up to nels hide,sadly found a dead common scoter.

at nels lots off black tailed godwits,golen plover and usual stuff shoveler,gadwall,teal,wigeon,mallard,tufted duck,pintail,lapwing,b-h-gulls,l-b-b-gulls,herring gulls and a few oystercatchers about. at junction pool great views off lesser scaup(lifer) nice to meet gary & vernon

at sandgrousers all the usual stuff + i counted 44 avocet. went to have a look at the distant pink foots (thousands off them) hard work at distance but did manage 1 barnacle. 2 little egrets buzzard,sparrowhawk,kestrel,merlin & pair of peregrines who put on a show for me buy catching and eating a wood pigeon,awsome

also had chiffchaff and 2+3 sand martin. all in all a great day.

Gary Gorner · Status: Offline

lesser scaup still showing well all day on the junction pool,the geese were well out on the marsh and I realy dont enjoy looking at birds so far away. Nice to here a couple of chiff chaffs and the skylarks were in fine voice also. 2 merlins were zipping about along with a buzzard and 2 peregrines . A single male wheatear was on the sandplant along with a few meadow pipits and a small flock of linets. The avocets were showing off for the photographers on mass infront of sandgrounders and nels hide was busy with 10 ruff , 20 avocets and i left vernon to count the golden plover ,redshanks and godwits. Also had a little egret and 2 grey partridge ,oystercatchers and curlew plus all the usual stuff . Another great days birding with my second best friend Vernon . Pat you are number 1 thanks for the cream egg and the fairy cakes

Geoff Walton · Status: Offline

Real good time we three had. It was nice to see the Avacet(loads) A Lesser Scaup Large flock of Golden Plover Little grebe All the usual stuff Not far away on the drive in, I saw a 20 or so birds in a tree. We stopped, and after much scoping and book reading came up with Corn Buntings, so that was a bonus for the day

sid ashton · Status: Offline

Went Goose hunting at Crossens inner marsh this morning - arrived at 0630 and the view from the "old sea wall" was almost zero with only a couple of Greylags disappearing into the fog. Eventually the sun started to take over, the fog cleared and the geese started to arrive and with almost the first skein of Pinkfeet there was the target bird - a White fronted Goose

. Also during that first session found 2 Barnacles, 8 or so Canadas and 2 hares.

Later in the morning having been over to Marshide found 2 more White fronts plus another one distant. The two together were much closer and showed big orange bills indicative of probable Greenland race. The sun by now was well up and was able to pick out a single pale bellied Brent Goose amongst the hundreds of Pinkies as well as the Barnacles again. Also had debates about a possible Bean Goose but could not positively ID the one candidate that myself and four other birders checked out.

At Marshside thought I should try to find the Lesser Scaup but despite it having been reported present at 0800 it was not to be seen shortly afterwards

. However always nice to see the first Avocets of the year as well as good numbers of Golden Plover and Blackwits.

Nick Isherwood · Status: Offline

Decided to have another ride up here this afternoon with John Barber as he hadn't seen the Lesser Scaup.

We soon found the bird actively feeding on the junction pool and after a few more photo's we then went around to Crossens marsh to check the geese. Today however, the majority of the geese were on the inner marsh, so after a short walk across the bund near the treatment works we were in a good position to scan through the 1500 or so pink feet that were present.

We soon found two Greylag and shortly after we found the first Eurasian White fronted goose. More checkng then produced a Pale bellied Brent, a Barnacle and two more Greylag followed by another White fronted goose.

We then called it a day as we were beginning to go 'goose blind'!!

A cracking few hours birding in brilliant weather.

Phil Owen · Status: Offline

Quick afternoon visit with Henry Cook in the glorious Sunshine for the Lesser Scaup which was showing well at Junction Pool. Nice to get good views of this Male through the 'scope to study some of it's features.

Also present:

200+ Golden Plover
Big flock of Pink-feet on far side
20+ Meadow Pipits
5 Avocets
Black-tailed Godwit
Shoveler
Shelduck
Pintail
Teal
Wigeon
Lapwing
Little Egret
amongst others

An enjoyable visit!!

-- Edited by Phil Owen on Tuesday 22nd of March 2011 08:31:25 PM

Nick Isherwood · Status: Offline

Called in here this morning at 11.00pm to see the Lesser Scaup. The bird was easily found at the top of the pool in between the road junction and Sandgrounders hide. Managed to get a few record shots which show the peaked head quite well.

Luckily, it was also almost high tide too and the water was nearly at the road side. I took the opportunity to scan the large numbers of geese over Crossens marsh just north of Marshside. There were already a few birders present here and this made much easier work for scanning the many thousands of Pink feet that were present. A pale bellied Brent goose was found by one guy along with a couple of Barnacle geese and another guy picked out a Tundra Bean goose which actually turned out to be the nearest goose to our position and gave us great views. Again, I managed to get a few good record shots of this.

Also seen was a female Hen Harrier and a Merlin.

Ian Coote · Status: Offline

Brief visit yesterday (Saturday) afternoon.

Usual stuff, including 12 Avocets and a Sand Martin

Sean Sweeney · Status: Offline

Popped over to Marshside prior to high tide yesterday, but not a particularly high one, so didn't push much up to the reserve area from the sea. It was a little wet at times, with a bit of a wind blowing in from the sea, but clear enough. Despite this there was still plenty about, including:

Near the old Sandworks:
Grey Partridge 2
Skylark 6
Stonechat 1

Shoreline/Beach:
Knot 3-4,000
Bar-tailed Godwit 1,00+
Dunlin 400+
Grey Plover 20+

Main Reserve:
Little Egret 3
Little Grebe 2
Mute Swan 4
PF Goose 500+
Shelduck 30+
Wigeon 3,000+
Teal 400+
Shoveller 60+
Pintail 20+
Gadwall 10+
Avocet 20+
Redshank 100+
Oystercatcher 10+
Golden Plover 400+
Lapwing 100+
Black-tailed Godwit 1,000+
Ruff 2
Peregrine 1 (looked like a first winter bird)

Ian Campbell · Status: Offline

a.m. today, on the saltmarsh 1 female Hen Harrier and a Merlin also small number of Grey Plover with many Curlew, Redshank and Shellduck. From the hides huge numbers of Wigeon, Teal, Pintail, fewer Pintail, Shoveller and small number of Gadwall. Waders included 100's of Black tailed Godwit(some in breeding plumage) and Golden Plover and Lapwing, small number of Ruff but no Avocets yet. Also lots of Pinkfeet and a single Little Egret. To top it all off the weather was also fantastic

Cheers Ian

Neil Southworth · Status: Offline

Minimum 5 Short-eared Owl and 3 Merlin, plus a Peregrine came in with the tide this morning

PHIL GREENWOOD · Status: Offline

Saturday late morning visit. Masses of birds including:

Golden Plovers, Curlews, Blk T Godwits, Redshanks and Lapwings.
Little Egret 1
Merlin 1
Sparrowhawk 1
Greylag/Pinkfeet/Canada Geese.
All usual duck species represented.
Little Grebe 2
BH/C/H Gulls.
etc.etc.etc.

Dennis atherton · Status: Offline

Weld road

Ian McKerchar · Status: Offline

RE: MARSHSIDE SOUTHPORT

Gary Gorner · Status: Offline

Hi Simon welcome to the forum its great to have one of Marshsides finest on board and please let us see some of your photos ,Although Johns have improved slightly yours just simply take some beating

-- Edited by Gary Gorner on Friday 15th of May 2009 06:02:14 PM

sid ashton · Status: Offline

Simon Glinn wrote:

Hi Sid,

Just to say that the marshsidebirders.com url you mention now points to a new site with up to date sightings, often submitted by the warden, and works alongside John's excellent blog ...

Cheers
_________________________________________________________________

Hi Simon

Just had a quick look at the new site - notice that you include other stuff as well as Marshside like the recent sightings at Trentabank and Pendle very good.

Sid

Simon Glinn · Status: Offline

Hi Sid,

Just to say that the marshsidebirders.com url you mention now points to a new site with up to date sightings, often submitted by the warden, and works alongside John's excellent blog ...

Cheers

sid ashton wrote:

Ian

I think that site has only recently been started up again and perhaps for that reason the Harriers we saw were not reported. A good up-to-date site covering Marshside is Jonn Dempseys site birdblog.merseyblogs.co.uk - he's talking about the Water Rail that has been showing in front of the Sandgrounders hide all day today for example.

Cheers

Sid A

-- Edited by sid ashton at 23:23, 2008-10-30

Ian Woosey · Status: Offline

5/4/09

Rushed off with Ellie-birder after work to see the Woodlark, which turned out to be an odd-looking Skylark.......

Decent but sometimes hazy views of the Little Stint made up for our disappointment though.

Short-eared Owl hunting the marsh at 5pm,
2 Little Egrets,
20+ Avocets,
6 Ruff, Blackwits, large Golden Plover flock, 2 Dunlin, Wheatear, and 2 Grey Partridge flushed from near the sandplant.

Dave Tennant · Status: Offline

150-200 whooper swan feeding in field next to duel carriageway[A565T southport new road] between the two roundabouts travelling eastwards.Between 1300-1330 i watched from the fence as small numbers flew in and joined the larger group,there were several juveniles and 9 pinkfeet amongst the flock. also hundreds of wigeon either side of crossens marsh.

sid ashton · Status: Offline

Ian

I think that site has only recently been started up again and perhaps for that reason the Harriers we saw were not reported. A good up-to-date site covering Marshside is Jonn Dempseys site birdblog.merseyblogs.co.uk - he's talking about the Water Rail that has been showing in front of the Sandgrounders hide all day today for example.

Cheers

Sid A

-- Edited by sid ashton at 23:23, 2008-10-30

Ian Campbell · Status: Offline

Sid
The harriers were on the sea side of the road, I reported them as the first of this Autumn as I read it on marshsidebirders.com after I gave them my report of my sighting.
Cheers Ian

sid ashton · Status: Offline

Ian

Were the Hen Harriers seen from the hides towards the landward side of the reserve? Others including myself have reported them on the forum on the other side of the road on the marsh on 28th September, 12th and 16th of October.

Ian Campbell · Status: Offline

Visited this morning, huge number of birds present;
1,000's of Pinkfeet and Wigeon, approx 1,000 Golden Plover, Lapwing, Teal and Black Tailed Godwit. Many Curlew, Shelduck, Pintail, Shovellor.
5 Little Egret, 2 female Hen Harrier and 1 Merlin also seen.
Fantastic spectacle

Cheers Ian
..................
Hen Harriers apparently the first this Autumn

-- Edited by Ian Campbell at 22:29, 2008-10-30

JOHN TYMON · Status: Offline

i think the future of the rspb in that area is the new reserve they are developing a bit further up the ribble behond banks marsh,which experts recon is going to be better than marshside?i i think the marshside,site is a short term thing and at some point in the future that will end up with sefton council developing the marine drive,just a guess,but eventually that road will be re built as all the ups and downs on it show,it needs re-doing. The new sites been kept pretty secret at the moment but is due to open in a couple of years i think.

-- Edited by JOHN TYMON at 07:07, 2008-10-17

-- Edited by JOHN TYMON at 07:08, 2008-10-17

Dean Macdonald · Status: Offline

I don't know the full details but i think there is a rather complex land ownership problem going on here. Don't quote me on this, but i think the rspb don't own the land that is the "marshide" reserve. They are just looking after it. The upkeep of Marine Drive,which is constantly subsiding and carries a lot of traffic, has something to do with it. The water treatment works also has a say.
Looks like politics is getting in the way of conservation, there's a surprise.

By the time anyone protests, which local merseyside birders have already done, the bulldozers are in.

There is some stuff on Birdforum about this but it needs digging out.

Ian Campbell · Status: Offline

Just like to add that I agree totally with all the comments about the sand plant, the walls provided a fantastic view point and habitat and it's a shame if RSPB can't use there influence to utilise this for the benefit of birds and watchers. 1,000,000 members should have some voice here

Cheers Ian

sid ashton · Status: Offline

I wonder if there is anything we can do - as a forum - to protect this facility that many of us use?

-- Edited by sid ashton at 22:02, 2008-10-16

Dean Macdonald · Status: Offline

I'd heard that the deal with the sand plant works was that when their contract expired they would return the land to it's original state. Which probably seemed a good deal at the time but over the years Mt Baker, as it became known, became a very important part of the environment. Seems stupid to rip up an important habitat. I spoke to the RSPB warden a couple of months ago who was hoping a sea watching hide could be built on the hill. There was even talk of a visitor centre and car park which would have been hidden by the dunes. It seems, however that the RSPB had little say in the matter.
I think Sefton council are dealing with it.

Shame, it's always full of birds and the only place to shelter from the wind.

sid ashton · Status: Offline

Marshside (marshes) today produced Merlin, Kestrel, Peregrine and a smashing male Hen Harrier. There were also loads of Curlew and Shelduck and 8 or 9 Little Egret, a pair of Stonechat plus 15 or 16 Leighton Moss (area) birders. All viewed form what remains of the sand plant bund wall. The Leighton Moss guys had heard the news of the demise of the sand plant and were paying one last visit. The destruction of the sand walls is progressing apace and most of the mature shrubbery has been ripped out. The Sandgrounders hide was uninspiring and without the facility of the "sandplant" I wonder what RSPB are going to offer to us - there has been nothing mentioned in the magazine.

On a more positive note, on the way home I went over Downholland Moss in search of the Ross's Goose - found thousands of Pink Feet, 7000 approximately according to John Dempsey's blog amongst which was the Ross's!!! I always wondered where they spent their days.

Dave Thacker · Status: Offline

I never went on the sandplant on Sunday but I think that access is still ok if you walk around the back and climb up. I tend to stay and watch from the road on the right hand of the sand plant.

9.6m high tide sounds good and should be ok if the rain holds off.
Good birding.

sid ashton · Status: Offline

Thanks Dave, I do look at John Dempseys site occasionally - do we still have somewhere elevated to look out from at the high tide? - I'm thinking of going over on Thursday 9.6m around 12.30

Dave Thacker · Status: Offline

Sid,
I asked the same question to a local birder on Sunday. He had heard that more bushes were going to be planted to create some shelter for the birds but he was not certain about this happening.

Keep an eye on John Dempsey's birdblog as he often puts out info about the Marshside area. He can be found at; birdblog.merseyblogs.co.uk.

sid ashton · Status: Offline

Anyone know what's happening with the sand-plant bund walls now that equipment has been moved out? When I was last there in mid-August they had started to shift the sand "walls" and talking to one of the local birders it seems that the plan is to knock the walls down completely allowing the area to return to marsh. This would be a shame since this is/was a good place to sea watch up to a high tide as we have towards the end of this week.

Dave Thacker · Status: Offline

Went looking for raptors over the sea marsh after visiting Martin mere today

3 Buzzards
1 Merlin
4 Kestrels
1 Marsh harrier
1 Hen harrier
2 Peregrines
and 1 escaped Harris hawk which had the three of us scatching our heads over its id until a local birder confirmed it.

Also seen
4 Little Egrets
5 Stonechats
8 Snipe
and at least 300 'bee in a biscuit tin' Vespas and Lambretta scooters which went down Marine drive together which put up every bird around

Mike Baron · Status: Offline

Approx 7-8,000 Pinks today

1 Ring-tailed Hen Harrier - hunting the marsh on the shoreline north west of the sand pit

2 Merlins - one perched on a post eating something and another on a dead tree nearby

8 Brent Geese (pale-bellied) flying along the shoreline

2 Wheatears

Thousands of Knot and Dunlin with plenty of Grey Plover....

-- Edited by Mike Baron at 17:06, 2008-09-28

Gary Gorner · Status: Offline

always a great sight thousands of pink feet back home for the winter
lots of blacktailed godwits,snipe,lapwings and the odd curlew,heron and little egret on pollys.golden plover also seen but hard to pick up in the long grass.
kestrel mooching about infront of nels looking for snacks which i was trying to turn into a merlin

Kane Brides · Status: Offline

Apparently 7 Whooper Swans were reported at Marshside yesterday.

Autumn is on its way!

Gary Gorner · Status: Offline

14.09.08
loads of godwits , redshanks,lapwings and a few snipe infront of nels.ducks are on the increase also.
sandgrounders hide 2 little egret , 2 little grebe .1 ru__y duck.
1 juv marsh harrier and 2 kestrel hunting on the outer marsh.
13 pink feet flew in from over the ribble 6.00pm

-- Edited by Gary Gorner at 09:11, 2008-09-15

Andy Goldsmith · Status: Offline

Had a couple of hours today: Good show of a Black Tern, well worth a visit has been showing for a couple of days.

-- Edited by Andy Goldsmith at 20:59, 2008-09-08

Sean Sweeney · Status: Offline

Was there a couple of weeks back (possibly my 3 visit of the year) and keep missing the ibis, but cracking to see avocet chicks. Coast gave great close up views of Sanderling and Knot in summer plumage down near Aindale.

Paul Wilson · Status: Offline

Went to Marshside yesterday and the Glossy Ibis was there. Seems to have been joined by another one today!

Gary Gorner · Status: Offline

5.5.08
sedgewarblers and whitethrote everywhere but proving very ellusive to photo:

loads of dunlin,knot,bar tailed godwits on shore.nice to see a few butterflies making appearances mainly peacock and whites.

2 wheatear but no winchats

1 merlin sat on a post opposite nels.
1 ruddy duck female
2 yellow wags at the feet of cattle infront of sandgrounders hide lifer for me

a few common terns perching on posts at high tide.

JOHN TYMON · Status: Offline

10.04.08-rare jaunt to marshside-superb views of avocet-over 100

today a record

little egret and loads of normal stuff

Dean Macdonald · Status: Offline

Tues 25 march.

Much the same as gary yesterday but managed to see the Green Winged Teal right in front of sandgrounders hide.

Dean.

Gary Gorner · Status: Offline

merlin,mipits,skylarks,reed buntings on outer marsh
sandgrounders hide-
2 little egret
12 avocet
20 blacktailed godwit
black backed gulls
little grebe
plus all the usual ducks
nels hide=
26 avocet
200ish golden plover now looking like theyve been dipped in tar,
still a few ruff at the back,
10 mute swan,
a few pintail still about,
1 dunlin
6 black backed gull some juvs,
200+ godwits and lapwings.

-- Edited by Gary Gorner at 16:32, 2008-03-24

Gary Gorner · Status: Offline

wildfowl numbers seem to be down but still plenty other birds on show curlew,black tailed godwits,lapwings,ruff,little grebe,little egret,kestrel,still a few pintail,wigeon,teal all seen from sangrounders hide 2_3pm