Hugh’s News – 22 June 2021

It was so nice to be able to meet in person again for our first field meeting in well over a year.  We enjoyed a wonderful walk around Parkgate, not just looking out for birds but enjoying the company and generally catching up.  Perhaps the highlight was some really close views of at least 2 different Marsh Harriers off the Prom.  You can read a fuller account of the day in our Field Meeting Reports section.

Bill Wonderley made a visit to South Stack on Anglesey and as well as the auks and gulls, he found this wonderful Chough – surely our most attractive member of the crow family with those bright red bill and legs.  Then on a short holiday to Suffolk, Bill found a splendid Spoonbill – in contrast to our visit to Parkgate!

I noticed a male Blackbird feeding 4 young in my garden.  One of the fledged birds is shown below, looking quite spotty, and they can often be mistaken for thrushes at this time of year.  Dad will have to work hard to satisfy these growing birds on his own, but they all looked healthy.  Also, on the small green at the top of our road we found a young Jackdaw.  It lacked a tail and seemed reluctant to fly, so probably it had fallen from a nearby nest.  I felt sure that its parents were close-by, so we left it alone.

Something to look out for on your walks is a Rosy Starling over the next few weeks. There has been a large influx of this species into Western Europe, including several reports in the UK.  They often associate with Common Starlings, so it may be worth scanning any local flocks for a pink and black bird!

Hugh Stewart