16.00 - 18.00 Highlights

Barn Owl 2
Short eared Owl 4
Peregrine
Sparrowhawk
Kestrel
Little Egret 4
Golden Plover 5
Stonechat 5

1 pale short eared owl 1 marsh harrier 2 kestrel Pink footed geese Field at other side of river: Big numbers of golden plover Lapwing Buzzard No sign of the scaup

Female Scaup showing well on Pump Pool, plus two Short Eared Owls , during a brief visit this morning, prior to collecting mum for her Christmas visit. Cheers Chris

Rob Creek wrote:

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without going into it fully and starting a conversation on this thread, it's near impossible to ID Bats safely without a Bat detector to measure the specific frequency of the echolocation clicks of that particular species.
Cheers

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I agree that this isn't the appropriate thread, and that bats are difficult to ID with confidence without a detector. However, Noctules have a very distinctive flight pattern, in that they fly fast in a straight line about 15 to 20 feet above the ground, with dramatic stoops to the ground when hunting prey. The South Lancs Bat Group will accept non-bat detector records for all species, then interpret them themselves. Contact them and they will e-mail you an Excel recording form, identical to the one you use for sending records to the GMBRG (unless you are on MapMate, of course)

Make your bat watching count

...A non bird highlight and a real surprise was a bat, which someone else identified as a no rule bat flying around in full daylight near the car park. Apparently, it also flew around in the daylight yesterday...

Hi Marc,
Presumably you meant a Noctule Bat, but without going into it fully and starting a conversation on this thread, it's near impossible to ID Bats safely without a Bat detector to measure the specific frequency of the echolocation clicks of that particular species.
Cheers

10:30-1:00 today

After seeing the great northern diver on Monday and the smew at new church yesterday, I went to Lunt today for the female scaup that has been present since Monday, as it would be another lifer for me. I was not disappointed, as the bird showed really well from the first screen you reach of you take the right path from the car park. The bird spent all its time with two male tufted ducks. Great to finally see this duck for definite after having some possible sightings before but never being able to tell for sure

It was raining when I first arrived around 10:30 this morning, but it cleared up around lunchtime, and this encouraged a fantastic short eared owl to start flying around, along with a sparrowhawk, 3 kestrels and 2 buzzards. Not many other birds on the reserve, but hundreds of pink footed geese were seen flying in the distance

A non bird highlight and a real surprise was a bat, which someone else identified as a no rule bat flying around in full daylight near the car park. Apparently, it also flew around in the daylight yesterday

One Short Eared Owl currently hunting over field next to the car park,just a quick visit , en route to taking my mum to the chiropodist! Cheers Chris

There is a car park off Lunt Road. It's all on the link below:

https://www.facebook.com/Lunt-Meadows-wetlands-Nature-Reserve-1508795192738663/info/?tab=overview

Where is best place to park if visiting Lunt Meadows please.
Cheers Barry.
ps. coming from Manchester.

Chris Chandler and myself had a brilliant day over here today. It started nicely as we walked across the fields from Maghull with a smart male Yellowhammer and a flock of around 20 Skylark. We picked up our first Short-eared Owl before we got to the river bank. When we crossed the bridge the reserve looked absolutely superb; the assorted colours of the different woodland areas and rough grass combined with the feeling that it was just full of wildlife.

We saw a minimum of 5 Short-eared Owls, possibly 7 in total. Wow! Also singles of Barn Owl and Marsh Harrier. The Marsh Harrier flushed up a Short-eared Owl and they tussled; the owls are so spiky, I saw at least 3 instances of pairs sparring with each other, including once where they called in their growly way.

The pools were slightly light on birds, but there were plenty of Common Gulls, and a few Wigeon. We heard Grey Partridge and Water Rail without clapping eyes on. There were stacks of birds on the fields across the river too. At least 500 Lapwing and more Pink-footed Geese. These seemed to take it in turns to fly up and swirl around before dropping again. Also at least 8 Buzzards, perched on the ground. I saw one scoot across the ground which was amusing, but they didn't seem to be doing much in the main.

We were both buzzing coming home. Is there a more charismatic bird than a Short-eared Owl?

In just fifteen minutes before it went dark this evening, I managed to see:

1 ring tailed hen harrier (other bird watchers managed to spit really far off, but over the next five minutes it slowly circled closer and was last seen by the bridge.
3 short eared owl
1 barn owl (had a brief dog fight with one of the Short eared owls)
3 grey partridge
15 pink footed geese (small skein over)
4 kestrrl

I visited this site for the first time last evening, nice place, wondered if anybody could shed any light on the following:

2 large waders which I am pretty sure were white storks flying over. They came down somewhere either near the reserve or in it but I could not relocate them. I bumped into another birder who had seen them also. Other birders we met and the volunteer, who came to lock the gate, did not know anything about them. Wondered if they could be escapees or a cracking find.

other birds seen:

short eared owl
marsh harrier
kestrels ( loads )
grey heron
little egret

Today's visit - a wait in freezing wind produced very brief views of a single Short Eared Owl (lifer)

Also about:

3 Stonechat
2 Little Egret
min. 1 Common Snipe
2 Buzzard
2 Kestrel

Friday 20/2

Between 1500-1630 approx

2 Short Eared Owls.

No sign of any Barn Owls until dusk.

Also seen:

Fieldfare
Kingfisher
Linnet
Little Egret
Kestrel
Stonechat

The late Waxwing show cut my time short so came straight here and missed out the Shard Bridge Geese stop!

Nice to meet Paul Lee and Ian Igglesden who were also at Orrell. Met some other nice people today at both sites.

2 Barn Owl - 1 hunting not far from the path where I'd just walked 5 minutes ago. Had I stayed put, I would've got brilliant views. It went to ground a few times then didn't show again.
Another Barn Owl showed very well fairly close up over the channel at the mere edge where it meets the pump house some minutes later so I'd like to think it wasn't the same bird.

3 Short-eared Owl - 1 flying low over the marsh far out to the right towards the caravans. The bird went to ground and within seconds...2 more came up together roughly a couple 100yds over so I think there were 3 individuals. These 2 flushed up a Grey Heron then 1 went down leaving just the 1 hunting low over the channels. It made its way over but it went to ground also and that was it.

Other birds of note...
2 Kestrel
1 Common Buzzard
Approx 10 Little Egrets dotted around
Lapwing in good numbers
Lots of Curlew
Canada Geese
Mallard
Teal
Gadwall
2 Shoveler (1m 1f)
Plenty of Corvids...Jackdaw, Rook, Carrion Crow and Magpie
Small group of a Redwing over
Plenty of Blackbird and Robin
Quite a few Reed Buntings about
Goldfinch about
Gulls - quite a lot of Black-headed and a couple of larger ones that looked like Lesser Black-backed.
Plenty of pheasant

Mid afternoon visit 3.30 - 5.00pm

Short Eared Owl 1
Barn Owl 3
Little Egret 5
Grey Partridge 2
Stonechat
Kestrel 2

At one point a Short Eared Owl and a Barn Owl were in the air together 30 metres apart.

Had a quick visit, mainly reccy, here this afternoon from 4 until 5pm on the way back from New Brighton. Great reserve, worthy of a longer mooch. Amongst others :-

Barn Owl (1)
Short eared Owl (3)
Snipe (2)
Little Egret (1)
Sparrowhawk (1)
Linnet (20)

Late afternoon until dusk visit with pal Stephen Ellison
(Sorry I missed you Steve B and Simon G)

Driven past here many a time over the years whilst delivering but never been on the site, it has just been put on my list for sites to return to soon.

Barn Owl 3 in total - within minutes one flying low over the marsh, but went to ground a couple of times. We followed the track round and the bird (presumably same one) was up again. This time giving good views of it hovering and then gliding on a few feet almost Harrier-like quartering. Brilliant to watch.

Jack Snipe - I followed the barbed fence line along one of the gulleys and I inadvertently flushed it within a couple of feet. Made me jump! As it took off I grabbed the binos and was happy enough with its short bill and very bold back markings. Yellow and wide black stripes were enough to clinch it I think. It landed not too far away near the edge of the pool but I lost it.

Barn Owl - low over the reeds again and was flying towards where we'd just walked from then suddenly went to ground with a quick rotation and stoop. Waited for it to reappear but 2 birders waved us over from the bridge to the main track and it was perched on one of the wooden posts along one of the trench fence lines.
It made a few stops on various posts before heading off towards the pump house and out of sight, but no sooner had that one gone when another appeared closer to us and gave brief flight views before heading off in the same direction.

Starling - estimate of 1000 possibly more. Flying over the field beyond the bridge.
Grey Partridge - 2 very vocal individuals strolling through the marsh
Curlew - vocal group of 16 came flying over and landed at pool edge
Lapwing - a few groups of around 5-10 over
Jackdaw and Rook - large group in same field beyond the bridge (couldn't put numbers to them)
Carrion Crow - quite a few around
Kestrel -1
Sparrowhawk - 1 female flying low fairly close to us right over the reed tops
Common Buzzard - 1 flying fairly low in a compact shape, thought Marsh Harrier at first but was in diminishing light, as it got closer it just had that classic Buzzard feel to it and that's what it was.
Teal - a small group in one of the channels
Canada Goose - 2 on the pool
Few Mallard
Fieldfare - about 20 on telephone line off Lunt Lane
Blackbird, Wren and Robin - lots heard with 2 or 3 of each seen
Unfortunately no Short Eared Owls for us but they were definitely in full view minutes before we arrived.

What a cracking site this is!
Cheers
Rob

Little Egret - 1 on the edge of the pool, and 1 over a bit later so possibly same birds. (Cheers Mark your post has just reminded me)


-- Edited by Rob Creek on Saturday 7th of February 2015 09:14:31 PM

Visited here for the first time today at around 3-4:30pm. The hope was to see the owls and they did not disappoint. 2 barn owls showed really close, with the 2nd bird catching a vole right in front of me! Then, a short eared owl finished things off, flying around before landing on a perch for a few minutes before flying off.

Also seen:
2 grey partridge
2 stonechat
2 kestrel
1 buzzard
20 field fare
1000 pink footed geese in the distant fields.

A brilliant site, will definitely be back soon!

First visit here. What a gem! A very quick stop saw me strike lucky with great views of one of the Short-eared Owls along with a Barn Owl, in the same field. Also present, a Little Egret, Kestrel hunting and a male Stonechat

A really enjoyable couple of hours here today from 2.30pm.

Two Short Eared Owls showing, with one very well, giving good flight and perched views. Then, as the light faded, superb views of a Barn Owl hunting either side of the path down from the pumphouse - nearly flew over my head at one point. Other birders on the riverbank had 3 Barn Owls around the same time.

Also seen/heard - a couple of Kestrels, a female Stonechat, 5 or 6 Little Egrets, Grey and Red Legged Partridge and some common wildfowl species.

Overall a terrific little reserve which is well worth a visit. Thanks again to Jon Bowen for his advice.

Cheers Jon - will give it a go!

Andrew Mitchell wrote:

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Hi Jon, where is best to park/view from to see the owls - and what time have they been showing?

Cheers

Andrew

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Hi Andrew, I normally park on Lunt lane and take the track onto the meadows, it's in the corner as the lane bends 90 degrees. The short eared Owls have shown between 2-4 over the nature reserve and the River Alt on the left. Barn Owls any tome after 3.30 around the woods to the right. You could to worse than stand on the bridge over the river should also pick up a Grey Partridge from there

-- Edited by Jon Bowen on Saturday 24th of January 2015 09:34:34 PM

Hi Jon, where is best to park/view from to see the owls - and what time have they been showing?

Cheers

Andrew

Back to Lunt today with the Birding and Beyond crew
2 Short eared Owls
2 Barn Owls
2 Stonechat
6 Buzzards
12 Grey Partridge
Two flocks of Golden a Plover (one of 30 birds)
70 plus Jackdaws feeding in the stubble

Last stop of the bird race as the light faded
Short eared Owl
Barn Owls (3)
Grey Partridge

103 species in the day (exc Ross's Goose) with the boundaries between the Alt and the Douglas

Being a Scouser, I used to pass it every day on my way to/from school in Crosby, but Common Buzzard and owl species were rather less commonly seen around there in the late 1960's.. Did manage to add quite a few 1sts to my list on those journeys, though Didn't manage Short-eared Owl there until the eary 1990's.

Originally posted his evening my Marc Gannon:


Don't know if anyone will have heard of this place, as it is by the little known village of Lunt

But, I went this evening and found:

Barn Owl (first for me!)
Kestrel
Grey partridge-2
Grey heron
Common pheasant-4 (With several more heard)

Quick visit Friday 4.30 - 5.30

Tufted duck
Coot
Teal
Mallard
Shoveler
Buzzard
Short eared owl
Barn owl
Curlew
Common buzzard
Kestrel
Lapwing
Carrion crow
Wood pigeon

First visit here....will be back

Karl