Black-headed Gulls - around 30-40 No other Gull species seen Pied Wagtail - 1
Lots of Waterfowl, some too many to count Mute Swan - 11 Canada Goose - around 40-50 Tufted Duck - around 80, probably more Mallard - lots Coot - lots some Great Crested Grebe about too!
phillipskelly said
Thu Jan 29 5:14 PM, 2015
From 2 - 4pm
Main lake -
Mute swan 23
Gadwall 3
Tufted duck 32
Little grebe 4
Goosander 2
Gt. Crested grebe 5
Cormorant 7
(2 showing white courtship patches at rear )
Pied wagtail 3
Grey wagtail 1
Black headed gull c200
Common gull 28
Lesser black back gull 2
Broad ees dole -
Snipe 9
Grey heron 5
Teal 17
Grey wagtail 1
Goosander 2
Pied wagtail 1
Mike Savage said
Mon Jan 26 3:13 PM, 2015
Just been told someone is pretty sure they saw a Little Egret Sunday morning on the inflow channel - the same one seen at Urmston Meadows and Stockport Mersey?
Mike
Rob Creek said
Fri Jan 23 6:28 PM, 2015
This afternoon 2.30 - 3.15pm tacho break
Very busy bird-wise around the main car park area.
Of note... Black-headed Gulls - easily well over 200 Common Gulls - approx 10 Lesser Black-backed Gull - 2 patrolling round and chasing Black-headed's. Pied Wagtail - 3 Plenty of Corvids - Carrion Crows, Magpies Lots of Waterfowl including... Mute Swan - at least 22 Canada Goose - around 40 Tufted Duck - everywhere, around 50-60 Mallard - lots around Gadwall - around 10-15 Goosander - 1 pair together Coot - estimate around 50 Moorhen - 2 Cormorant - 1 diving / fishing Great Crested Grebe - 2 ...again constantly diving
If it's of interest, one of the Black-headed Gulls near my wagon had a small metal ring on its right leg and a bright blue Darvic ring on its left leg (assuming Darvic is named after the plastic type?) with the number '2C20'. A quick check and the blue darvic and the 4 digit code beginning with 2 would indicate a Kane Brides ringing. Thanks for your reply the other day Ian regarding the other Black-headed Gull with ring no. 2C19 which was another of Kane's, hope these details are of good use. Cheers Rob
phillipskelly said
Mon Jan 19 7:25 PM, 2015
Inflow channel -
Grey Heron 1 . Main lake - Goldeneye 3. Mute Swan 27. Tufted Duck 22. Common Gull 38.
Black Headed Gull c200. Lesser Black Gull 12.
Gadwall 3.
Gt.Crested Grebe 3.
Long Tailed Tit(flock ) c20.
Grey Wagtail 3. Broad Ees Dole - 95% frozen .
Teal 44.
Pied Wagtail 1.
Moorhen 2.
R. Mersey -
Pied Wagtail 3. Grey Wagtail 2.
Rob Creek said
Fri Jan 16 5:17 PM, 2015
This afternoon 2.30 - 3.15pm
Black-headed Gulls - well over 100 Common Gulls - approx 10-15 1 Juvenile Gull flying amongst the group... Couldn't tell if it was a Herring or Lesser Black-backed but I'd probably opt for LB-b seeing as though I sometimes see LB-b's here and not usually Herring. Pied Wagtail - 2 (1 with a faint yellow tint to it so possibly last yrs young?) Cormorant - 1 constantly diving near the banking opposite car park
Lots of Usuals around including... Mute Swan Canada Goose Tufted Duck Coot Mallard
...and yet again another fool letting their dog run towards the mass gathering of birds. This time though the dog was on a lead with the owner pretending to run at them with the dog, getting a kick out of putting up the birds. If he could see himself on CCTV he would be embarassed watching himself prancing around, and there is CCTV there!
Steve Scrimgeour said
Fri Jan 16 2:17 PM, 2015
10 Wigeon reported to be on Marsh this afternoon...
Shannon Llewellyn said
Mon Jan 12 1:51 PM, 2015
Hi,
Yes, it's clearly not safe; the right hand side of it has now almost subsided into the water. I also appreciate just how much work must go into maintaining these habitats, and as someone who uses and enjoys these sites quite a lot, would just like to express my thanks to those who're willing to put their time and effort in.
Mike Savage wrote:
Hi - sadly the platform was deemed unsafe (rot in supports and the decking was lethally slippy) so was closed off and will be removed at some point. It's not likely we will be able to re-create it but we will be looking to improve the management of that marsh (it once had 9-spined stickleback, we don't know if any survive). We will look at what can be installed in the way of screens or viewing points...suggestions via PM welcome!
Mike
Mike Savage said
Mon Jan 12 9:45 AM, 2015
Hi - sadly the platform was deemed unsafe (rot in supports and the decking was lethally slippy) so was closed off and will be removed at some point. It's not likely we will be able to re-create it but we will be looking to improve the management of that marsh (it once had 9-spined stickleback, we don't know if any survive). We will look at what can be installed in the way of screens or viewing points...suggestions via PM welcome!
Mike
Shannon Llewellyn wrote:
On the wetland area just below the visitor centre (wish they'd fix the little viewing platform that juts into that habitat):
-- Edited by Shannon Llewellyn on Sunday 11th of January 2015 07:56:10 PM
Joel Tragen said
Sun Jan 11 9:56 PM, 2015
I had a quick walk around and visited the hide. The main lake produced: 3m+3f gadwall 19 tufted ducks 22 mute swans 4 Canada geese Less Black-headed gulls than expected 6 common gulls 1 great crested grebe 6 little grebe 9 mallard 37 coot 2 moorhen Broad ees dole: 4 moorhen 5 grey heron 7m+5f goosanders 4 Canada geese
Shannon Llewellyn said
Sun Jan 11 7:55 PM, 2015
On the wetland area just below the visitor centre (wish they'd fix the little viewing platform that juts into that habitat): 1 grey heron 4 teal
On and around the main lake itself: 19 long-tailed tit 2 pied wagtail 1 great crested grebe 1 little grebe 6 gadwall (3 male, 3 female) 3 female goldeneye 2 cormorants c20 mute swan c50 coot c15 moorhen c40 tufted duck 40+ Canada geese c20 mallard 200+ black-headed gulls At least 5 (and undoubtedly more) common gulls amongst them
On Broad Ees Dole: Roughly 20 teal 4 grey heron 4 tufted duck 2 shoveler 5 moorhen
-- Edited by Shannon Llewellyn on Sunday 11th of January 2015 07:56:10 PM
Rob Creek said
Sat Jan 10 2:19 PM, 2015
A lot of people don't understand the physics behind energy conservation in various species. They roost for a reason, to save energy. The same principles apply as to why a lot of wild species will take free food and they don't have to expend a lot of energy foraging for it.
Doc Brewster said
Sat Jan 10 10:06 AM, 2015
Totally agree that flocks of birds seem to attract the worst sort of dog owners (& there are some great owners about too to be fair). On the Wirral coast the large roosts of waders just seem to be a magnet for owners who get pleasure in seeing everything take to the air as they encourage their dogs through the flock
A word to tell them that the birds are roosting in winter to conserve precious energy and that by using it up they could die just falls on deaf ears if you're lucky, or ends in a tirade of verbal abuse if you're not
Rob Creek said
Fri Jan 9 7:50 PM, 2015
A tacho break this afternoon looking out from the main car park across the lake.
Black-headed Gull - 150+ with ease
I counted up to 130 with lots more to go before some bright sparks let their little dogs off the lead and charge at the whole gathering of birds (including Wildfowl not just Gulls) on the front of the lake. Why does this irresponsible Dog ownership kick in where birds gather?
Other birds of note before being disturbed... Common Gull - 2 or 3 1st Winter birds around Surprisingly no other Gull species seen in this area Mute Swan - approx 20 Canada Goose - approx 40-50 Mallard, Coot, Tufted Duck - all uncountable Goldfinch - approx 10-15 flighty around car park Pied Wagtail - 1 Goosander - 1 took flight from right side of lake and headed over the trees, seemed to relocate towards the hide area
Pete Hines said
Tue Jan 6 9:30 PM, 2015
Yes Joel, Goosander roost on Broad Ees Dole
Joel Tragen said
Sun Jan 4 5:40 PM, 2015
Went to the ark cafe for lunch and went round to the hide. On the main lake A group of 5 little grebe 2 great crested grebe (one of them caught a pretty big fish and struggle for about 5 minutes to swallow it) 7 tufted ducks 17 mallards 19 Canada geese 37 coots 11 moorhen 2 mute swans 4 herring gulls Lots of black-headed gulls Broad ees dole 6 teal 2 moorhen 3 grey herons 6 magpie And when I left at 16:06 there were 8 goosanders 5m+3f swimming around(do they roost here?)
Colin Nicholls said
Sun Dec 28 10:16 PM, 2014
Quick visit to frosty Broad Ees around 10:30-ish this am...
visitor centre.. 1 great spotted woodpecker, 1 jay, 2 song thrush.
main lake... 8 mute swan, 1 goosander, 16 tufted duck, 6 gadwall, 3 great crested grebe, 5 little grebe, 1 grey wagtail.
broad ees dole... 37 teal, 1 grey heron, 2 common snipe, 1 chiffchaff.
James Walsh said
Sat Dec 13 9:03 PM, 2014
2 Goldeneye 6 Gadwall c50 Teal 1 Goosander 16 Tufted Duck 4 Snipe 3 Great Crested Grebe 4 Little Grebe 1 Fox
Rob Creek said
Thu Dec 4 2:23 PM, 2014
Currently around the reservoir...
Black-headed Gull - can't put a figure on it but more (or so it seems) than Friday. Common Gull - 7 picked out (could be more) Lesser Black-backed Gulls - a few flying towards the buoys and a few more already in that area. Little Grebe - 3 Great Crested Grebe - 2 Pied Wagtail - 1 Tufted Duck - seen at least 8 House Sparrow - 1
Plenty of usuals... Mute Swan, Canada Goose, Mallard, Coot, Magpie
Rob Creek said
Fri Nov 28 6:25 PM, 2014
Tacho break this afternoon.
Of note... rough estimate of 200 Black-headed Gulls (lost count at 140 and still lots around) A few Lesser Black-backed Gulls over near the buoys 5 Common Gulls see below 10+ Tufted Duck 3 Grey Wagtails together around the car park and res edge 1 Pied Wagtail 1 Little Grebe Plenty of Usuals...Mute Swan, Canada Goose, Mallard, Coot
Bit of interesting behaviour noted... Firstly the Common Gulls seemed to be displaying to each other, calling in tandem with necks stretched up and making themselves look larger, then they suddenly turned and were very aggressive towards each other, fighting and tussling with their bills violently. Then 2 of them looked like they were in mating positions...but I thought it's probably submissive behaviour to reduce risk of a fight but it didn't work if it was. 2x 1st Winter birds present taking in most of the action and not really making an effort to fight.
Secondly looking at some of the Coot's around the little islands looking out from the main car park, 3 of them were accompanied by their own Black-headed Gull, and it seems the Gull in each case was trying to look for any scraps when the Coots resurfaced from a dive. Couldn't tell if they got anything, although a few times the Gulls were seen off by each Coot.
-- Edited by Rob Creek on Saturday 29th of November 2014 08:50:17 AM
Rob Creek said
Tue Nov 25 6:45 PM, 2014
Apologies... Late post for Friday 21/11/14 on pm tacho break.
1 Grey Wagtail 1 Pied Wagtail 1 Common Gull Around 80 Black-headed Gulls 1 Juvenile what I think was a Lesser Black-backed Gull A few Great Crested Grebe Canada Geese - lost count at 60 Usuals including Mute Swans, Mallard, Tufted Duck, Coot and Moorhen
Paul Wilkins said
Tue Nov 25 3:45 PM, 2014
Main Lake
Black-headed Gull (in numbers) Moorhen (5) Common Gull (20+) Lesser Black-backed Gull (2) Mallard (18 - but I probably missed some) Mute Swan (10+) Coot (15 - far fewer than I expect but it seems they're all at Chorlton Water Park (see post) Great-crested Grebe (1) Cormorant (3) Canada Goose (I didn't count them) Gadwall (3) Tufted Duck (7) Dabchick (1)
Broad Ees Dole
Very, very quiet I saw only:
Cormorant (3 in the pylon) Teal (2) Moorhen (3)
steven burke said
Sun Nov 9 8:49 PM, 2014
2.15-4.30pm
main lake... 2 great crested grebe, 4 little grebe, 3 tufted duck, 2 gadwall.
old car park... 2 redwing, 1 song thrush, 1 goldcrest.
broad ees dole... 19 teal, 2 grey heron, 2 snipe, 2 little grebe, 3 pied wagtail, 1 grey wagtail, 28 goosander, 1 reed bunting, 2 jay, 35 redwing over, small starling flock 150-200 came over & went straight into the reeds.
steven burke said
Wed Nov 5 7:55 PM, 2014
3.45-5pm
around sale water park tram stop... long tailed, great & blue tit flock with 1 goldcrest & 3 chaffinch.
main lake... 6 mute swan, 3 great crested grebe, 6 little grebe, 2 pied wagtail, 80+ black headed gull, 5 common gull, 6 lesser black backed gull, 2 cormorant, 3 redwing.
broad ees dole... 7 common snipe, 1 kingfisher, 18 teal, 14 goosander, 4 little grebe.
had a little chat with a lady, joan (sorry love I forgot you're surname) nice to meet you, she was telling me that there is around 20 ringed necked parakeets now around chorlton w p & golf course.
steven burke said
Tue Nov 4 9:15 PM, 2014
4-5.15pm
visitor centre... 2 chaffinch, 1 goldcrest.
main lake... 2 great crested grebe, 5 little grebe, 6 mute swan, 2 gadwall, 1 pied wagtail, 1 grey wagtail.
broad ees dole... 1 water rail, first heard then seen along the edge of the reeds on the pool next to the main broad ees dole pool, a first sighting here for me, i have heard them on numerous occasions over the years 1 common snipe, 1 grey heron, 16 goosander, 8 teal, 1 kingfisher, hundreds of jackdaws going to roost, also 1 what looked like a mandarin, the light had faded & was struggling as it was near the far island (bins only) I see simon gough had 2 on 10th oct.
Colin Nicholls said
Mon Nov 3 8:32 PM, 2014
10:15 - 10:45, Broad Ees...
5 Moorhen 4 Little Grebe 1 Grey Heron 1 Jay 1 Wren 2 Goldfinch (but heard several more) 3 Teal (chased by sparrowhawk) 1 Sparrowhawk (chased by magpie) 3 Magpie (chased by sparrowhawk) 1 Buzzard (chased by crow) 2 Carrion Crow 1 Kestrel 1 Bullfinch (but heard at least 2 more) 9 Long Tailed Tit 3 Blue Tit 3 Reed Bunting
-- Edited by James Walsh on Friday 31st of October 2014 10:03:08 AM
James Walsh said
Thu Oct 30 10:54 AM, 2014
Chiffchaff seen @ 8am & 8:30am in the bushes around the big poplars on the north-east shore of the lake
-- Edited by James Walsh on Thursday 30th of October 2014 06:55:50 PM
Colin Nicholls said
Wed Oct 29 9:54 PM, 2014
Broad Ees from the hide...
1 Kingfisher 3 Teal 3 Moorhen 2 Little Grebe 1 Sparrowhawk (oddly, flew back & forth low over the water about 5 times without any real intent before being chased off by magpies) 1 Kestrel 1 Carrion Crow 3 Grey Heron 1 Wren 5 Long Tailed Tits
Several Magpies... but over the adjacent pond I saw 2 set upon another which decided to undertake a bizarre evasive manoeuvre - by diving into the water! It looked utterly bemused for a moment while the other 2 retired to the sidelines to view the outcome. The bird splashed around for awhile in an effort to take off and seemed destined to drown before finding an inner steely resolve & dog-paddled inelegantly to the reeds out of sight so I'll presume it got out okay. Magpies, eh...
James Walsh said
Wed Oct 29 10:19 AM, 2014
A super-flock of passerines around the Visitor Centre Marsh containing up to 12 species, including 1-2 Willow Tits, 1 female/immature Blackcap, up to 10 Goldcrests, Treecreeper, Nuthatch and Great Spotted Woodpecker, no sign of the Chiffchaff during 2 hour search, but the flock is fast moving, dispersive and wide-ranging so it could be about
JamieDunning said
Tue Oct 28 4:36 PM, 2014
Just logged in to note a large brownish type chiffchaff seen this afternoon on the track beyond visitors centre. On morphology alone I wouldn't like to guess at a Spp. & I didn't hear it call.
Weirdly it looks like I've been beaten to it.
James Walsh said
Tue Oct 28 3:56 PM, 2014
A Chiffchaff seen 4 times along the lane between Visitor Centre Marsh & lake at 10:50am, heard to call twice, a Bullfinch-like one note call
Just been listening to calls on xeno canto tristis seems to match
Seemed to be with a large flock of Long-tailed, Blue & Great Tits, 1 Treecreeper & 3 Goldcrest
-- Edited by James Walsh on Tuesday 28th of October 2014 03:59:37 PM
Robert Farmer said
Mon Oct 27 10:50 PM, 2014
We had a walk round SWP and along the Mersey this afternoon too.
Feral pigeon Wood pigeon Mute Swan Long Tailed Tit Moorhen Coot Cormorant (at least 3) Herons (5 or 6) Buzzards (3) Kestrel (2) Sparrowhawk Magpie Jay (2) Canada Goose Mallard Teal Gadwall Shoveler (2) Little Grebe Great Crested Grebe Herring Gull Lesser Black Backed Gull Black Headed Gull Carrion Crow Blackbird Goosander (2 on Mersey) Kingfisher (on rail in front of hide) Starlings Jack Snipe (at base of reeds on the pool next to Broad Ees Dole - to the left as you stand on the bridge)
-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Tuesday 28th of October 2014 06:58:00 AM
James Walsh said
Mon Oct 27 4:42 PM, 2014
2 Shoveler 2 Gadwall 12 Teal 4 Little Grebe 1 Great Crested Grebe c10 Goldcrest
I'd be interested to hear how you got to that identification, I've been comparing my notes with the essay on this subject in the latter part of Frontiers of Bird Identification the J Sharrock, have you seen it?
Simon Gough said
Mon Oct 13 11:33 PM, 2014
Zoe Barrett wrote:
There was also 1 Snipe at Broad Ees 2 Kingfishers at Chorlton WP
Nice to meet you both at the Lakeside hide yesterday.
Great to meet you too. Seeing rare and unusual ducks would have been a distraction...
James Walsh said
Mon Oct 13 11:11 PM, 2014
After a week of pretty thorough observations, research, looking at photos and film, it looks like the duck at Sale Water Park is a Blue-winged Teal x Shoveler hybrid
It's been a journey getting to this stage - a very educational situation
Thanks to all the birders who sent comments, film and photos
-- Edited by James Walsh on Monday 13th of October 2014 11:17:42 PM
James Walsh said
Mon Oct 13 8:49 PM, 2014
Teal sp again present from 5pm
14 Goosander 6 Shoveler 25 Teal 5 Little Grebe
Colin Nicholls said
Mon Oct 13 8:32 PM, 2014
Nice to meet you too, Zoe.
It's good to have someone around to chat with when you can't see anything coz of a Hammer horror pea-souper!
Looks like you had a great day as well...
Zoe Barrett said
Mon Oct 13 4:50 PM, 2014
There was also 1 Snipe at Broad Ees 2 Kingfishers at Chorlton WP
Nice to meet you both at the Lakeside hide yesterday.
Zoe Barrett said
Mon Oct 13 4:48 PM, 2014
At Sale WP and Broad Ees Dole in the morning on Sun 12th Oct. It was very misty
No Garganey sadly but other birds seen/heard:
5 Teal 2 Jays 1 sparrowhawk 1 Kingfisher 5 Little grebe Lots of Long-tailed tits 2-3 Bullfinch
Sale WP:
2 Great crested grebe 2 Grey wagtail 2 Pied wagtail
In Chorlton Ees towards dusk:
Water rail heard 50 Pink-footed geese flying east 2 Great spotted woodpecker 2-3 Reed bunting
Black-headed Gulls - around 30-40
No other Gull species seen
Pied Wagtail - 1
Lots of Waterfowl, some too many to count
Mute Swan - 11
Canada Goose - around 40-50
Tufted Duck - around 80, probably more
Mallard - lots
Coot - lots
some Great Crested Grebe about too!
Mike
Very busy bird-wise around the main car park area.
Of note...
Black-headed Gulls - easily well over 200
Common Gulls - approx 10
Lesser Black-backed Gull - 2 patrolling round and chasing Black-headed's.
Pied Wagtail - 3
Plenty of Corvids - Carrion Crows, Magpies
Lots of Waterfowl including...
Mute Swan - at least 22
Canada Goose - around 40
Tufted Duck - everywhere, around 50-60
Mallard - lots around
Gadwall - around 10-15
Goosander - 1 pair together
Coot - estimate around 50
Moorhen - 2
Cormorant - 1 diving / fishing
Great Crested Grebe - 2 ...again constantly diving
If it's of interest, one of the Black-headed Gulls near my wagon had a small metal ring on its right leg and a bright blue Darvic ring on its left leg (assuming Darvic is named after the plastic type?) with the number '2C20'.
A quick check and the blue darvic and the 4 digit code beginning with 2 would indicate a Kane Brides ringing.
Thanks for your reply the other day Ian regarding the other Black-headed Gull with ring no. 2C19 which was another of Kane's, hope these details are of good use.
Cheers
Rob
Black-headed Gulls - well over 100
Common Gulls - approx 10-15
1 Juvenile Gull flying amongst the group...
Couldn't tell if it was a Herring or Lesser Black-backed but I'd probably opt for LB-b seeing as though I sometimes see LB-b's here and not usually Herring.
Pied Wagtail - 2 (1 with a faint yellow tint to it so possibly last yrs young?)
Cormorant - 1 constantly diving near the banking opposite car park
Lots of Usuals around including...
Mute Swan
Canada Goose
Tufted Duck
Coot
Mallard
...and yet again another fool letting their dog run towards the mass gathering of birds. This time though the dog was on a lead with the owner pretending to run at them with the dog, getting a kick out of putting up the birds.
If he could see himself on CCTV he would be embarassed watching himself prancing around, and there is CCTV there!
Yes, it's clearly not safe; the right hand side of it has now almost subsided into the water. I also appreciate just how much work must go into maintaining these habitats, and as someone who uses and enjoys these sites quite a lot, would just like to express my thanks to those who're willing to put their time and effort in.
Mike
The main lake produced:
3m+3f gadwall
19 tufted ducks
22 mute swans
4 Canada geese
Less Black-headed gulls than expected
6 common gulls
1 great crested grebe
6 little grebe
9 mallard
37 coot
2 moorhen
Broad ees dole:
4 moorhen
5 grey heron
7m+5f goosanders
4 Canada geese
1 grey heron
4 teal
On and around the main lake itself:
19 long-tailed tit
2 pied wagtail
1 great crested grebe
1 little grebe
6 gadwall (3 male, 3 female)
3 female goldeneye
2 cormorants
c20 mute swan
c50 coot
c15 moorhen
c40 tufted duck
40+ Canada geese
c20 mallard
200+ black-headed gulls
At least 5 (and undoubtedly more) common gulls amongst them
On Broad Ees Dole:
Roughly 20 teal
4 grey heron
4 tufted duck
2 shoveler
5 moorhen
-- Edited by Shannon Llewellyn on Sunday 11th of January 2015 07:56:10 PM
A word to tell them that the birds are roosting in winter to conserve precious energy and that by using it up they could die just falls on deaf ears if you're lucky, or ends in a tirade of verbal abuse if you're not
Black-headed Gull - 150+ with ease
I counted up to 130 with lots more to go before some bright sparks let their little dogs off the lead and charge at the whole gathering of birds (including Wildfowl not just Gulls) on the front of the lake.
Why does this irresponsible Dog ownership kick in where birds gather?
Other birds of note before being disturbed...
Common Gull - 2 or 3 1st Winter birds around
Surprisingly no other Gull species seen in this area
Mute Swan - approx 20
Canada Goose - approx 40-50
Mallard, Coot, Tufted Duck - all uncountable
Goldfinch - approx 10-15 flighty around car park
Pied Wagtail - 1
Goosander - 1 took flight from right side of lake and headed over the trees, seemed to relocate towards the hide area
On the main lake
A group of 5 little grebe
2 great crested grebe (one of them caught a pretty big fish and struggle for about 5 minutes to swallow it)
7 tufted ducks
17 mallards
19 Canada geese
37 coots
11 moorhen
2 mute swans
4 herring gulls
Lots of black-headed gulls
Broad ees dole
6 teal
2 moorhen
3 grey herons
6 magpie
And when I left at 16:06 there were 8 goosanders 5m+3f swimming around(do they roost here?)
40+ Teal
4 Grey Heron
4 Common Snipe
1 ice skating Magpie
2 Wood Pigeon
2 Carrion Crow
Hope you're all having a Merry Christmas and all the best for the New Year.
main lake.. 8 mute swan, 3 great crested grebe, 4 little grebe, 33 tufted duck, 4 gadwall, 2 goldeneye, 7 cormorant, 1 buzzard.
broad ees dole.. 2 common snipe, 2 grey heron, 1 goosander, 21 teal, 1 kingfisher.
jacksons boat.. 2 ring-necked parakeets, 1 nuthatch, 1 kestrel.
Little Grebe 6
GtCrested Grebe 3
Gadwall 2
Shoveler 1m1f.
Teal 15
Cormorant 1
Tufted Duck 19
Grey Heron 1
Coots/Mute Swans/Canada Geese...etc.
visitor centre.. 1 great spotted woodpecker, 1 jay, 2 song thrush.
main lake... 8 mute swan, 1 goosander, 16 tufted duck, 6 gadwall, 3 great crested grebe, 5 little grebe, 1 grey wagtail.
broad ees dole... 37 teal, 1 grey heron, 2 common snipe, 1 chiffchaff.
6 Gadwall
c50 Teal
1 Goosander
16 Tufted Duck
4 Snipe
3 Great Crested Grebe
4 Little Grebe
1 Fox
Black-headed Gull - can't put a figure on it but more (or so it seems) than Friday.
Common Gull - 7 picked out (could be more)
Lesser Black-backed Gulls - a few flying towards the buoys and a few more already in that area.
Little Grebe - 3
Great Crested Grebe - 2
Pied Wagtail - 1
Tufted Duck - seen at least 8
House Sparrow - 1
Plenty of usuals... Mute Swan, Canada Goose, Mallard, Coot, Magpie
Of note...
rough estimate of 200 Black-headed Gulls (lost count at 140 and still lots around)
A few Lesser Black-backed Gulls over near the buoys
5 Common Gulls see below
10+ Tufted Duck
3 Grey Wagtails together around the car park and res edge
1 Pied Wagtail
1 Little Grebe
Plenty of Usuals...Mute Swan, Canada Goose, Mallard, Coot
Bit of interesting behaviour noted...
Firstly the Common Gulls seemed to be displaying to each other, calling in tandem with necks stretched up and making themselves look larger, then they suddenly turned and were very aggressive towards each other, fighting and tussling with their bills violently. Then 2 of them looked like they were in mating positions...but I thought it's probably submissive behaviour to reduce risk of a fight but it didn't work if it was. 2x 1st Winter birds present taking in most of the action and not really making an effort to fight.
Secondly looking at some of the Coot's around the little islands looking out from the main car park, 3 of them were accompanied by their own Black-headed Gull, and it seems the Gull in each case was trying to look for any scraps when the Coots resurfaced from a dive. Couldn't tell if they got anything, although a few times the Gulls were seen off by each Coot.
-- Edited by Rob Creek on Saturday 29th of November 2014 08:50:17 AM
Late post for Friday 21/11/14 on pm tacho break.
1 Grey Wagtail
1 Pied Wagtail
1 Common Gull
Around 80 Black-headed Gulls
1 Juvenile what I think was a Lesser Black-backed Gull
A few Great Crested Grebe
Canada Geese - lost count at 60
Usuals including Mute Swans, Mallard, Tufted Duck, Coot and Moorhen
Black-headed Gull (in numbers)
Moorhen (5)
Common Gull (20+)
Lesser Black-backed Gull (2)
Mallard (18
- but I probably missed some)
Mute Swan (10+)
Coot (15 - far fewer than I expect but it seems they're all at Chorlton Water Park (see post)
Great-crested Grebe (1)
Cormorant (3)
Canada Goose (I didn't count them)
Gadwall (3)
Tufted Duck (7)
Dabchick (1)
Broad Ees Dole
Very, very quiet I saw only:
Cormorant (3 in the pylon)
Teal (2)
Moorhen (3)
main lake... 2 great crested grebe, 4 little grebe, 3 tufted duck, 2 gadwall.
old car park... 2 redwing, 1 song thrush, 1 goldcrest.
wildflower meadow... 1 jay, 1 grey heron, 4 siskin.
broad ees dole... 19 teal, 2 grey heron, 2 snipe, 2 little grebe, 3 pied wagtail, 1 grey wagtail, 28 goosander, 1 reed bunting, 2 jay, 35 redwing over, small starling flock 150-200 came over & went straight into the reeds.
around sale water park tram stop... long tailed, great & blue tit flock with 1 goldcrest & 3 chaffinch.
main lake... 6 mute swan, 3 great crested grebe, 6 little grebe, 2 pied wagtail, 80+ black headed gull, 5 common gull, 6 lesser black backed gull, 2 cormorant, 3 redwing.
broad ees dole... 7 common snipe, 1 kingfisher, 18 teal, 14 goosander, 4 little grebe.
had a little chat with a lady, joan (sorry love I forgot you're surname) nice to meet you, she was telling me that there is around 20 ringed necked parakeets now around chorlton w p & golf course.
visitor centre... 2 chaffinch, 1 goldcrest.
main lake... 2 great crested grebe, 5 little grebe, 6 mute swan, 2 gadwall, 1 pied wagtail, 1 grey wagtail.
broad ees dole... 1 water rail, first heard then seen along the edge of the reeds on the pool next to the main broad ees dole pool, a first sighting here for me, i have heard them on numerous occasions over the years
1 common snipe, 1 grey heron, 16 goosander, 8 teal, 1 kingfisher, hundreds of jackdaws going to roost, also 1 what looked like a mandarin, the light had faded & was struggling as it was near the far island (bins only) I see simon gough had 2 on 10th oct.
5 Moorhen
4 Little Grebe
1 Grey Heron
1 Jay
1 Wren
2 Goldfinch (but heard several more)
3 Teal (chased by sparrowhawk)
1 Sparrowhawk (chased by magpie)
3 Magpie (chased by sparrowhawk)
1 Buzzard (chased by crow)
2 Carrion Crow
1 Kestrel
1 Bullfinch (but heard at least 2 more)
9 Long Tailed Tit
3 Blue Tit
3 Reed Bunting
1 Fieldfare
c250 Redwing
8 Teal
1 Goosander
1 Great Crested Grebe
c10 Goldcrest
c50 Goldfinch
-- Edited by James Walsh on Friday 31st of October 2014 10:03:08 AM
-- Edited by James Walsh on Thursday 30th of October 2014 06:55:50 PM
1 Kingfisher
3 Teal
3 Moorhen
2 Little Grebe
1 Sparrowhawk (oddly, flew back & forth low over the water about 5 times without any real intent before being chased off by magpies)
1 Kestrel
1 Carrion Crow
3 Grey Heron
1 Wren
5 Long Tailed Tits
Several Magpies... but over the adjacent pond I saw 2 set upon another which decided to undertake a bizarre evasive manoeuvre - by diving into the water! It looked utterly bemused for a moment while the other 2 retired to the sidelines to view the outcome. The bird splashed around for awhile in an effort to take off and seemed destined to drown before finding an inner steely resolve & dog-paddled inelegantly to the reeds out of sight so I'll presume it got out okay. Magpies, eh...
Just been listening to calls on xeno canto tristis seems to match
Seemed to be with a large flock of Long-tailed, Blue & Great Tits, 1 Treecreeper & 3 Goldcrest
-- Edited by James Walsh on Tuesday 28th of October 2014 03:59:37 PM
Feral pigeon
Wood pigeon
Mute Swan
Long Tailed Tit
Moorhen
Coot
Cormorant (at least 3)
Herons (5 or 6)
Buzzards (3)
Kestrel (2)
Sparrowhawk
Magpie
Jay (2)
Canada Goose
Mallard
Teal
Gadwall
Shoveler (2)
Little Grebe
Great Crested Grebe
Herring Gull
Lesser Black Backed Gull
Black Headed Gull
Carrion Crow
Blackbird
Goosander (2 on Mersey)
Kingfisher (on rail in front of hide)
Starlings
Jack Snipe (at base of reeds on the pool next to Broad Ees Dole - to the left as you stand on the bridge)
-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Tuesday 28th of October 2014 06:58:00 AM
2 Gadwall
12 Teal
4 Little Grebe
1 Great Crested Grebe
c10 Goldcrest
-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Saturday 25th of October 2014 02:49:56 PM
Also, the probable Blue-winged Teal x Shoveler hybrid present on Wednesday
-- Edited by James Walsh on Friday 24th of October 2014 11:42:30 AM
3 Shoveler
1 Teal
4 Little Grebe
1 Shoveler
3 Grey Heron
1 Grey Wagtail
6 Teal
6 Moorhen
5 Little Grebe
2 Mallard
15 Goldfinch
3 Magpie
Also, 40-50 Redwing flying over.
I'd be interested to hear how you got to that identification,
I've been comparing my notes with the essay on this subject in the latter part of Frontiers of Bird Identification the J Sharrock, have you seen it?
Great to meet you too. Seeing rare and unusual ducks would have been a distraction...
It's been a journey getting to this stage - a very educational situation
Thanks to all the birders who sent comments, film and photos
-- Edited by James Walsh on Monday 13th of October 2014 11:17:42 PM
14 Goosander
6 Shoveler
25 Teal
5 Little Grebe
It's good to have someone around to chat with when you can't see anything coz of a Hammer horror pea-souper!
Looks like you had a great day as well...
2 Kingfishers at Chorlton WP
Nice to meet you both at the Lakeside hide yesterday.
No Garganey sadly but other birds seen/heard:
5 Teal
2 Jays
1 sparrowhawk
1 Kingfisher
5 Little grebe
Lots of Long-tailed tits
2-3 Bullfinch
Sale WP:
2 Great crested grebe
2 Grey wagtail
2 Pied wagtail
In Chorlton Ees towards dusk:
Water rail heard
50 Pink-footed geese flying east
2 Great spotted woodpecker
2-3 Reed bunting
River Mersey:
2 Tawny owls calling at dusk
1 Buzzard
1 Kestrel perched on wires