Just testing, Greg - making sure your faculties haven't faded further after retirement! Those Black-necked Ducks get everywhere, eh? See you at Woolston sometime soon?
Cheers David
Greg Baker said
Sun Jul 14 9:09 AM, 2013
Dave - found one of your "Black-headed" Grebes over on Budworth Mere on Friday, except this one had a black neck ...
-- Edited by Greg Baker on Sunday 14th of July 2013 09:09:59 AM
DavidBowman said
Sat Jul 13 9:00 PM, 2013
A roasting hot morning, with plenty of birds and some big hatches of butterflies and dragonflies. On No.3 bed the main sightings were of: maybe 16 Black-headed Grebes with a dozen or so young, two large creches of Tufted Duck young, plus a further brood totalling 38 small young, 4 broods of Shelduck, one juvenile Water Rail, a brood of 3 Pochard, 1 Kingfisher, 1 Snipe, 1 Stock Dove, 12 Lapwings, 3 Sedge Warblers in song, 7 Little Grebes including one young, 140 Gadwall, 45 Swifts, 1 Willow Tit and 3 Teal.
Butterflies and Dragonflies on No.3 bed included: 6 Brown Hawkers, 1 Common Hawker, 1 Black-tailed Skimmer, 2 Speckled Woods, 6 Small Tortoiseshells, 1 Peacock, 1 Red Admiral and 2 Gatekeepers.
On No.1 bed 2 juvenile Peregrines and 1 Grey Wagtail were noted while counting the following butterflies and dragonflies, mainly around the New Pool at the western end of the bed: Small Tortoiseshell 3, Speckled Wood 2, Gatekeeper 90, Small Skipper 28, Meadow Brown 62, Small White 4, Green-veined White 1, Cinnabar Moth 2, Black-tailed Skimmer 7, Broad-bodied Chaser 2, Four-spotted Chaser 21, Southern Hawker 2, Common Blue Damselfly 60, Common Darter 57, Blue-tailed Damselfly 7, Azure Blue Damselfly 25.
Cheers David (with Dave Steel, Les Jones, Al Warford, Dave Riley and Douglas Buchanan)
DavidBowman said
Wed Jul 10 12:59 AM, 2013
A hot morning, first on No.4 bed with Brian Martin, then later on No.3 bed. Sightings included: 1 Green Sandpiper (near the Tower Hide in No.3 bed), 4 Little Ringed Plovers (2 adults and 2 juveniles from the Morgan Hide), a Peregrine trying to catch a Black-headed Gull, 2 Kingfishers in No.3 bed and 3 Garden Warblers in song.
Butterflies and Dragonflies were also interesting, with 1 Black-tailed Skimmer, 4 Brown Hawkers, 1 Red Admiral, 1 Comma and 10 Small Tortoiseshells around the Loop of No.4 bed and 5 Brown Hawkers, 4 Broad-bodied Chasers, 10 Azure Damselflies, 5 Blue-tailed Damselflies, 1 Red Admiral and 6 Speckled Woods on No.3 bed.
Cheers David
DavidBowman said
Sat Jul 6 10:18 PM, 2013
A very nice, laid-back morning on Nos.3 and 4 beds, with masses of warblers and broods of water-birds. Starting on No.3 bed, 2 Common Terns, 1 Oystercatcher, 2 Kingfishers, 22 Lapwings, 1 Stock Dove, 7 Bullfinches, 2 Sedge Warblers, 14 Shovelers, 3 Teal, 3 broods of Shelduck, 11 Reed Buntings, 8 Little Grebes plus plenty of Black-necked Grebe broods (10 broods so far of 12 young), were the pick of the early morning session. Then on to No.4 bed, where some late Willow Warblers were in song and there was a sizeable hatch of Small Tortoiseshell butterflies (26 in total). Finished the morning back on No.3 bed, where a female Pochard appeared with one young and one of the customary Little Ringed Plovers was in front of the Morgan Hide. Coming out of No.3, another Kingfisher flew under the footbridge and Garden Warbler and Coal Tit were singing by the Car Park. While doing the rounds, we also counted butterflies and dragonflies, reaching the following totals:
No.3 bed: Butterflies; Red Admiral 1, Large Skipper 1, Speckled Wood 10, Large White 1, Small Tortoiseshell 6, Peacock 2, Cinnabar Moth 1. Dragonflies: Broad-bodied Chaser 2, Four-spotted Chaser 2, Southern Hawker 1, Blue-tailed Damselfly 2 and Azure/Common Blue Damselflies 1.
No.4 bed: Butterflies; Small Tortoiseshell 26, Meadow Brown 4 and Peacock 3. Dragonflies: Southern Hawker 2, Common Blue Damselfly 1.
Cheers David (with Dave Steel, Dave Riley, Brian Baird, Douglas Buchanan and Jane Cullen)
DavidBowman said
Fri Jul 5 5:33 PM, 2013
Common Tern, Green Sandpiper and Little Ringed Plover reported on No.3 bed.
Cheers David
Rob Creek said
Tue Jul 2 5:46 AM, 2013
Sunday pm.
Good to chat with Martin Grimes.
Birds of note... alot of the usuals, plus.... Redshank 1 Black Necked Grebes (I counted 5 adults some with chicks on back, probably more hidden) Whitethroat 2 Common Sandpiper 1 Reed Bunting .. 5 or 6 (flighty so could've doubled up) Reed Warbler 1 Buzzard 1 Pochard 1 male. (I know there was a female somewhere as I was sent a photo) Tufted Duck (I counted 3 or 4 pairs) Greylag Geese .. possibly 10 or so on far banking near sluice channel Common Toad on grass path near the Lottery Toilet
As a general note...fair enough it was open day and for the most part it looked to be well organised. But one thing I did notice, the tour parties weren't given alot of time in the hides, and at one point, one of the hides was quiet for bird life but busy with people so I moved on to the next one before they all came in, when I came out...the group had totally missed my hide and were well on the way to the next, shame that! One woman did thank me for pointing my sightings out to her and her friends as they wouldn't have known what they were watching. It was a pleasure.
Also the feeders were very quiet again, only 2 male Greenfinch and a pair of Bullfinch
DavidBowman said
Mon Jul 1 5:46 AM, 2013
Thanks everyone for the kind comments, which I'll pass on to all the volunteers who put the time in to make the day a success. It was such a pleasure to meet so many nice people and to share our passion for Woolston ! Hope we get to see more of you all!!
Cheers
David
Mike Baron said
Mon Jul 1 2:33 AM, 2013
Hi Pete
It was good to see you there and many other family faces too, including Martyn.
I am just a trainee ringer and the real credit for the ringing demonstration goes to the established team there lead by Kieron Foster. This team put in hours of hard work, usually unseen, in order to make ringing a success and have done so for many years.
It is also somewhat humbling to remember that this reserve is as good as it is because of thirty odd years of hard work by a group of people including David Bowman!
Cheers to all for making today a very good day.
Ray Scally said
Mon Jul 1 12:55 AM, 2013
I concur with the last post, very well organised and a very enjoyable day, thanks to all the volunteers!
Tanmay Dixit said
Sun Jun 30 9:08 PM, 2013
If you don't mind another post on the same lines, just wanted to thank all the vols at Woolston for their work to make today as successful as it was (nice to meet Alan Warford...thanks for the tour!) and of course for their top notch work making this such a brill place. Rarely have I seen such great habitat for such a variety of species.
Top moth demonstration, and the ringing demonstration was very informative, learnt a lot.
Birdwise as mentioned a few black necked grebes with chicks, some waders, heard various warblers e.g. reed (good sightings of these too), sedge, chiffchaff and whitethroat. Reed bunting Various wildfowl including a family of shelduck :) etc
Oh, and thanks to David Bowman and Alan Patterson for their info about the tours!
-- Edited by Tanmay Dixit on Sunday 30th of June 2013 09:11:34 PM
Pete Welch said
Sun Jun 30 8:56 PM, 2013
Just wanted to say thanks to the Woolston Eyes volunteers for running a very enjoyable open day today - we queued for an early guided walk and I really enjoyed the look round - so much so that I joined up [had been meaning to for ages!]. The variety of plants and insect species seen was notable. Bird sightings included at least seven Black-Necked Grebe including chicks at a variety of stages of development, Great Crested Grebe, many duck species and Mike Baron helping at the ringing demonstration!
DavidBowman said
Sun Jun 30 5:58 AM, 2013
Hi Tanmay, the tours will be repeated all day, so come any time after 10.00am!
Cheers
David
Steve Christmas said
Sun Jun 30 1:09 AM, 2013
A hobby flew west over the M6 towards Woolston at 10.50 this morning as I was driving over the ship canal.
DavidBowman said
Sat Jun 29 11:15 PM, 2013
Al Warford and I enjoyed a relaxed morning on No.3 bed today, ahead of tomorrow's Open Day!. Highlights were 14 adult Black-necked Grebes with 12 young (including at least 2 new broods), 1 Little Ringed Plover, a Pochard brood of 2 young, 10 Reed Buntings, 55 Swifts, 12 Sand Martins, 30 House Martins, 6 Swallows, 2 Song Thrushes, 1 Sparrowhawk, 4 Buzzards, 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers, 30 Greenfinches, 10 Cormorants, 36 young Black-headed Gulls, 1 water Rail, 1 Stock Dove, 2 Collared Doves, 6 Jays, two broods of Great Crested Grebe, 5 Little Grebes, plus singing Reed Warblers, Blackcaps, Chiffchaffs, Whitethroats, Sedge Warbler and Garden Warbler.
Cheers David
Tanmay Dixit said
Sat Jun 29 10:07 PM, 2013
Hi, does anyone know what time the tour will start tomorrow at the open day? Or will there be more than 1 tour during the day? I'll PM a couple of the regulars with my email address so if possible they could let me know. Alternatively if you could post a reply on this thread I can access this on my phone. Thanks a lot Tanmay
-- Edited by Tanmay Dixit on Saturday 29th of June 2013 10:12:25 PM
Martyn Jones said
Tue Jun 25 9:00 PM, 2013
The Woolston Eyes Conservation Group are having a free open day on Sunday 30 June from 10am until 4pm. As well as a tour of Number 3 bed, there will be bird-ringing demonstrations and a variety of other nature-related activities and stalls. Free car parking is also available.
A party from the Leigh Ornithological Society will be leaving from the car park facing Leigh Library at 9:15am for anyone wanting to car share or tag along. Details on the L.O.S. and Woolston Eyes websites.
-- Edited by Martyn Jones on Tuesday 25th of June 2013 09:00:52 PM
DavidBowman said
Mon Jun 24 7:17 PM, 2013
Early start this morning, with a Garden Warbler singing along the south bank of No.3 bed and 800 Starlings leaving the roost at 5.00 am. From the Morgan Hide a single Common Tern was perched on a stump straight out from the hide, 2 Little Ringed Plovers and an Oystercatcher flew in to feed on the edge of the scrape, while a pair of Shelduck brought 6 tiny young onto the scrape and aggressively drove off other wildfowl. Two Water Rails then gave good views while 6 Teal were skulking in one of the channels. On the feeders 20+ Greenfinch were joined by a couple each of Willow Tit and Bullfinch and 3 Great Spotted Woodpeckers (2 juveniles and an adult male)- at least until a male Sparrowhawk scattered everything. Around the rest of the bed Black-necked Grebes totalled 16 with 6 young, while Black-headed Gulls totalled 320 with 28 young and plentyof sitting birds. Walking round the meadows another Garden Warbler was in full voice. Finally, walking back over the footbridge a single Kingfisher was perched at the water's edge.
Advert! If you can, get down to the Woolston Eyes Open Day next Sunday, 30th June (9.00am till 4.00 pm) - a chance to get to know the Reserve, if you don't already, see displays of Ringing, Moth Trapping and other displays and just to see some good birds (weather permitting!!)
Cheers David
Alan Warford said
Sun Jun 23 11:04 PM, 2013
Late post for Saturday am.
Black Necked Grebe 14 adult + 5 chicks of various sizes, all single broods. Little Grebe 4 adult + 3 chicks Great Crested Grebe 4 no chicks Sand Martin 4 Lesser Whitethroat 1 Garden Warbler 2 Blackcap 10+ Bullfinch 2 pairs Shoveler 13 Shelduck 6 Great Spotted Woodpecker 2
Dave Riley said
Tue Jun 18 1:42 PM, 2013
A quick visit this morning, there was a Lesser Whitethroat singing near the car park, also (possibly the same bird) one singing along the west bank of No2 bed.
Dave
-- Edited by Dave Riley on Tuesday 18th of June 2013 01:43:20 PM
John Williams said
Tue Jun 18 6:34 AM, 2013
18.00-20.00
Early evening mooch around No 3 Bed, and as yet no Clegs!!.
10 adult + 3 juvenile Black Necked Grebes, 2 Great Crested Grebes but no Little Grebes.
2 Little Ringed Plovers, 2 Lapwings, 1 Cormorant, 1 Grey Heron, 3 Great Spotted Woodpeckers, an adult Whitethroat with a newly fledged youngster, 4 Greylag Geese plus the usual Coot etc.
3 prs of Shoveler with the males now looking quite shabby, one female Pochard with a single duckling, and at one point 14 Greenfinches clinging onto to two feeders.
A single House Martin with a large group of Swifts and a few Swallows over the North Bank. A single male Blackcap was fly catching from a riverside Sycamore.
On a couple of occasions the Black Headed Gulls went into a mass frenzy mobbing something close to the reedbed, I expected a mink, but it was 3 half grown young gulls that emerged.
These half grown youngsters did'nt seem big enough to leave the nest, much bigger chicks still sat with their parents on the little islets, so perhaps they were flushed by a predator?.
A few Latticed Heath moths were around the meadow.
Dave Riley said
Mon Jun 17 9:43 PM, 2013
An early morning ringing session on No1 bed produced an overflying Hobby and 3 Mallard broods.
It's amazing that a site that has vandal proof fencing, three very secure gates with a very limited number of keys and bikers still get through! Someone has managed to form a trail from the bed to the base of Butchersfield tip, managing to avoid all the trees and bramble, through three foot high grass, hopefully we'll sort out where they got access.
Dave
DavidBowman said
Sat Jun 15 8:54 PM, 2013
A nice, relaxed morning covering Nos.1 and 3 beds, in much better weather than anticipated. On No.3 bed first thing, plenty of Black-necked Grebes, 1 Little Ringed Plover, 2 Little Grebes, Mute Swans with 5 young, 17 Lapwings, 1 Water Rail, 3 Teal, c.60 Gadwall, 28 Swifts, 2 Sand Martins and plenty of young Black-headed Gulls were notable. O n No.1 bed, a Peregrine flew in with food (a Woodpigeon) for the well-grown young and another 3 Little Ringed Plovers showed well. Although fewer dragonflies were present after the cooler weather this week, a single Banded Demoiselle was a nice find among the commoner stuff. Butterflies, too, were not exactly abundant but 12 Common Blues (all males) were nice to see on this bed, after just one male Common Blue and one Green-veined White on No.3 bed earlier on.
Cheers David (with Dave Steel, Les Jones, Brian Baird, Al Warford, Jane Cullen and Paul Hazelhurst)
DavidBowman said
Fri Jun 14 8:36 PM, 2013
Two first summer Little Gulls reported from No.3 bed this morning.
Cheers David
DavidBowman said
Thu Jun 13 11:35 PM, 2013
Three Common Terns flew into No.3 bed at 1045 am today. They circled the lagoon for a bit before flying towards the south bank, where I lost them.
Cheers David
DavidBowman said
Sat Jun 8 10:19 PM, 2013
The day started with the Lesser Whitethroat still singing on the approach to Woolston Weir. A beautiful, leisurely morning on No.3 bed followed and produced 9 Black-necked Grebes (still 4 broods present), 1 Little Ringed Plover, 150 Swifts, a handful each of the three hirundines, 2 Willow Tits including one in song by the Linley Hide, 1 Sparrowhawk, 1 Kestrel, 3 Buzzards, 1 Teal and 6 Lapwings, plus loads of warblers. Late morning we moved onto No.1 bed where the focus was mainly on surveying the dragonflies. On the two pools we checked we counted: 85 Azure Damselflys, 76 Common Blue Damselflys, 56 Four-spotted Chasers, 18 Blue-tailed Damselflys and 4 Large Red Damselflys. In addition, we counted c.200 teneral (just emerged) unidentified damselflys. Birds we noted, while eating our lunch on the canal bank, included a Peregrine nearly catching a Feral Pigeon, 2 Kingfishers, 50 Swifts and we managed to confirm breeding for Swallow under a pier of the Viaduct.
Cheers David
DavidBowman said
Thu Jun 6 11:07 PM, 2013
The male Red-crested Pochard, one Little Ringed Plover, 3 broods of Black-necked Grebes plus a couple of Garden Warblers were the highlights from No.3 bed this morning. A few butterflies were evident, with 5 Green-veined Whites, 3 Small Tortoiseshells and 5 Peacocks counted.
Cheers David
DavidBowman said
Wed Jun 5 1:31 AM, 2013
Male Red-crested Pochard still present this morning and easily seen from the Morgan Hide, along with 2 Little Ringed Plovers and plenty of Black-necked Grebes (including two with young). A Hobby flew east over the footbridge and a Kingfisher was on the Canal near the Car Park.
Cheers David
DavidBowman said
Sat Jun 1 3:06 PM, 2013
Another good week, with two more species added to the Reserve's breeding list (Tree Sparrow and Nuthatch, both found by John Blundell) bringing the list to 78 breeding species in total. This morning, the male Red-crested Pochard was still showing well in No.3 bed (bringing, at a quick reckoning, the total number of species seen on the Reserve this year, by all observers, to 130!). 150 Swifts feeding low over the bed at 6.45 am, may have been late migrants, with a few Swallows, House Martins and Sand Martins joining them as the morning wore on. A brood of Black-necked Grebes, of just one young on the back of an adult, was in front of the Tower Hide, while three boods of Coot were also noted and a Little Ringed Plover fed in front of the Morgan Hide.
We then went to complete a breeding bird survey on No.2 bed, with the following all in song: Lesser Whitethroat 1, Reed Warbler 12, Blackcap 8, Whitethroat 4, Sedge Warbler 1, Willow Warbler 7,Chiffchaff 8, Reed Bunting 5, Wren 18, Chaffinch 13, Greenfinch 5 and Robin 6. The Peregrines had 3 well-grown young and Swallows looked to be nesting under the pier. After dropping everyone off at the Weir, I went back into No.3 bed for a lunch-time hour and had a Kingfisher under the footbridge, another pair of Black-necked Grebes with one young (in front of the Rotary Hide), the Red-crested Pochard again (which had re-located to be in front of the Morgan Hide) and a Hobby which rattled over the north bank and cut through the Swift flock.
Cheers David (with Dave Steel, Les Jones and Brian Baird)
-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Saturday 1st of June 2013 03:40:32 PM
KEV BROWN said
Tue May 28 3:07 AM, 2013
Monday afternoon on No3:-
The male Red-crested Pochard flew past the Morgan hide heading south at 3pm. Just after I entered that into the log book it was then present in front of the first screen, looking quite settled at 4pm. Also: 1 Redshank approx. 9 Black-necked Grebes 1 Buzzard 2 of the many Reed Warblers had silver rings on the right leg
Rob Creek said
Mon May 27 3:08 AM, 2013
Last minute decision, we diverted to Woolston.
Birds of note Footbridge and main track to the hides... 1 female 2 male Blackcap 2 male Whitethroat Chiffchaff Willow Warbler
Rotary Hide... 4 Black Necked Grebes 2 male Reed Buntings 1 Buzzard
Frank Linley hide... 4 Sedge Warbler 3 Reed Warbler Alot more heard
New Hide... 1 Arctic Tern showing very well and landed near the hide.
On the reserve as a whole... Whitethroat, Blackcap, Chiffchaff and Willow Warbler virtually allover. Only 3 Swallows seen on this visit, no other Hirundines or Swifts. Not a single bird on any of the feeders, disappointing really as it could easily be transformed and attract many different species like the ones at Pennington, Leighton Moss and Martin Mere.
One other thing...a male Pheasant jumped out on us and with its loud call it scared the bloody life out of me and my mate right near the Rotary Hide. I won't repeat what he said.
DavidBowman said
Sat May 25 10:22 PM, 2013
A glorious morning started with a Lesser Whitethroat in Weir Lane and Garden Warbler and Kingfisher as we were walking into No.3 bed. From the various hides, a Little Ringed Plover, 2 Redshanks, 11 Black-necked Grebes and a Hobby were the main sightings, with the latter catching prey (probably a Swift) over the north bank before flying east. The ringing team were having a good morning, catching plenty of warblers, including two French-ringed Sedge Warblers. Mike Miles had also seen a fly-through Arctic Tern last night. Another Kingfisher and a Brimstone butterrfy were notable as we walked off the bed to do a Warbler Survey on No.1 bed. On this bed, the Peregrines had at least two well-grown young at the usual nest-site.
Cheers David (along with Dave Steel, Les Jones, Al Warford and Simon Warford)
James Walsh said
Sat May 25 1:29 PM, 2013
Hi David, thanks for your message, Alan Patterson very kindly showed us around the reserve early afternoon, very impressed with how much the reserve has progressed since 1990's, we also saw a Hobby (perhaps our 3rd of the day, or the same bird following us around Moore, Frodsham & Woolston!)
Our score for the day was 80 species, visiting as many sites from Eastham Locks-Salford Docks as we could, I'll email Alan the account of the days birding when complete to pass on to the Woolston Group
DavidBowman said
Fri May 24 5:24 PM, 2013
An early start on No.3 bed at 5.30 am produced: 1 Hobby (soaring over the bed and then flying onto the east bank), 13 Black-necked Grebes, 1 Little Ringed Plover, 1 Redshank, 1 Oystercatcher, 2 Common Snipe, 1 Pied Wagtail, 1 Collared Dove plus loads of Reed Warblers, Whitethroats, Blackcaps, Willow Warblers, Chiffchaffs and a few Sedge Warblers.
Cheers David
DavidBowman said
Fri May 24 5:11 PM, 2013
James, sorry - I've only just seen your message, otherwise I'm sure I could have sorted something out for you. Ironically, I was on No.3 bed from 5.30 am till 8.00 am and could easily have given you access.
Cheers David
James Walsh said
Thu May 23 7:36 PM, 2013
Regarding the Manchester Ship Canal Bird Race tomorrow, 24th May (see thread on General Birding Discussion), I would appreciate it if any of the Woolston regulars could reply here, or give details on private message, regarding swift access to Woolston Eyes
I've checked the official website, I used to have a permit back in the day (Wilsons Phal, RN Duck, etc those were the days) and shall apply for a permit again asap
Appreciate it's a bit last minute (!) for access tomorrow but if anyone has any details as to how I could arrange swift access to the site, please let me know
Many thanks
James Walsh Salford Docklands Heritage and Nature Group 07931-649-021
DavidBowman said
Wed May 22 1:30 AM, 2013
Went onto No.3 bed for a couple of hours this afternoon. Eleven Black-necked Grebes, 1 Oystercatcher, 55 Swifts, 20 Sand Martins, 25 Swallows, 20 House Martins, 11 Reed Warblers, 3 Sedge Warblers, 1 Collared Dove (uncommon on No.3 bed !), 1 Pied Wagtail, 4 Lapwings, c.400 Black-headed Gulls, 1 kestrel and 1 Buzzard were the main sightings.
Cheers David
JasonAtkinson said
Thu May 16 7:40 PM, 2013
4 hours yesterday evening flicking Swifts. Managed to catch 2 but scores went just over or just round plus the fact they are a lot quicker than me. One of the best ringing activities there is.
Cheers Jason
Rhys Richards said
Wed May 15 3:43 AM, 2013
Had a great visit to Woolston Eyes on sat morning. Was very impressed with the reserve and got some great birds too!! I will be back!!
Rob Creek said
Mon May 13 4:44 AM, 2013
Saturday 11.30 - 3pm
Weir Pool- not much apart from... Gadwall Grey Heron Mallard Shelduck pair Swifts, Swallows, House and Sand Martins in abundance
Walked up the hill over the weir bridge and was watching a Whitethroat and a Chiffchaff at close range when a Hobby came steaming through towards the Hirundine masses. The Whitethroat suddenly went into alarm call mode.
Main reserve of note... 1 Water Rail 2 Black Necked Grebe 2 Little Ringed Plover (posted with permission) 5 Reed Bunting 2 Reed Warbler 1 Sedge Warbler 1 Yellow Wagtail 1 Greenshank 2 Redshank (male displaying) 10 Pochard 1 Buzzard seen many times. Same bird as it had what looked like a snapped feather sticking out of its wing.
Plenty of Whitethroat and Blackcap activity.
Further to John Williams observations...I also saw the same timid behaviour from the Gulls with regards to the harmless Hirundines. Quite comical really.
John Williams said
Fri May 10 7:44 PM, 2013
08.15-10.30
No 3 Bed
Masses of hirundines and Swifts over the pool. 1 Greenshank in front of the J.Morgan hide.
5 Little Ringed Plovers and 3 Ringed Plovers in front of the F.Linley hide, with a male Reed Bunting on the mud feeding amonst them too (If only I'd brought my camera!!)
7 Black Necked Grebes, 5 Great Created Grebes and 2 Little Grebes.
30+ Tufted Ducks including 12 males wooing a single female. 3 Shovelers, 12 Pochard and 12 Shelduck.
1 Cormorant and 2 Buzzards.
Singles of Reed and Sedge Warbler seen, although neither was in song, and there are probably many more warblers sitting out the pouring rain, hidden in the reeds.
For a brief instant I glimpsed an all white wing disappear into a clump of sedge, so there may well be a Med Gull amongst the mass of Black Heads.
One Black Headed Gull seemed very anxious about the black boomerangs zooming about in front of it, having not seen one for nearly a year, do the gulls forget Swifts are harmless?.
A large Fox foraging on the North bank caused mass anxiety and mobbing, with Canada Geese and gulls joining forces to intimidate it.
The fox just ignored them and carried on leaping about in pursuit of small rodents.
Ramsons, Butterbur, Lily of the Valley, White Dead Nettle and Cowslips in flower.
David Spencer said
Thu May 9 6:37 PM, 2013
1 Greenshank from John Morgan hide this morning. Also 1 Common Sandpiper and 1 Redshank
DavidBowman said
Thu May 9 1:24 AM, 2013
Excellent sighting, Dave. I've only seen 2 at Woolston in 35 years, both after prolonged westerly gales - I'm off to the Isle of Skye for ten days from this Friday - so keep up the good work!!
Cheers David
Dave Riley said
Thu May 9 12:52 AM, 2013
Unfortunately not, but it seems like a good year for Woolston, with Bittern, Avocet, Redstart and Pied Flycatcher already this year, hopefully there will be more to come.
cheers
Dave
David Spencer said
Thu May 9 12:35 AM, 2013
Dave
I was surprised to say the least. I was hoping you or somebody else might be ringing on No.1 and get them as they flew east.
Cheers
David
Dave Riley said
Wed May 8 11:07 PM, 2013
Dave,
That is another Mega for the reserve this year, it is something like the third record, I think the last one was in the very early nineties!
Dave
David Spencer said
Wed May 8 7:44 PM, 2013
4 Skuas, almost certainly Arctic flew high across no 3 bed this morning heading east
Dave Riley said
Wed May 8 12:38 AM, 2013
I had a pleasant morning ringing on No1 bed, 3 Garden Warblers were ringed, possibly a Spring record, as were 2 Blackcaps, 2 Whitethroats and 2 Reed Warblers. Sightings during the morning included single Kingfisher, Green Woodpecker and Swift, 5 Lapwings were seen flying south, surely return migration hasn't started already!
David Spencer said
Mon May 6 12:25 AM, 2013
The Long-tailed Duck is still on the Mersey this afternoon, below Butchersfield tip. Also 2 Yellow Wagtails in the fields north of No. 1 bed. At least 4 Reed Warblers along the river and at the fish refuge and 1 Sedge Warbler.
DavidBowman said
Sun May 5 12:25 AM, 2013
An excellent morning,completing a CBC/Warbler Survey on No.3 bed and finding 7 species of wader in the process. Highlights from the day included: 1 Wood Sandpiper, 4 Dunlins, 2 Little Ringed Plovers, 4 Redshanks, 3 Common Snipe,1 Peregrine, 1 Lesser Whitethroat(at Woolston Weir),1 Kingfisher, 1 Hobby (hunting bats at dawn) and 3 Ravens flying east (these latter two sightings from K.Foster, M.Baron and Margaret Rawlinson). Totals from the survey were (all singing males): Sedge Warbler 5, Reed Warbler 22, Chiffchaff 8, Willow Warbler 7, Whitethroat 16, Blackcap 21, Reed Bunting 10, Chaffinch 4, Dunnock 5, Wren 19, Great Tit 5, Song Thrush 5.
Cheers David (along with Dave Steel, Les Jones and Brian Baird)
Cheers David
-- Edited by Greg Baker on Sunday 14th of July 2013 09:09:59 AM
Butterflies and Dragonflies on No.3 bed included: 6 Brown Hawkers, 1 Common Hawker, 1 Black-tailed Skimmer, 2 Speckled Woods, 6 Small Tortoiseshells, 1 Peacock, 1 Red Admiral and 2 Gatekeepers.
On No.1 bed 2 juvenile Peregrines and 1 Grey Wagtail were noted while counting the following butterflies and dragonflies, mainly around the New Pool at the western end of the bed: Small Tortoiseshell 3, Speckled Wood 2, Gatekeeper 90, Small Skipper 28, Meadow Brown 62, Small White 4, Green-veined White 1, Cinnabar Moth 2, Black-tailed Skimmer 7, Broad-bodied Chaser 2, Four-spotted Chaser 21, Southern Hawker 2, Common Blue Damselfly 60, Common Darter 57, Blue-tailed Damselfly 7, Azure Blue Damselfly 25.
Cheers David (with Dave Steel, Les Jones, Al Warford, Dave Riley and Douglas Buchanan)
Butterflies and Dragonflies were also interesting, with 1 Black-tailed Skimmer, 4 Brown Hawkers, 1 Red Admiral, 1 Comma and 10 Small Tortoiseshells around the Loop of No.4 bed and 5 Brown Hawkers, 4 Broad-bodied Chasers, 10 Azure Damselflies, 5 Blue-tailed Damselflies, 1 Red Admiral and 6 Speckled Woods on No.3 bed.
Cheers David
No.3 bed: Butterflies; Red Admiral 1, Large Skipper 1, Speckled Wood 10, Large White 1, Small Tortoiseshell 6, Peacock 2, Cinnabar Moth 1. Dragonflies: Broad-bodied Chaser 2, Four-spotted Chaser 2, Southern Hawker 1, Blue-tailed Damselfly 2 and Azure/Common Blue Damselflies 1.
No.4 bed: Butterflies; Small Tortoiseshell 26, Meadow Brown 4 and Peacock 3. Dragonflies: Southern Hawker 2, Common Blue Damselfly 1.
Cheers David (with Dave Steel, Dave Riley, Brian Baird, Douglas Buchanan and Jane Cullen)
Cheers David
Good to chat with Martin Grimes.
Birds of note...
alot of the usuals, plus....
Redshank 1
Black Necked Grebes (I counted 5 adults some with chicks on back, probably more hidden)
Whitethroat 2
Common Sandpiper 1
Reed Bunting .. 5 or 6 (flighty so could've doubled up)
Reed Warbler 1
Buzzard 1
Pochard 1 male. (I know there was a female somewhere as I was sent a photo)
Tufted Duck (I counted 3 or 4 pairs)
Greylag Geese .. possibly 10 or so on far banking near sluice channel
Common Toad on grass path near the Lottery Toilet
As a general note...fair enough it was open day and for the most part it looked to be well organised. But one thing I did notice, the tour parties weren't given alot of time in the hides, and at one point, one of the hides was quiet for bird life but busy with people so I moved on to the next one before they all came in, when I came out...the group had totally missed my hide and were well on the way to the next, shame that!
One woman did thank me for pointing my sightings out to her and her friends as they wouldn't have known what they were watching. It was a pleasure.
Also the feeders were very quiet again, only 2 male Greenfinch and a pair of Bullfinch
It was good to see you there and many other family faces too, including Martyn.
I am just a trainee ringer and the real credit for the ringing demonstration goes to the established team there lead by Kieron Foster. This team put in hours of hard work, usually unseen, in order to make ringing a success and have done so for many years.
It is also somewhat humbling to remember that this reserve is as good as it is because of thirty odd years of hard work by a group of people including David Bowman!
Cheers to all for making today a very good day.
Top moth demonstration, and the ringing demonstration was very informative, learnt a lot.
Birdwise as mentioned a few black necked grebes with chicks, some waders, heard various warblers e.g. reed (good sightings of these too), sedge, chiffchaff and whitethroat.
Reed bunting
Various wildfowl including a family of shelduck :)
etc
Oh, and thanks to David Bowman and Alan Patterson for their info about the tours!
-- Edited by Tanmay Dixit on Sunday 30th of June 2013 09:11:34 PM
Cheers David
Alternatively if you could post a reply on this thread I can access this on my phone.
Thanks a lot
Tanmay
-- Edited by Tanmay Dixit on Saturday 29th of June 2013 10:12:25 PM
A party from the Leigh Ornithological Society will be leaving from the car park facing Leigh Library at 9:15am for anyone wanting to car share or tag along. Details on the L.O.S. and Woolston Eyes websites.
-- Edited by Martyn Jones on Tuesday 25th of June 2013 09:00:52 PM
Advert! If you can, get down to the Woolston Eyes Open Day next Sunday, 30th June (9.00am till 4.00 pm) - a chance to get to know the Reserve, if you don't already, see displays of Ringing, Moth Trapping and other displays and just to see some good birds (weather permitting!!)
Cheers David
Late post for Saturday am.
Black Necked Grebe 14 adult + 5 chicks of various sizes, all single broods.
Little Grebe 4 adult + 3 chicks
Great Crested Grebe 4 no chicks
Sand Martin 4
Lesser Whitethroat 1
Garden Warbler 2
Blackcap 10+
Bullfinch 2 pairs
Shoveler 13
Shelduck 6
Great Spotted Woodpecker 2
Dave
-- Edited by Dave Riley on Tuesday 18th of June 2013 01:43:20 PM
Early evening mooch around No 3 Bed, and as yet no Clegs!!.
10 adult + 3 juvenile Black Necked Grebes, 2 Great Crested Grebes but no Little Grebes.
2 Little Ringed Plovers, 2 Lapwings, 1 Cormorant, 1 Grey Heron, 3 Great Spotted Woodpeckers, an adult Whitethroat with a newly fledged youngster, 4 Greylag Geese plus the usual Coot etc.
3 prs of Shoveler with the males now looking quite shabby, one female Pochard with a single duckling, and at one point 14 Greenfinches clinging onto to two feeders.
A single House Martin with a large group of Swifts and a few Swallows over the North Bank. A single male Blackcap was fly catching from a riverside Sycamore.
On a couple of occasions the Black Headed Gulls went into a mass frenzy mobbing something close to the reedbed, I expected a mink, but it was 3 half grown young gulls that emerged.
These half grown youngsters did'nt seem big enough to leave the nest, much bigger chicks still sat with their parents on the little islets, so perhaps they were flushed by a predator?.
A few Latticed Heath moths were around the meadow.
It's amazing that a site that has vandal proof fencing, three very secure gates with a very limited number of keys and bikers still get through! Someone has managed to form a trail from the bed to the base of Butchersfield tip, managing to avoid all the trees and bramble, through three foot high grass, hopefully we'll sort out where they got access.
Dave
Cheers David (with Dave Steel, Les Jones, Brian Baird, Al Warford, Jane Cullen and Paul Hazelhurst)
Cheers David
Cheers David
Cheers David
Cheers David
Cheers David
We then went to complete a breeding bird survey on No.2 bed, with the following all in song: Lesser Whitethroat 1, Reed Warbler 12, Blackcap 8, Whitethroat 4, Sedge Warbler 1, Willow Warbler 7,Chiffchaff 8, Reed Bunting 5, Wren 18, Chaffinch 13, Greenfinch 5 and Robin 6. The Peregrines had 3 well-grown young and Swallows looked to be nesting under the pier. After dropping everyone off at the Weir, I went back into No.3 bed for a lunch-time hour and had a Kingfisher under the footbridge, another pair of Black-necked Grebes with one young (in front of the Rotary Hide), the Red-crested Pochard again (which had re-located to be in front of the Morgan Hide) and a Hobby which rattled over the north bank and cut through the Swift flock.
Cheers David (with Dave Steel, Les Jones and Brian Baird)
-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Saturday 1st of June 2013 03:40:32 PM
The male Red-crested Pochard flew past the Morgan hide heading south at 3pm. Just after I entered that into the log book it was then present in front of the first screen, looking quite settled at 4pm.
Also:
1 Redshank
approx. 9 Black-necked Grebes
1 Buzzard
2 of the many Reed Warblers had silver rings on the right leg
Birds of note
Footbridge and main track to the hides...
1 female 2 male Blackcap
2 male Whitethroat
Chiffchaff
Willow Warbler
Rotary Hide...
4 Black Necked Grebes
2 male Reed Buntings
1 Buzzard
Frank Linley hide...
4 Sedge Warbler
3 Reed Warbler
Alot more heard
New Hide...
1 Arctic Tern showing very well and landed near the hide.
On the reserve as a whole...
Whitethroat, Blackcap, Chiffchaff and Willow Warbler virtually allover.
Only 3 Swallows seen on this visit, no other Hirundines or Swifts.
Not a single bird on any of the feeders, disappointing really as it could easily be transformed and attract many different species like the ones at Pennington, Leighton Moss and Martin Mere.
One other thing...a male Pheasant jumped out on us and with its loud call it scared the bloody life out of me and my mate right near the Rotary Hide. I won't repeat what he said.
Cheers David (along with Dave Steel, Les Jones, Al Warford and Simon Warford)
Our score for the day was 80 species, visiting as many sites from Eastham Locks-Salford Docks as we could, I'll email Alan the account of the days birding when complete to pass on to the Woolston Group
Cheers David
Cheers David
I've checked the official website, I used to have a permit back in the day (Wilsons Phal, RN Duck, etc those were the days) and shall apply for a permit again asap
Appreciate it's a bit last minute (!) for access tomorrow but if anyone has any details as to how I could arrange swift access to the site, please let me know
Many thanks
James Walsh
Salford Docklands Heritage and Nature Group
07931-649-021
Cheers David
Cheers
Jason
Weir Pool- not much apart from...
Gadwall
Grey Heron
Mallard
Shelduck pair
Swifts, Swallows, House and Sand Martins in abundance
Walked up the hill over the weir bridge and was watching a Whitethroat and a Chiffchaff at close range when a Hobby came steaming through towards the Hirundine masses. The Whitethroat suddenly went into alarm call mode.
Main reserve of note...
1 Water Rail
2 Black Necked Grebe
2 Little Ringed Plover (posted with permission)
5 Reed Bunting
2 Reed Warbler
1 Sedge Warbler
1 Yellow Wagtail
1 Greenshank
2 Redshank (male displaying)
10 Pochard
1 Buzzard seen many times. Same bird as it had what looked like a snapped feather sticking out of its wing.
Plenty of Whitethroat and Blackcap activity.
Further to John Williams observations...I also saw the same timid behaviour from the Gulls with regards to the harmless Hirundines. Quite comical really.
No 3 Bed
Masses of hirundines and Swifts over the pool. 1 Greenshank in front of the J.Morgan hide.
5 Little Ringed Plovers and 3 Ringed Plovers in front of the F.Linley hide, with a male Reed Bunting on the mud feeding amonst them too (If only I'd brought my camera!!)
7 Black Necked Grebes, 5 Great Created Grebes and 2 Little Grebes.
30+ Tufted Ducks including 12 males wooing a single female. 3 Shovelers, 12 Pochard and 12 Shelduck.
1 Cormorant and 2 Buzzards.
Singles of Reed and Sedge Warbler seen, although neither was in song, and there are probably many more warblers sitting out the pouring rain, hidden in the reeds.
For a brief instant I glimpsed an all white wing disappear into a clump of sedge, so there may well be a Med Gull amongst the mass of Black Heads.
One Black Headed Gull seemed very anxious about the black boomerangs zooming about in front of it, having not seen one for nearly a year, do the gulls forget Swifts are harmless?.
A large Fox foraging on the North bank caused mass anxiety and mobbing, with Canada Geese and gulls joining forces to intimidate it.
The fox just ignored them and carried on leaping about in pursuit of small rodents.
Ramsons, Butterbur, Lily of the Valley, White Dead Nettle and Cowslips in flower.
Cheers David
cheers
Dave
I was surprised to say the least. I was hoping you or somebody else might be ringing on No.1 and get them as they flew east.
Cheers
David
That is another Mega for the reserve this year, it is something like the third record, I think the last one was in the very early nineties!
Dave
Sedge Warbler 5, Reed Warbler 22, Chiffchaff 8, Willow Warbler 7, Whitethroat 16, Blackcap 21, Reed Bunting 10, Chaffinch 4, Dunnock 5, Wren 19, Great Tit 5, Song Thrush 5.
Cheers David (along with Dave Steel, Les Jones and Brian Baird)