Tag Archives: birdwatching
Spring’s Shifting Soundscapes
As I walked around Speke-Garston Coastal Reserve recently, I noticed the difference in the birds occupying both the soundscape and the landscape. Residents had given way to visitors, the latter muscling their way in to sing their own songs and … Continue reading
A Whirlwind Weekend of Wonders
I learnt a very helpful piece of information during a recent weekend’s birding (14th-17th April): bird for spring migrants on a rainy day with a south-east wind blowing. It seemed counterintuitive to this fairly fair-weather birder and walker until the … Continue reading
New Year, New List – Part 2
Back on the footpath that links Calderstones Park with the golf course and Allerton Towers, I continue past the golf club and on towards the course itself, wondering what other species will be found along this part of the walk.
New Year, New List – Part 1
HAPPY NEW YEAR 2023 It’s New Year’s Day and I’ve decided to keep a list of birds seen this year – I don’t always, because it can take the fun out of birding – but not push myself and try … Continue reading
The Northern Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis)
As the year comes to an end, I have been thinking about ‘the ones that got away’ in 2022 – birds I haven’t managed to see this year. A notable omission is the Northern goshawk (Accipiter gentilis). So I thought … Continue reading
Hunting for Harriers at Parkgate
Spurred on by memories of a previous visit, and consulting both weather forecast and tide times, I choose the perfect day for a late autumn birdwatch – target species marsh harrier, hen harrier and short-eared owl – at Parkgate. The … Continue reading
“I Look at Harriers and They Bring Me Joy”
Listening to a recent BBC Radio 4 programme about one man’s search for hen harriers reminded me of my own encounters with these wonderful birds, so I revisited a piece I wrote for Hen Harrier Action’s February 2021 newsletter (https://henharrierday.uk/news) about … Continue reading
Within Way and Hale Shore Revisited
It’s late August, six weeks since I last walked from Within Way to the lighthouse and back up Lighthouse Lane, and a lot has changed: