Hugh’s News – 6 January 2021
Happy New Year to everyone, I trust you had an enjoyable albeit maybe slightly different Christmas. I have had to re-write this first paragraph following the announcement of the new lockdown! However, I am still trying to remain optimistic that the roll out of the vaccines will improve the situation in a few months. We adapted to the first national lockdown, and I am sure we will get through this one too.
In the meantime, we have organised a series of monthly Zoom meetings with guest speakers giving their presentations on-line. This may not give us quite the same social buzz as an indoor meeting does, but we hope you will join in and enjoy them. The meetings will be on the 4th Thursday of each month at 7.30pm until further notice, the same as when our Indoor meetings would be held. Bill will be sending out details to members on how to join in around a week beforehand, so check your Inbox periodically.
The birds don’t know there is a pandemic of course (although there have been a few cases of Avian Flu identified in the UK in wild and farmed birds!), so we can still admire them on our local health walks. I know some of you will have started a new Year List already, while others simply enjoy seeing the birds in the garden or local area. As long as it brings a smile to your face, that is the key thing!
Bill is on a roll with Kestrels, one of our common raptors and always nice to see. This one was near Landican Lane. The tail appears blackish, so I am unsure if it is a male (usually sporting a grey tail) or female (brown tail), so maybe it is a young bird not fully moulted into its adult plumage. Bill also found a rather bedraggled looking Stonechat in the rain at Burton Mere Wetlands. There has been a flock of up to 8 Snow Buntings moving along the shoreline between Leasowe and Hoylake, and Bill snapped one of them. He also got close to a pale-bellied Brent Goose feeding on the seaweed on the walls of West Kirby Marine Lake.
Margaret Anderson was chuffed to see a female Great-spotted Woodpecker in her garden (all black cap with no red patch on the nape). Margaret also reported this plump game bird in heavy moult on Christmas Day!! The lack of feathers makes it difficult to be 100% certain of the identification!
I hope you enjoyed the challenge of Jean Eymond’s Quiz. Bill sent out the answers a few days ago – let him know if you missed the email. How many of you got all the answers correct? Be honest now! Well done if you did.
Stay safe and enjoy your walks. Remember, the days are getting longer now and spring will soon arrive!
Hugh Stewart
