Hugh’s News – 26 April 2020

So we are nearly at the end of April, and some birds already have young.  I briefly saw a fledged Robin from a nest in our neighbour’s garden.  Other species are still to start laying, especially the summer migrants that are only just arriving.  Other species are yet to complete their journeys here, like Spotted Flycatchers and Swifts. So you can see that the migration and nesting periods can be spread over several weeks, even months.  Blackbirds and Robins (amongst other species) may have two or even more broods in a year if the conditions are favourable in terms of weather and food availability.

Barry took his home birding a bit too literally when a cock House Sparrow came into their house for a look around!  After it had decided that Pam keeps a very tidy house and that there were no titbits to be found, he left again.

Bill captured a colourful Jay in Arrowe Park.  Normally I think of Jays as being secretive for most of the year, only becoming more conspicuous in the autumn when they are busy collecting and caching acorns to feed on over the winter.  How do they remember where they hid them all?!  I have noticed however that they have been a bit more evident on my walks over the last two or three weeks.  I’ve not managed to snap one though – they are quite wary birds normally.  Bill also found the “rarity of the week” with a Tree Pipit. The 2004-2007 atlas of Birds in Cheshire and Wirral shows no records of breeding Tree Pipits in Wirral, so this was probably a migrant bird stopping off to refuel.

You can tell my birding has gone a bit flat when I have to resort to taking photos of Pheasants!  But a male bird with his mate on the marsh at Parkgate did look colourful in the early morning sunshine.  A Wren was belting out its loud and varied song from a branch beside the Wirral Way, at a rate of up to 8 notes per second! Nearby a Chiffchaff was enjoying a brief rest before resuming its busy feeding and calling pattern.  I did see my first Whitethroat of the year today though – sorry no photo!

It looks like the glorious weather we have enjoyed throughout April may be ending this week, but we cannot complain too much really.  Think what it could have been like if we had had to endure persistent rain and grey skies for the whole of lockdown. The gardeners at least will be grateful for the watering, I am sure.  We may just have to pick the times for our walks a little more carefully in order to avoid the showers.

So until the next time, take care as always and stay safe.

Hugh Stewart