Late afternoon trip in the hope of a mega, managed to get soaked too after it initially being hour. Timing is everything, as somebody once said!

1 Sand Martin
1 Common Sandpiper
1 Wheatear
4 Swallows

Linnet numbers seem to fluctuate every time I visit, 15+ today
3 Mallard
4 Cormorant, 1 landing and the other 3 moving away
1 Canada Goose landed briefly
250+ Tufted Duck
60+ Great Crested Grebe
20+ Lesser Black Backed Gulls

No mega this time

Late morning visit today

3 Wheatear - certainly 2 juv birds
5 Common Sandpiper

60+ Great Crested Grebe
250 Tufted Duck
15+ Goosander
3 Cormorant
2 Swallow
1 Herring Gull
10 Linnet

plus the usuals

0850-1030 with Simon Ghilks

1 Sanderling, adult bird partially moulted from summer to winter plumage
c6 Common Sandpiper
1 juv Yellow Wagtail
3 Cormorant
20+ Linnet
1 Little Grebe
4 Goldeneye
female Sparrowhawk

plus the usuals



-- Edited by Karen Foulkes on Saturday 25th of August 2012 12:38:49 PM

Sightings by Bill Beckwith from 10:45-12:00 today:

! female wheatear near causeway on post
Small group of linnets flying nearby
Pied wagtails and young wagtails
2 common sandpipers on no.3 resr
2Cormorants
2 swallows
Many tufted ducks and number of great crested grebes
16 goosanders liking outflow areas

23/8/2012 1730-1930

5 Common Sandpiper
2 Juv. Yellow Wagtail
1 Little Grebe
4 Goldeneye
4 Juv. Goldfinch
1 female Bullfinch


Seems to be a lot less disturbance lately
allowing Tufted Duck, Goosander and Goldeneye to rest on the banking.

20/8/2012 PM

9 Common Sandpiper
1 Juv Yellow Wagtail
4 Linnet incl. 2 Juvs
25 Goosander incl. at least 15 Juvs

12 Turnstone through south today.

Info thanks to Paul Wren

0720-0900

1 juv Common Tern
2 Common Sandpiper
3 Goldeneye
230+ Tufted Duck
170 LBB Gulls
10 Herring Gulls
8 Linnet (including at least 2 juvs)
1 Meadow Pipit

plus the usuals

Late morning visit

2 Swift
2 juv Little Grebe
5 Cormorant
5 Linnet
230+ Tufted Duck
20+ Goosander
50+ Lesser Black Backed Gull
10+ Common Gull
4 Mistle Thrush

plus the usuals

Early morning visit with S Ghilks and J Wild

Adult Black Necked Grebe
Juv Peregrine
1 Common Tern
2 Common Sandpiper (ad and juv)
2 Ringed Plover (ad and juv)
24 Goosander
1 Linnet
2 Mallard
1 Grey Heron
10+ Swift
Good numbers of Pied Wagtail

Plus the usuals

30/7/12 19:15--21:15

Tufted Duck - 180
Dunlin - 1
Common Sandpiper - 1
Goosander - 21
GC Grebe - 40+
Mallard - 2
Swift - many
Swallow - many
Pied Wagtail - 15

Late morning

1 Shoveler
1 Coot
1 Common Sandpiper
2 Ringed Plover
150+ Tufted Duck
17 Goosander
40+ Great Crested Grebe
2 Mallard
Herring Gull
5 LBB Gull
4 Cormorant
10 House Martin

19:15--21:15

Black-necked Grebe - 1 ad (on No1)
Common Scoter - 1
Goosander - 14
Ringed Plover - 3

Other than what had gone before the only additional bird I can add was a juv Peregrine which buzzed the gulls on no 1 and flew off north. I then went off to attempt to find my own Little Egret

Little Egret present circa 6:30 am found by Simon Ghilks. Flew off once only to return before finally departing north much to the chagrin of certain local individuals!

Presumably the same bird seen at Elton.

Adult Black-necked Grebe also present.

Common Scoter was still present on number 3 reservoir yesterday (21st) at 1:30 p.m. in the edge of a group of tufted ducks towards the middle of the reservoir.

Many thanks to Robert Adderley for the information and others for the info. My first GM tick.

Cheers

Common scoter still present late morning plus one pochard and one common sandpiper

-- Edited by Iain Johnson on Sunday 22nd of July 2012 11:30:25 AM

-- Edited by Iain Johnson on Sunday 22nd of July 2012 11:30:43 AM

Common scoter still present plus three pochard, six goldeneye, one peregrine and one cormorant.

Female Common Scoter and the juv Black-necked Grebe on no 2 Resv this afternoon.

0520-0700 with S Ghilks. Wet with poor visibility

2 Dunlin
1 Common Sandpiper
3+ Little Ringed Plover
2+ Ringed Plover
130 Tufted Duck
1 Grey Heron
70+ Lesser Black Backed Gull with 2 Herring Gull and a couple of Black Headed Gull on the bank on no 3

-- Edited by Karen Foulkes on Tuesday 17th of July 2012 08:38:08 AM

4 Sanderlings, 1 Dunlin and the juv Black-necked Grebe on late afternoon.

This morning-
Juv Black-necked Grebe,
Drake Common Scoter,
Dunlin,
Yellow Wagtail over,
Little-ringed Plover,
4 Goldeneye,
Linnet,
Plenty of Swifts with big, bulging throats

it's not a problem Mark, just made me laugh. With all the Bald Ibis and Egyptian Geese palaver I could see another twitch on for this new species; Crested Duck

Ian McKerchar wrote:

---

MARK HULSE wrote:

---

[4PM-19.00PM]

83 crested duck

---

Crested Duck

---

sorry ian just a typo will not happen again

I was thinking that my astute beginner's knowledge had let something slip through the net there....


I once declared a Black-headed Gull as 'Black-faced Gull' once.

-- Edited by John Doherty on Thursday 12th of July 2012 01:21:17 PM

MARK HULSE wrote:

---

[4PM-19.00PM]

83 crested duck

---

Crested Duck

[4PM-19.00PM]

4 cormorant
1 black-necked grebe
1 common scoter
4 scaup
4 goldeneye
12+swift
10+swallow
40+ great crested grebe
4 pied wagtail[1juv]
83 Tufted duck


-- Edited by MARK HULSE on Thursday 12th of July 2012 12:10:09 PM

11/7/2012 0515-0700

2 Scaup
1 Black-necked Grebe (Juv)
1 Common Scoter (drake)
4 Goldeneye
73 Tufted Duck
3 Mute Swan
1 Redshank (summer plumage)
3 Dunlin
5 Little Ringed Plover (1 Juv)
3 Ringed Plover
1 Peregrine

10/7/12 1435-1725

5 Common Scoter (4 no 1 and 1 no 2)
2 Scaup (adult drake and first summer drake)
4 Goldeneye
14 Pochard
50+ Tufted Duck
13 Goosander
2 Black Necked Grebe (adult and juvenile)
1 Little Grebe
30+ Great Crested Grebe
5 Dunlin
3 Ringed Plover
1 Common Sandpiper
2 Common Tern
2 Linnet
3 Cormorant

Monday 9 July 1400-1545 Dull and cool

Scaup - drake still present
2 Black Necked Grebe - 1 adult and 1 juvenile
3 Goldeneye - I believe there had been 4 present this morning (Roy Travis)
Ringed Plover
Little Ringed Plover

53 Tufted Duck
2 Cormorant

Plus the usuals

-- Edited by Karen Foulkes on Monday 9th of July 2012 06:07:35 PM

Sunday 8th July
05.30-07.40
Light NE
Overcast

Grey Heron 3
Redshank 2
Cormorant 2
Tufted Duck 41
Scaup
Peregrine

drake Scaup on no 2 Resv this am.

Great Crested Grebe 35
Cormorant 2
Lesser Black backed Gull 9
BH Gull 1

Goosander 1 male

Swifts 19
Swallows 2
Pied Wagtails 5.

Crows 4
Magpie3
Starling 4

Keep Birding

09:15--11:15

Dunlin - 2
Ringed Plover - 2
Cormorant - 2
Swift - 12
Sand Martin - 2
Swallow - 2
Pied Wagtail - 2
Less Black-backed Gull - 15
Great Crested Grebe - c30

2.30 - 3.55pm today

Same as yesterday, united utilities doing a lot of ground work and also a lot of people swimming etc..

Saw 6 shelducks on no.1
c10+ swallows
3 sand martins, best views i've ever had of them. they settled on a bank on no.3 so i sat on the verge between no.1 and no.3 and watched them for a good 10 minutes from about 20 feet away before they were spooked by a dog.
plus the usuals. went a little bit mental by the end of the walk as the midgies wouldn't leave me alone

Was dissapointed not to see any swifts, anyone know the best time of the day to see them or is it just hit and miss? Cheers.

Sean

-- Edited by Sean Molloy on Wednesday 23rd of May 2012 07:43:21 PM

1.00pm-2.15pm today

Lots more human activity than bird activity today.

Saw the usual suspects:
5 Great crested Grebe - 2 doing their brilliant courtship displays.
c8 pied wagtails - watched 1 catch a big insect of the wall of no. 3 and spend a good minute or so wrestling to keep it in its beak before flying off.
Small groups of gulls on 1 and 2, didn't have scope so couldn't scrutinise them but through binocs looked like mostly lesser black-backed and herring.
2 Swallows.

what birding is all about enjoying the common ones.
Couldn't agree more, that's how I felt watching the pied wag

Sean

-- Edited by Sean Molloy on Tuesday 22nd of May 2012 03:42:50 PM

Paul Heaton wrote:

---

I had a walk up to the hide on Saturday night about 5.30ish, Swifts zooming past my head hundreds of them, it has to be one of the many joys of birding,
I just stopped and watched them for an hour, fantastic birds, and what birding is all about enjoying the common ones.

Keep birding.

---

I'll bet you were still checking for that Alpine swift though Paul !!

I had a walk up to the hide on Saturday night about 5.30ish, Swifts zooming past my head hundreds of them, it has to be one of the many joys of birding,
I just stopped and watched them for an hour, fantastic birds, and what birding is all about enjoying the common ones.

Keep birding.

Turnstone 3pm
Common Sandpiper
1000+ Swifts

0510-0815 with S Ghilks, P Hammond and P Wren

1 Turnstone
2 Sanderling
2 Dunlin
2 Common Sandpiper
2 Wheatear
1 Yellow Wagtail through
1 Sparrowhawk
1 Peregrine
1 Cormorant
1 Grey Heron
Blackcap (singing)
4+ Linnet
2 Herring Gull
500+ Swift
8 House Martin
Large number of Swallow and Sand Martin

An hour or so after work.

1 Turnstone
1 Common Sandpiper
2 Dunlin
1 Wheatear
c25 Great Crested Grebe
300+ Swift

A middle aged dog walker walked past me and within earshot encouraged his dog to chase a pair of Mallard, which he could have easily avoided. A sad reflection of society today



-- Edited by Karen Foulkes on Friday 18th of May 2012 08:01:31 PM

Sanderling on no 2 Resv this evening.

-- Edited by Robert Adderley on Tuesday 15th of May 2012 09:57:24 PM

11/5/2012 0515-0745

2 Sanderling
5 Dunlin
1 Common Sandpiper
3 Wheatear
2 Shelduck (fly over, went North)
200+ Swift

Adult Little Gull and Common Swift with white rump again this evening.

Drive by Birding today as I shot passed on the M60,

At least 200 Swifts flying low over the embankment next to motorway.

The most interesting sighting was an aberrant Swift,

...................................................................

You want to be careful with this one Karen, as "aberrant behaviour" can be a sign of rabies in wild animals.

The last thing we need round here is a Rabid Swift .......... I have enough problems with farm dogs.

Roger.

0545-1145 - A long time!

With P Hammond, S Ghilks, P Wren, joined later by R Adderley, A Bissitt, R Travis

2 Turnstone - disappeared quite early
4 Yellow Wagtail
Wheatear
Hobby - passed over a couple of times. A Borough lifer for me!

The most interesting sighting was an aberrant Swift, initially picked up by me and Paul Wren. Having only seen the bird briefly, there followed a panic-stricken few minutes while we searched for it. When joined by other birders it was seen very well and any doubts as to its identity were quickly cast aside. A most interesting bird though.

The Sedge Warbler was singing from the strip of scrub between No.2 res and the M60

Two visits today, with S Ghilks:

0530-0700

Sanderling
Dunlin
Common Sandpiper
Shelduck
3 Wheatear
Yellow Wagtail
Family of Pied Wagtails with four young

A Sedge Warbler had also been reported in the morning, which prompted a return visit.

1200 - 1400

Whinchat on causeway initially, but unable to relocate and may well have moved through
Sanderling and Shelduck were both still present

Thursday 4/5/12 18:30--20:10

Black-headed Gull - 600+ (flocks of 50+ and 100+ through NE, 2 flocks landed on No1)
Lesser Black-backed Gull - 20
Arctic Tern - 6
Linnet - 5
Wheatear - 1
Swift - 1000+ (picking the flies out of my hair at 40mph)
Swallow - 50+