Bird Counts

Inner Marsh Farm  No complete count this month (June) so a resume of the highlights/max counts from the whole of the month instead.
Gadwall 7, Great Crested Grebe 2, Sanderling 2, Black-tailed Godwit 194, Little Ringed Plover 2, Spoonbill 2, Water Rail, Mediterranean Gull 2, Marsh Harrier, Grasshopper Warbler, Spotted Redshank, Greenshank.
Please note that the count from Inner Marsh Farm is an informal estimate of species and numbers present, either carried out by myself or other birdwatchers visiting the hide. It is not meant to be a complete count and is not in anyway part of the Wetland Bird Survey or other count which might be carried out by the RSPB.

Wetland Bird Survey Count for Heswall Shore - (Kindly provided by the Wirral Ranger Service). 4th June.
Cormorant 8, Grey Heron 4, Shelduck 309, Mallard 6, Oystercatcher 480, Dunlin 20, Whimbrel 5, Curlew 191, Turnstone 7.

Gronant Little Tern Colony 
The Little Terns had somewhat mixed fortunes during May and June. Breeding was at first slow due to poor weather and poor fishing. However, forty nests had eggs by the beginning of June. They then suffered from severe fox predation and consequently were down to twenty viable nests a week later. To combat this the RSPB wardens doubled up their numbers at night and this seems to have been successful as the terns have responded by re-laying and are now up to just under sixty nests. By the end of June many chicks had successfully hatched, a lovely sight. Crows are now the main problem. The colony was invaded by a flock of eight crows this last week (end of June) whilst I was wardening. Luckily no one else was about as it must have been quite a sight with me running around screaming and yelling waving a magazine ("Birds" as it happened) over my head! Between us, the Terns and I, we saw them off without any harm done. Now that there are chicks running around the terns are very aggressive and I was dive-bombed several times, which a thought was rather ungrateful!

Hoylake Shore
At low tide the sea seems an awfully long way away over the East Hoyle Bank. Even so, with a good telescope and some patience it is surprising what you can see, even at this supposedly quiet time of year. Jane Turner, who lives on Hoylake Promenade, has sent me her sightings from the past few weeks, this also includes some sightings from Red Rocks and  various land birds seen from, and in, her garden. 

Other News
On the subject of Terns, the colony of Common Terns on the Shotton Steelworks lake is doing very well with about 600 nesting pairs. There has been some good sea watching from both Hoylake and Gronant with large movements of Common Scoter and Manx Shearwater. 

Grasshopper Warblers have been much in evidence with both good sightings and hearings (is that the correct expression??) from both  Inner Marsh Farm and Gronant. Two Spoonbill (European) spent a few days at  Inner Marsh Farm, also at the farm have been a fair size summering flock of up to 200 Black-tailed Godwit. A Mediterranean Gull was seen at both Inner Marsh Farm and Oakenholt Marsh.