Grasshopper Warbler, 26 Whitethroat, 3 Cetti's and 7 Reed Warblers around No4 Bed this am, also the pair of Garganey still and 4 Goosander flew high SE. A Little-ringed Plover flew through the loop as did 5 House Martin, before the Garganey lifted up and headed East towards No3 bed, but weren't refound. On No3 bed, another,or the same, LRP was on the scrape briefly before a Bar-tailed Godwit (the first at Woolston for 8 years) came through, landed briefly in the water around the scrape before being chased by Gadwall and headed NE.
Thanks Eric and Ian for your responses. I'll look into it and hopefully get myself along there one day soon.
JOHN TYMON said
Wed Apr 3 1:57 PM, 2019
Of note this afternoon so far at least 16 Black necked Grebe, 4 house martin, 2 willow warbler, 2 swallow.
Eric Finch said
Tue Apr 2 7:32 AM, 2019
Hi Curt, I think they do have group visits, with people shown around, so a bit of Googling may reveal something you could join in with. In fact, I've just done that and found this link:-
John, or indeed anybody in the know, can the general, wider public access Woolston Eyes or do you need to be a permit holder? Would love to see the black necked grebes but couldn't ever see myself going more than once due to work, time constraints.
John Williams said
Sun Mar 31 6:49 PM, 2019
12.30-16.00
No.3 Bed :
4 Black Necked Grebes, 4 Sand Martins, 6 Bullfinches, 1 Great Crested Grebe, 1 Little Grebe, 6 Cormorants, 3m+1f Pochard,
4 Lapwings, 12 Gadwall, 1 Buzzard and at least 7 Chiffchaffs.
There were at least 7 different Bramblings at the feeders too.
Apart from a single Greenfinch, the Bramblings were the only birds on the feeders.
A single Great Crested Grebe, 28 Tufted Ducks plus a solitary female Pochard were on the ship canal.
The area around the weir pool on the Mersey held another single Great crested Grebe, 58 Tufted Ducks, 4m+2f Pochards,
4 Shelducks and a dozen adult Lesser Black Backed Gulls in immaculate breeding plumage.
2 Lesser Redpolls were on a bush alongside the path on No. 2 bed.
-- Edited by John Williams on Sunday 31st of March 2019 08:37:05 PM
Daniel Owen said
Sat Mar 23 6:33 PM, 2019
A pair of unringed Mediterranean Gulls were on the scrape before flying low towards the weir, with plenty of posturing between the two birds. 2 Sand Martins moved west before a group of 11 descended over the bed feeding infront of the John Morgan Hide. At least 7 Chiffchaff were singing around No.3 bed, a female Merlin headed east and 4 Black-necked Grebes. Whilst a minimum of 7 Bramblings were feeding on the left-hand feeders
River Mersey & Weir Pool : 48 Tufted Ducks, 2m+2f Pochard, 2 Shelducks, 2 Great Crested Grebes, 1m+1f Gadwall and 8 Cormorants.
No 3 Bed : 1 Goldcrest, 3 Lesser Redpolls (On alders near Tower Hide), 6 Great Crested Grebes, 1 Little Grebe, 1 Grey Heron, 1 Sparrowhawk, 4 Buzzards and 2 Jays.
1m+2f Bramblings were with Chaffinches feeding beneath the feeders.
A singing Chiffchaff by the Rotary Hide turned out to be just a tape to lure the first wave of summer migrants in for ringing.
John Williams said
Tue Jan 1 9:36 PM, 2019
13.30-15.00
No. 3 Bed : 1f Brambling, 1 Goldcrest, 20 Gadwall, 1m Wigeon and 4 Shelducks.
A pile of feathers in the Tower Hide indicated a kill had taken place there, whilst a pellet from a raptor lay nearby, hopefully WECG will find this and ID it.
Judging by the feathers the victim appeared to be a Woodpigeon.
The John Morgan hide is currently closed and under repair.
4 Cormorants and 2 Grey Herons were by the old river, whilst the weir pool contained 56 Tufted Ducks, 1m Goldeneye, 2 Shelducks and an adult Herring Gull.
PHIL GREENWOOD said
Fri Oct 26 7:25 PM, 2018
Made up for my Starling dip by a visit to Woolston.
No.3 Bed : 1f Sparrowhawk, 30 Black Tailed Godwits, 3 Chiffchaffs, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 1 Goldcrest, 1 Buzzard, 5 Wigeon,2 Little Grebes and 2 Snipe.
The Chiffchaffs and Goldcrest were with a large flock of Long Tailed Tits that was moving through the oaks along the South bank.
As noted at Sandbach three days previously duck numbers are noticeably building up now, with Shovelers being impressively abundant at Woolston.
A single group of 46 Shovelers were feeding together at one point.
John Williams said
Tue Aug 21 10:52 PM, 2018
17.45-20.00
1 Kingfisher by the old river, 1 Nuthatch here too, whilst 5 Cormorants departed and headed West.
No 3 Bed : 5 Greenshanks, 2 Green Sandpipers, 1 Dunlin, 12 Snipe, 50+ Black Tailed Godwits, 1f Sparrowhawk, 1 Buzzard
and 4 Little Grebes.
The water level is perfect for passage waders, and there are numerous Elder bushes crammed with ripe berries for
migrant passerines.
Chris Greene said
Mon Jun 4 11:43 AM, 2018
Great to see the Black-necked Grebes doing so well at this excellent site yesterday.At least ten adult birds and eight juveniles ( at various stages of development ) seen, including two broods of three young! Also Pochard with brood of seven ducklings, and Tufted Duck with brood of five. Plenty of Whitethroats and Blackcaps around.
2 Avocets from Morgan Hide 7-15 till departed WNW at 8-40.
Redshank,
Hepatic female Cuckoo,
Common Tern,
9 pairs of Black Necked Grebes with total of 17 juvs of various sizes.
Alan Warford said
Sat Jun 2 9:55 PM, 2018
2 Avocets from Morgan Hide 7-15 till departed WNW at 8-40.
Redshank
Hepatic female Cuckoo
Common Tern
9 pairs of Black Necked Grebes with total of 17 juvs of various sizes.
Daniel Owen said
Sat May 12 10:23 PM, 2018
The Lesser Whitethroat is still singing along the canal path, just after the entrance to the No.4 bed. On the No.3 bed, the drake Garganey did a fly-by past the John Morgan Hide with a flock of Gadwall, and another was seen arriving on the loop of the No.4 bed. Best of all was a Spotted Flycatcher caught and ringed.
-- Edited by Daniel Owen on Saturday 12th of May 2018 10:24:13 PM
AM Morgan Hide
30 plus Brambling with finch flock on feeders. Greenfinch Chaffinch and at least 1 Bullfinch also
John Williams said
Wed Nov 29 4:14 PM, 2017
09.30-13.30
Woolston Weir Pool Area & Old River: 56 Tufted Ducks, 1 Shelduck, 2 Grey Herons, 3 Little Grebes, 1 Buzzard and 3 Bullfinches,
No. 3 Bed : 1f Sparrowhawk, 2 Bramblings, 1 Willow Tit, 1 Kingfisher, 2 Grey Herons and 12 Shelducks.
John Williams said
Tue Nov 21 5:42 PM, 2017
10.00-13.00
River Mersey above Woolston Weir :
4m Goldeneye, 58 Tufted Ducks, 4 Little Grebes and 2 Great Crested Grebes.
Old River : 3 Little Grebes and 3 Cormorants.
No3 Bed : 3 Bramblings amongst the finches around the feeders, 1 Sparrowhawk, 2 Shelducks, 1 Grey Heron, 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers and 6 Goldcrests.
50 Lapwings flew over heading West. 30+ Redwings rested along the edge of the bed.
At one point 21 Greenfinches clung to a single feeder.
John Williams said
Sat Sep 16 4:10 PM, 2017
11.30-14.00
1 Kingfisher and 1 Little Grebe were on the old river.
No 3 Bed
Still a large flock of Lapwings around.
Also there were 14 Black Tailed Godwits, 3 Snipe, 1 Green Sandpiper, 2 Buzzards, 1 Goldcrest, 3 Little Grebes and 4 Grey Herons.
Shoveler numbers appear to have increased a lot over the last couple of days, as have the Chaffinches around the sunflower patch.
The only hirundines seen though were a couple of Swallows that passed through.
John Williams said
Thu Sep 14 4:20 PM, 2017
11.00-14.00
Woolston Weir Pool : 30 Tufted Duck and 1 Little Grebe.
No3 Bed
260 Lapwings, 26 Black Tailed Godwits, 2 Sparrowhawks, 2 Buzzards, 8 Jays (They appear far more abundant at this time of year),
2 Willow Tits, 3 Grey Herons and 1 Cormorant. Numbers of Shoveler, Gadwall and Teal are noticeably building up again.
A steady trickle of Swallows and House Martins drifted through whilst I was there, mostly heading West.
John Williams said
Sun Sep 10 3:19 PM, 2017
11.00-13.00
Woolston Weir Pool : 39 Tufted Ducks and 4 Little Grebes
No 3 Bed : 1 Redshank, 11 Black tailed Godwits, 172 Lapwings, 4 Snipe, 1 Sparrowhawk, 3 Grey Herons, 1 Chiffchaff, 1 Little Grebe and 3 Jays.
Small numbers of House Martins and Swallows were over the pool throughout.
Pete Hines said
Sun Sep 3 12:23 PM, 2017
1st September
Swift 1 (viewed from the bank of no2 bed)
John Williams said
Sat Jun 10 11:47 PM, 2017
14.30-17.30
No.3 Bed
1 Sparrowhawk, 3 Buzzards, 2 Cormorants, 1 Sedge Warbler (From F.Linley Hide), 6 Black Necked Grebes, 4 Great Crested Grebes and 3 Little Grebes.
Lots of moulting duck, mainly Mallard and Gadwall, but also a few Shoveler, a couple of Pochard, 3 Shelduck and a single drake Teal.
Not all Pochard are entering moult though yet, 4 smart looking drakes tried to woo a female, whilst another female had a brood of just 1 small duckling, signalling heavy predation.
I could'nt find any broods of Shelduck, so perhaps they were lost to predators too.
A single Buzzard risked flying across the bed, but made a quick exit with dozens of Black Headed and a few Lesser Black Backed Gulls in pursuit.
The Black Heads were not fooled though by the false chivalry of their larger cousins, once the Buzzard was gone, the Lesser Black Backs were attacked too.
The Black Headed Gulls also kept massing over the reedbed in the NE corner, which a couple of decades ago signalled the presence of Mink, but they have now largely been controlled.
As Otters have been glimpsed along the nearby Mersey in recent years, every time the gulls massed, I scanned the edge of the reeds, expecting a predatory mammal to swim out.
At one point lots of duck and Coots erupted from the reeds, so I did think an Otter might appear, but then focus of the gulls wrath emerged into open water.
A Mute Swan in threat mode appeared with a mass of gulls trying to pack its head. The swan and it's mate chased off 3 interlopers, then calmed down.
I can't recall seeing Black Headed Gulls react to swans like this before.
Around 28 young Black Headed Gulls were visible, most now full grown. 1 half grown youngster was attacked and almost drowned by a couple of adults, but then the chicks
parents came to it's rescue and vicious fight broke out. A single tiny Lapwing chick was on the scrape, and often strayed well away it's single parent, it will be a miracle if this little fellow
survives. Small numbers of Sand Martins and Swifts were over the bed throughout.
Alan Warford said
Sat May 27 3:37 PM, 2017
Drake Garganey in front of first screen, now 6 broods of Pochard, 5 Black Necked Grebes, Cetti's Warbler singing on east bank of No3.
John Williams said
Sun May 21 11:43 PM, 2017
15.00-18.30
No3 Bed
4 Black Necked Grebes, including 1 with a single small youngster, 2 Little Grebes, 2 Great Crested Grebes, 2 Buzzards and 6 Lesser Black Backed Gulls.
8 drake Pochards plus a female with 6 small ducklings. 2 Lapwings. 6 Cormorants flew over. 6 adult Canada Geese managed a creche of 31 pigeon sized goslings.
The Lesser Black Backed Gulls are not particularly loved both by the resident Black Headed Gulls or WECG, but trying to gain a more favourable reception 3 of
them joined the Black Heads in chasing off a Buzzard. The big gulls made this look easy, although the Buzzard looked completely shocked.
A few Greenfinches are still visiting the feeders together with a male Bullfinch.
A family party of Greenfinches were by the copse on No2 Bed, as was a gnat catching Willow Warbler that frequently hovered.
6 Shelduck. 2 Great Crested Grebes and 10 Tufted Ducks were on the nearby Mersey.
Daniel Owen said
Sat Apr 29 2:40 PM, 2017
9:20-11:30 No.3 Bed: I counted 12 singing Chiffchaffs, 9 Blackcap and 2 Willow Warbler down the canal path and around the No.3 bed. 4 Whitethroat were singing from the meadows and 2 Sedge and 4+ Reed Warblers were singing in the reedbed. I heard a Cuckoo calling near North Meadow around 10am but couldn't locate it. I had just 2 Sand Martin over the bed, but no other hirundines. I counted 2 Little and 7 Great Crested Grebes, but just 4 Black-necked Grebes (hopefully more on nests?). The male Lapwing is still displaying infront of the John Morgan Hide, and at least another two were on the bed.
John Williams said
Wed Apr 26 3:02 PM, 2017
09.30-13.00
No3 Bed
1 Garden Warbler, 7 Black necked Grebes, 6 Little Grebes, 5 Great Crested Grebes, 2 Buzzards, 1f Kestrel and 1m Bullfinch.
Small groups of House Martins, with a few Swallows and a single Sand Martin passed through.
Daniel Owen said
Tue Apr 11 2:28 PM, 2017
8:00-12:30 1 Swallow flew North by the footbridge. Between 9:00-12:00 I counted 507 Sand Martin and 5 House Martins moving north from the John Morgan Hide with the pair of adult Mediterranean Gulls and a pair of displaying Kestrels also from here. 3 Buzzard and 1 Sparrowhawk were present on site, and 1 Kingfisher flew through. 9 Black-necked Grebes were also noted around the hides, and I counted 23 Chiffchaff, 10 Willow Warbler and 10 Blackcap from the canal path and the No.3 bed. 53 species were seen in the 4 hours I spent on site.
John O'Neill said
Tue Apr 11 10:55 AM, 2017
5 Black Necked Grebes from hides
2 Sand Martin
Numerous Blackcap
Daniel Owen said
Sun Apr 2 4:01 PM, 2017
8:25-13:00 36 Chiffchaff and 4 Willow Warbler heard singing along the canal path and around No.3 bed. Just the 2 Sand Martin moved through No.3 bed, where there were 6 Black-necked Grebes, 2 Common Gulls and a pair of summer plumaged adult Mediterranean Gull. One of the Mediterranean Gulls was seen moving around some of the shells from the island, and this gull also had a small metal ring on its right leg above the ankle but I wasn't able to read it. A flock of 11 Lapwing flew through and another remained on the scrape, with 1 Oystercatcher. Other highlights were 1 Cetti's Warbler singing on the east bank, 2 Sparrowhawks and 6 Buzzards rising on the thermals, 9 Pochard and 6 Shelduck.
-- Edited by Daniel Owen on Sunday 2nd of April 2017 04:01:56 PM
John Williams said
Sat Mar 18 5:11 PM, 2017
Fascinating Rob thanks, I'll watch other dabblers too in case I witness this behaviour from them. Other Shovelers nearby were doing their rotational feeding routine, behaving like big Whirligig beetles, with the males head displaying too. Perhaps a male that dives impresses the females just a little more.
Rob Creek said
Sat Mar 18 3:26 PM, 2017
Hi John, maybe of interest to you that I've just read an online reference piece on Shoveler's that mentions their highly specialised tongues used for filter feeding and the fact that they often dive for food if the water is deep enough. Cheers
John Williams said
Sat Mar 18 3:16 PM, 2017
08.00-11.00
No 3 Bed
7 Black Necked Grebes (1 still in winter plumage), 25 Pochard, 1f Kestrel, 1 Buzzard, 1 Great Crested Grebe, 7 Little Grebes and 2 Oystercatchers.
Amongst the many Shoveler, was a drake that dived like a diving duck.He disappeared completely, then popped up again seconds later, Aythya style.
I have never seen this behaviour before, and can only assume he was trying rid himself of parasites.
Black Headed Gulls are back en-masse, and amongst them a single adult Common Gull.
Several Lesser Black Backed and a couple of Herring Gulls were also on the bed, testing the wrath of the Black Heads in the run up to breeding.
A couple of resplendent male Bullfinches visited the feeders, but overall the number of finches visiting seems down here, perhaps many have now dispersed.
Old River Bed & Weir Pool
5 Great Crested Grebes, 5 Pochard and 12 Tufted Ducks.
David Spencer said
Mon Mar 13 3:05 PM, 2017
The first spring migrants were seen on Saturday (11th) with one Sand Martin flying through and several Chiffchaffs singing. 3 Black-necked Grebes were seen today, with a one in winter plumage and 2 summer plumage birds. c6 Sand Martins also passed through today.
John Williams said
Sat Jan 28 4:28 PM, 2017
Weir Pool & River :
77 Tufted Ducks, 1m Goldeneye, 2f Pochard, 1 Little Grebe, 4 Cormorants and 1 Shelduck.
2 foxes were near the weir on No 2 bed, the larger one, which looked like the dark alpha male on Winterwatch, had a really nasty wound on one of it's hind legs.
The No.3 bed was largely frozen, with a small pocket of water in front of John Morgan Hide kept by the flock of Teal, which numbered 768. Also present were 10 Wigeon, 8 Shoveler, 7 Mallard and 5 Shelduck. 2 Sparrowhawks, 1 Buzzard and 1 Kestrel were also present at the bed, and bullfinches and siskin joined the regular finch flocks.
Daniel Owen said
Sun Dec 11 7:16 PM, 2016
1 male green-winged teal still present from John Morgan hide although distant. He spent the morning displaying to nearby female teals. I counted 440 teal but suspect a lot more were hidden by the reeds so probably closer to 500 present at the moment, along with 6 wigeon and numerous mallard, shoveler, gadwall and 3 tufted duck. A juvenile male pintail also made a brief visit before flying off north. Also present were redwings, siskins, 1 kestrel, 1 sparrowhawk and numerous finches.
JOHN TYMON said
Sun Oct 30 9:16 PM, 2016
A 1st winter Hen Harrier with rings and satellite / Radio transmitter showed well this afternoon on number 3 bed :)
1 Green Sandpiper, 6 Black Tailed Godwits, 308 Lapwings, 16 Snipe, 1 Grey Wagtail, 1 Water Rail, 4 Linnets,1m Bullfinch and 7 Redwings.
The John Morgan hide is currently closed for maintenance.
Also, recorded warbler song is currently being played on the reserve, to attract migrants. Don't be fooled by a singing Blackcap, it's only a tape,
or you may end up on "You've Been Framed".
If you park on Weir Lane, please be aware that as there is maintenance work being done on the river bank, and so lots of HGV's are using the narrow lane.
-- Edited by John Williams on Saturday 8th of October 2016 02:43:09 PM
Daniel Owen said
Sun Oct 2 4:26 PM, 2016
11:20 - 14:00
1 grey wagtail showed well on the scrape in front of the John Morgan Hide, where plenty of shoveler and teal were present. Also here were 5 black-tailed godwit and a reasonably large flock of lapwing. 4 buzzard were circling distantly above the tree line above no.2 bed. A little grebe and 1 tufted duck were seen from the rotary hide. There was a very light passage of meadow pipits (5+) and skylark (2+) over the reserve
JOHN TYMON said
Sat Sep 24 7:29 PM, 2016
PM Green Sandpiper-1 Black Tailed Godwit -14 Common Snipe-26 Buzzard-2
JOHN TYMON said
Sun Aug 28 2:32 PM, 2016
Black Tailed Godwit- 60
Green Sandpiper- 3
Sparrowhawk -1
Wood Sandpiper - 1 -nice to find a crackin' Wood Sandpiper at the front of the main hide at 2.15pm ,it walked left past the hide and on towards the next hide.Unfortunately at the moment there are so many areas with mud at Woolston around all the reeds,that its easy to lose a decent wader like a wood sand and it didn't return by the time I left at 3.30
-- Edited by JOHN TYMON on Sunday 28th of August 2016 07:14:13 PM
JOHN TYMON said
Sat Aug 20 6:53 PM, 2016
pm
Black Tailed Godwit -107(nice to see so many juveniles has well) Green Sandpiper-3 Common Sandpiper-1 Lapwing-180 Common Buzzard-1 Snipe-12 Black Necked Grebe-1 Juvenile Chiffchaff-3 Willow Warbler-2 Swift-100+>s Swallow-40+ :)
-- Edited by JOHN TYMON on Sunday 21st of August 2016 08:37:25 AM
Black-tailed Godwit 72 Snipe 7 Green Sandpiper 3 Common Sandpiper 1 Black-necked Grebe 1 juv. Willow Tit 2 Little Grebe 3 adults 2 juv. Great Crested Grebe 1
etc.etc.etc.
-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Wednesday 17th of August 2016 07:37:50 PM
Daniel Owen said
Mon Aug 15 3:48 PM, 2016
10:00-2:00
It was a good day for autumn wader passage today with 248 lapwings, 6 black-tailed godwits, 2 green sandpipers, 1 common sandpiper on the No.3 bed. One of the green sandpipers had an orange ring but was covered in mud at times and too far to read when it was clean. Also present were: 1 water rail, 1 female sparrowhawk, teals, shovelers and some of the tufted ducks still had some young following them. A juvenile black-necked grebe also showed from the Rotary Hide.
On No3 bed, another,or the same, LRP was on the scrape briefly before a Bar-tailed Godwit (the first at Woolston for 8 years) came through, landed briefly in the water around the scrape before being chased by Gadwall and headed NE.
Hi Curt, I think they do have group visits, with people shown around, so a bit of Googling may reveal something you could join in with. In fact, I've just done that and found this link:-
https://woolstoneyes.com/workspace/surveys/wecg-2019-booked-group-visits-5c9df46e91d02.pdf
You have to be a permit holder Curt but it's well worth it.
Details on the Woolston Eyes website here
https://www.woolstoneyes.com/woolston-eyes/permits/
No.3 Bed :
4 Black Necked Grebes, 4 Sand Martins, 6 Bullfinches, 1 Great Crested Grebe, 1 Little Grebe, 6 Cormorants, 3m+1f Pochard,
4 Lapwings, 12 Gadwall, 1 Buzzard and at least 7 Chiffchaffs.
There were at least 7 different Bramblings at the feeders too.
Apart from a single Greenfinch, the Bramblings were the only birds on the feeders.
A single Great Crested Grebe, 28 Tufted Ducks plus a solitary female Pochard were on the ship canal.
The area around the weir pool on the Mersey held another single Great crested Grebe, 58 Tufted Ducks, 4m+2f Pochards,
4 Shelducks and a dozen adult Lesser Black Backed Gulls in immaculate breeding plumage.
2 Lesser Redpolls were on a bush alongside the path on No. 2 bed.
-- Edited by John Williams on Sunday 31st of March 2019 08:37:05 PM
No.3 Bed - all from John Morgan Hide in heavy rain and strong wind:
1 Little Gull still for its third day
1 redhead Goosander
1 female Merlin
c30 Pochard
as well as Bramblings, 1 Oystercatcher, 5 Lapwing etc.
River Mersey & Weir Pool : 48 Tufted Ducks, 2m+2f Pochard, 2 Shelducks, 2 Great Crested Grebes, 1m+1f Gadwall and 8 Cormorants.
No 3 Bed : 1 Goldcrest, 3 Lesser Redpolls (On alders near Tower Hide), 6 Great Crested Grebes, 1 Little Grebe, 1 Grey Heron, 1 Sparrowhawk, 4 Buzzards and 2 Jays.
1m+2f Bramblings were with Chaffinches feeding beneath the feeders.
A singing Chiffchaff by the Rotary Hide turned out to be just a tape to lure the first wave of summer migrants in for ringing.
No. 3 Bed : 1f Brambling, 1 Goldcrest, 20 Gadwall, 1m Wigeon and 4 Shelducks.
A pile of feathers in the Tower Hide indicated a kill had taken place there, whilst a pellet from a raptor lay nearby, hopefully WECG will find this and ID it.
Judging by the feathers the victim appeared to be a Woodpigeon.
The John Morgan hide is currently closed and under repair.
4 Cormorants and 2 Grey Herons were by the old river, whilst the weir pool contained 56 Tufted Ducks, 1m Goldeneye, 2 Shelducks and an adult Herring Gull.
Marsh Harrier 2
Whooper Swan 3 adults.
Cetti's Warbler 1
Black-tailed Godwit 20
Buzzard 1
Kestrel 1 male.
Sparrowhawk 1
Teal 100+
Gadwall 6m 3f.
Wigeon 3m 5f.
Lapwing 11
Shoveler 50+
Pintail 2f
Shelduck 6
Little Grebe 2
Water Rail 1 heard.
Redwing 5+
etc.
Woolston Weir Pool : 42 Tufted Ducks
No.3 Bed : 1f Sparrowhawk, 30 Black Tailed Godwits, 3 Chiffchaffs, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 1 Goldcrest, 1 Buzzard, 5 Wigeon,2 Little Grebes and 2 Snipe.
The Chiffchaffs and Goldcrest were with a large flock of Long Tailed Tits that was moving through the oaks along the South bank.
As noted at Sandbach three days previously duck numbers are noticeably building up now, with Shovelers being impressively abundant at Woolston.
A single group of 46 Shovelers were feeding together at one point.
1 Kingfisher by the old river, 1 Nuthatch here too, whilst 5 Cormorants departed and headed West.
No 3 Bed : 5 Greenshanks, 2 Green Sandpipers, 1 Dunlin, 12 Snipe, 50+ Black Tailed Godwits, 1f Sparrowhawk, 1 Buzzard
and 4 Little Grebes.
The water level is perfect for passage waders, and there are numerous Elder bushes crammed with ripe berries for
migrant passerines.
Great to see the Black-necked Grebes doing so well at this excellent site yesterday.At least ten adult birds and eight juveniles ( at various stages of development ) seen, including two broods of three young! Also Pochard with brood of seven ducklings, and Tufted Duck with brood of five. Plenty of Whitethroats and Blackcaps around.
Cheers Chris
Wobbly but cute video here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBQV9slM_wo
-- Edited by Daniel Owen on Saturday 12th of May 2018 10:24:13 PM
Black-necked Grebes
Lesser Whitethroat 1 singing.
Swifts
House Martins
Sparrowhawk 1
Kestrel 1 female.
Reed Warblers
Whitethroats
Chiffchaffs
Blackcaps
Shelducks
Gadwalls
Pochards
Shoveler 1 male.
etc.etc.etc.
30 plus Brambling with finch flock on feeders. Greenfinch Chaffinch and at least 1 Bullfinch also
Woolston Weir Pool Area & Old River: 56 Tufted Ducks, 1 Shelduck, 2 Grey Herons, 3 Little Grebes, 1 Buzzard and 3 Bullfinches,
No. 3 Bed : 1f Sparrowhawk, 2 Bramblings, 1 Willow Tit, 1 Kingfisher, 2 Grey Herons and 12 Shelducks.
River Mersey above Woolston Weir :
4m Goldeneye, 58 Tufted Ducks, 4 Little Grebes and 2 Great Crested Grebes.
Old River : 3 Little Grebes and 3 Cormorants.
No3 Bed : 3 Bramblings amongst the finches around the feeders, 1 Sparrowhawk, 2 Shelducks, 1 Grey Heron, 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers and 6 Goldcrests.
50 Lapwings flew over heading West. 30+ Redwings rested along the edge of the bed.
At one point 21 Greenfinches clung to a single feeder.
1 Kingfisher and 1 Little Grebe were on the old river.
No 3 Bed
Still a large flock of Lapwings around.
Also there were 14 Black Tailed Godwits, 3 Snipe, 1 Green Sandpiper, 2 Buzzards, 1 Goldcrest, 3 Little Grebes and 4 Grey Herons.
Shoveler numbers appear to have increased a lot over the last couple of days, as have the Chaffinches around the sunflower patch.
The only hirundines seen though were a couple of Swallows that passed through.
Woolston Weir Pool : 30 Tufted Duck and 1 Little Grebe.
No3 Bed
260 Lapwings, 26 Black Tailed Godwits, 2 Sparrowhawks, 2 Buzzards, 8 Jays (They appear far more abundant at this time of year),
2 Willow Tits, 3 Grey Herons and 1 Cormorant. Numbers of Shoveler, Gadwall and Teal are noticeably building up again.
A steady trickle of Swallows and House Martins drifted through whilst I was there, mostly heading West.
Woolston Weir Pool : 39 Tufted Ducks and 4 Little Grebes
No 3 Bed : 1 Redshank, 11 Black tailed Godwits, 172 Lapwings, 4 Snipe, 1 Sparrowhawk, 3 Grey Herons, 1 Chiffchaff, 1 Little Grebe and 3 Jays.
Small numbers of House Martins and Swallows were over the pool throughout.
Swift 1 (viewed from the bank of no2 bed)
No.3 Bed
1 Sparrowhawk, 3 Buzzards, 2 Cormorants, 1 Sedge Warbler (From F.Linley Hide), 6 Black Necked Grebes, 4 Great Crested Grebes and 3 Little Grebes.
Lots of moulting duck, mainly Mallard and Gadwall, but also a few Shoveler, a couple of Pochard, 3 Shelduck and a single drake Teal.
Not all Pochard are entering moult though yet, 4 smart looking drakes tried to woo a female, whilst another female had a brood of just 1 small duckling, signalling heavy predation.
I could'nt find any broods of Shelduck, so perhaps they were lost to predators too.
A single Buzzard risked flying across the bed, but made a quick exit with dozens of Black Headed and a few Lesser Black Backed Gulls in pursuit.
The Black Heads were not fooled though by the false chivalry of their larger cousins, once the Buzzard was gone, the Lesser Black Backs were attacked too.
The Black Headed Gulls also kept massing over the reedbed in the NE corner, which a couple of decades ago signalled the presence of Mink, but they have now largely been controlled.
As Otters have been glimpsed along the nearby Mersey in recent years, every time the gulls massed, I scanned the edge of the reeds, expecting a predatory mammal to swim out.
At one point lots of duck and Coots erupted from the reeds, so I did think an Otter might appear, but then focus of the gulls wrath emerged into open water.
A Mute Swan in threat mode appeared with a mass of gulls trying to pack its head. The swan and it's mate chased off 3 interlopers, then calmed down.
I can't recall seeing Black Headed Gulls react to swans like this before.
Around 28 young Black Headed Gulls were visible, most now full grown. 1 half grown youngster was attacked and almost drowned by a couple of adults, but then the chicks
parents came to it's rescue and vicious fight broke out. A single tiny Lapwing chick was on the scrape, and often strayed well away it's single parent, it will be a miracle if this little fellow
survives. Small numbers of Sand Martins and Swifts were over the bed throughout.
No3 Bed
4 Black Necked Grebes, including 1 with a single small youngster, 2 Little Grebes, 2 Great Crested Grebes, 2 Buzzards and 6 Lesser Black Backed Gulls.
8 drake Pochards plus a female with 6 small ducklings. 2 Lapwings. 6 Cormorants flew over. 6 adult Canada Geese managed a creche of 31 pigeon sized goslings.
The Lesser Black Backed Gulls are not particularly loved both by the resident Black Headed Gulls or WECG, but trying to gain a more favourable reception 3 of
them joined the Black Heads in chasing off a Buzzard. The big gulls made this look easy, although the Buzzard looked completely shocked.
A few Greenfinches are still visiting the feeders together with a male Bullfinch.
A family party of Greenfinches were by the copse on No2 Bed, as was a gnat catching Willow Warbler that frequently hovered.
6 Shelduck. 2 Great Crested Grebes and 10 Tufted Ducks were on the nearby Mersey.
9:20-11:30 No.3 Bed:
I counted 12 singing Chiffchaffs, 9 Blackcap and 2 Willow Warbler down the canal path and around the No.3 bed. 4 Whitethroat were singing from the meadows and 2 Sedge and 4+ Reed Warblers were singing in the reedbed. I heard a Cuckoo calling near North Meadow around 10am but couldn't locate it. I had just 2 Sand Martin over the bed, but no other hirundines. I counted 2 Little and 7 Great Crested Grebes, but just 4 Black-necked Grebes (hopefully more on nests?). The male Lapwing is still displaying infront of the John Morgan Hide, and at least another two were on the bed.
No3 Bed
1 Garden Warbler, 7 Black necked Grebes, 6 Little Grebes, 5 Great Crested Grebes, 2 Buzzards, 1f Kestrel and 1m Bullfinch.
Small groups of House Martins, with a few Swallows and a single Sand Martin passed through.
1 Swallow flew North by the footbridge. Between 9:00-12:00 I counted 507 Sand Martin and 5 House Martins moving north from the John Morgan Hide with the pair of adult Mediterranean Gulls and a pair of displaying Kestrels also from here. 3 Buzzard and 1 Sparrowhawk were present on site, and 1 Kingfisher flew through. 9 Black-necked Grebes were also noted around the hides, and I counted 23 Chiffchaff, 10 Willow Warbler and 10 Blackcap from the canal path and the No.3 bed. 53 species were seen in the 4 hours I spent on site.
5 Black Necked Grebes from hides
2 Sand Martin
Numerous Blackcap
36 Chiffchaff and 4 Willow Warbler heard singing along the canal path and around No.3 bed. Just the 2 Sand Martin moved through No.3 bed, where there were 6 Black-necked Grebes, 2 Common Gulls and a pair of summer plumaged adult Mediterranean Gull. One of the Mediterranean Gulls was seen moving around some of the shells from the island, and this gull also had a small metal ring on its right leg above the ankle but I wasn't able to read it. A flock of 11 Lapwing flew through and another remained on the scrape, with 1 Oystercatcher. Other highlights were 1 Cetti's Warbler singing on the east bank, 2 Sparrowhawks and 6 Buzzards rising on the thermals, 9 Pochard and 6 Shelduck.
-- Edited by Daniel Owen on Sunday 2nd of April 2017 04:01:56 PM
Other Shovelers nearby were doing their rotational feeding routine, behaving like big Whirligig beetles, with the males head displaying too.
Perhaps a male that dives impresses the females just a little more.
maybe of interest to you that I've just read an online reference piece on Shoveler's that mentions their highly specialised tongues used for filter feeding and the fact that they often dive for food if the water is deep enough.
Cheers
No 3 Bed
7 Black Necked Grebes (1 still in winter plumage), 25 Pochard, 1f Kestrel, 1 Buzzard, 1 Great Crested Grebe, 7 Little Grebes and 2 Oystercatchers.
Amongst the many Shoveler, was a drake that dived like a diving duck.He disappeared completely, then popped up again seconds later, Aythya style.
I have never seen this behaviour before, and can only assume he was trying rid himself of parasites.
Black Headed Gulls are back en-masse, and amongst them a single adult Common Gull.
Several Lesser Black Backed and a couple of Herring Gulls were also on the bed, testing the wrath of the Black Heads in the run up to breeding.
A couple of resplendent male Bullfinches visited the feeders, but overall the number of finches visiting seems down here, perhaps many have now dispersed.
Old River Bed & Weir Pool
5 Great Crested Grebes, 5 Pochard and 12 Tufted Ducks.
The first spring migrants were seen on Saturday (11th) with one Sand Martin flying through and several Chiffchaffs singing. 3 Black-necked Grebes were seen today, with a one in winter plumage and 2 summer plumage birds. c6 Sand Martins also passed through today.
77 Tufted Ducks, 1m Goldeneye, 2f Pochard, 1 Little Grebe, 4 Cormorants and 1 Shelduck.
2 foxes were near the weir on No 2 bed, the larger one, which looked like the dark alpha male on Winterwatch, had a really nasty wound on one of it's hind legs.
No 3 Bed :
34 Shelducks, 35 Shovelers, 1 (ad) Lesser Black Backed Gull. 5 Greylag Geese, 12 Tufted Ducks, 10 Wigeon, 1 Buzzard and 1 Willow Tit.
Teal in abundance.
Also present were redwings, siskins, 1 kestrel, 1 sparrowhawk and numerous finches.
A 1st winter Hen Harrier with rings and satellite / Radio transmitter showed well this afternoon on number 3 bed :)
Weir Pool & Old River
20 Gadwall, 34 Tufted Duck and 1 Grey Wagtail.
11 Cormorants sat in a single tree.
No 3 Bed
1 Green Sandpiper, 6 Black Tailed Godwits, 308 Lapwings, 16 Snipe, 1 Grey Wagtail, 1 Water Rail, 4 Linnets,1m Bullfinch and 7 Redwings.
The John Morgan hide is currently closed for maintenance.
Also, recorded warbler song is currently being played on the reserve, to attract migrants. Don't be fooled by a singing Blackcap, it's only a tape,
or you may end up on "You've Been Framed".
If you park on Weir Lane, please be aware that as there is maintenance work being done on the river bank, and so lots of HGV's are using the narrow lane.
-- Edited by John Williams on Saturday 8th of October 2016 02:43:09 PM
1 grey wagtail showed well on the scrape in front of the John Morgan Hide, where plenty of shoveler and teal were present. Also here were 5 black-tailed godwit and a reasonably large flock of lapwing. 4 buzzard were circling distantly above the tree line above no.2 bed. A little grebe and 1 tufted duck were seen from the rotary hide.
There was a very light passage of meadow pipits (5+) and skylark (2+) over the reserve
Green Sandpiper-1
Black Tailed Godwit -14
Common Snipe-26
Buzzard-2
-- Edited by JOHN TYMON on Sunday 28th of August 2016 07:14:13 PM
pm
Black Tailed Godwit -107(nice to see so many juveniles has well)
Green Sandpiper-3
Common Sandpiper-1
Lapwing-180
Common Buzzard-1
Snipe-12
Black Necked Grebe-1 Juvenile
Chiffchaff-3
Willow Warbler-2
Swift-100+>s
Swallow-40+
:)
-- Edited by JOHN TYMON on Sunday 21st of August 2016 08:37:25 AM
Snipe 7
Green Sandpiper 3
Common Sandpiper 1
Black-necked Grebe 1 juv.
Willow Tit 2
Little Grebe 3 adults 2 juv.
Great Crested Grebe 1
etc.etc.etc.
-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Wednesday 17th of August 2016 07:37:50 PM
It was a good day for autumn wader passage today with 248 lapwings, 6 black-tailed godwits, 2 green sandpipers, 1 common sandpiper on the No.3 bed. One of the green sandpipers had an orange ring but was covered in mud at times and too far to read when it was clean. Also present were: 1 water rail, 1 female sparrowhawk, teals, shovelers and some of the tufted ducks still had some young following them. A juvenile black-necked grebe also showed from the Rotary Hide.