Wirral Odyssey (Mission 1) - Sunday 23 Jan 2011

For the first major outing of the year we visited two locations on the Wirral for the first time on Sunday. Weather was extremely grey but the rain kept away.

First stop was Red Rocks near Hoylake. There was a good crowd of serious birders staring out to sea from the North Parade, but no signs of any rarities. Large flocks of Oystercatchers dominated the scene, punctuated by the odd Curlew and Dunlin.A group of about 10 Shellducks made a good addition to the list.

Other large groups of birds could be seen further out to sea but the Opticrons were sadly not up to the job!

Some other habitats to explore in this area but fading commitment from one member of the party suggested it was time to move on.

Next stop Wirral Country Park at Thurstaston. Clocked a Bullfinch near the visitors centre and that proved to be the only new addition here. Only explored the beach below the visitor centre and decided to save the other parts of the park for another day.

Crumpets and coffee were taken at the nearby cafe.