Mersey WeBS = Jul

July to Sept 2019

In July and August two of our key species, for which we are the number one UK location, peak. They are Canada goose and shelduck, as they assemble for a post breeding moult. In the last four years Canada geese numbers have been in the region of 7,700 to a record high of 9,200. This year’s count was 4,400 in July. However, in June 2019 it was 8,157, so I think that the Canada Geese are still in big numbers, but not increasing at the rate they were.

Canada Geese on Hale Marsh at high tide. September. © Rob Cockbain

Floating up on the tide. From the hide at Hale Duck Decoy. © Rob Cockbain

Shelducks.© Shaun Hickey

Shelduck usually peak in July or August with a five-year average of 9,600. However, this year, counters were rather thin on the ground in July and August and we only managed a count of 3,590. The lack of counters in the larger sectors of Ince and Manisty is a concern for me and I would urge any of you who have friends who would like to make their birdwatching count, and contribute to the conservation of the birds they are counting, to contact me.

Returning migrants begin to appear in July and build into August, with September being a key month for waders. Wildfowl are much slower to build up and usually peak in the winter months, so duck numbers are only slowly increasing. However, three garganey is a new record. Seven domestic geese is also a new record. 102 shovelers is better than last year when we didn’t hit three figures and perhaps hints at a return to the form of the previous three years when we had 280, 317 and 426. Those are nationally and internationally important counts. The birds mostly occur on Frodsham Lagoons which is outside any designated site. Frodsham is also where the majority of the estuary’s teal are at present.

July and August are peak months for cormorant with the increasing colony at Hale Duck Decoy being very significant. Unfortunately, we didn’t manage to get a co-ordinated and comprehensive count of all their usual haunts in July, August or September and so the 272 counted in September is well down on the nationally important 450 counted last July.

Two cormorants.© Rob Cockbain

Cormorant roosting on Hale Duck Decoy.© Rob Cockbain

The ringed plover would not have been seen in the stubble but were flushed by a sparrowhawk.© Rob Cockbain

Although the highest WeBS count for ringed plover was only 110 an internationally important casual count of 950 was made by Rob at Hale in mid-August.

For redshank, black-tailed godwit and curlew September is a key month. 4,700 redshanks was internationally important and our highest count for 15 years. This was largely due to a roosting flock of 3,900 at Eastham Docks. Black-tailed godwits were also in internationally important numbers but 1,182 on a WeBS count and 1,250 recorded at Frodsham as a casual count are well down on the 3,000+ we have had for the last 4 years, but black-tailed godwits also peak in March. The count of 1,100 curlews was similar to the last two years and means we will only just cling on to our nationally important five-year average for curlew and will lose it if we just look at the Mersey Estuary SPA.

Six years ago 809 oystercatchers would have been a new record, now it is about what we expect. Avocets are a welcome addition to the Mersey’s avifauna and for the 5th year in a row we have a double figure count with 37 recorded on the September WeBS count. Twelve ruffs is higher than last year’s maximum of ten and is above the nationally important threshold. Eight greenshanks was the highest for six years.

October is another important month for waders like redshank and curlew and the wildfowl numbers should be increasing.

Dermot Smith