1.30-3.30 PM
of note
Green Woodpecker-1
Kingfisher-1
As usual when go ,not a single gull on any pool.

Juvenile Iceland Gull on Birchwood Pool this afternoon

Male lesser spotted in trees again between car park and lapwing lake hide. Also spotted at feeding station pm.

Male Lesser Spotted Woodpecker seen today in the wood between the feeding station and lapwing lake around 1130, the bird showed really well - I have some pics here please check them out

http://austinmorley.blogspot.co.uk/

1st winter Iceland Gull on Pump House Pool - pictures below

http://austinmorley.blogspot.co.uk/

Decided to go a bit retro and check out Moore NR instead of Richmond bank for my first bit of Gullage of the season today. Fairly modest numbers using the pools and then only for very brief spells.Wonder why they don`t linger as they did five years or so ago? However a juv Iceland Gull dropped in ( always good to see one this side of New Year).Also two Yellow-legged Gulls ( 3rdw and adult). The views are always great here but I think RB is still the place for prolonged views and the chance to sift through many more birds.

My first visit to Moore for at least eight months this afternoon and decided to do a good concerted two hours in the Eastern Reed bed hide, was very enjoyable and didn't see another soul, lots of birds around highlights including:

Jays - lots including three that were very interested in something in a dead tree trunk - sadly it was too far away to work out what the "something" was but I had heard some Green Woodpecker calls from that general area
Kingfisher - one female did a round of all the likely perches
Little Grebe - six in total
Herons - at least three - one of which tried to stalk a Teal [to no avail]
Sparrowhawks - maybe three - when they got active I knew the starlings wouldn't be far away

Also:
Pochard
Tufted Duck
Great Crested Grebe
Teal
Mallard
Coot
Moorhen
Jackdaws [in to roost in some numbers]
Lots of squealing Water Rails [but remained in cover]

The main event was the starling roost - thousands were on the lines and pylons to the east but good sized flocks eventually made their way to the reed bed directly in front of the hide and there was lots of Sparrowhawk action.

My first tour of Moore this Autumn/Winter had to be aborted at Birchwood Pool although I had planned to go to Upper Moss farm owing to filthy conditions - it was scheduled to rain at 3pm but blinding rain hampered me from 12 - nonetheless something of a smash and grab, with decent sightings -

Eastern Reedbed - 1 Green Woodpecker (F) flew over as I was having my soup and landed on a dead tree in front of the hide to show well - it had yaffled early on briefly. I have seen Green Woodpecker the majority of trips to Moore now, always at the Eastern Reedbed; 2 X Mute Swan; 5 Pochard; Teals, Tufted Ducks, 1 Grey Heron.

At Birchwood Pool I had my scope out on the gulls but couldn't pick out anything unusual. There were more Tufted Ducks and 2 Little Grebes were in front of the hide where I was sheltering (the side one)



-- Edited by John Doherty on Friday 1st of November 2013 04:22:14 PM

09.30-13.30

Walk along MSC to Halfway House, then back via feeding station.

Manchester Ship Canal

2 female Goldeneye, 2 Great Crested Grebes plus Tufted Duck etc. 2 Sparrowhawks flying over and 2 Buzzards resting on Stobart's warehouse.

Halfway House

1600+ Lapwing (No Golden Plover), 14 Curlew, 1 Little Egret, 35 Shelduck, 2 Buzzards, also a flock of 45 Fieldfare flying over heading South.

Masses of gulls, mainly Black Headed, but all the commoner species represented, including several Great Black Backs, but nothing rare found amongst them.

Moss Side

9 Curlew on farmland

Feeding Station

1 male Bullfinch and 2 Nuthatches amongst the usual garden birds.

Masses of Redwings seen throughout, mainly on hawthornes, plenty of Jays seen too. 1 darter dragonfly still around along MSC.



-- Edited by John Williams on Wednesday 30th of October 2013 06:39:04 PM

A.M

Birchwood Pool

14 Little Grebes (Including a single group of 8, they were popping up virtually everywhere with a Stickleback or small fry in their beaks.) 2 Great Crested Grebes.
Just 1 Herring Gull, plus a few Black Headed, although lots of large gulls were over the now closed tip.

Pumphouse Pool

1 Buzzard, 1 Cormorant, 2 Commons Gulls plus a few Black Headed, and the usual waterfowl.

Eastern Reedbed

22 Teal, 1 Great Crested Grebe plus a few Tufted Duck, Coot etc.

The marshy area where 100+ Teal, plus the odd Snipe and Green Sandpiper often frequented in autumn/winter is now overgrown.
Also the water level on the main pool and reedbed is high, with no exposed open areas, and with lots more rain to come, it does'nt look good for Bittern sightings.

Lapwing Lane Pool

A single drake Teal plus a few Mallard, Coot and Gadwall.

Feeding Station

2 Jays, no sign of any small birds, not even a single Blue Tit.

Lots of Jays around the site, but the only small birds I came across were a couple of overflying Redwings by Pumphouse Pool and a couple of Goldfinches near the car park.

Where are the mixed tit flocks etc?.

Two wigeon on Pumphouse Pool earlier today and a single snipe, also common blue butterfly and small copper in the adjacent meadow.Nearby round leaved wintergreen still in flower.

Last night Daubenton's bat feeding over Millbrook Pool and Noctule and Common Pipistrelle detected at the south edge of the Eastern Reedbed.

Wed 24.7.13: 2 hours spent at the western end of the reserve this evening. The highlight was a reeling grasshopper warbler on the field section of lapwing lane.

Other sightings were little grebe and great crested grebe with young on lapwing lake, stock doves near the feeding station, flock of 20 greenfinches and 2 or 3 yellowhammers on Upper Moss section, calling chiffchaffs, a kestrel, lots of dragonflies and loads of toadlets all over the place!



-- Edited by DAVID KENNEDY on Thursday 25th of July 2013 10:02:54 AM

Red Kite drifted over at 9.14 this morning.

Info thanks to Dennis Atherton

Black Necked Grebe on Birchwood pool this afternoon

Approx 20 sand martins feeding over Pumphouse Pool yesterday late morning with seven swallows and 3 house martins, and willow warbler singing nearby.

At least 5 Chiffchaff on and around the reserve today and the first Wheatear of the year ( a female ) on the south side of the ship canal a couple of hundred yards east of Randle Sluices.
On Sunday a Marsh Harrier was seen flying west over the reserve and then the northeast corner of upper moss-side.
Also seen recently on the reserve:- Green Sandpiper, Peregrine and Orange Underwing.

9.00 - 16.30

Woodpecker hat trick

Magpie
Hedge Sparrow
Chaffinch
Tufted Duck
Mallard
Coot
Moorhen
Little Grebe
Carion Crow
Canada Goose
Wood Pigeon
Great Tit
Teal
Long Tailed Tit
Blackbird
Rook
Reed Bunting
Goldcrest
Blue Tit
Robin
Jay
Nuthatch
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Coal Tit
Treecreeper
Lesser Spotted Woodpecker
Lesser Redpoll
Wren
Cormorant
Shoveler
Greylag Goose
Black Headed Gull
Buzzard
Grey Heron
Great Crested Grebe
Lesser Black Backed Gull
Common Gull
Great Blacked Backed Gull
Grey Heron
Gadwall
Lapwing
Green Woodpecker
Oystercatcher

Female stonechat just west of the swing bridge next to the ship canal.chiffchaff in the same area.

Finally bagged the drake Scaup today on the Manchester Ship Canal between Moore NR and Wigg - just after a old ruined brick building. A brilliant bouncing Stoat in a field.

I have put a few pictures of the Scaup on my Blog along with today's report, please check it out guys! Cheers

http://austinmorley.blogspot.co.uk/

-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Saturday 30th of March 2013 09:15:47 PM

Drake Scaup on the ship canal again this morning a few hundred yards west of Randle Sluices. Covered a fair bit of the patch today and still couldn't find any migrants.

-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Tuesday 26th of March 2013 07:48:59 PM

Had really good prolonged views of the male Lesser Spotted Woodpecker late morning when the sun came out. It was feeding on the trunk of one of the large trees on the old canal path to Bob's bridge. It was interesting to watch the way it was feeding, creeping up the bark and then "hopping" backwards down again, probing both ways presumably taking insects.

I have read that, the stiff tail feathers are used as a prop when it is clinging to a tree, and its toes are specially arranged with two pointing forwards and two backwards enabling the upwards and down backwards feeding action. Also present in the same area several Treecreepers so interesting to compare the feeding actions.

Great trip to a snow dusted Moore today with around 15 Lesser Redpoll flapping around me near Pumphouse Pool one with a silver BTOring! it was a nice Red letter day!

I have put some pics and full report on my Blog

http://austinmorley.blogspot.co.uk/

Sat 23rd 9am- 1:30pm ish

1 female LS Woodpecker showing well
2 Green Woodpeckers
1 Tawny Owl roosting
1 L. Redpoll
1 Snipe (PHP)
1 pair Goldeneye (BWP)
1 Sparrowhawk
16 Redwing

LS Woodpecker today around car park early on then elusive rest of the day. Green Woodpecker noisy on Lapwing lane and surrounding woods, GS Woodpeckers and Jays abundant. Redhead Smew flying all over Birchwood Lake giving good views. Male Goldeneye on Lapwing Lake am not seen pm. Tufted Duck, Pochard, Gadwall, Teal, Shoveler, Shelduck, Cormorant and Oystercatchers all on view today. Usual Tits, Buzzards, Sparrowhawk being chased off by Crows and several Curlew flew over at intervals. Tawny Owl at roost in second ivy covered tree just over old canal crossroads on the way to the feeding station.

Hi Austin, it's only my third Scaup on the patch in over twenty years and is a first for a couple of the patchers. Whilst it may have headed further along the ship canal and now be at Frodsham or on the coast I wouldn't be surprised if it has returned to the the same area as yesterday. Diving ducks seem to find that stretch of the ship canal to their liking, yesterday there were 273 Tufted duck there and the (2011) Common Scoter stayed for a few months. Tomorrow morning I'm going to check that section of the ship canal as well as Norton Marsh and the Halfway House area for migrants and waders.

Hi Mike, cheers for the reply and the detail, good to know the birds was on the move guess I ill have to keep trying for the Scaup another day and keep my ears open just in case it turns up somewhere local.


Cheers mate

Hi Austin, I don't think the Scaup was actually on Moore nature reserve yesterday. I found it yesterday morning about 9.45 and it was with a large flock of Tufted duck on the Manchester Ship Canal about a 100 yards west of Randle Sluices i.e. south of Wigg Island (the same area where we had a long staying Common Scoter in 2011). I rang the record through to RBA and gave specific details of its location and it was seen by a few local patchers. By about 2pm I understand it had headed west and was seen near Astmoor.

Any news on the Scaup? What pool was it see on? I might go tomorrow morning any news would be great cheers guys, Oh and cheers Tanmay for the heads up I will mail you back tomoz pal

Late posting for Saturday AM 16th March:-

1 brilliant female LSWoodpecker showing very well and calling close to the path
1 Siskin
1 Redhead Smew looking flighty and perhaps ready for the off
1 Curlew
1 Oystercatcher

Lots of gulls on Pumphouse Pool but no white wings today

Pumphouse Pool from mid morning to mid afternoon today:

3 Yellow-legged Gulls (2 adults and a 3rd winter).

Thousands of gulls in superb viewing conditions (as close as you could ever like) plus a short walk up to the tip entrance gave brilliant views of even more gulls feeding on the working cell there, a superb spectacle with many thousands of gulls literally in a feeding frenzy, though actually picking anything out from them (let alone getting anyone else onto the same bird) is a nightmare due to their numbers and frenzied activity

A really good day out today, at this brilliant site, with Tom Morton and the Wigan RSPB
mid week trip.
With assistance I managed my first Woodpecker Day Triple

Lesser Spotted Woodpecker:..1 Great views of the female working its way up a tree 15 yards off the path.
The male also seen by some for 20 seconds.
Green Woodpecker ..1(f) seen active in a thin bare tree for a long time.
Great Spotted Woodpecker..1

Kingfisher..2 perched together for some time.

Buzzard..5 minimum count
Kestrel..1
Cormorant..2
Grey Heron ..5 minimum count, some on nests.
Jay..1

Goldcrest..3
Chaffinch..10
Blue Tits/Great Tits.
Long-tailed Tit..1
Coal Tit..1
Greenfinch..1
Reed Bunting..1
Nuthatch..3
Mistle Thrush..1

Pochard..1
Goldeneye..pair
Tufted Duck..25
Shovelers..3
Shelduck..1
Gadwall..pair.
Great Crested Grebe..3
Little Grebe..3
Moorhen..2
Common Snipe..5
Smew..1 Redhead.
Teal..6
Coots/Mallards and Canada Geese.

Around 2000 Gulls but we left these for another day !.... but plenty Herring and Lesser Black-backed.






-- Edited by keith mills on Thursday 14th of March 2013 08:47:07 AM

Brian Baird wrote:

---

A female Lesser Spotted Woodpecker was showing well in Round Moss Wood this morning.

A Kingfisher was nearby at Lapwing Lake and the female Smew was still around on Birchwood Pool where a pair of Great Crested Grebes were feeding on small fish.

Nice to meet several Forum Members too, including Viv Finn, Martin Jones, Damien Pendlebury, Alan Patterson and Mike Baron.

Cheers Brian

---

Hi Brian, I managed to pick out a 1st winter Iceland Gull on the Pump House Pool and today was the first time I have managed to see all 3 Woodpeckers. Martyn Jones has a good web site just been looking at it now, he has some nice photos of a Barn Owl on it.

Cheers Alan

A female Lesser Spotted Woodpecker was showing well in Round Moss Wood this morning.

A Kingfisher was nearby at Lapwing Lake and the female Smew was still around on Birchwood Pool where a pair of Great Crested Grebes were feeding on small fish.

Nice to meet several Forum Members too, including Viv Finn, Martin Jones, Damien Pendlebury, Alan Patterson and Mike Baron.

Cheers Brian

Yep, I spotted all those birds and birders too except for Viv, but including Brian! The Lesser Spotted Woodpecker was a lifer for me and third time lucky today - got a decent record shot. The Kingfisher was showing very well for photos as were the Great Crested Grebes, although they weren't dancing today. The Redhead Smew was a little distant, but not too bad for record shots.

Also of note were 7 Jays in the feeding station area along with the usual Great Spotted Woodpeckers, Reed Bunting, Nuthatch, Tits and Finches and on the water I saw 20+ Shovelers (someone else counted c50 inside the island of trees) on Birchfield Pool and a single Pochard and Little Grebe on Lapwing Pool as well as the Tufted Ducks and Mallards. Gulls on Bichfield Pool included Common Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Herring Gull and Black-headed Gull, but I didn't look too closely. 25+ Canada Geese coming over the ridge from the tip and landing on Birchfield Pool was an impressive sight, especially as my photos show some flying upside down! I think I heard the Green Woodpecker too.

Nice to meet or see everyone - photos will be on my scrapbook blog and Flickr later.

-- Edited by Martyn Jones on Wednesday 13th of March 2013 10:38:48 AM

Ian - photos of bittern on my Flickr page

regards Mark

http://www.flickr.com/photos/76345032@N04/

Visited from 1st light this a.m., saw female Lesser-spotted Woodpecker, others saw another female and a male. Female Smew still present. At 10.00a.m. saw Bittern fly over Eastern reedbed, anther birder got good photos. Also Great-spotted Woodpecker, Siskin, 5 Buzzards and Kingfisher were seen.
Cheers Ian

-- Edited by Ian Campbell on Saturday 2nd of March 2013 05:38:38 PM

09.30-13.30

1 male Lesser Spotted Woodpecker showing well in their usual haunt by the old canal, a female was also seen this morning, though sadly not by me.

In the same area 2 Goldcrests, plus quite a few Lesser Redpoll that were flitting around the wood at ground level with a couple of Siskins.

A small flock of Redpoll and Goldfinches were feeding in the alders as usual.

Lots of Tufted Ducks on all the pools, with lesser numbers of Shoveler. 18 Shoveler on Birchwood pool where the female Smew was still showing, also 4 Little Grebes

and a pair Great Crested Grebes here too.

There was a noticeable lack of gulls on Birchwood pool, not even a single Black Headed, although masses of them were soaring over the tip.

A gull roost was beginning to build on Pumphouse Pool at lunchtime, I managed to pick out an adult Yellow Legged amongst the Lesser Black Backs, but no sign of white wings or Meds.

In a quiet corner of Pumphouse 8 Gadwall were chasing each other around whilst a small group of Teal sat on the banking watching.

A single Green Woodpecker was in a dead tree by Pumphouse pool. The heath between Pumphouse Pool and the Eastern Reedbed rarely fails to produce a Green "Pecker" sighting.

The Eastern Reedbed area contained a pair Oystercatchers, 2m+1f Pochard, 2 Cormorants, 7 Grey Herons and a pair of Mute Swans plus Tufted Duck etc.

In the near spring sunshine Buzzards were constantly soaring over and above the birchwood 2 noticeably smaller birds, presumably males, were scrapping watched by the larger female.

Two hatricks for me today, all three woodpeckers, a pair Great Spotted were by Lapwing Lane, and I've now seen Lesser Spot in Alder, Ash and Sycamore (albeit a dead one) at Moore.

Today's not spring, although it felt like it, it's just a preview, no sign of Bumblebees or Amphibian orgies just yet, I did look for them though.

11-30-3.15


East Reed Beds Pool

12.45 Great view of the Bittern on a branch to the far right water, and then even better view as it flew across the water to the opposite reeds.

4/5 Snipe
Green Woodpecker

Birchwood

male & female Goldeneye
Readhead Smew
Little grebe


Lapwing Pool
2 Pochard

Feeding Station
Reed Warbler
LT Tits


Buzzard in a tree

JasonAtkinson wrote:

---

Jon Bowen wrote:

---

Trip this morning between 8.15 - 9.30
Green Woodpecker
Single Lesser Spotted Woodpecker drumming in triangle of woods at the bottom of Lapwing Lane.
Finally tracked it down to a dead branch high up close to the left hand path. Godd views for a couple of minutes then it was joined by a second Lesser Spot and they chased each other around the trees for a minute or so before flying off towards the pools.
First time I've seen two here.

---

Did you manage to sex the Lesser spots Jon?

Cheers
Jason

---

Jason,

Single male drumming then the second bird flew in without landing and they pursued each other around the trees at high speed so didn't manage to sex the second one unfortunately. Couldn't get a a binocular fix so just enjoyed the chase with the naked eye.

Jon Bowen wrote:

---

Trip this morning between 8.15 - 9.30
Green Woodpecker
Single Lesser Spotted Woodpecker drumming in triangle of woods at the bottom of Lapwing Lane.
Finally tracked it down to a dead branch high up close to the left hand path. Godd views for a couple of minutes then it was joined by a second Lesser Spot and they chased each other around the trees for a minute or so before flying off towards the pools.
First time I've seen two here.

---

Did you manage to sex the Lesser spots Jon?

Cheers
Jason

Trip this morning between 8.15 - 9.30
Green Woodpecker
Single Lesser Spotted Woodpecker drumming in triangle of woods at the bottom of Lapwing Lane.
Finally tracked it down to a dead branch high up close to the left hand path. Godd views for a couple of minutes then it was joined by a second Lesser Spot and they chased each other around the trees for a minute or so before flying off towards the pools.
First time I've seen two here.

Went for the first time yesterday, early morning visit produced:
A hat-trick of woodpeckers, with at least two green woodpeckers heard and seen, plenty of great spotted woodpeckers and a single lesser spotted woodpecker in the trees around the car park. Showed well on and off and I even managed a few record shots.
Nothing else unusual of note only a brief visit on our way elsewhere for the day.
Kev

Thursday 21st

All 3 Woodpeckers including a fabulous male LSW showing well from the car park at around 8:30am.
1 Goldcrest

Monday 18th, midday to dusk
PHP:
1 1st winter Glaucous Gull (took flight after just a 10 second viewing)
1 2nd winter Iceland Gull (present for 1/2 hour)
Regularly a few thousand gulls on this pool all afternoon but very flighty all day, constantly being put up by noisy diggers, dog emptiers and buzzards

East Reed Bed Pool:
1 Redhead Smew
1 Green Woodpecker (female)
1 Water Rail calling

BWP:
1 male Goldeneye

Was in the area this morning so took my twin to have a look at the Eastern Reedbed -

Saw 1 Green Woodpecker and two Jays, but no Bittern.

At Warrington Bank Quay station a raptor, probably a Kestrel, ducked past the corner of my eye and out of sight behind the buildings right over the track.

Smew still on Birchwood Pool this pm

Saturday 9th 11am-3:15pm
Birchwood Pool-
1 Redhead Smew
1 Pair Goldeneye

East Reed Beds-
Fabulous views of a Bittern as it flew up out of the reeds and then settled in plain view for a few minutes
1 Green Woodpecker
Redpolls

Woodland Feeding Station-
1 Brambling
1 Willow Tit
1 Siskin
12 L T Tits

Pumphouse Pool-
A birder mentioned seeing a 1st Winter Iceland Gull, present for just 10 minutes around 1:30pm

JOHN TYMON wrote:

---

PM
Very few gulls -plenty over the tip towards richmond bank,but few on any of the pools
of note
Mediterranean Gull -1 ad
Smew-1f still on birchwood pool

---

Just to add John,
that a couple of hours spent at a chilly Eastern Reedbed late afternoon was rewarded with three clear but brief views of the Bittern(s) in flight.

PM
Very few gulls -plenty over the tip towards richmond bank,but few on any of the pools
of note
Mediterranean Gull -1 ad
Smew-1f still on birchwood pool

Pumphouse Pool

Green Woodpecker, male, from the track leading up to the hide
Gulls, lots, nothing out of the ordinary though
Great Crested Grebe
Gadwall

Birchwood Pool

Goldeneye - pair
Little Grebe
More Gulls, including Greater Black-backed, Lesser Black-backed, Common, Herring and Black-headed
Tufted Duck
Shoveler
Teal
No sign of the Smew (again!)

Lapwing Pool (?)

Wigeon
Cormorant x 8 in the roost

Feeders and paths etc

Treecreeper
Great Spotted Woodpecker, male
Kestrel, male

-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Thursday 7th of February 2013 10:13:24 PM