Ozzy Airbourne!

The value of persistence has to be the theme of today. Whilst not quite on the level of locating, capturing and killing an international terrorist, I eventually succeeded in bagging my first Flintshire Osprey.

When a regular down at IMF, I had an uncanny ability to pick flyover Ospreys with a record of three in two years, but crossing the River Dee it was – until today – a different story.

After three stunning hours at the Point of Ayr I had bumper number of migrants under my belt including sixteen Whinchats, five Yellow Wagtails and six Whimbrels, but I still needed a star turn to top off the morning’s birding.

And then it appeared – an Osprey flying low over the spit.

Cue total gull pandemonium, although strangely it was a quartet of Shelducks that escorted the raptor into Liverpool Bay.

Plenty of other bits and bobs this morning, including at least forty Common Whitethroat – no self respecting hawthorn bush was to be seen without one.

Lots of Swallows moving through too, with many struggling against the strong easterly wind. A handful of Swifts zoomed over the dunes too at first light, but it was a peppering of House and Sand Martins thereafter that broke up the steady stream of Swallows.

Wader interest was limited to a sextet of Whimbrels and a couple of Common Sandpipers on the old colliery lagoons.

Quite a morning really and yet more evidence of how good the Point of Ayr can be for migrants. It’s a shame that it doesn’t get the coverage that the North Wirral Coast or the ‘a la mode’ Great Orme gets – more often than not, I’m the only birder there…

Point of Ayr/Talacre Dunes 02.05.11

1 Osprey
16 Whinchat
5 Yellow Wagtail
2 Tree Pipit
45+ Common Whitethroat
6 Swift
5 House Martin
10+ Sand Martin
150+ Swallow
6 Whimbrel
2 Common Sandpiper
1 Sparrowhawk
1 Kestrel

Until later.