38 Goosander this evening. Also 1 Kestrel, 1 Snipe and 1 Wheatear. Very few gulls.

2 Whinchat this morning. 1 on wires east of Ashworth Road, and 1 with mixed flock west of wind turbines. 3 Stonechat, Meadow Pipits and Reed Buntings in the same flock.

Also 2 Kestrel and 104 Lapwing.

Highlights from a late morning circuit:

1 Kestrel.

62 Lapwing and 3 Common Sandpiper.

5 Swift through.

1 Common Gull.

1 Grey Wagtail.

Common Scoter still present this evening, along with 1 Great Crested Grebe and 3 Goosander.

1 Lapwing the only wader.

Singing Grasshopper Warbler was the biggest surprise!

1 male Common Scoter this evening. Also 1 Great Crested Grebe and 5 Goosander.

2 Curlew, 1 Common Sandpiper, and 1 Dunlin.

1 Swift, 12 Swallow and 2 Sand Martin.

Highlights from a late circuit:

12 Goosander.

58 Lapwing and at least 3 Curlew.

Small gull roost with 30 Lesser Black-backed, 3 Herring and 15 Black Headed.

4 Swift and 4 Sand Martin.

1 Whitethroat.

Lunchtime stroll

Cormorant

2 Oystercatcher and a youngster

Lapwing

Lesser Black-backed and Black-headed Gulls

House Martin, Swallow and Swift

Kestrel

Pied Wagtail

Meadow Pipit

Skylark

Highlights from an evening circuit:

11 Goosander.

7 lapwing, 2 Oystercatcher, 5 Curlew and 1 Common Sandpiper.

3 Kestrel.

10+ Swift, 1 Swallow and 4 Sand Martin.

5 Oystercatcher, 8 Lapwing and 1 Common Sandpiper this morning. Also 10 Sand Martin and 3 Swallow feeding in the Lee of the walls, and 3 Linnet.

Of interest during quick evening visit:

16 Goosander

10 Lapwing, 5 Curlew, 2 Oystercatcher, 1 Common Sandpiper.

c120 Lesser Black-backed and 5 Herring Gull passed through to the NW but did not stop.

1 Grasshopper Warbler.

A few birds of interest during a late afternoon circuit:

20 Goosander and 1 Great Crested Grebe on the water.

3 Oystercatcher, 1 Curlew, 5 Lapwing, 1 Common Sandpiper and 1 Dunlin.

5+ Swallow.

1 Grasshopper Warbler.

At least 8 Wheatear and 3 male Stonechat- suggestive of 3 breeding pairs.

1 White Wagtail.

Pair Linnet.

Single Yellow Wagtail still present on south bank (11:30 hrs) flew down to overflow culvert and then to sheep pens.

Regards Brian.

Quick visit early afternoon and highlights were :-

Yellow Wagtail  on the West end shoreline

2 Wheatears

4 Common Sandpiper

1 Dunlin

21 Goosander

min 3 Reed Bunting feeding on wall and shoreline

1 White Wagtail

A few Meadow Pipit and Pied Wagtails

A couple of Linnet and Skylark

My first Wheatear of the year during an afternoon visit. It spent a few minutes on the pump house roof below the eastern dam before disappearing. Also 3 Goosander, 16 Lapwing, 2 Curlew and a group of 5 Skylark.

Braved the weather this afternoon 21/1 16:00-17:00

Gull roost
Black headed c 2,500
Common gull c 30
Great black backed gull 2 ads
Lesser black backed gull 3 ad 6 imms
Herring gull c 20 ads 8 imms

Goosander 6 m 10 f
Lapwing 4 braving it on spit

Big gull roost this evening, but almost exclusively the smaller species. Counts, c2100 Black-headed, 60 Common, 2 Herring and 2 Great Black-backed Gull. 16 Goosander at 16.10. No other birds on the water.

Limited highlights from a morning circuit:

8 Lapwing and 10 Common Gull.

Mixed flock near the small pond to the NW of the Res, with 4 Blue Tit, 1 Great Tit, 2 Stonechat and 1 Reed Bunting.

1 Grey and 1 Pied Wagtail.

Wheatear along the south bank this evening and 2 Stonechat and a Robin on the north side. 3 Goldeneye and a Great crested Grebe on the reservoir. 

2,45pm

Drake Goldeneye in the middle of the Res 

50plus lapwings on the shoreline 

Big numbers of fieldfare on the surrounding moorlands passing through. 

Green Woodpecker and a Little Owl calling from Two Owls cottage area this afternoon.

2 Skylark and 2 Snipe over the reservoir heading south.

Singlw Wheatear and 2 Stonechat on the north side and a Blue and Great Tit below Ashworth View.

45 Pink-footed Geese over heading East and a White Wagtail on the south bank

140+ Lapwing on the north spit and c10 Reed Bunting along the north shore

3 Wheatear around the reservoir today along with a smaller number of Meadow Pipits and Pied Wagtails.

2 Tufted Duck and the regular adult and juvenile Great crested Grebes still present.

26 Pink-footed Geese over heading west at 0900.  

White Wagtail on the south shore.

3 Heron and 6 Cormorant on the north shore spit. 

A Great Spotted Woodpecker flew west over the reservoir and a Green Woodpecker calling from Two Owls Cottage early this morning .

3 Wheatear and a White Wagtail amongst the many Meadow Pipits and Pied Wagtails around the reservoir .

120+ Goosander present at first light .

115 Goosander and 2 Great Crested Grebe roosted this evening. Good numbers of Pied Wagtail and Meadow Pipit appeared to be roosting around the pub.

2 Great Tit, 2 Chiffchaff and 2 Stonechat on the north side this morning .

The regular Yellow-legged Gull paid a brief visit departing east at 0800.

Steady trickle of Skylark and Chaffinch over the reservoir all heading south.

White Wagtail on the south wall

Yellow-legged Gull at the reservoir this morning . Departed SW at 0850

2 Chiffchaff along the north side below Owd Bett's first thing this morning .

2 Wheatear, 2 Stonechat , and many Pied Wagtails and Meadow Pipits around the reservoir .

4 Siskin, 6 Chaffinch and 7 Skylark  moved south over the reservoir .

Green Woodpecker calling from Two Owls again at 1st light .

The regular adult Yellow-legged Gull was present briefly this morning before departing west at 0745 along with a small number of Lesser Black-backed Gulls..A Redshank was present somewhere around the reservoir in the mist and a single Wheatear also on the west wall .

Excellent early morning at AMR in light rain . 

3 Chiffchaff arrived overnight on the North shore spit and 2 Coot on the reservoir are both good birds for up here .

A juv female Peregrine was perched on the south wall and allowed unusually close views . A really bad time to realise your camera battery was flat and couldn't tell if it was ringed or not .

3 Tufted Duck on the water and good numbers of Meadow Pipits and Pied Wagtails still around the south bank. 

A single Golden Plover flew over high calling heading west .

0800/1000 hrs  strong north easterly, 10 degrees.

Single Shell Duck.

Five Fe/Juv Tufted Duck, one of which did not look right, possible hybrid, no scope to check.

Kestrel and Buzzard hunting south bank.

Lots Of Meadow Pipit and Pied Wagtail feeding along road.

30+ House Martin and 5 Swallow.

Around 8 Linnet feeding on south bank.

Very few gulls, odd Black-Headed, Lesser Black Backed and Herring.

Regards Brian.

94 Goosander at the reservoir 1st thing this morning and a single Wheatear along the south wall.

Adult Yellow-legged Gull was present briefly before departing south west and at least 3 very smart looking White Wagtails on the sunny south bank.  

Had a reply re colour ringed Black-headed Gull J7J9 that was at the reservoir recently ..

It was ringed as a 3cy+ male at Smetsaddammen, Oslo in Norway in March 2012 and has been recorded many times during summer months in that area . It winters in UK in London around Hyde Park/Kensington area  .

It was recorded on 9th July 2020 at the same spot in Oslo and took 17 days maximum to get to AMR, presumably en route to winter in London again.

1 Swift, 7 Swallow and 1 Sand Martin this morning along with 4 Wheatear and 4 Stonechat. Very little on the water.

Mediterranean Gull and a Redshank on the north shore this evening

Common Sandpiper and 3 Wheatear present this morning .

Adult Yellow-legged Gull arrived from the west at 0700 and departed east almost immediately with a small group of Lesser Black-backed Gulls. 

Adult Yellow-legged Gull present again this morning along with a small number of Lesser Black-backed Gulls. 

A Jay was by the pumphouse on Ashworth Rd and single Wheatear along south bank. 40+ Pied Wagtails along the south wall. 

2 Yellow-legged Gulls this morning. An adult was on the reservoir first thing as I arrived and departed south and the regular 2nd sum bird was on the sheep fields near Croston Close and later departed towards Turn. Later seen amongst the gulls by Scout Moor.

Wheatear, Grasshopper Warbler and a Stonechat all up along east wall area

A Hobby flushed all the Lapwing and Black-headed Gulls off the grass at Cross Gate and landed on the lawn briefly before flying off west early this morning.

A Great crested Grebe was also present this morning as was a Little Owl near the Pumphouse off Ashworth Road. 

2nd Summer Yellow-legged Gull was on the south side spit with c30 Lesser Black-backed Gulls before departing onto sheepfields near Croston Close(Lancs). There has been a similar aged bird regularly around the Turn Village/Scout Moor area in Lancs but this appears to be a different bird when comparing photographs. 

Ringed Plover in with the Lapwings this morning on the north side and many Meadow Pipit and Pied Wagtails on the south side. 

A large gull flew in yesterday morning with a group of Lesser Black-backed Gulls which I was unsure of and Ian later confirmed as a Yellow-legged Gull. What looked like the same bird was present again this morning.   

Whinchat on the east wall this morning and a single Wheatear amongst many Meadow Pipit on the south wall .

4 Greylag Geese flew west over the reservoir heading towards Affetside first thing this morning .

Grasshopper Warbler, Willow Warbler and 3 Stonechat below Ashworth View House and 3 juv Wheatear along south wall .

Green Woodpecker was back in Two Owls Cottage area this morning .

14 Cormorant together on the south bank was a good number for here ..Curlew and an Oystercatcher also on south bank 

A steady line of mainly adult Lesser Black-backed Gulls all heading west over the past 5 days or so.

Good numbers of Meadow Pipit and Pied Wagtails around the reservoir in last few days which is no doubt the attraction for an early adult male Merlin with distinctive missing tail feathers that's been around for a few days now. 

Highlights from an evening circuit:

24 Goosander and 3 Greylag with the Canada Geese.

104 Lapwing.

2 Buzzard and 2 Kestrel.

4 Swift and 1 Wheatear.

A few gulls passing through this afternoon.

2cy Great Black-backed Gull flew in from high to the east but did not stay long.(Seen very few of this age here in July)  3 Common Gulls also passed through heading west.

One of the Black-headed Gulls passing through to the west was colour ringed (J7J9) from a project in Norway.

3 Greylag Geese also flew in from high to the east and soon departe west. 

Mediterranean Gull in with Black-headed Gulls this afternoon on the north side and a Juv Peregrine spent 20 minutes causing havoc around the reservoir. before departing south.