Martin Mere

Red Kite 1 juv.
Marsh Harrier 3 (2ff, 1 juv m)
Buzzard 5
Peregrine 1
Pink-footed Goose 2000
Little Stint 2
Dunlin 10
Ruff 30
Tawny owl 1

A great day at Martin Mere, the kite is a stunning sight, well worth a look if it sticks around over the weekend.

Eccleston Mere

Raven 4 circling overhead calling

Billinge Hill

Spotted Flycatcher 1 on wires just below beacon.
Wheatear 6 (4 on stone circle, 2 near horse paddocks).
Blackcap 5
Whitethroat 2
Chiffchaff 4
Willow Warbler 1
Swallow 100
Meadow Pipit 40
Skylark 20
Tree Sparrow 80
Buzzard 1
Yellowhammer 30
Great Spotted Woodpecker 1

Butterflies
Painted Lady 1 around the beacon at about 9am

Sometimes it's a bit difficult to say which birds are migrating and which are just local birds moving around. However most of the Meadow Pipits and all of the Skylarks flew over the beacon in a south westerly direction, and they are probably mostly migrants. The Wheatears and Spotted Flycatcher will be migrants, whilst the Yellowhammers and Tree Sparrows are not. It's hard to be sure with the swallows and martins, but there has been a build up in numbers over the past few days, and they are probably a mixture of migrants and local birds.

Martin Mere

Curlew Sandpiper 2
Marsh Harrier 2 f & juv. m
Wheatear 1
Yellow Wagtail 1

Billinge Hill

Wheatear 6 (4 in the horse paddock area)
Peregrine 1 adult over the beacon
Snipe 1 over the beacon
Grey Wagtail 2
Lesser Black Back Gull 100+ heading south in small groups
House Martin 70+ flying south west in one flock over beacon
Sand Martin 1
Yellowhammer 40
Goldfinch 40
Buzzard 1
Sparrowhawk 2
Great Spotted Woodpecker 1 over beacon

I don't know much about toadstools, but Fly Agaric is one of my favourites.

Eccleston Mere

Raven 2
Sand Martin 1
House Martin 50
Buzzard 1

Martin Mere

Marsh Harrier 2 f & juv.m
Peregrine 1

Eccleston Mere

Sand Martin 2

Billinge Hill

Wheatear 2

Buzzard 2

Kestrel 2

Sparrowhawk 1

Yellowhammer 10

Linnet 30

Clwydian Range part 2

Following last weeks wonderful walk over Moel Famau, today we decided to walk in the opposite direction, over Moel Arthur and Pen-y-cloddiau. The weather was better than last week, and the colours even more breathtaking!

Moel Arthur and Pen-y-cloddiau are about 1500ft high, and both have the remains of Iron Age forts on their summits, built over 2500 years ago. The fortifications at Moel Arthur are particularly impressive, especially on the north side, as can be seen on the first two photos below. In the second photo you can clearly see the remains of the fortifications to the left of the summit.







The third and fourth photos are from the summit of Pen-y-cloddiau. This is a much larger fort than Moel Arthur, but is perhaps not quite as impresssive. In the first photo below you can clearly see the earthworks. The last photo is looking back towards Moel Arthur and Moel Famau from Pen-y-cloddiau.





Birds seen today included about 10 Buzzards and 5 Ravens.

Billinge Hill

Lesser Whitethroat 1

Wheatear 1

Whitethroat 2

Blackcap 2

Chiffchaff 4

Tree Sparrow 2

Yellowhammer 30

Goldcrest 2



All birds seen in the area around the beacon.