This morning:

Little Egret on the spit

3 Snipe

11 Pochard (Scaup not seen)

26 Cormorant

Info thanks to Barry Hulme

Yesterday late afternoon the first winter drake Scaup was still present and an adult Mediterranean Gull roosted.

Info thanks to Phil Rhodes

Juvenile scaup off the car park this morning with 17 pochard. It looks like one of the birds from Amberswood lake, though I note that they were both reported as still present yesterday. 

This afternoon, 14:30 - 16:30

Caspian gull 1 2nd winter

Whooper swan 2 adults which departed east at 15:30

Wigeon 2 male and female

Little Egret on the brook in between Teal Scrape and the canal this morning.

Info thanks to Barry Hulme 

This morning, 8:00 - 10:30,

Siskin 5 in alders along canal

Redwing 60+ on the ground near Mossley hall farm, plus many others around the flash

Lapwing 80+

Goldenenye 30

Pochard 10

 Willow tit 2

This late afternoon up to dusk:

1520 Herring Gulls (a few hundred more flew off SW prior to dusk)

32 Goldeneye

34 Goosander

1 Kingfisher on Sorrowcow Pond

Early morning, a drake pintail was off the east bay reedbed and an immature whooper swan was flying around the flash, the latter presumably not the very sick individual from eight days ago.

This afternoon up to dusk:

1180 Herring Gulls

66 Great Black-backed Gulls 

416 Tufted Duck

32 Goldeneye

1 Water Rail by the shoreline outflow at Sorrowcow Farm

This late afternoon:

3 Kingfisher (2 together in Ramsdales and 1 on Sorrowcow Pond)

20 Goldeneye

27 Great Black-backed Gulls

2050 Herring Gulls

Just a quick walk around the flash this morning produced 13 goldeneye and 13 pochard. The drake mandarin was again on the canal at Plank Lane marina.

Juvenile marsh harrier over green Lane from the south at 15.30, flew over flash, circled around ruck and appeared to come down in Rammies, possibly to roost. Adult yellow-legged gull in roost and 16 pink-footed geese flew over west.

This morning 8:15 - 11am

Pintail 1 originally on the flash, then moved to Pengy's. Female in my opinion with the grey bill (see photo)

Goldeneye 15 inc. 5 drakes

Pochard 15 inc. 10 drakes

Goosander 20 inc. 16 at Teal hide

Whooper swan 1 immature half dead on the grass at the yacht club. It allowed me to approach to within a few metres, lifted it's head to look at me, then went back to asleep. I've reported it to the RSPCA. I assume and hope that it was checked for avian flu before it was released at the flash.

This morning:

Female/immature Pintail

14 Goldeneye

11, possibly 12 Pochard off the eastern end of the car park (do viewing from Ramsdales Ruck makes it difficult!)

Cetti’s Warbler calling along the shore of Ramsdales Ruck, also a flock of 6 Bullfinch around the same location

32 Redwing in 2 flocks, one of 10 birds around the top of Ramsdales Ruck

Also this evening, the immature whooper swan roosted at the yacht club, on the grass by the overflow car park. I suspect this bird will be in the area for the foreseeable future. 

Attached is a photo of this evenings sub-adult / 4cy Caspian gull.

Sub-adult Caspian Gull (probably 4CY) in the roost tonight and also a Bittern flew in Ramsdales Reedbed just after 3pm.

Info thanks to Phil Rhodes

This morning 8:00 - 10:30

Whooper swan 1 immature,  on the grass at the back of the lorry park at Sorrowcow farm. Presumably the bird released by the RSPCA yesterday. I've never seen a whooper out of the water at the flash before, possibly pushed off the water by the open water swimmers and associated boats. It didn't look particularly unhealthy but it's a very unusual spot for a whooper.

Goldeneye 11 (including 5 drakes)

Pochard 10 (including 5 drakes)

Fieldfare 4 at east bay.

A Whooper Swan cygnet landed at Reddish Vale this morning and was attacked by the resident male Mute Swan. For its own safety, the RSPCA rescued it and released it at Pennington Flash this afternoon.  

This morning, 8:30 - 10:30

Pochard 15 including 10 drakes. All off the car park.

Goldeneye 5 including 2 drakes.

Pink-footed goose 200 in three flocks all heading west

8:15 - 10:30am today

Goldeneye 8 inc. 2 drakes

Pochard 8

Goosander 30+ inc. 19 at the western end

Ian McKerchar wrote:

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This late afternoon:

First-winter Caspian Gull (usual recent bird)

1658 Herring Gulls

247 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

221 Tufted Duck

8 Goldeneye

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 Tonights First Winter Caspian Gull picture very distant digiscoped shot

This late afternoon:

First-winter Caspian Gull (usual recent bird)

1658 Herring Gulls

247 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

221 Tufted Duck

8 Goldeneye

A few hours from first light this morning saw some movement over for the first hour with:

1499 Woodpigeon SE in 40 flocks

57 Fieldfare S in 3 flocks

80 Redwing S in 7 flocks

Large movement of predominately Herring Gulls heading north (with some fairly large flocks), likely towards Pilsworth Tip 

65 Pink-footed Geese, with 62 south of the flash (from the Mersey area) heading due east at 08:05 and three north of the flash (from the Ribble) heading SE at 08:19

Other birds around included:

17 Goosander (16 all redheads round the inflow at the western end and a drake flew over early morning)

39 Cormorant

1 Little Egret again, initially around Ramsdales but then flew west to the inflow

After the rain this afternoon,

Woodcock 1 flushed off the point of ruck,

30 goosander including 4 drakes,

3 Goldeneye including 1 drake

9 pochard including 6 drakes

1 wigeon 

6 snipe

I stayed for the roost but couldn't pick anything different out despite it being near perfect conditions and quite a large roost by recent standards.

Later this afternoon, the common scoter left at 15:15 and flew west. Around the same time there was a peregrine over. Five pochard including three drakes were still off the car park with another two in Ramsdales. My first drake goldeneye of the winter was at the western end. 

Looking at the photo (attached) as well as others that I have it would appear that between 25 - 30 of the common scoter had pale bellies and were therefore 1st winter birds.

Common scoter still present at noon, also little egret on the spit.

36 Common Scoter (am female/immature) flew in at 07:45 and still present at 08:15.

Also two Curlew over east.

Info thanks to John Dixon

This late afternoon to dusk:

6 Wigeon flying around

Little Egret fishing in Ramsdales

Massively impressive Jackdaw roost, biggest I've seen it for a good while

A marked decrease in Coot with only 840 present

In the gull roost:

The usual first-winter Caspian Gull

1360 Herring Gulls

104 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

14 Great Black-backed Gulls

An exciting and slightly exhausting morning from first light to 9:30am with huge numbers of visible migrants streaming through for the first 90 minutes, slowing slightly thereafter as the skies cleared to blue towards 9:30 but I had to leave by then:

884 Redwing S in 37 flocks

2721 Fieldfare S in 53 flocks, largest 260 strong

13,057 Woodpigeon S/SE in 106 flocks, a short two minute period saw the largest flocks with 400 followed immediately by 500, then 640 and very shortly after in between some smaller flocks by the day's largest of 700

31 Chaffinch over S as singles or very small flocks

1 Little Egret around the crescent pool on Ramsdales Ruck, occasionally perching in trees there

2 separate Ravens noisily NE

2 Snipe high SW calling

11 Wigeon circled rapidly for several minutes looking to land at one point but eventually headed off west, the flock containing a smaller duck which I couldn't get past just being a Teal

4 Goldeneye 

22 Meadow Pipit in one flock on Ramsdales Ruck

Photos of some of the migrant flocks, Little Egret and Ravens

The now fairly regular first-winter Caspian, sub-adult Yellow-legged and adult Mediterranean Gulls were in the roost again this afternoon, also 130 Pink-footed Geese flew SSE around 3:30pm.

Info thanks to Phil Rhodes

Merlin flew low west over Sandy Lane first thing this morning.

Info thanks to Bill Harrison

Around the 'reserve' to the East Bay this morning:

32 Fieldfare over low south in flocks of 10 and 22

14 Siskin in one flock low south over the eastern outflow

1 Nuthatch along the main causeway

3 female/immature Goldeneye

7 Pochard

In the roost this late afternoon with Pete Berry, the first-winter Yellow-legged Gull from the 4th and an adult Mediterranean Gull

Sub-adult yellow-legged gull in the roost again this evening. 

Nice work with the photo Doc, feel free to edit all of the rest as well.

No further sign of the Penduline Tit all day despite further searches.

Earlier this morning, 7 Pochard 2 Goldeneye 7 redhead Goosander, 200 Jackdaw and 3 Snipe (Info thanks to Barry Hulme)

Well Done Colin, shame it never showed again. I've done a bit of a photo edit on one of your pics, grainier but possibly clearer?

Sadly no great photos of todays penduline tit at the Flash today and to the best of my knowledge no further sign of the bird up to 12:30 at least.

My initial impression was that it was an adult, but having now seen the photos I'm leaning more towards 1st winter. Also the mask is not very extensive so perhaps a female. Apparently it's a county first.

I've put a write up with a few more poor photos on my blog if anybody is interested (see link at the bottom of this post).

Penduline tit in East Bay reedbed near site of the old hide at 9am. No further sign by 9.45am

The Dutch ringed black-headed gull, 3738977, was on the car park again today. I've received some more information regarding this bird, it was ringed on 26th May 2016 as a nestling at Tsjoekepolle, Tjeukemeer, Friesland, The Netherlands.

The currently regular first-winter Caspian Gull roosted again this late afternoon.

Info thanks to Phil Rhodes

A quick visit this lunchtime produced 5 goldeneye (female / 1st winter types) and 10 pochard (inc. 7 males).

5 pochard off the car park this morning and several water rails calling around the flash.

Another black-headed gull with a metal ring on the car park, 3738977, ringed in Holland. Submitted to EURING an now awaiting further information. Also several black-headed gulls with blue plastic rings which I will be reporting. These are usually birds which were ringed at the flash.

This late afternoon in the gull roost:

First-winter Caspian Gull, the recent very white-headed and long-billed bird (with slightly atypical greater covert pattern)

The recent sub-adult Yellow-legged Gull and a new first-winter bird too (photo attached, more on website)

Sub adult yellow-legged gull again in the roost this evening and the whooper swans were still present until 4pm at least.

Eight Pochard early this morning and 180 Pink-footed Geese over SE

Info thanks to Barry Hulme

Also this morning, five pochard still off the car park including three drakes. The Whooper swans commuted all around the flash from the main car park to the Slag Lane end and into Ramsdales. They were very flighty and I didn't see them after 10:30 despite keeping my eyes open for them.

Not a lot to report other than the swans and the pochard but a beautiful morning with plenty of common small bird activity, various tits, nuthatch, goldcrests etc.

Regarding yesterdays Finnish ringed black-headed gull, unfortunately it appears that I'm missing a digit so it can only be narrowed down to two possibilities, both of which were ringed as chicks in Finland. The first is ST170852 ringed at Sipoo on 23/06/2020 or ST270852 ringed at Hyvinkää on 10/06/2009. It seems most likely that the bird is the Sipoo individual because the other bird hasn't been reported anywhere since it was ringed 13 years ago. Both these ringing locations are in southern Finland, approximately 1130 miles from the Flash. I'll be keeping a look out for the bird over the next few days in the hope that I can confirm the missing digit.

Two whooper swans currently off the car park.

(Sub) adult Yellow-legged Gull roosted again late afternoon today.

Info thanks to Phil Rhodes