As usual in the UK, the main topic of conversation seems to revolve around the weather. Is it just my imagination or has there been none stop cold, high winds coming in from the North for the whole month? We’ve certainly felt it in the Visitor Centre, and there has been many a day when the fire has been on. I don’t want to think what it must have been like for an Avocet to attempt to breed in this weather. At least, as I write this, there seems to be a settled period coming in, so let’s hope for slightly warmer weather to help our breeding birds.
Recent Sightings
Despite the often northerly winds, the spring migrants have been flooding in, which is fantastic to see, but especially hear. It’s probably the best time of year to listen to the song of Sedge Warbler, Reed Warbler, Grasshopper Warbler, Whitethroat, Lesser Whitethroat, Blackcap, Cetti’s Warbler, Chiffchaff and Willow Warbler whilst they are establishing territories and attracting a mate. Their wonderful songs really are a reminder that the seasons are changing. With the trees and bushes not in full leaf, it's also a great chance to see these birds too.
Female and Male Blackcap
At the time of writing, it’s a lovely Spring day. However, adverse weather continues to have a major impact on sightings on the reserve. As alluded to earlier it has seemed at times that strong winds and rain have been a daily occurrence during April. Storm Kathleen hit during early April, and coincided with a high tide that resulted in a 10.55m tide. This led to flooding in a number of areas of the Wirral, notably West Kirby and New Brighton. Closer to home, Parkgate, Denhall Quay and Station Road were all inundated, which resulted in huge numbers of waders being pushed onto Burton Mere Wetlands on 9 April, seeking refuge.
An estimated 10,000 waders were seen on Centenary Pool on 9 April, with the majority being Common Redshank. There were also big numbers of Black-tailed Godwit, with much smaller numbers of Spotted Redshank, Bar-tailed Godwit, Ruff, Grey Plover and a reserve rarity, 3 Turnstone. Greenshank and Green Sandpiper were also caught up in the crowds of waders. Peregrine and Merlin swooped overhead hunting the waders and causing general panic amongst the flocks.
Redshank and Turnstone - Miles Barrett
For anyone who ventured onto the reserve in the appalling weather it really was a fantastic day with truly amazing sights. Even some of our regular visitors commented that they had never seen a sight quite like it on the reserve before.
In the past week, Avocets have had a peak count of 206 individuals. This bodes well for the breeding season, especially as Black-Headed Gulls, the Avocets ‘security guards’, seem to have begun re-colonising the Main Scrape again after last year’s devastating bird flu. Smaller numbers of Mediterranean Gulls are also in amongst the Black-Headed Gulls establishing their territory with a view to breeding.
Star Sightings
On 19 April 4 Cranes dropped onto the Main Scrape right in front of the Visitor Centre. As you can imagine, it caused great excitement for everyone who managed to see them on the reserve. They were only on the reserve for a matter of minutes before flying away towards the marsh. Due to the network of birders across the Wirral peninsula, we were able to track their flight as they were seen at various locations across the Wirral. They flew up the marsh towards Neston, before cutting inland to Heswall and Barnston. They were then seen over Arrowe Park Hospital, before they were relocated flying East between Leasowe and Wallasey Village They weren’t seen to cross the river Mersey, but have not been seen since.
Common Cranes - Kevin Stamp
In 2023 there were 80 breeding pairs of Crane in the UK, with a total population of approximately 250 birds, having previously been extinct in the UK between the 16th Century and 1979. Conservation efforts to restore and protect the UK’s wetlands have been key to turning around the birds’ fortunes. The safety of nature reserves have played a vital role and over 80% of the breeding population are now found on protected sites, including over a third on RSPB nature reserves alone.
Warden Wanderings
After all the hard work of the winter, active estate management work at Burton Mere Wetlands winds down significantly, ensuring that the ground breeding birds have minimal disturbance. This certainly doesn’t mean that the Warden team have nothing to do though!
With all the rain that we have had over the past few weeks the Wardens have been pro-actively draining the reserve as much as possible to ensure that there is lots of exposed, wet mud available for the waders to feed in and around. I’m looking out at the Main Scrape as I write this, and it is looking perfect for our breeding birds. And maybe a rarity too!
Our key breeding species of Avocet, Lapwing and Common Redshank are all on nests. As the season progresses, you may notice a tractor out on the wet grassland at the back of the Main Scrape. Believe it or not, our Warden team use this as a mobile hide to monitor the success of the breeding birds in a difficult to survey area. The waders don’t react to the sight of the tractor, allowing the wardens to keep a protective eye other proceedings.
Over at Point of Ayr, the Warden team have been battling high winds and blown sands to ensure that the fencing is in place to ensure that the Little Terns have a safe environment to breed in. This is a massive undertaking for the team, and it is all hands on deck to get the work done quickly. The fencing will aim to keep people and dogs away from this very sensitive species. Not only is the fence in place, but our Voluntary Wardens will also be advising people on the beach about the sensitivity of the nest sites to hopefully keep the terns safe during the breeding season.
Point of Ayr Tern Team
Get Involved
Our events page is filling up all the time. We currently have a Dawn Chorus walk as well as a Wader Walk planned in – with more events to come.
The next Telescope and Binocular weekend is also scheduled in and is planned for 4 and 5 May. If you are thinking of upgrading your binoculars or trying a ‘scope for the first time, why not pop along and speak to our friendly team who will happily show you our full range of RSPB products.
We will be constantly updating our events, so it is worth regularly checking in on the events page of our Facebook page. If you’re not on Facebook, just follow the link for our events https://events.rspb.org.uk/deeestuary
We also have a great new kids quiz trail around the Mere Trail and the Gorse Covert Wood which the whole family can get involved in. All based around the wonderful world of Waders find your way around the eight quiz boards and get active with nature. You even get your own Burton Mere Wetlands pencil!
James Smith
Visitor Experience Assistant