Bittern showing well in Ramsdales Reedbed this morning.
Info thanks to Barry Hulme
Ian McKerchar said
Mon Dec 7 9:46 PM, 2020
This late afternoon:
Bittern flew into Ramsdales Reedbed
2860 Herring Gulls and 107 Great Black-backed Gulls in the roost
43 Goosanders at dusk
31 Goldeneyes at dusk
Ian McKerchar said
Sat Dec 5 6:04 PM, 2020
First winter Mediterranean Gull in the roost this evening.
Little Egret flew NW from Ramsdales towards Bickershaw
27 Greylag Geese at the western end
Natalie Clarke said
Sat Dec 5 12:55 PM, 2020
Arrived 9am. Highlights and firsts for me!
Redwing when I first arrived. Only had time to get a look at one before they got scared off.
At least 6 heron in various places as I went round
1 male and 1 female shoveler
1 dunnock
1 little egret feeding behind Ramsdale hide at about 11am. And saw him catch and eat a small fish!
Ian McKerchar said
Fri Dec 4 9:45 PM, 2020
Adult Mediterranean Gull in the roost again tonight, also Little Egret on the Kidney Pond again and a Chiffchaff behind the dipping pond.
Info thanks to Phil Rhodes
Ian McKerchar said
Fri Dec 4 2:57 PM, 2020
22 Goldeneye this morning (7 drakes) and 2 Shelduck.
Info thanks to Barry Hulme
Ian McKerchar said
Thu Dec 3 8:08 PM, 2020
Drake Common Scoter still present this late afternoon, also a Little Egret on the Kidney Pond.
Info thanks to Phil Rhodes
Ian McKerchar said
Thu Dec 3 10:05 AM, 2020
Drake Common Scoter still present this morning, also a single Little Egret
Info thanks to Bill Harrison
Steven Heywood said
Wed Dec 2 2:12 PM, 2020
Drake common scoter still on, seen best from the benches near F.R.Horrocks Hide.
Ian McKerchar said
Tue Dec 1 9:48 PM, 2020
Drake Common Scoter present off the car park at 3pm.
Info thanks to Phil Rhodes
Ian McKerchar said
Tue Dec 1 3:15 PM, 2020
2 Little Egrets present his morning.
Also, 60 Pink-footed Geese over SE, 11 Goosander and 6 Goldeneye.
Info thanks to Barry Hulme
Ian McKerchar said
Mon Nov 30 6:50 PM, 2020
Juvenile Iceland Gull in the roost this late afternoon.
Info thanks to Phil Rhodes
Ian McKerchar said
Sun Nov 29 11:35 PM, 2020
2 Oystercatcher present this afternoon and 52 Pink-footed Geese flew over NW.
Info thanks to Phil Rhodes
Ian McKerchar said
Sun Nov 29 2:30 PM, 2020
A Little Egret flew from Ramsdales scrape towards Tom Edmondson hide yesterday evening.
Info thanks to Phil Rhodes
Ian McKerchar said
Fri Nov 27 6:28 PM, 2020
Late afternoon today:
1137 Herring Gulls and 51 Great Black-backed Gulls in the roost
14 Goldeneye
10 Goosander
5 Wigeon (per Phil Rhodes)
John Watson said
Wed Nov 25 9:48 AM, 2020
Y'day pm (Tuesday 24th)
"Round the back", where the path meets the stream
Grey Wagtail, Willow Tit, 2 Bullfinch & stunning male Siskin
Ian McKerchar said
Tue Nov 24 9:05 PM, 2020
Adult Mediterranean Gull roosted again this evening.
Info thanks to Phil Rhodes
Ian McKerchar said
Tue Nov 24 9:52 AM, 2020
Bittern showing again in Ramsdales Reedbed this morning.
Info thanks to Barry Hulme
Ian McKerchar said
Mon Nov 23 9:17 PM, 2020
The usual adult Mediterranean Gull roosted again this evening.
Info thanks to Phil Rhodes
Lez Fairclough said
Mon Nov 23 9:01 PM, 2020
13:30 to 16:00 full circuit of flash very quiet with just a few notable sightings :-
Eastern bay to Sailing Club : 2 F Goosander, 1 F Goldeneye, Willow Tit, Lesser & Great Black-Backed Gulls, Heron, Kingfisher.
Western Bay to Main Car Park - 4 F & 2 M Goosander, 2 Raven, Herring Gull, Oystercatcher, Long-Tailed Tits, Jay, Cetti's Warbler.
-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Friday 27th of November 2020 06:28:51 PM
Ian McKerchar said
Mon Nov 23 9:34 AM, 2020
Bittern in Ramsdales Reedbed this morning.
Info thanks to Bill Harrison
Ian McKerchar said
Sun Nov 22 11:48 AM, 2020
A two and half hour mooch and watch from and around Ramsdales Ruck first things this morning produced:
A total of 1879 Pink-footed Geese over, with 1651 E/SE in 19 skeins and 228 W/NW in 3 skeins
1440 Woodpigeon NE in 21 flocks
1 Raven very low (treetop height) and vocal south (over the very eastern side of the flash)
24 Fieldfare over east in one flock
13 Goldeneye
52 Great Crested Grebe
3 Pochard
Ian McKerchar said
Sat Nov 21 6:49 PM, 2020
Juvenile Iceland Gull present in the gull roost at 4pm today.
Also 7 Pochard and a single Pink-footed Goose SW
Info thanks to Phil Rhodes
Ian McKerchar said
Thu Nov 19 5:55 PM, 2020
This evening:
137 Great Black-backed Gulls
1237 Herring Gulls (increasing numbers of argentatus amongst them)
182 Lesser Black-backed Gulls (an apparent good proportion of intermedius birds)
7200 Black-headed Gulls
1+ adult Mediterranean Gull
7 Pochard (3 drakes)
1 drake Wigeon in Ramsdales
Usual resident Oystercatcher
Kingfisher around the shore by Sorrowcow Farm pond
Ian McKerchar said
Wed Nov 18 9:28 PM, 2020
An adult Mediterranean Gull was in the roost this afternoon, also on the flash were 6 Pochard and 70+ Pink-footed Geese flew over NW at dusk.
Info thanks to Phil Rhodes
Ian McKerchar said
Fri Nov 13 8:00 PM, 2020
This evening:
2nd winter Yellow-legged Gull
634 Herring Gulls
232 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
38 Great Black-backed Gulls
38 Pink-footed Geese east at 15:35
c500 Starlings wheeling around Ramsales at one point before presumably dropping into the roost there
Lez Fairclough said
Wed Nov 11 7:00 PM, 2020
Quick hour mid afternoon :-
Oystercatcher near main car park.
Grey Heron on edge of kidney pond.
Good numbers of Teal & Shoveler from Ramsdale's viewing screen plus a Kingfisher back & forth.
A female Goosander was sleeping on the small island on Teal Scrape with many Shoveler present.
Very quiet otherwise apart from the usual armies of hissing Long-Tailed Tits.
Ian McKerchar said
Mon Nov 9 9:00 AM, 2020
Single Knot on the spit early morning today.
Ian McKerchar said
Sun Nov 8 8:14 PM, 2020
16 Wigeon present late afternoon.
Info thanks to Phil Rhodes
Ian McKerchar said
Sat Nov 7 5:57 PM, 2020
Little Egret in front of Horrocks Hide this morning.
Info thanks to Bill Harrison
Ian McKerchar said
Thu Nov 5 2:28 PM, 2020
This morning:
255 Pink-footed Geese over, with 215 east in 3 skeins and 40 NW
1 Redshank
3 Willow Tit
42 Lapwing
Info thanks to Barry Hulme
Ian McKerchar said
Wed Nov 4 7:31 PM, 2020
This evening, a 3rd winter Yellow-legged Gull was in the gull roost but there was no sign of any Caspian Gulls. At 5pm a very loud firework put all the gulls up and hundreds of large gulls flew of SW, presumably towards the Mersey.
140 Pink-footed Geese flew over east at 16:10 and 95 flew over west at 16:15
Ian McKerchar said
Wed Nov 4 7:27 PM, 2020
This morning's highlights in varying (and overall pretty crap) conditions from Ramsdales Ruck:
3458 Woodpigeons SE in 33 flocks, many of which were really high up in the sky
436 Pink-footed Geese over, with 226 east in 3 skeins and 210 west in two skeins
8 Greylag Geese flew over east and appeared to drop in around the spit and later on 4 flew over west
24 Redwing over, with 9 SW and 15 E
Water Rail still calling from The Point reedbed
4 Lesser Redpoll flew south after feeding in trees on top of the ruck
Total of 36 Chaffinch over south in ones and twos mainly
Ian McKerchar said
Tue Nov 3 7:42 PM, 2020
In the gull roost this late afternoon with Pete Berry:
634 Herring Gull
289 Lesser Black-backed Gull
37 Great Black-backed Gull
Possible adult Caspian Gull (or hybrid) which unfortunately refused to show any of its essential and confirming primary pattern!
Steven Heywood said
Mon Nov 2 8:35 PM, 2020
I caught the first-Winter Caspian gull as it flew in over the car park at 3:50pm; it settled into the raft of gulls on the far shore of the flash.
Ian McKerchar said
Sun Nov 1 10:46 AM, 2020
Fairly quiet this morning from first light up to 9am, highlights included:
300-350 Pink-footed Geese over low east at 08:35, I estimated c300 as I only saw them briefly through a clearing in trees but Barry Hulme estimated c350, either way they were followed at 08:42 by a further 46 on the same trajectory
447 Woodpigeons flying over SE in 12 flocks in only 90 minutes from just after first light but many more undoubtably missed as I wasn't specifically watching visible migration
1 Blackcap at the western end
Treecreeper around the western edge of Ramsdales
104 Lapwings struggling for somewhere to land with the high water levels, they did so at least briefly on the sailing club shore
1 Skylark singing on Ramsdales Ruck
Ian McKerchar said
Sat Oct 31 6:57 PM, 2020
The first winter Caspian Gull roosted again tonight and 3 Wigeon were around the East Bay.
Info thanks to Phil Rhodes
Andy Isherwood said
Fri Oct 30 7:24 PM, 2020
Hour and half around the nature reserve this morning produced:
Redpoll, Nuthatch and treecreeper in trees around the car park.
Water Rail calling from Ramsdales reedbed.
8+ Goldcrest in with 2 tit flocks
Ian McKerchar said
Fri Oct 30 6:35 PM, 2020
The first winter Caspian Gull roosted again tonight.
Info thanks to Phil Rhodes
Ian McKerchar said
Fri Oct 30 12:27 PM, 2020
90 minutes of fairly decent weather from first light this morning produced the following highlights before rain set in:
874 Woodpigeon SE in 28 flocks
770 Pink-footed Geese due east just south of the flash in 4 skeins
Redwing seemingly moving in all directions, with 12 NE, 40 W and 22 SW
18 Meadow Pipit on the ruck
69 Lapwing looking for somewhere to land!
Water Rail calling from the reedbed behind the point
Ian McKerchar said
Wed Oct 28 7:15 PM, 2020
The first winter Caspian Gull roosted again this evening.
Info thanks to Phil Rhodes
Ian McKerchar said
Tue Oct 27 5:53 PM, 2020
This late afternoon:
The first winter Caspian Gull came into the gull roost but fairly late on
189 Herring Gulls
238 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
14 Great Black-backed Gulls
6300 Black-headed Gulls
2 Kingfishers around Sorrowcow Farm
1 Chifchaff briefly around Sorrowcow Pond
Andy Isherwood said
Tue Oct 27 12:59 PM, 2020
An hour or so at the western end mid morning
3 female Goldeneye
4 meadow pipit
c. 40 Redwing
Single Siskin
Ian McKerchar said
Tue Oct 27 12:10 PM, 2020
First winter Caspian Gull present fairy briefly first thing this morning, just after 7am, on a buoy in the East Bay then flew off north.
Other highlights from the early morning spent around the nature reserve area only included:
1 Treecreeper among a tit flock around the main car park
2 Blackcap, with one in the tit flock around the car park and 1 behind Ramsdales Hide
1 Yellowhammer flew calling over west by Ramsdales and towards the ruck
1 Cetti's Warbler singing around the Ramsdales area but very mobile
31 Shoveler on Teal Scrape
57 Teal on Ramsdales Scrape
1 Nuthatch along the golf course east of Teal Scrape
2 Kingfisher
53 Song Thrush (nature reserve area only!), with them seemingly everywhere, often in small groups of up to 5 feeding out in the open and very approachable
Ian McKerchar said
Mon Oct 26 6:59 PM, 2020
First winter Caspian Gull present in the roost again tonight
Adult Mediterranean and Yellow-legged Gulls in the roost tonight.
Info thanks to Phil Rhodes
Adult Mediterranean Gull roosted this evening.
Info thanks to Phil Rhodes
2pm to 3:45pm - A walk round the path past all the closed hides in very quiet gloomy conditions.
Near the car park a single Great Crested Grebe, Lesser & Great Black-Backed Gulls.
Grey Heron on edge of spit with several others in trees at various hides.
3 separate groups of about 7 Long-Tailed Tits.
On Teal scrape there were 12 mixed Goosander with a few Gadwall & Shoveler & approx 100 Jackdaw coming in to roost.
Juvenile Iceland Gull roosted this evening.
Info thanks to Phil Rhodes
Bittern showing well in Ramsdales Reedbed this morning.
Info thanks to Barry Hulme
This late afternoon:
Bittern flew into Ramsdales Reedbed
2860 Herring Gulls and 107 Great Black-backed Gulls in the roost
43 Goosanders at dusk
31 Goldeneyes at dusk
First winter Mediterranean Gull in the roost this evening.
Little Egret flew NW from Ramsdales towards Bickershaw
27 Greylag Geese at the western end
Arrived 9am. Highlights and firsts for me!
Redwing when I first arrived. Only had time to get a look at one before they got scared off.
At least 6 heron in various places as I went round
1 male and 1 female shoveler
1 dunnock
1 little egret feeding behind Ramsdale hide at about 11am. And saw him catch and eat a small fish!
Adult Mediterranean Gull in the roost again tonight, also Little Egret on the Kidney Pond again and a Chiffchaff behind the dipping pond.
Info thanks to Phil Rhodes
22 Goldeneye this morning (7 drakes) and 2 Shelduck.
Info thanks to Barry Hulme
Drake Common Scoter still present this late afternoon, also a Little Egret on the Kidney Pond.
Info thanks to Phil Rhodes
Drake Common Scoter still present this morning, also a single Little Egret
Info thanks to Bill Harrison
Drake Common Scoter present off the car park at 3pm.
Info thanks to Phil Rhodes
2 Little Egrets present his morning.
Also, 60 Pink-footed Geese over SE, 11 Goosander and 6 Goldeneye.
Info thanks to Barry Hulme
Juvenile Iceland Gull in the roost this late afternoon.
Info thanks to Phil Rhodes
2 Oystercatcher present this afternoon and 52 Pink-footed Geese flew over NW.
Info thanks to Phil Rhodes
A Little Egret flew from Ramsdales scrape towards Tom Edmondson hide yesterday evening.
Info thanks to Phil Rhodes
Late afternoon today:
1137 Herring Gulls and 51 Great Black-backed Gulls in the roost
14 Goldeneye
10 Goosander
5 Wigeon (per Phil Rhodes)
"Round the back", where the path meets the stream
Grey Wagtail, Willow Tit, 2 Bullfinch & stunning male Siskin
Adult Mediterranean Gull roosted again this evening.
Info thanks to Phil Rhodes
Bittern showing again in Ramsdales Reedbed this morning.
Info thanks to Barry Hulme
The usual adult Mediterranean Gull roosted again this evening.
Info thanks to Phil Rhodes
13:30 to 16:00 full circuit of flash very quiet with just a few notable sightings :-
Eastern bay to Sailing Club : 2 F Goosander, 1 F Goldeneye, Willow Tit, Lesser & Great Black-Backed Gulls, Heron, Kingfisher.
Western Bay to Main Car Park - 4 F & 2 M Goosander, 2 Raven, Herring Gull, Oystercatcher, Long-Tailed Tits, Jay, Cetti's Warbler.
-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Friday 27th of November 2020 06:28:51 PM
Bittern in Ramsdales Reedbed this morning.
Info thanks to Bill Harrison
A two and half hour mooch and watch from and around Ramsdales Ruck first things this morning produced:
A total of 1879 Pink-footed Geese over, with 1651 E/SE in 19 skeins and 228 W/NW in 3 skeins
1440 Woodpigeon NE in 21 flocks
1 Raven very low (treetop height) and vocal south (over the very eastern side of the flash)
24 Fieldfare over east in one flock
13 Goldeneye
52 Great Crested Grebe
3 Pochard
Juvenile Iceland Gull present in the gull roost at 4pm today.
Also 7 Pochard and a single Pink-footed Goose SW
Info thanks to Phil Rhodes
This evening:
137 Great Black-backed Gulls
1237 Herring Gulls (increasing numbers of argentatus amongst them)
182 Lesser Black-backed Gulls (an apparent good proportion of intermedius birds)
7200 Black-headed Gulls
1+ adult Mediterranean Gull
7 Pochard (3 drakes)
1 drake Wigeon in Ramsdales
Usual resident Oystercatcher
Kingfisher around the shore by Sorrowcow Farm pond
An adult Mediterranean Gull was in the roost this afternoon, also on the flash were 6 Pochard and 70+ Pink-footed Geese flew over NW at dusk.
Info thanks to Phil Rhodes
This evening:
2nd winter Yellow-legged Gull
634 Herring Gulls
232 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
38 Great Black-backed Gulls
38 Pink-footed Geese east at 15:35
c500 Starlings wheeling around Ramsales at one point before presumably dropping into the roost there
Quick hour mid afternoon :-
Oystercatcher near main car park.
Grey Heron on edge of kidney pond.
Good numbers of Teal & Shoveler from Ramsdale's viewing screen plus a Kingfisher back & forth.
A female Goosander was sleeping on the small island on Teal Scrape with many Shoveler present.
Very quiet otherwise apart from the usual armies of hissing Long-Tailed Tits.
Single Knot on the spit early morning today.
16 Wigeon present late afternoon.
Info thanks to Phil Rhodes
Little Egret in front of Horrocks Hide this morning.
Info thanks to Bill Harrison
This morning:
255 Pink-footed Geese over, with 215 east in 3 skeins and 40 NW
1 Redshank
3 Willow Tit
42 Lapwing
Info thanks to Barry Hulme
This evening, a 3rd winter Yellow-legged Gull was in the gull roost but there was no sign of any Caspian Gulls. At 5pm a very loud firework put all the gulls up and hundreds of large gulls flew of SW, presumably towards the Mersey.
140 Pink-footed Geese flew over east at 16:10 and 95 flew over west at 16:15
This morning's highlights in varying (and overall pretty crap) conditions from Ramsdales Ruck:
3458 Woodpigeons SE in 33 flocks, many of which were really high up in the sky
436 Pink-footed Geese over, with 226 east in 3 skeins and 210 west in two skeins
8 Greylag Geese flew over east and appeared to drop in around the spit and later on 4 flew over west
24 Redwing over, with 9 SW and 15 E
Water Rail still calling from The Point reedbed
4 Lesser Redpoll flew south after feeding in trees on top of the ruck
Total of 36 Chaffinch over south in ones and twos mainly
In the gull roost this late afternoon with Pete Berry:
634 Herring Gull
289 Lesser Black-backed Gull
37 Great Black-backed Gull
Possible adult Caspian Gull (or hybrid) which unfortunately refused to show any of its essential and confirming primary pattern!
Fairly quiet this morning from first light up to 9am, highlights included:
300-350 Pink-footed Geese over low east at 08:35, I estimated c300 as I only saw them briefly through a clearing in trees but Barry Hulme estimated c350, either way they were followed at 08:42 by a further 46 on the same trajectory
447 Woodpigeons flying over SE in 12 flocks in only 90 minutes from just after first light but many more undoubtably missed as I wasn't specifically watching visible migration
1 Blackcap at the western end
Treecreeper around the western edge of Ramsdales
104 Lapwings struggling for somewhere to land with the high water levels, they did so at least briefly on the sailing club shore
1 Skylark singing on Ramsdales Ruck
The first winter Caspian Gull roosted again tonight and 3 Wigeon were around the East Bay.
Info thanks to Phil Rhodes
Hour and half around the nature reserve this morning produced:
Redpoll, Nuthatch and treecreeper in trees around the car park.
Water Rail calling from Ramsdales reedbed.
8+ Goldcrest in with 2 tit flocks
The first winter Caspian Gull roosted again tonight.
Info thanks to Phil Rhodes
90 minutes of fairly decent weather from first light this morning produced the following highlights before rain set in:
874 Woodpigeon SE in 28 flocks
770 Pink-footed Geese due east just south of the flash in 4 skeins
Redwing seemingly moving in all directions, with 12 NE, 40 W and 22 SW
18 Meadow Pipit on the ruck
69 Lapwing looking for somewhere to land!
Water Rail calling from the reedbed behind the point
The first winter Caspian Gull roosted again this evening.
Info thanks to Phil Rhodes
This late afternoon:
The first winter Caspian Gull came into the gull roost but fairly late on
189 Herring Gulls
238 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
14 Great Black-backed Gulls
6300 Black-headed Gulls
2 Kingfishers around Sorrowcow Farm
1 Chifchaff briefly around Sorrowcow Pond
An hour or so at the western end mid morning
3 female Goldeneye
4 meadow pipit
c. 40 Redwing
Single Siskin
First winter Caspian Gull present fairy briefly first thing this morning, just after 7am, on a buoy in the East Bay then flew off north.
Other highlights from the early morning spent around the nature reserve area only included:
1 Treecreeper among a tit flock around the main car park
2 Blackcap, with one in the tit flock around the car park and 1 behind Ramsdales Hide
1 Yellowhammer flew calling over west by Ramsdales and towards the ruck
1 Cetti's Warbler singing around the Ramsdales area but very mobile
31 Shoveler on Teal Scrape
57 Teal on Ramsdales Scrape
1 Nuthatch along the golf course east of Teal Scrape
2 Kingfisher
53 Song Thrush (nature reserve area only!), with them seemingly everywhere, often in small groups of up to 5 feeding out in the open and very approachable
First winter Caspian Gull present in the roost again tonight
Info thanks to Phil Rhodes
Drake Common Scoter present this morning.
Info thanks to Bill Harrison