For those going directly there could you please let Paul Pennington our Fieldtrips Officer know, as we will be meeting at the Wirral Sailing Centre building at the north end of West Kirby Marine Lake, opposite Morrisons on the junction of Dee Lane and South Parade (postcode CH48 0QG) at 10am prompt. Leave your car anywhere on South Parade which runs alongside West Kirby Marine Lake where parking is free.
At 10am we will be guided across the estuary by one of the birders who run the bird observatory there, Kenny McNiffe. Ken will give us some of the Island's history and show us round. It is important that we all take a packed lunch and wear suitable waterproof clothing in case of poor weather. It would be a good idea to wear wellingtons if you have them as we may need to walk through some shallow water enroute and especially coming back.
It takes roughly one hour to reach the Island from West Kirby Marine Lake, so it's a bit of a walk. On reaching the Island Ken will take us to the Bird Observatories Council (B.O.C.) building which is the base for bird recording and ringing on Hilbre. There he will give us a short briefing before the tide comes in and then we will be marooned on the Island until it goes out again.
High tide is at approximately 1.15pm and it will be just after 4pm before we can return to the mainland. There was some talk of a vehicle to take our equipment over to the Island, but chatting to Ken this cannot be guaranteed, so please be aware that if you are taking cameras, scopes, tripods etc that you may need to carry them all the way there and back.
Useful Websites:
Birds of note which could be seen include Common Scoter, Red-throated Diver, Brent Geese, huge flocks of various waders, and Atlantic Grey Seals at close quarters. There have been recent sightings of a Yellow-Browed Warbler and if we are lucky we may get to see a bird or two ringed in the B.O.C. building.
This is a bit of an adventure, and one not to be missed if you haven't visited the Island before.
Paul Pennington
L.O.S. Fieldtrips Officer
leighos.trips@gmail.com