Thanks John. There's no doubt there's only one Little Gull but for however long yesterday morning it did indeed leave the flash very high to the SW until way out of view. Unfortunately I was aware of no other known sightings of it yesterday until now. Doubtless this bird may hang around until it completes the moult of the outer three primaries on it's wings anyway.

This afternoon at 2:30 in heavy rain, impressive numbers of hirundines were feeding low over the eastern half of the flash:

1600 House Martin (really good to see this magnificent many!)
800 Sand Martin
200 Swallow
42 Swifts
2 juvenile Arctic Terns
2 Black-necked Grebes still just north of the spit
2 Goldeneye still
Little Gull still in the East Bay

At 3pm, the clouds passed over and blue skies appeared with strong sunlight at which point the majority of the hirundines immediately lifted high into the sky and dissapeared



-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Tuesday 24th of August 2010 07:42:16 PM

Ian McKerchar wrote:

---

Yesterday the Little Gull was watched fly out of sight to the south-west at 8:10am and yet, as John Taverner has seen, it was back at the flash today, also sitting around on the golf course with Black-headed Gulls.

The two first-winter Black-necked Grebes also still present.

All info thanks to Barry Hulme

---

unless there was a similar second little gull yesterday for a few hours that flew off and the normal one was in the se bay all the time hiding among the black headed gulls

-- Edited by JOHN TYMON on Tuesday 24th of August 2010 01:31:16 PM

Yesterday the Little Gull was watched fly out of sight to the south-west at 8:10am and yet, as John Taverner has seen, it was back at the flash today, also sitting around on the golf course with Black-headed Gulls.

The two first-winter Black-necked Grebes also still present.

All info thanks to Barry Hulme

little gull back at penny this morning by the car park
INFO FROM Jon Taverner

10-15 swifts over the car park end of the Flash this evening.

Little Gull again present off the car park this morning.

Also, two first winter Black-necked Grebes from Horrocks Hide now and the two female/imm Goldeneye still present.

Info thanks to Barry Hulme

12-3pm
little gull- 1 2nd w still present at 3 pm but mainly staying in the very SE bay,so unless your willing to mooch round to the south bank,its difficult to find.Its the most frustrating bird ive tried to photograph,i arrived at 12 went looking where the ducks are fed left side of car park,caught something white in the corner of my eye,it was the little gull inches from the end of my lens sat on a stone,too close for the camera,i walked backwards,got one poor shot,then it got up and headed to the end of the point,lost it then for and hour,then found it in the se bay,then again later near the mini fun fair,one second it was padling at my feet as it flew by too close for the camera,the next it was under the yaught club half a mile away.
green sandpiper-2
black necked grebe-1 juv
stacks of sand martins,with swallows and a few house martins
chiff chaff,plenty on the south bank,also willow warbler,whitethroat,reed warbler,blackcap.
Also in the underwatched se bay
tufted duck 200+
pochard-15
approx 500 black headed gull
50+lbb gull
2 families of great crested with 5 young
a nice couple of hours

This morning:

Little Gull still present
as is the juvenile Black-necked Grebe
plus 2 Green Sand from Teal Hide

Info thanks to Barry Hulme and Jon Taverner

11-3pm
little gull -1 second year bird,still present at 3pm,but has changed its regular place to the south bank,so not seen by many today,but it was there,but just not sat at the front of the car park like earlier in the week.
green sandpiper-2
masses of sand martins and swallows,with a few house martins and swift
still quite a few willow warblers,chiff chaff and blackcap
a very large gull roost building up when i left at 3pm,with mainly black headed,but also lots of the larger gulls as well
black necked grebe-juv still present near point
meadow pipit on the rucks
plus the normal stuff

8.15- 10am

BN Grebe
Sparrowhawk
2 Grey wagtails
5 Willow warblers
Sedge warbler
Kingfisher near the New hide
100's of Swifts

Nice to meet John Taverner and Richard

Lovely morning so I went to Leighton moss

Little Gull still present early pm.

Info thanks to John Tymon

No sightings of the Little Gull so far this morning.

pm
little gull-1
green sandpiper-2 on teal scrape+2 front of horrocks hide
ruff 2 flew in 4pm in a heavy storm,then went behind the vegatation at the end of the spit
black necked grebe-1 juv still by point
thousands of mixed hurrundines in storm-with at least 100 swift
wigeon-2
plus all the usual stuff

07.30 - 09.30 Very heavy rain for a time - Little Gull off car park just as I was leaving. Several Swifts overhead and Black-necked Grebe off spit before that.

6.30-7.30pm in the rain. Little gull just off car park, bn grebe off The Spit. Several hundred hirundines (all three species) over water tonight, and 30+ swifts higher up. Heard them screaming on a couple of occasions, probably last time I'll hear that particular sound this year.

The am:

Little Gull and Black-necked Grebe still present.
3 Shelduck (adult and 2 juvs)
19 Cormorant flew south
Female Peregrine over

Info thanks to Barry Hulme

little side line to the little gull at penny
Frank Horrocks used to always say to me in the late 1970s,you are always guarenteed little gull between the 15th and 17th of august at pennyhe wasn't wrong was he i could see him now with his pipe steaming,saying what did i tell you

-- Edited by JOHN TYMON on Wednesday 18th of August 2010 05:16:24 PM

Little Gull still present this morning as is the juvenile Black-necked Grebe out on the main flash. Also 3 Green Sandpiper on Teal Scrape.

Info thanks to Barry Hulme

Little Gull still present mid afternoon.

Also present:

Juvenile Mediterranean Gull (flew off west eventually)
171 Tufted Duck

A large roving tit flock at the western end (along the edge of Ramsdales Ruck) contained:

18 Chiffchaff
12 Willow Warbler
7 Blackcap
1 Whitethroat
1 Reed Warbler (worn adult)


-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Tuesday 17th of August 2010 04:37:49 PM

Second calendar year Little Gull still present this morning.

Also,

Juvenile Black-necked Grebe
2 Goldeneye
Curlew flew over SE

info thanks to Barry Hulme

Still 2 mobile Green Sandpipers in Teal Scrape late afternoon.

No sign of the Little Gull though water surface conditions very 'choppy' and all the gulls were loafing.

4 Green Sandpiper on Teal Scrape this morning.

Info thanks to Barry Hulme

Three Ruff flew straight through east at 08:10 this morning.

Info thanks to Barry Hulme

Little Gull still present this morning. Also now 2 female/imm Goldeneye.

Info thanks to Barry Hulme

Moulting 1st summer little gull fly-catching tonight. Seen from Green Lane.

Ian McKerchar wrote:

---

Greenshank present early afternoon.

Info thanks to John Tymon

---

Still there 4.30
also
2 lesser whitethroat
1 common sandpiper
1 green sandpiper
1 juv black necked grebe
19 cormorant
+ all the usual stuff

Greenshank present early afternoon.

Info thanks to John Tymon

Good numbers of passerines on the south side late am to early pm today included highlights of Lesser Whitethroat and Spotted Flycatcher. The latter was flycatching from the hedgerow alongside the footpath at the begining of Whittles Fields, best viewed field-side from the small footpath with the metal fencing alongside.

Yep Jt that was a strange experience for 15 mins, birds all just hanging in one tree and those warblers on the floor being chased by the grey wagtails, the only bird we did not see in the tree is the bird that has been in it all summer, the sedge warbler, beltin to see the lesser whitethroat and then the random also passing by garden warbler, pity foggy scared them off

11.30-15.00
wood sand could not be found today-presumed to have moved on.
black necked grebe-1 juv
great crested grebe-50+
green sandpiper-2

and what about this for a list
birds in one tree at one time list.
after a heavy shower,the large old rose tree to the right of horrocks had these-the tree was alive with birds.12.00-12.15
willow warbler-8+
chiff chaff-6+
long tailed tit-10+
coal tit-1
blue tit-6
great tit-1
green finch-1
blackbird-2
robin-2
common whitethroat-2
lesser whitethroat-1
blackcap-4
dunnock-1
wren-1
Garden warbler-1
willow tit-1
starling-2
it was that busy the willow warblers ended up on the floor below the tree.


Also it probably holds the record for a tree emtying of birds the quickest ever,as Foggy(Jon Taverner) went for his camera, myself and Truly(Dennis Atherton) were already clicking away and just has Foggy walking back into the hide to try to get shots of some of the warblers,promptly every bird left the tree,apart from a dunnock





-- Edited by JOHN TYMON on Friday 13th of August 2010 07:54:53 PM

No sign of the Wood Sandpiper so far this morning.

Info thanks to Jon Taverner

The Digger wrote:

---

I might have a bit of time tomorrow late afternoon to get over to the Flash. Where would be the best place to look for the sanpipers and the black-necked grebe?

---

first hide horrocks hide -300 yards west from the car park

Wood Sandpiper still present in usual spot at 2000hrs.

Hi everyone

first post here, just registered!

Well the Wood Sandpiper was still in front of Horrocks at 1630 when I left.

Only saw one Green Sandpiper at Teal hide, and no luck with the Sparrowhawk

It's been really nice to meet all of you this week!

Rich

I might have a bit of time tomorrow late afternoon to get over to the Flash. Where would be the best place to look for the sanpipers and the black-necked grebe?

Juveniles of Wood Sandpiper and Black-necked Grebe still present at 12:45 plus a female Goldeneye.

Info thanks to John Tymon

Wood Sandpiper still with us infront of Horrocks Hide as usual this morning.

Info thanks to Barry Hulme and Jon Taverner

6.30 am- 2pm
Wood sandpiper-getting much more agile each day-was almost feeding like a sanderling at times today and was rarely still-seems to be well fed now,so i would get down to see it soon,as it will probably move on in the next few days.
green sandpiper-3
wimbrel-1 flew south calling early morning
dunlin-same 5 as barry
lesser whitethroat-in tree by horrocks hide -7am
black necked grebe -1 imm
kingfisher-1
lots of great crested grebe-at least 5 pairs with young
grey heron-5
Green Sandpiper-3
teal
shoveler
plenty Blackcaps
2 little grebe
grey wagtail-4 at one point at the front of horrocks hide
Lapwing -200+
plus all the other ususal stuff

Wood Sandpiper still showing really well at 2.30pm
juv BN Grebe still
Also 2 Green Sandpipers - Teal hide
1 Grey Wag - car park

-- Edited by Steven Nelson on Wednesday 11th of August 2010 04:42:17 PM

Wood Sand. still present at 11:15.

Info thanks to Barry Hulme

Wood Sandpiper still present this morning from Horrocks Hide.

Also present:

Juvenile Black-necked Grebe still
3 Green Sandpipers
5 Dunlin flew straight through

Info thanks to Barry Hulme and Jon Taverner

Geoff Walton wrote:

---

...Also caught the Common Sandpiper.

---

I hope you let it go

In addition to the cracking views of the Wood Sand and the Green Sands - I was pleased to see Willow Tit at the Bunting Hide

In addition to the Wood Sandpiper, juvenile Black-necked Grebe still present from Horrocks Hide this evening.

6 Green Sandpipers from Teal Hide

Geoff Walton wrote:

---

I went down at about 11.30am to see it. I have not seen that many GCG's together before, I made it 29.
Also caught the Common Sandpiper.

-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Tuesday 10th of August 2010 04:47:53 PM

---

there was about 60 great crested at the weekend,a goodly number

Wood Sandpiper still present from Horrocks Hide at 6:20pm.

Info thanks to Sid Ashton

I went down at about 11.30am to see it. I have not seen that many GCG's together before, I made it 29.
Also caught the Common Sandpiper.

-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Tuesday 10th of August 2010 04:47:53 PM

Wood Sandpiper still at 14:30 from Horrocks

-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Tuesday 10th of August 2010 04:57:35 PM

Wood Sandpiper still present infront of Horrocks Hide again this morning.

Info thanks to Jon Taverner

Wood Sandpiper still on show from Horrock's Hide at 5:15pm

Info thanks to Iain Johnson