After our unseasonably mild autumn, today was “hats and gloves” weather. From Wallasey Grove Road station we walked towards the seafront, then went the “wrong” way, westward along Bayview Drive, to the Harvester pub and Wallasey beach. We had heard rumours that one or two Snow Buntings had recently been seen there, but no luck. As a consolation tick a Meadow Pipit flew inland from the beach and later we spotted a busy Pied Wagtail on the prom. Two Crows had found a high perch on a dune overlooking the beach and were supervising all the comings and goings.
I was spotting plants in flower, to see what was surviving into this colder weather. The winter-flowering shrub Laurustinus was just coming into bloom. By the roadside was a wild Dog Rose; some Ivy had just a few late flowers hanging on; there was Gorse, which flowers in every season; Daisies in the grass, some kind of Sow Thistle and a Hawkweed; the tough roadside “weeds” Hairy Bittercress, Groundsel and Shepherd’s Purse; Sea Rocket was sprawling beside the gone-over flower heads of Sea Holly and further back from the dunes were Ragwort and Yarrow. That’s 13 species.
Further along Wallasey beach, near the kitesurfing school, four brave young souls were cavorting in the cold water and heavy surf. Brrrr!
Then we headed north-east along King’s Parade towards New Brighton. It was blowy and chilly, with scattered sharp showers driven by the stiff breeze, but at least the wind was behind us. It was high tide around 11.30, and the waves were beating hard against the sea wall, crashing up in great walls of spray. At times the red cranes at Seaforth docks across the Mersey were almost obscured in the misty rain. (As on the opening picture)
We crossed over, away from the risk of unexpected drenchings, and looked at the gulls in the grassy “dips” between King’s Parade and Coastal Drive. A few Crows, Black-headed Gulls and Herring Gulls were hanging about there, waiting for the weather to improve so they could get back to their special feeding method. They collect live Cockles from the beach and drop them onto the hard pavement, which breaks them open. The edge of the grass was white with drifts of broken cockleshells.
After a pit stop in Morrison’s supermarket and lunch in a seafront shelter, we went around the back of the “Marine Point Retail and Leisure Park” to check out the birds on the pontoons on the Marine Lake.
Not very many today, and just the usual Redshanks, Turnstones and Dunlins. We were hoping tor a Purple Sandpiper or two, but not today.
As we watched them, small groups were flying off towards the beach, their high tide break over. How do they know the sand and mud is uncovering again? They can’t see any of the beach from their sheltered spot on the pontoons. Do they have a inherent feeling for the tide? Do they see others flying off and not returning? Or are they just too hungry to wait any longer?
Five Cormorants were perched on a navigation tower just off the beach. On the small sandy bay between the lighthouse and the Fort were over a dozen Redshank and about a hundred Oystercatchers.
Public transport details: New Brighton train from Central at 10.20, arriving Wallasey Grove Road at 10.40. Returned on bus 433 from King’s Parade / Morrison’s at 1.40, arriving Liverpool 2.15.
Next week we plan to go to Princes Park, meeting Elliot Street at 10 am.