NEW RSPB pin badges in stock including Merlin, Cuckoo Wrass and Orange Tip butterfly!
paul brady said
Fri Jun 4 5:37 PM, 2010
Ian McKerchar wrote:
In 2007, the breeding population for Dorset was 35-37 pairs and Hampshire 68-85 pairs. Devon in fact, had 92-95 pairs, Norfolk 129 pairs (!) and Northward Hill in Kent became Britain's largest colony with 93 pairs alone. By comparison Cheshire and Wirral had 15-20 pairs.
Impressive numbers - our breeding empire stands at about 25-30 breeding pairs (is there anywhere in the North that can beat this?) Numbers reach their peak in the late summer and last years total topped out at 315 individuals before it got too dark to count!
Ian McKerchar said
Wed Jun 2 4:22 PM, 2010
In 2007, the breeding population for Dorset was 35-37 pairs and Hampshire 68-85 pairs. Devon in fact, had 92-95 pairs, Norfolk 129 pairs (!) and Northward Hill in Kent became Britain's largest colony with 93 pairs alone. By comparison Cheshire and Wirral had 15-20 pairs.
paul brady said
Wed Jun 2 12:34 PM, 2010
Ian McKerchar wrote:
Anthony Dixon wrote:
Surely the best area of the UK to see these birds.
I think we've a little way to go yet before we better the likes of Dorset and Hampshire atleast Anthony
Out of interest what are the numbers of little egrets in these places?
Anthony Dixon said
Sun May 30 9:18 PM, 2010
Well yes Ian, but we're not doing too bad in this part of the world.
Ian McKerchar said
Sun May 30 8:21 PM, 2010
Anthony Dixon wrote:
Surely the best area of the UK to see these birds.
I think we've a little way to go yet before we better the likes of Dorset and Hampshire atleast Anthony
Anthony Dixon said
Sun May 30 8:07 PM, 2010
1 Peregrine 2 Avocet 22 Black-Tailed Godwit
Numbers of Little Egret could have been in double figures, but there was a lot of toing and froing between here and Burton Marsh...Where I counted 12 at one point! Surely the best area of the UK to see these birds.
1 cuckoo seen and then heard 1 summer plumage ruff 1 avocet 141 black-tailed godwits 1 great crested grebe
Nice!
paul brady said
Wed May 19 1:34 PM, 2010
Nice little series of scarce waders going on at the moment, today's include:
1 summer plumage (white "ruff") ruff 1 common sandpiper
Also, 3 avocets 100+ Black-tailed godwits
paul brady said
Mon May 17 2:59 PM, 2010
I was away over the weekend but news from IMF states that 1 wood sandpiper and 1 curlew sandpiper have been present, along with 100+ blackwits and a couple of avocets.
2 spoonbills out on the marsh
paul brady said
Fri May 14 10:39 AM, 2010
Sorry 1 full summer plumage curlew sandpiper and 1 part way there !!!
BEST NEWS - they are present again today.
150+ Blackwits
paul brady said
Thu May 13 1:06 PM, 2010
2 summer plumage curlew sandpipers - stonking!
paul brady said
Sun May 9 9:41 AM, 2010
1 stunning female marsh harrier - great views from hide 2 common terns 1 avocet 7 blackwit
1 fox!!!
paul brady said
Wed Apr 28 1:48 PM, 2010
Grren Woodpecker calling near the car park - ask staff/vols for best viewing angle.
paul brady said
Sun Apr 25 4:38 PM, 2010
Swift Swallow House Martin
Grasshopper warbler reeling near to the hide
5 avocets now
And that pale-headed buzzard that at the wrong angle looks like an osprey!
Ian McKerchar said
Sun Apr 25 4:06 PM, 2010
I'd hardly call your post a rant Paul, it covers some important points and is, at the end of the day, like all the other contributions, a valuable point of view.
I knew what I wanted to do before this anyway but asking for opinions is always a valuable contribution to the thought process. As a result this thread will rightly stay. Inner Marsh Farm deserves it's own thead and as this forum becomes more and more important as a resource to those both within and outside the county, I'd like to see it used more. I personally visit just IMF on it's own and selfishly like the fact that it can often be quiet due to it's access and facilities etc. That said I completely understand the opinion of others who may well continue to combine their IMF sightings within the wirral thread and that's fine by me.
Either way let's just keep posting. There are few places to find so much useful information in one place and I genuinely appreciate all the contributions and input from everyone .
recent days have seen female redstart, cuckoo, swift
Oh and what would be the point of getting rid of this thread just to re-instate it at a later date? We are limited by certain means with regrads to advertising publically so all the info that we can get out there the better.
IMF knows its limits it has no toilets, limited parking, only 1 hide and the path can be a trek for some but lumping it in with the Wirral thread is pointless - do we want a thread for large areas only or are there smaller sights that deserve or can justify holding a thread of its own, I think so. The Wirral is a big place so threads splitting it up are bound to happen. Not all of us bird on a grand scale some tend to pick an exact site and spend the majority of the day there.
As mentioned IMF does know its limits but we have been fighting hard to secure funding and land to address these problems - work is ongoing, just ask me!
Also, should the thread disappear and we have one for the RSPB Dee Estuary Reserve? This would incorporate all sightings from the 6000+ ha and draw upon the North Wales, Wirral and other threads including sightings from the rifle ranges all the way to Heswall - how many of these are missed/not classed as being on the reserve???
PLUS - it doesn't take much of an effort to copy part of your Wirral post and include it in the IMF thread does it? And believe it or not some sightings do not get recorded into the log book into the hide nor are they reported to a volunteer or member of staff so sometimes the only way we find out about them is via specific threads on forums - this thread plays an important part in that process.
Rant over?
Sean Sweeney said
Sun Apr 25 9:44 AM, 2010
Hi Sid and all. I take your points, but thought the issue being discussed was the merits of the reserve for its own thread and not anything else. I just think that bulking it in with 'the wirral' is like putting penny flash in a thread for Wigan! Anyway, the forum is for bird talk so i'll send you a PM with anything further.
sid ashton said
Sun Apr 25 8:31 AM, 2010
Sean I take your point about RSPB Inner Marsh Farm having a unique environment -what you forget, being a young chap is the walk to the hide being inaccessible to some older or less able-bodied folk, no public toilet facilities on site, viewing only from the hide unless you have a half decent scope and can look down from the bench area (I and others I know prefer the "big sky"), no official access before 0900 but not much use before that at certain times of the year because the sun would be shining towards the hide, limited parking. I am aware of the local constraints and yes indeed there are good points as well. I do always look to see if there is anything interesting about before I visit the Wirral and I have seen some really good birds there.
I am sure that when the new facility opens all of my moans will be addressed and then it should be entitled to its own thread as more folk would be visiting and more interest generated - until then I shall include IMF on the Wirral thread unless Mr Mc decrees otherwise or there is something of real interest to report
Sean Sweeney said
Sat Apr 24 10:14 PM, 2010
From my point of view, as I grew up in Chester and watched IMF mature into the great reserve it is I am always drawn to the postings for the site and would like to see it continue to be a single thread even if some of the sightings people make there are posted on the Wirral thread. It also has a pretty distinct set of habitats and bird assemblage that is unlike other areas on the Wirral in general. Hilbre is another area that I would also consider to be entitled to its own thread, as it is also harbours its own type of birds and birders and helps you pick out sightings from there rather than looking through more general Wirral sightings. Well, you did ask for thoughts!?
sid ashton said
Sat Apr 24 1:35 PM, 2010
Ian McKerchar wrote:
Considering that most birders visiting IMF combine it with other sites on the Wirral might it not be easier to post everything from the Wirral onto there?Just a thought, all opinions considered
Ian my opinion, for what it's worth would be to have just the Wirral thread - I go over there on a fairly regular basis and although Inner Marsh is usually on the programme most times it is either the start or finish of my Wirral wanderings during which I could visit several places and I wouldn't want to be adding to/starting separate threads for all of the other good locations over there. With the PM system on the forum folk can get in touch and discuss specific locations/issues if necessary.
Ian McKerchar said
Sat Apr 24 12:53 PM, 2010
There seems to be a conflict of interests with this thread and the 'Wirral' thread sometimes, whereby quite a few items of interest for IMF get posted on the Wirral thread and not on here. It really doesn't worry me either way but would it be easier all round if one of these threads (perhaps the IMF thread) were to be closed. Considering that most birders visiting IMF combine it with other sites on the Wirral might it not be easier to post everything from the Wirral onto there?
Just a thought, all opinions considered
sid ashton said
Sat Apr 24 12:32 PM, 2010
Pete Hines wrote:
Just bringing this thread back to life
Pete out of curiosity how was this thread "dead" - there have been 4 postings prior to your own in the last 20 days
Pete Hines said
Fri Apr 23 9:17 PM, 2010
Just bringing this thread back to life Late news for yesterday evening 22nd April
10 Spotted Redshank (9 flew in) 1 Redshank 2 Avocet 10 Black-tailed Godwit 1 Lesser Whitethroat 2 Common Whitethroat 24+ Skylark 3 Yellow Wagtail (2m 1f) c12 Swift over the Dovecote Nursery
1 Fox patrolling the waters edges on the reserve, being mobbed by the Avocets
Rick Donkin said
Sun Apr 11 10:30 AM, 2010
Visit on Sat 10th April 13.30 to 17.30 produced this list:- Buzzard - 5 soaring overhead and 3 additional sat on fence posts (1 was a very pale bird) On and around the water:- Shoveler, Mallard, Teal, Gadwall, Shelduck, Tufties, Wigeon and Pintail (5m/3f) Redshank (no spotted), Ruff (2) Little Egret (5), Spoonbill, Snipe, Black-tailed Godwit (many), Coot , Moorhen, Lapwing, Grey Heron, Mute Swan (10), Cormorant, Greylags, Pink Foot (1), Canadas, BH Gull and LBB Gull. Others:- Rook, C Crow, Magpie, Reed Bunting (up to 12 at a time), Chiffchaff and Willow Warbler (many), Wren, Blackbird, Dunnock, Blue and Gt Tit, Pheasant, Woodpigeon, Stock Dove, Goldfinch. Total 41 seen and heard GSW drumming in distance. Rick.
sid ashton said
Fri Apr 9 9:12 PM, 2010
A couple of hours at the reserve today produced the following of interest:-
Green Pecker calling, Sandwich Tern over, Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Blackcap and Song Thrush all in good voice on the way down to the hide. Don't know if it's because the water level seems quite high but there was a lack of waders with only singles of Common Sand and Black-tailed Godwit and 5 Avocet - sadly no Spotted Redshank. On the way back up the hill a "kettle" of 7 Common Buzzard circling above. Quite a nice change not to have to dress like an Eskimo to go birding
paul brady said
Thu Apr 8 9:59 AM, 2010
Spoonbill feeding furiously in the border pool yesterday 5pm.
If its spotted redshanks you want to see then IMF is the place with 11 counted on Monday and 9 on Wednesday.
willow warbler, chiffchaff, blackcap all presnt and singing.
circa 50 sand martins too.
paul brady said
Sun Apr 4 9:54 AM, 2010
Does anybody know of a report of a whitethroat at IMF that has found its way to the Dee Estuary website?
Ian McKerchar said
Wed Mar 31 4:32 PM, 2010
I fear I have to interject here Andy for my head hurts so much from banging it on the brick wall
One wonders why visitors to this Manchester Birding forum should have to see the relevant local group website when everything you need is and always has been on this Manchester Birding website. Why not just clik the 'BACK TO THE MANCHESTER BIRDING HOMEPAGE' link on this forum and then the 'clubs, societies and recording groups' page on the Manchester Birding website. Sorry to appear to be harping on about this on various threads but I seem to be forever wasting my time with the website
Andy Bissitt said
Tue Mar 30 8:54 PM, 2010
Anyone interested should note that Colin Wells, the warden of IMF, is at Stockport RSPB local group on Monday, 12th April when he will be talking about the history of and the future for the site.
Please see the local group website for further details. Visitors will be welcome.
Distant tractors are preparing the area for new wetland creation - so don't panic!
stuartherring said
Sun Mar 21 6:05 PM, 2010
loads of teal,widgeon a few pintail,shelduck shoveler and mallard 8 mute swan,6 whooper(1 yellow legs) 4 buzzard,1 marsh harrier,3 little egrets,2 chiff chaff on way down to hide 1 wheater (m)
paul brady said
Mon Mar 15 4:21 PM, 2010
A nice little day if you spent some time in the hide today:
The Bittern has been seen again. at least 5 spotted redshank and about the same number of knot 6 pink-footed geese popped in for a while too.
paul brady said
Wed Mar 10 4:28 PM, 2010
Avocet showing nicley in front of hide
paul brady said
Sat Mar 6 3:29 PM, 2010
Bittern reported again today
Ringtail Hen Harrier
Immature Spoonbill
Pink Footed geese still scopable form the bench
Burton Marsh is proving popular at the moment too with Bewick's and Whoopers present along with garganey too (a whole month earlier than they usually arrive!)
-- Edited by paul brady on Saturday 6th of March 2010 03:29:59 PM
paul brady said
Mon Mar 1 4:04 PM, 2010
3 spotted redshank (winter plumage)
paul brady said
Sat Feb 27 4:42 PM, 2010
Bittern reported again today - seen flying around IMF pools.
500-600 pink-footed geese using IMF2 (scope from the bench)
paul brady said
Sun Feb 21 1:13 PM, 2010
Hi Dennis, I was in the hide that morning - nice scope work picking out the dunlin
I walked down to the hide this morning in the snow - it seems to have pushed the small birds back into our crop field (reed bunting, linnet, chaffinch and brambling x2) and water rail(x2) pushed back into the woods around the boardwalk.
Thousands of lapwing, hundreds of teal, plenty of wigeon and a few each of the shelduck and pintail.
7 ruff were my highlight - nice size diff between the individuals.
1 snipe roosting in th open behind a lapwing had my close attention but despite wishful thinking I could not turn it into a long-billed dowitcher
100's of pink feet in the wheat fields around reserve which are going to and fro due to unseen disturbance ... fox?
Peregrine give it all a nice mix up and when I left it was sat in a tree behind the hide!
Now onto the raptor watch at Parkgate!
Dennis atherton said
Sat Feb 20 8:10 PM, 2010
Walk today with the bolton rspb group,
innermarsh farm, pintail, redshank, ruff, dunlin, black tailed godwit, curlew, water rail in the woods with loads of linnet in the fields, also thousands of pink feet
Five o clock back at parkgate with great views of barn owl, ringtail harrier and short eared owls, also kestrel and perigrine
Dennis atherton said
Sat Feb 13 8:09 PM, 2010
Is that you paul? the same guy i met today, hello.....
Not much to add to pauls list except for around seven black tailed godwits, quite a few shelduck and a couple of stonechats, but good views of two ringtailed harriers and short eared owls at parkgate later on in the day after our fine chippy diner
paul brady said
Sat Feb 13 12:48 PM, 2010
Bittern last seen on Wednesday (10th)
Good mix and numbers of birds today evident when flushed by first a ringtail hen harrier and secondly by a fox.
Lapwing Golden PLover Curlew Redshank Dunlin Ruff Snipe
Teal Wigeon Shelduck Pintail Shoveler
Canada Geese Greylag Geese Mute Swan
Hen Harrier Peregrine Buzzard Kestrel
Coot Moorhen
Pink-feet (x500) and mixed swans (x100) - best viewed from the bench area as they are technically not on the reserve but instead feeding in the wheat fields around the boating lake
Dennis atherton said
Mon Jan 18 7:03 PM, 2010
nice to meet your wife i will stand corrected,
cheeky buggar kestrel, did not even buy her a drink
No manners these males of today
Forgot to mention lots of green woodpeckers heard that day by Matt and some others heard them too, both at inner marsh farm and at parkgate, but we did not manage to see any unfortuantly
-- Edited by Dennis atherton on Monday 18th of January 2010 07:06:01 PM
Matt Potter said
Mon Jan 18 8:23 AM, 2010
Dennis atherton wrote:
I did not know you were married, lol, i did not ask, hopefully i met your wife and not your girlfriend
Haha! Yes, you met my wife, who you thought was my girlfriend!!
Matt Potter said
Mon Jan 18 8:21 AM, 2010
Mike Chorley wrote:
Hey Matt, does Mrs. Potter know about the girlfriend
Hahaha! Keep it quiet!
Matt Potter said
Mon Jan 18 8:20 AM, 2010
Dennis atherton wrote:
saturday morning
Water rail showing well in front of hide, the water is 75% defrosed now, very nice to see, also black tailed godwit, redshank, snipe and ruff, a few pintails, shovelar, gadwall, shelduck, widgeon, loads of teal and lapwing, sparrowhawk and kestrel passing through with a single female hen harrier, nothing much of note, no bittern or spoonbill today
Parkgate in the afternoon till dusk at around five
great raptor watch as always there, kestrel, sparrowhawk, merlin, peregrine, short eared owls, male and female hen harriers, and a lovely female marsh harrier, sight of the day was the cheeky kesrel who swooped down on the landed short eared owl and stole her captured prey and flew off and landed right in front of us all and eat the owls supper,
Nice to meet Matt Potter and his girlfriend today, hopefully see you again, we managed to see the owls as hoped for, some great views today, that cheeky kesrel was funny, best wishes Dennis
Yes it was lovely to meet you too Dennis! Yes, it was a great day out and the best views of Short Eared Owls I have ever had. and To see a Male Hen Harrier and Merlin perched in the smae scope view was amazing.
Seeing the Kestrel steal a kill of a Short Eared Owl was a sight to see! As was the Kestrel trying to mate with another on a post, to which Dennis added 'cheeky bugger, he didnt even buy her a drink!!' made us chuckle!
Didnt see any Brambling at Inner Marsh Farm.
All in all, a great day to areas I havent been to for a long time!
Female Marsh Harrier was a lovely end to th day!
Dennis atherton said
Sun Jan 17 5:34 PM, 2010
I did not know you were married, lol, i did not ask, hopefully i met your wife and not your girlfriend
Mike Chorley said
Sun Jan 17 5:18 PM, 2010
Hey Matt, does Mrs. Potter know about the girlfriend
Dennis atherton said
Sat Jan 16 11:27 PM, 2010
saturday morning
Water rail showing well in front of hide, the water is 75% defrosed now, very nice to see, also black tailed godwit, redshank, snipe and ruff, a few pintails, shovelar, gadwall, shelduck, widgeon, loads of teal and lapwing, sparrowhawk and kestrel passing through with a single female hen harrier, nothing much of note, no bittern or spoonbill today
Parkgate in the afternoon till dusk at around five
great raptor watch as always there, kestrel, sparrowhawk, merlin, peregrine, short eared owls, male and female hen harriers, and a lovely female marsh harrier, sight of the day was the cheeky kesrel who swooped down on the landed short eared owl and stole her captured prey and flew off and landed right in front of us all and eat the owls supper,
Nice to meet Matt Potter and his girlfriend today, hopefully see you again, we managed to see the owls as hoped for, some great views today, that cheeky kesrel was funny, best wishes Dennis
NEW RSPB pin badges in stock including Merlin, Cuckoo Wrass and Orange Tip butterfly!
Impressive numbers - our breeding empire stands at about 25-30 breeding pairs (is there anywhere in the North that can beat this?) Numbers reach their peak in the late summer and last years total topped out at 315 individuals before it got too dark to count!
Out of interest what are the numbers of little egrets in these places?
I think we've a little way to go yet before we better the likes of Dorset and Hampshire atleast Anthony
2 Avocet
22 Black-Tailed Godwit
Numbers of Little Egret could have been in double figures, but there was a lot of toing and froing between here and Burton Marsh...Where I counted 12 at one point!
Surely the best area of the UK to see these birds.
Anthony
1 summer plumage sanderling this morning
250+ black-tailed godwit
1 peregrine
1 summer plumage ruff
1 avocet
141 black-tailed godwits
1 great crested grebe
Nice!
1 summer plumage (white "ruff") ruff
1 common sandpiper
Also,
3 avocets
100+ Black-tailed godwits
2 spoonbills out on the marsh
BEST NEWS - they are present again today.
150+ Blackwits
2 common terns
1 avocet
7 blackwit
1 fox!!!
Swallow
House Martin
Grasshopper warbler reeling near to the hide
5 avocets now
And that pale-headed buzzard that at the wrong angle looks like an osprey!
I knew what I wanted to do before this anyway but asking for opinions is always a valuable contribution to the thought process. As a result this thread will rightly stay. Inner Marsh Farm deserves it's own thead and as this forum becomes more and more important as a resource to those both within and outside the county, I'd like to see it used more. I personally visit just IMF on it's own and selfishly like the fact that it can often be quiet due to it's access and facilities etc. That said I completely understand the opinion of others who may well continue to combine their IMF sightings within the wirral thread and that's fine by me.
Either way let's just keep posting. There are few places to find so much useful information in one place and I genuinely appreciate all the contributions and input from everyone .
22 mute swans
2 peregrines
1 marsh harrier
4 avocets
spotted redshanks
recent days have seen female redstart, cuckoo, swift
Oh and what would be the point of getting rid of this thread just to re-instate it at a later date? We are limited by certain means with regrads to advertising publically so all the info that we can get out there the better.
IMF knows its limits it has no toilets, limited parking, only 1 hide and the path can be a trek for some but lumping it in with the Wirral thread is pointless - do we want a thread for large areas only or are there smaller sights that deserve or can justify holding a thread of its own, I think so. The Wirral is a big place so threads splitting it up are bound to happen. Not all of us bird on a grand scale some tend to pick an exact site and spend the majority of the day there.
As mentioned IMF does know its limits but we have been fighting hard to secure funding and land to address these problems - work is ongoing, just ask me!
Also, should the thread disappear and we have one for the RSPB Dee Estuary Reserve? This would incorporate all sightings from the 6000+ ha and draw upon the North Wales, Wirral and other threads including sightings from the rifle ranges all the way to Heswall - how many of these are missed/not classed as being on the reserve???
PLUS - it doesn't take much of an effort to copy part of your Wirral post and include it in the IMF thread does it? And believe it or not some sightings do not get recorded into the log book into the hide nor are they reported to a volunteer or member of staff so sometimes the only way we find out about them is via specific threads on forums - this thread plays an important part in that process.
Rant over?
I am sure that when the new facility opens all of my moans will be addressed and then it should be entitled to its own thread as more folk would be visiting and more interest generated - until then I shall include IMF on the Wirral thread unless Mr Mc decrees otherwise or there is something of real interest to report
Just a thought, all opinions considered
10 Spotted Redshank (9 flew in)
1 Redshank
2 Avocet
10 Black-tailed Godwit
1 Lesser Whitethroat
2 Common Whitethroat
24+ Skylark
3 Yellow Wagtail (2m 1f)
c12 Swift over the Dovecote Nursery
1 Fox patrolling the waters edges on the reserve, being mobbed by the Avocets
Buzzard - 5 soaring overhead and 3 additional sat on fence posts (1 was a very pale bird)
On and around the water:-
Shoveler, Mallard, Teal, Gadwall, Shelduck, Tufties, Wigeon and Pintail (5m/3f)
Redshank (no spotted), Ruff (2) Little Egret (5), Spoonbill, Snipe, Black-tailed Godwit (many), Coot , Moorhen, Lapwing, Grey Heron, Mute Swan (10), Cormorant, Greylags, Pink Foot (1), Canadas, BH Gull and LBB Gull.
Others:-
Rook, C Crow, Magpie, Reed Bunting (up to 12 at a time), Chiffchaff and Willow Warbler (many), Wren, Blackbird, Dunnock, Blue and Gt Tit, Pheasant, Woodpigeon, Stock Dove, Goldfinch.
Total 41 seen and heard GSW drumming in distance.
Rick.
Green Pecker calling, Sandwich Tern over, Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Blackcap and Song Thrush all in good voice on the way down to the hide. Don't know if it's because the water level seems quite high but there was a lack of waders with only singles of Common Sand and Black-tailed Godwit and 5 Avocet - sadly no Spotted Redshank. On the way back up the hill a "kettle" of 7 Common Buzzard circling above. Quite a nice change not to have to dress like an Eskimo to go birding
If its spotted redshanks you want to see then IMF is the place with 11 counted on Monday and 9 on Wednesday.
willow warbler, chiffchaff, blackcap all presnt and singing.
circa 50 sand martins too.
One wonders why visitors to this Manchester Birding forum should have to see the relevant local group website when everything you need is and always has been on this Manchester Birding website. Why not just clik the 'BACK TO THE MANCHESTER BIRDING HOMEPAGE' link on this forum and then the 'clubs, societies and recording groups' page on the Manchester Birding website. Sorry to appear to be harping on about this on various threads but I seem to be forever wasting my time with the website
Please see the local group website for further details. Visitors will be welcome.
4 avocets
1 spoonbill
2 little ringed plover
ruff
spotted redshanks
swallows
Chiffchaffs
Willow Warblers
Green woodpecker around car parking area
Distant tractors are preparing the area for new wetland creation - so don't panic!
The Bittern has been seen again.
at least 5 spotted redshank and about the same number of knot
6 pink-footed geese popped in for a while too.
Ringtail Hen Harrier
Immature Spoonbill
Pink Footed geese still scopable form the bench
Burton Marsh is proving popular at the moment too with Bewick's and Whoopers present along with garganey too (a whole month earlier than they usually arrive!)
-- Edited by paul brady on Saturday 6th of March 2010 03:29:59 PM
500-600 pink-footed geese using IMF2 (scope from the bench)
I walked down to the hide this morning in the snow - it seems to have pushed the small birds back into our crop field (reed bunting, linnet, chaffinch and brambling x2) and water rail(x2) pushed back into the woods around the boardwalk.
Thousands of lapwing, hundreds of teal, plenty of wigeon and a few each of the shelduck and pintail.
7 ruff were my highlight - nice size diff between the individuals.
1 snipe roosting in th open behind a lapwing had my close attention but despite wishful thinking I could not turn it into a long-billed dowitcher
100's of pink feet in the wheat fields around reserve which are going to and fro due to unseen disturbance ... fox?
Peregrine give it all a nice mix up and when I left it was sat in a tree behind the hide!
Now onto the raptor watch at Parkgate!
innermarsh farm, pintail, redshank, ruff, dunlin, black tailed godwit, curlew, water rail in the woods with loads of linnet in the fields, also thousands of pink feet
Five o clock back at parkgate with great views of barn owl, ringtail harrier and short eared owls, also kestrel and perigrine
Not much to add to pauls list except for around seven black tailed godwits, quite a few shelduck and a couple of stonechats, but good views of two ringtailed harriers and short eared owls at parkgate later on in the day after our fine chippy diner
Good mix and numbers of birds today evident when flushed by first a ringtail hen harrier and secondly by a fox.
Lapwing
Golden PLover
Curlew
Redshank
Dunlin
Ruff
Snipe
Teal
Wigeon
Shelduck
Pintail
Shoveler
Canada Geese
Greylag Geese
Mute Swan
Hen Harrier
Peregrine
Buzzard
Kestrel
Coot
Moorhen
Pink-feet (x500) and mixed swans (x100) - best viewed from the bench area as they are technically not on the reserve but instead feeding in the wheat fields around the boating lake
cheeky buggar kestrel, did not even buy her a drink
No manners these males of today
Forgot to mention lots of green woodpeckers heard that day by Matt and some others heard them too, both at inner marsh farm and at parkgate, but we did not manage to see any unfortuantly
-- Edited by Dennis atherton on Monday 18th of January 2010 07:06:01 PM
Haha! Yes, you met my wife, who you thought was my girlfriend!!
Hahaha! Keep it quiet!
Yes it was lovely to meet you too Dennis! Yes, it was a great day out and the best views of Short Eared Owls I have ever had. and To see a Male Hen Harrier and Merlin perched in the smae scope view was amazing.
Seeing the Kestrel steal a kill of a Short Eared Owl was a sight to see! As was the Kestrel trying to mate with another on a post, to which Dennis added 'cheeky bugger, he didnt even buy her a drink!!' made us chuckle!
Didnt see any Brambling at Inner Marsh Farm.
All in all, a great day to areas I havent been to for a long time!
Female Marsh Harrier was a lovely end to th day!
Water rail showing well in front of hide, the water is 75% defrosed now, very nice to see, also black tailed godwit, redshank, snipe and ruff, a few pintails, shovelar, gadwall, shelduck, widgeon, loads of teal and lapwing, sparrowhawk and kestrel passing through with a single female hen harrier, nothing much of note, no bittern or spoonbill today
Parkgate in the afternoon till dusk at around five
great raptor watch as always there, kestrel, sparrowhawk, merlin, peregrine, short eared owls, male and female hen harriers, and a lovely female marsh harrier, sight of the day was the cheeky kesrel who swooped down on the landed short eared owl and stole her captured prey and flew off and landed right in front of us all and eat the owls supper,
Nice to meet Matt Potter and his girlfriend today, hopefully see you again, we managed to see the owls as hoped for, some great views today, that cheeky kesrel was funny, best wishes Dennis