It stayed stapley over night before being moved to a specialist seal hospital in Norfolk I think it must be in with a chance or they would have put it to sleep at stapley however it will have a new home on the wash can't see them driving it back to hilbre
Never doubted it with this one Pete, tough hardy Mammals, and as I stated in a post earlier but it's not come up...they are built to withstand poor conditions for the most part, but they can get stressed easily causing them to not eat or drink until they feel in a comfortable environment to do so. Years of experience at Stapeley has probably enabled them to coax this one back to full hydration! Still would've thought Hilbre being the logical choice though. Let's see! Cheers Rob
It stayed stapley over night before being moved to a specialist seal hospital in Norfolk I think it must be in with a chance or they would have put it to sleep at stapley however it will have a new home on the wash can't see them driving it back to hilbre
I'm glad you said Grey Seal, Paul, because that's what it is. The article on the link, and when I heard it on the radio earlier say Common Seal which is otherwise known as the Harbour Seal. This is without doubt in my mind a Grey! The large brut like head with 'Roman' nose most evident in the photos pretty much ID it alone, and I'm very surprised the RSPCA and whoever else from any other Mammal Rescue team haven't managed to correctly ID it! Cheers Rob
-- Edited by Rob Creek on Monday 22nd of December 2014 09:19:10 PM
It said grey seal on the news I was listening to ,its apparently going to be released at Hilbre Island ,where it most likely came from . :)
I'm glad you said Grey Seal, Paul, because that's what it is. The article on the link, and when I heard it on the radio earlier say Common Seal which is otherwise known as the Harbour Seal. This is without doubt in my mind a Grey! The large brut like head with 'Roman' nose most evident in the photos pretty much ID it alone, and I'm very surprised the RSPCA and whoever else from any other Mammal Rescue team haven't managed to correctly ID it! Cheers Rob
-- Edited by Rob Creek on Monday 22nd of December 2014 09:43:55 PM
Managed to get up the Billinge Hill yesterday morning
Lots of goldcrests c3000 pink-footed geese in a field with many more over and around 15 redwing over in one group and my first "grounded" ones, well they were in a tree couple of bullfinch nice to see a few kestrels about too sparrowhawk
more on the blog http://sthelensbirds.blogspot.co.uk/
A walk around Rainford Moss yesterday, we saw 18 Wheatears (all male except 2), 6 Mistle Thrushes, 1 Yellow Wagtail, 6 Pied Wagtails plus many Lapwings and Skylarks.
-- Edited by Dave Riley on Saturday 26th of April 2014 03:31:58 PM
Two large skeins of pin-footed geese over Billinge at c10am. One high c160 geese and one low c140 geese heading west north west ... prob Rainford or Lancashire mosslands
two skeins of pink-footed geese over a very foggy Garswood Station today heading towards Wigan ..... then some turned around obvioulsy realising that they're heading the wrong way!
About 140 in total of which about 60 came back to St Helens!
A spotted flycatcher is showing well in the dead wood at Eccleston Mere today. See the St Helens Bird Blog for details... http://sthelensbirds.blogspot.co.uk/
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My Flickr Page - http://www.flickr.com/photos/7856753@N02/ St Helens Bird Blog http://sthelensbirds.blogspot.co.uk/
Minding my own business on my way to work this morning when I spotted a wheatear on a piece of grass at 8.50am where i only normally see the odd pied wagtail. It was near the bridge by St Helens train station. Cheers Matt
-- Edited by Matt Pitt on Monday 26th of August 2013 12:56:37 PM
Just wanted to do a bit of shameful self-publication (again!)
Us "Wooly-backs" have started a multi-contributor twitter feed and blog
Please feel free to share, comment, feedback and report sighting to us @sthelensbirds (for twitter users) and have a look at our blog on www.sthelensbirds.blogspot.co.uk
Thanks
PS for recent bird sightings check the twitter or blog!
Brambling today in trees alongside Leyland Green Road, Downall Green (St helens side of Down Brook) nearby 9 Snipe in flight over farmland at Sims Lane End
One female (I think) whinchat in the fields behind Carrmill Dam seen yesterday and today near to the lone house - almost exactly a year since Paul Brady saw one in the same place.
Photo here - http://www.flickr.com/photos/7856753@N02/7991777200/in/photostream
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My Flickr Page - http://www.flickr.com/photos/7856753@N02/ St Helens Bird Blog http://sthelensbirds.blogspot.co.uk/
Still some little white tips to those fresh mantle and scapular feathers plus some of the wing feathers too. Worth another coat of looking at regarding it's age
-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Monday 17th of September 2012 11:39:54 PM
I have failed to find an Eccleston Mere thread so I hope that this is the correct place to post!!
The juvenile American Black Tern, along with a juvenile Black Tern, was present in the Eccleston Mere area again yesterday (Tuesday 4th Sep). The bird has become less predictable during its stay and yesterday proved to be hard work! The American Black Tern was present until about 9am at Eccleston Mere in poor weather but then flew off & relocated, as is its habit, to nearby Prescot Reservoirs - a site with NO access despite info service messages re paermits, recently all permits have been withdrawn & now no birders whatsoever have any access.
I arrived at 11am at Eccleston Mere and was invited in to this 'Permit Only' water by locals, visiting birders seem very welcome as long as they behave well & don't annoy fisherman or sailing folk! Along with several others we searched all day coming up with 3 Kingfishers, 2 Sparrowhawks, 3 Buzzards, Kestrel, Peregrine eating prey and Migrant & Brown Hawker Dragonflies. Folk came and went but I decided to give it one last go between 4pm & 5pm. As one of only 2 birders left I was delighted when the two terns, American Black and Eurasian Black, flew in at 4.10pm. After watching for an hour I left & the birds stayed until 7.15pm. The birds had been absent for just over 7 hours from £Eccleston Mere so anyone wanting to see them, if they missed it at Pennington (I was away so did!!), may have to put in a long shift
For everyone's info here has been no news yet today from the area as of 10am.
Oh yes - thanks Paul! I saw another one (or maybe the same one) 3 days later just off the Old Coach Road, north of Dairy Farm Road hunting in the daytime.
There was a short eared owl hunting over the fields along Green Lane, Eccleston last night at about 8.50pm. There is a record shot on my flickr page...
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Was in St Helens City Centre yesterday morning (Monday) at around 9.45am, just round the corner from the bus centre and was astounded to see a (very) low flying Glossy Ibis fly over my head, must've been no more than 70/80 metres high. On first glance I assumed by the profile it was a Heron/Cormorant but the light was excellent and I had a good 30 seconds view as flew over me and headed off at the same height in a westerly direction.
I've been birding (on and off) for around 15 years and am 100% certain as to what I saw (they are pretty uniquely identifyable birds indeed).
Wasn't sure where to let the people who may be interest but have been a 'lurker' on this site for a while, so happy to make what I hope will be a worthwhile first post!
-- Edited by Ben Dickinson on Tuesday 24th of January 2012 06:43:28 PM
Would agree that they're are pretty unmistakable ... now I wonder where it went?
Was in St Helens City Centre yesterday morning (Monday) at around 9.45am, just round the corner from the bus centre and was astounded to see a (very) low flying Glossy Ibis fly over my head, must've been no more than 70/80 metres high. On first glance I assumed by the profile it was a Heron/Cormorant but the light was excellent and I had a good 30 seconds view as flew over me and headed off at the same height in a westerly direction.
I've been birding (on and off) for around 15 years and am 100% certain as to what I saw (they are pretty uniquely identifyable birds indeed).
Wasn't sure where to let the people who may be interest but have been a 'lurker' on this site for a while, so happy to make what I hope will be a worthwhile first post!
-- Edited by Ben Dickinson on Tuesday 24th of January 2012 06:43:28 PM
1 female whinchat in ploughed fields (near the lone house) behind Carr Mill Dam along with 1 yellow wagtail, 20 pied wagtail, 20 linnet and 3 buzzards. Whitethroat, chiffchaff and another willowchiff also present in surrounding trees.
Also noteworthy were 5 buzzard over Moss Bank ...most I've seen here.