Over the weekend of 21/22 March, 9 members of Birdwatching Group 1 made their way independently to Parkgate on the Wirral. Our hope was to see the ‘Raptor Spectacular’ which takes place during Spring high tides. This year it was anticipated on 21 March, and again in mid-September. For those who have not heard of this event before, the very high tide encourages raptors (owls, harriers, kestrels and other birds of prey) to visit the area in search of food (mice, voles), which the high tide has forced onto higher ground.
We stayed at The Ship Hotel, which was very nice and is obviously a very popular venue – early booking is essential. Having eaten a hearty breakfast on Saturday morning, we all wandered along to the viewing area and settled down to await the ‘Spectacular’. It was a beautiful, bright sunny day. Some other visitors had brought sandwiches and drinks and were obviously expecting to enjoy the bird sightings for some time.
High tide was due a little after noon. Unfortunately, because of high barometric pressure on that day, the tide did not rise as expected – in fact it hardly seemed to rise at all! By about 1:30 pm we realised that the raptors were not going to materialise. It was not such a spectacular after all! A great disappointment, but that is the unpredictable nature of birdwatching.
We enjoyed another very nice evening meal at The Ship, and some people returned home on Sunday. Some of us stayed on for another day, and visited the very lovely Ness Gardens, and RSPB Burton Mere Wetlands, where they have upwards of 100 pairs of avocets, as well as many other species, including pink-footed geese, marsh harriers, warblers and stonechats.
Despite not seeing the ‘raptor spectacular’ I think everyone would agree that it was a very nice trip. Perhaps we can try again next year?
Lynda Ogilvie, Birdwatching Group 1