Late afternoon circuit of Pearsons Flash
Common Buzzard 1
Kestrel (f) 1
Sparrowhawk (m) 1 perched in a small tree near the sewage works
Lapwing 1 over heading north west
Great Crested Grebe 2
Cormorant 1
Reed Warbler 4 more heard
Sedge Warbler 2 more heard
Blackcap 3 plenty more heard
Jay 2
Bullfinch 2 (1m 1f)
Reed Bunting 9
Similar numbers of Swifts and Hirundines as yesterday though slightly less.
Hawkley feeding station. all the feeders have gone missing

Tea time visit
Bryn Marsh
Close up view of 6 juvenile Long tailed Tits all lined up huddled together on a single branch being fed by both overworked parents
brightened up my day big time
Pearsons Flash
Pretty much the same as John Williams post
big numbers of Sand and House Martins, Swifts, but only about 10 Swallows. Amazing to watch. Also,Great crested Grebe 4 and singles of Common Tern, Reed and Sedge Warblers, Reed Bunting

7.00 to 11.30 strangely calm early on then blustery,and a tadge damp

Hawkly Feeding Station
4/5 Reed Warbler showing very well
2 Reed Bunting showing off
2 Greylag,4 Canada,1 Kingfisher

Pearsons,Swifts,Swallows.House Martin,Sand Martins a plenty,
Scotmans 1 Cormorant,Some gulls2 Great Crested Grebe,1 Little Grebe
and despite best efforts I,ve not seen a Sedge Warbler (yet)

cheers geoff

-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Wednesday 16th of May 2012 11:19:04 PM

08.15-11.30

Pearsons

1pr GC Grebe, Huge numbers Swift, House & Sand Martin, smaller numbers

of Swallow, 3 Reed & 2 Sedge Warblers showing well by canal path.

Scotmans

Large numbers of Swifts, 2pr GC Grebe, 25 Mute Swans

Horrocks

13 Common Tern (8 on 1 small island) 100+ BH Gull, 2 Lapwing, 2prs

Greylags, 1 imm LBB Gull taking real grief from Black Heads.

Canal

3 broods of Canadas 1@8, 1@4 & 1 with just a single gosling.

Lots of activity at Horrocks Flash as usual this afternoon, nothing unexpected, but 7 Common Tern present

Early evening when the sun made a rare appearance.
Also singles of Pheasant(m),Moorhen,Jay,Willow Tit and at least 10 Great Tits.
Pearsons Flash- Common Buzzard 1, Herring Gull 1, Hirundine numbers well down from yesterday,Swift numbers up. Again a rough guess. Swift 80+,Swallow & House Martin 10+ each and Sand Martin 5+
Reed & Sedge Warbler heard singing briefly

-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Friday 11th of May 2012 02:25:34 AM

An hour visit at tea time with intermittent light showers
Scotmans Flash/Moss Bridge
Common Whitethroat 4
Reed Bunting 3
Chiffchaff 2 (more heard)
Common Tern 2
Great Crested Grebe 8
Lesser Black backed Gull 2
also heard Reed, Sedge and Willow Warblers but not Blackcap surprisingly.
Pearsons Flash and canal
Sedge Warbler 3
Reed Warbler 1 (at least 2 more heard)
Reed Bunting 6
House Sparrow 9 (flitting between the shrubs alongside the canal) don't see too many on the flashes away from the wellham road entrance
Grasshopper Warbler heard reeling faintly at the other end of the embankment
Finally, plenty of swifts and hirundines. a very rough guess at numbers
Swift 40+
Swallow 80+
House Martin 80+
Sand Martin 10+
then the rain got more heavy and persistent so called it a day

Horrocks Flash early doors,dinner and dusk,
The Hirundines put on a grand display all day but only a dozen swallows still flying at 20.30.
lots Reed Warbler and Reed Bunting
7 Pochard
4 Common tern in to roost amongst the gulls

cheers geoff

Cuckoo calling this morning on Ince Moss/Rainford's Tip
1 Grasshopper Warbler reeling
2 Shelduck over
pairs of Lesser Redpoll displaying in two locations, a pair feeding on Dandelion seed heads on Ince Moss meadows
3 Swift

Hirundines were the stars of the day, showing superbly as they mostly fed low over the water - c600 over Scotmans (where c400 House Martin were in the majority, with approx 200 Swallow); in contrast, of c400 hirundines over Pearson's, Swallows outnumbered House Martins by about 3:1. Only about 50 Sand Martins in total on both waters.
As per Paul Burke's recent post, up to about 80 Swallows were landing in reeds on an island at Pearson's, a few Sand Martins also perched up. At Horrocks a Swallow landed in an Alder close to me and started singing, where it was soon joined by another 8 Swallows and a Sand Martin - as they preened they were close enough to see that none had any metal rings on their legs.

plenty of activity among the Black-Headed Gulls at Horrocks, but no Terns seen at all and 1 Lapwing there was the only wader all morning

Another quiet Pearsons Flash at 5pm, apart from 100+ House Martins and a few Swallows hawking over the water and 80+ Swallows resting perched in the reeds next to the embankment.
On the water itself
Mallard 6
Coot 6-8
Great Crested Grebe 4
Tufted Duck 10+ and that was it.
Came back about 7ish and it was even quieter

Peregrine circling high over Pearson's late afternoon, before gliding rapidly south; Cetti's Warbler singing Hawkley reedbed; 2 Jay at feeding station; 2 Swift Scotman's

Late afternoon. Cetti's Warbler heard very close to the feeding station. Female Sparrowhawk close to the Rosley Road entrance. Reed Warbler and Common Whitethroat next to Moss Bridge. 2 Common Buzzards and a male Kestrel over the landfill area. Close up view of a Willow Warbler with nesting material. Also my first Swifts of the year(10+) and swarms of House Martins, they seemed to be everywhere. Plenty of singing Blackcap,Willow Warbler,Chiffchaff, Reed Bunting etc

Tuesday 01 May 2012

a Garden Warbler was singing across the canal from Bryn Marsh, early afternoon.

Quick half hour before the football. Willow Tit 3 seen 2 more heard right next to the croc at the south wesstern corner of scotmans flash. 2 active cormorants on westwood flash. Treecreeper heard next to Westwood Lock. Grasshopper Warbler heard reeling between the pylon and the sewage works and also singles of Reed and Sedge Warblers. Still no swifts though

Horrocks Flash early a.m. before the deluge
all residents as normal,
1 common tern
quite a few Black-headed gulls
2 House Martin
60-70 Swallows ,dropped in to brighten up a damp morning

cheers geoff

Morning stroll after visiting my daughter.
Straight out of the car to a singing Blackcap.
Next up were Reed Buntings, lost count after 7.
Then a Whitethroat at the corner of Scotmans and the bridge over the canal.
From there crossed the canal to see if the Terns are about, when I heard my first ever Grasshopper Warbler, this being 9-30am. It was accross the canal between Bryn Marsh and Scotmans, so back to the bridge and back along the other side for a closer view. Of course it had gone.
Decided to wander through the wooded area and ended up back at Scotmans and heard a Segde Warbler.
Not a bad little foray on foreign turf.

2 Swift Scotman's late afternoon

No Terns or Little Gulls seen on a brief visit to Scotman's at lunchtime; 10 Great Crested Grebe, 1 Common Tern and 50+ House Martin there late afternoon

-- Edited by dave broome on Wednesday 25th of April 2012 08:37:41 PM

farmland in the vicinity of Bryn Marsh this morning - pair of Grey Partridge, Yellowhammer, Grasshopper Warbler reeling

1 Common tern on scotsmans flash 8am this morning. perched on yellow buoy in NE corner. also from embankment at north end of scotsmans. : whitethroat, blackcap, willow warbler, chiffchaff + bullfinch. not bad for 10 min birding.!

2 very vocal Common Terns to-ing and fro-ing between Scotmans and Pearsons Flashes tonight about 8ish. Also hunting Kestrel, abundant Swallow &House Martin and no Goldeneye. And an eye and mouthful of bloody midges

Sunday 22nd: 2 Common Tern Scotman's in evening, c150 Sand Martin

today: Greylag brood on Scotman's, 2 Oystercatcher and 2 Goldeneye Pearson's, 2 Whitethroat north end of Scotman's

Sunday 22nd April 12.30
Cetti's Warbler heard and briefly seen near Carr Lane entrance
Also 2 Reed Warblers, Whitethroat - Moss Bridge

Horrocks Flash,early doors
usual residents,of note
2 Black-tailed Godwit
1 Great Black-backed gull
2 Lesser Black-backed gull
100,s of Black-headed gull,the colony is in full swing
1 Common Tern
1 brood of Mallard 5 ducklings on the canal

cheers geoff

Pearsons Flash-late afternoon/early evening
Goldeneye 9
Common Buzzard 4 (3 up together over the landfill area and 1 over towards the sewage works)
Kestrel 1
Oystercatcher 2
Ringed Plover 1
plus all the usuals
In the woods next to Westwood Lock- a pair of Treecreepers, one of them within 10 feet away great to watch
Lots of singing Blackcap, Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Song Thrush etc

Pearsons Flash- tea time visit
Common Buzzard 2 (a pair hunting together over the landfill area. One of them was soaring with dangling legs, constantly)
Great Crested Grebe 4
Ringed Plover 1
Plus the usual Coot,Teal,Gadwall etc
Came back before last light
Goldeneye 10
Kestrel 2
Jay 1
Reed Bunting 1
Cetti's Warbler heard near Moss Bridge

Common Whitethroat and Reed Warbler heard singing at Moss Bridge late afternoon.
Only things of note on a quiet Pearsons Flash were 8 Goldeneye and 2 Little Ringed Plover

Early evening visit to Pearsons Flash
Goldeneye 9
Great Crested Grebe 2
Grey Heron 2
Kestrel 2
Oystercatcher 1
Ringed Plover 3
Jay 1 (very vocal and having a bit of a kick off with a Magpie)
Reed Bunting 2
Plenty of Swallows,Sand Martins and a few House Martins
also Cetti's Warbler heard singing briefly in Hawkley reed bed. No sighting,obviously

5 Goldeneye on Scotman's late afternoon

Tea time visit to a very quiet and windless Pearsons Flash. Even the Black headed Gulls seemed to be whispering
Kestrel 1
Common Buzzard 1
Lapwing 2
Black headed Gull 60+
Lesser Black backed Gull 3 (the long staying pair, then a 3rd adult landed briefly then got chased off)
Willow Warbler 1(probably the same bird i heard yesterday)
big numbers of Sand Martin, a few Swallow and my first two House Martins of the year

Scotman's today: 86 Lesser Black-Backed Gull, 10 Herring Gull early a.m. plus 3 Shelduck low south
this evening 3 Swallow and 2 House Martin among 200+ Sand Martin, 5 Goldeneye

With Ian Peters, arrived 9.30 searching for Cetti's Warbler at Hawkley, heard call then saw one bird clearly National tick for me, then a 2nd bird appeared following the 1st one, they looked very happy together. Also Garden Warbler singing and a Common Tern on a bouy on Scotman's, plus all the other usuals for here.
Cheers Ian

Arrived here at 11.30 and headed straight for the screen at Hawkley and strolled round that area for about 40 mins with no hint of the Cetti's Warbler.

After a "pie break" we decided to walk over to Pearsons Flash and at 12.30 just 40yds short of the canal bridge we heard a strong Cetti's song burst just on the Hawkley side of the path just before we reached a little bench.
We walked on and headed east along the canal towpath some 50 yds and set up the 'scope at a promising vantage point and so got a decent bearing on where the bird probably was, as it was singing every minute or so. I quickly spotted it in a willow and was able to 'scope it up and we watched it for a good 5 minutes at about 50 yds away at x 60. It constantly waved its cocked tail jerkily from side to side and rummaged about quite unconcerned. (I think because we kept a good distance from it).

Probably the highlight of a good day.

-Nice to meet Peter Riley earlier on.



-

Tea time visit to Westwood and Pearsons Flashes
Treecreeper 1 (in the woods on the north side of westwood flash, i heard it calling incessantly then a few minutes later i spotted it. I watched it for a minute or so, then heard another one singing behind me but never caught a sighting. Only the second time i've seen one at the flashes)
Pearsons Flash
Goldeneye 12
Grey Heron 2
Lapwing 1
Ringed Plover 1
Herring Gull 3 over
Sand Martin 50+ (no House Martins yet)
Willow Warbler heard singing at the end of the embankment near the pylon but not seen

Had a quick look at pearsons from embankment before work.: 2 Willow warbler . 2 Chiffchaff along westwood drive. Kingfisher in tall reeds. 7 Great crested grebe. Reed bunting. Gadwall. Teal. Tufted duck. 2 very noisy Greylag geese.! Mistle thrush seeing off a magpie. 4 Jay. Water levels risen so mud almost all covered.

A quickfire ten minutes from the embankment at Pearsons Flash about 4ish before my belated visit to Lightshaw. Very quiet again,almost the same as yesterday but with Oystercatcher instead of Ringed Plover, and without Goldeneye and Common Buzzard

Late afternoon tour around Pearsons, Turners and Horrocks Flashes.
Pearsons Flash- Water levels are up, still some exposed mud
Goldeneye 15 (11 f 4m)
Grey Heron 1
Common Buzzard 2 (both together high above Westwood Way)
Lapwing 4
Black tailed Godwit 1 (not the full summer plumaged individual)
Ringed Plover 1
Black headed Gull 40+
Common Gull 4
Lesser Black backed Gull 3
plus all the usuals
Turners Flash
Great Crested Grebe 2
Black headed Gull 50+ very noisy indeed
Horrocks Flash- a full muddy circuit
Shoveler 6 (5m 1f)
Great Crested Grebe 4
Cormorant 3
Kestrel(m) 1
Lapwing 6
Oystercatcher 1
Black headed Gull 300-400 at least. again, very raucous
Lesser Black backed Gull 2 ( looked paired up, and briefly displayed)
plus all the usuals

Two black tailed godwits still present at 9 am

8/4/12

2 Little Ringed Plovers and 3 Black-tailed Godwits on Pearsons Flash this morning. 2 Curlews, 3 Swallows and a Buzzard over. Plenty of singing Chiffchaffs and a couple each of Blackcap and Willow Warbler round the back of Turners..

Horrocks Flash,few visits fri,sat,sun
usual residents present and correct
little of note,
1 colour ringed coot was the highlight,and 1 fisherperson confidently i.d. a pair of crested tits.

cheers geoff

-- Edited by Geoff Hargreaves on Monday 9th of April 2012 09:21:10 PM

Afternoon visit today 1400-1700

Hawkley feeding station area - Cetti's Warbler heard singing and seen in a hawthorn near the school.

Other sightings

15+ Chiffchaff
4+ Blackcap
1 Willow Warbler singing near Horrocks

1 Curlew flew over Scotsmans calling for about five minutes and then it disappeared
2 Black Tailed Godwit - Pearsons
2 Little Ringed Plover - seen flying in from height, new arrivals?


-- Edited by Karen Foulkes on Saturday 7th of April 2012 07:43:58 PM

Friday 6th, a wander of most of the Flashes area, 64 species included:
Gadwall 11
Grey Partridge 1
Pheasant 9
Water Rail 1 in 'song'
Black-Tailed Godwit 2 Pearson's
Mediterranean Gull 1 Horrocks Flash (second calendar year/first summer bird)
Stock Dove 4
Sand Martin 5
Swallow 1
Meadow Pipit 13 north
Wren 32 singing
Robin 23 singing
Song Thrush 2 singing
Cetti's Warbler, singing at Hawkley Reedbed
Blackcap 7 singing
Chiffchaff 21 singing
Willow Warbler 3 singing
Long-Tailed Tit 12
Blue Tit 23
Great Tit 13 pairs and/or singing birds
Chaffinch 7 singing

Tea time visit to Pearsons Flash
Goldeneye 23
Grey Heron 1
Common Buzzard 1 briefly hovering
Lapwing 2
Black tailed Godwit 1
Ringed Plover 1
Cormorant 2
Black headed Gull 80+
Lesser Black backed Gull 2
Pheasant(f) 1
Sand Martin 20+
Swallow 2 my first of the year
Reed Bunting 2
Just as i was leaving and the rain started, a female Sparrowhawk flew in very low and fast over the water and sent everything up in the air. It failed to take a Sand Martin and disappeared over towards Westwood Way

Horrocks flash 19.30 till 21.00 ish
the residents all present and correct,I,m on a new tack this year and trying to do a bit more watching than walking
4 snipe flying around
1 great crested grebe calling to attract a mate
1 kingfisher
50ish sand martin flew in as a tight flock and dropped straight in to roost
1 grey partridge calling
1 water rail calling 2 pochard dropped in at dusk
12 tufted in various groups involved in some frantic display/courtship
2 little grebe also courting (a first for me)
20 coot,surprisingly at least 10 took to the air and flew off towards the ski jet lake (all independantly)
and bless them the black-headed gulls had all departed to roost,

cheers geoff

Pearsons Flash 2 visits. 1st visit 17.00-17.30 pretty quiet
Lapwing 8 some displaying
Black tailed Godwit 1
Sparrowhawk(f) 1
Reed Bunting 2
plus the usual Pochard,Gadwall,Great crested Grebe etc
2nd visit 19.00-19.30
Goldeneye 24
Common Buzzard 1
Kestrel 1
Ringed Plover 2

Pearsons Flash late afternoon and early evening
Goldeneye 9
Common Buzzard 1
Lapwing 5
Ringed Plover 3
Oystercatcher 2
Black tailed Godwit 2
Common Snipe 1
Sand Martin 40+
Hawkley Reedbed/Feeding Station
heard the Cetti's Warbler 3 times in 10 minutes very close to the viewing screen. Eventually saw a fleeting glimpse which may or may not have been the Cetti's. So it remains unticked( i need at least a couple of seconds to identify it positively )

Pearsons Flash 16.00-17.00
Goldeneye 13
Cormorant 1 over
Grey Heron 1
Common Buzzard 1
Kestrel 3(male & female hunting near the sewage works and 1 hovering over the landfill site)
Lapwing 2
Black tailed Godwit 2
Ringed Plover 2
Oystercatcher 1
Black headed Gull 50+
Common Gull 6
Lesser Black backed Gull 3
Stock Dove 1 over
Sand Martin 10+
Mistle Thrush 2
also nice to meet Dave Broome. I wish i could have stopped longer, i'm sure we'll meet again soon mate

An hour early afternoon before the football
Pearsons Flash
Black tailed Godwit 3
Ringed Plover 2
Lapwing 9(very territorial and feisty, the godwits,ringed plovers and even a grey heron were constantly harassed)
Grey Heron 1
Black headed Gull 100+
Common Gull 15+

Pearsons Flash tea time
Lapwing 7
Black tailed Godwit 3 (getting hassled by the Lapwings)
Dunlin 9
Common Snipe 1
Ringed Plover 1
Common Gull 3
Herring Gull 1
Lesser Black backed Gull 2
also Cetti"s Warbler heard briefly at the feeding station (one day...)

This AM
Blackcap in song at Wigan Rovers ground
Black Tailed Godwit still on Pearsons

Jimmy