03/08/2009 - Drake Garganey still present this morning on the first pool beyond the parking area.
I couldn't find any sandpipers but had an Oystercatcher fly over.
Thanks. Henry.

eclipse drake Garganey
Green Sand
Common Sand

info from Tony O'Mahony 16.42

anyone heard anything about a cuckoo in the area

Cheers Rob,

Knowing my luck at the moment

Steve

Park by the stables before the gates to the sewage farm, even if gates are open or you may get locked in!

Thinking of a visit here over next few evenings, so would be driving.

Whats the parking like ?

Cheers

I cycled here this aftrnoon, from Stockport, in the hope of Sedge or Reed Warbler. On arrival I discivered that I'd forgotten my binoculars. So, sightings are by naked eye only, and I heard little else in the gusting winds:

Swift - 3
Little Grebe - 1
Gadwall - pair
BH Gull -several
Whitethroat - 1
Reed Bunting - 1 singing
Chiffchaff - 2
Sand Martin - 12+
Pheasant - heard
Buzzard - 3

A few other common species arond too.

06.45 - 08.15, No sign of Garganey but plenty of other activity -

On the flooded field:-
1 Little Grebe
Canadas with 5 chicks
1 Greylag
1 Gadwall
Coot with 3 chicks
6 Mallard
4 Moorhen
Black headed Gulls

Round and about:-
Lots of Swallows
Sedge Warbler
Blackcap
Whitethroat
Song Thrush
Reed Bunting

-- Edited by sid ashton on Sunday 3rd of May 2009 08:40:32 AM

drake Garganey this morning (Tony O'Mahney)

Single Greylag goose among Canadas on pond at Altrincham Sewage works. Chatted briefly to resident of one of the cottages around the riding school. She told me they get Cuckoos every year.

Julian

Henry,thanks for typing that list,I was there a dinner time,I didn,t see half of the stuff
you found but my excuse is no time to dawdle,insect repellant is now a must.Historically this site has been a gold mine for rarity,s so keep on visiting.

cheers geoff

20/04/2009 - This looked like an excellent area for some of the scarcer migrants prone to visiting the mosses and quite possibly a rarity or two. There are few open areas of water but the largest lake beyond the main sewage tanks had plenty of stuff. Warblers dominanted amongst the birds seen, including:

1 Reed Warbler
1 Sedge Warbler
4 Common Whitethroats
4+ Willow Warblers
2 Chiffchaffs
6+ Blackcaps
1 Swallow
2 Reed Buntings
1 Oystercatcher
6 Gadwall
8 Coots (4 chicks)
1 Little Grebe
1 Greylag Goose
1 Buzzard
1 Kestrel
1 Sparrowhawk

Thanks. Henry.

1 Lesser Whitethroat
several Whitethroat
2 Reed Warbler

info from Tony O'Mahoney

CANADA GOOSE
GADWALL
MALLARD
PHEASANT
CORMORANT
MOORHEN
COOT
LAPWING
BLACK HEADED GULL
STOCK DOVE
WOOD PIGEON
COLLARED DOVE
SWALLOW
HOUSE MARTIN
PIED WAGTAIL
WREN
DUNNOCK
ROBIN
BLACKBIRD
SONG THRUSH
SEDGE WARBLER - Danewell Wood
REED WARBLER
BLACKCAP
WHITETHROAT
CHIFFCHAFF
WILLOW WARBLER
LONGTAILED TIT
GREAT TIT
JAY
MAGPIE
CROW
STARLING
HOUSE SPARROW
CHAFFINCH
GREENFINCH
GOLDFINCH
LINNET
BULLFINCH
YELLOWHAMMER
REED BUNTING

This thread suits it fine

Hi Vaughan
I often walk along Sinderland Brook and round by the sewage works, which I wouldn't exactly call Carrington Moss, so I often think of it as a seperate area. The problem is the moss is pretty big!!

Singing Reed Warbler this morning
2 Oystercatchers
Willow Warbler
Reed Bunting

Yesterday at 17.30
1 male Yellow Wagtail
1 Grey Wagtail
2 Pied Wagtail

20+ Swallow
5 House Martin
1 Sand Martin

1 Raven

1 Little Grebe

PS - Shouldn't this be part of the Carrington Moss thread???

-- Edited by Vaughan Evans on Friday 17th of April 2009 07:33:44 AM

Singing Whitehtroat and Reed Warbler this morning.
Several Willow Warblers, Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs also present.
Little Grebe 2
Gadwall pr
Shoveler 1f
Grey Heron 1
Mallard 8
BH Gull 2
Kestrel 1
Jay 1
Reed Bunting 2
Pied Wagtails collecting nest material.

Just one pair of Shoveler apparent this morning, 2 Little Grebe, 4 Moorhens, 2 Mallard and 8 Canadas. Seems strange to see these birds swimming around on this area that in recent years has been dry land.

Not in recent years. Shoveler has recently been added to the Rare Breeding Birds Panel list, which gives an indication of its staus in the UK. Like most duck, there are many more pairs about than we ever see broods!

Two male, two female shoveler on pool. Both males and females engaged in head bobbing displays. Are they known to breed here?

Quick visit during lunch,lots of birds flirting around,but of note 3 little grebe on the 1st
pool giving cracking close up views,once you get used to the fencing a chance to enjoy what on wigan flashes is a shy distant bird.

cheers geoff

2.30-3.30pm
On the pools;
20 Gadwall
12 Shoveler
9 Teal
With the donkeys;
2 Reed Buntings,
8 Meadow Pipits
...and 47 Pied Wagtails

plus usual...and a sparrowhawk!!!

Sounds like are definitely two in the county if this bird flew south and another present at Penny.
Your bird is presumerably the long staying bird which also likes Dunham Massey. Good find Declan.
Henry.

A Little Egret was on the large pool (where the road narrows to a track) when I arrived at 4.30pm today - it almost immediately flew off over the sewage works, seemed to be heading south - it was disturbed by 2 lads on motorbikes coming down the track. I tried to relocate it by driving back down the road but there was no sign. It had not returned to the pool by the time I left at 4.50pm. Interesting to see that Little Egret back at Pennington this pm - could this be same bird or are there 2 around?

Also on the pool were a Little Grebe, male Shoveler and few coot, moorhen and mallard.
There were loads of Pied Wagtails on the donkey fields - I counted 41 but there were probably more.
declan


sorry, just noticed Ian has started another post for same topic

-- Edited by declan savage at 17:34, 2009-02-25

Yes, Geoff the thought did occur to me when I was at Hope Carr for the Grey Phalarope last year that Alty Sewage works would probably have been similar to that - I guess they would have been of the same era.

Where can I spend my 40p on a copy of the 1974 bird report?

Sid A

Sid ,a visit to hope carr 'tanks' would help you visulise what the overgrown bits of the sewage works would have looked like in their heyday(I think'' ) .As for the history of the site i know little but there,s a nice piece in the 1974 bird report(price to non members 40p) by bill mulligan which will have you drooling.I,d take a horsefly bite or two to have seen a black grouse in gm.

golden days geoff

Geoff if you think the "aroma" is bad now you should go in June - August!! At the same time you had best take your brimmed hat with corks to ward off the blooming big biting flies that mass around there. I was bitten by something early on this year and it wan't too nice - the result of the bite that is. It didn't stop me going that way though on my way to Carrington Moss - just put on insect repellant and held my nose!!!! Lots of warbler down the path just past the tank farm.

I understand that the waders were more easily seen before the big sludge lagoons became overgrown when they were made redudant by the then new treatment plant.

Sid A

Or look through the rarer wader species listed on the systematic list on the manchesterbirding website, they're all on there

-- Edited by Ian McKerchar at 14:38, 2008-12-16

Little chance I'm afraid - changes in the way the treatment works are run, coupled with fences mea that there will be a lot less birds, and many will go unseen.

For anyone wondering what Henry is referring to, take a look at any old "Where to watch" or Cheshire book, Altrincham Sewage farm ranked second in the UK for wader passage.

Mind you, at that time Nightjar and (from memory) Black Grouse (?) were still numerous then!!

A good bird list there Geoff. So I presume access and views are a bit better now at the sewage works?
Can the site possibly get back to what i've heard it used to be; one of the best inland sites for rare waders etc in the NW?!
Thanks. Henry.

Major works are now complete, 1and 1/2 hour mooch this afternoon 15/12/08 top of woodcote road,very pleasant apart from the aroma.

100 b h gulls 4 moorhen
100 starling 6 magpie
10 crows 20 jackdaw (over)
100s wood pigeon(over and roosting)
6 blackbirds 1 song thrush
1 fieldfare 1 redwing
2 water rail(heard) blue/lt/great tits
4 bullfinch 2 yellowhammer
2 wren 3 dunnock
1 robin 2 reed bunting
1 kestrel 2 goldcrest(hard to find ont flashes)
20 pied wags (probly more but thats all that would line up on the fence at once)
both pools that i could see frozen over so no waterfowl .and i,m going to get in trouble for this but apart from the smell and the fences some very easy/rewarding birding.
cheers geoff

6 Yellow Wagtails there today (info thanks to Geoff McPherson). NB Major works on going there, so visit with care!