Friday 23rd with Malcolm, Cattle Egret still present, also; 1 Little Stint, 1 Curlew Sandpiper, 1 Marsh Harrier, 4 Ruff, 3 Greenshank plus many Pintail, Black-tailed Godwit, Dunlin, Snipe, Teal. Cheers Ian We also had a Great White Egret at the Old Baths.
Doc Brewster said
Wed Sep 21 10:42 AM, 2016
I just noticed that there hadn't been any mention previously of the Cattle Egret at Burton Mere Wetlands, and I just mentioned it in passing, sorry. I realise not everyone is on an information service so here's an update:
The bird is present again today, viewed from the Reception building. It is not the same bird as the one at Marshside RSPB as both were present at their respective sites yesterday! The bird has been present since the 13th September and as I say is still present so well worth a look
-- Edited by Doc Brewster on Wednesday 21st of September 2016 10:47:48 AM
Doc Brewster said
Tue Sep 20 10:25 PM, 2016
Very fleeting visit today utilising a few hours free. Good to bump into lots of friendly folk, too many to mention, but nice to chat at length to Tim & Phil especially. A nip round to the Inner Marsh Farm Hide brought rewards despite meeting returning birders who had only had four Dunlin there. Birds were moving and by the time I got there, on my own in the hide at first, a group of 17 Dunlin was evident. I then picked up a Curlew Sandpiper on its own on the far shore, later to come closer and show very well. Then when a few Teal moved they revealed at first 2, then 3, Little Stints that had been roosting behind the ducks! It was great to show some visiting birders there two passage wader species as they were lifers for them.
Other birds seen in the short visit included a Cattle Egret on the island in the visitor centre lagoon, asleep as usual! Also a Sparrowhawk, several Black-tailed Godwits, hundreds of Teal & Pintail, and a calling Greenshank heard only. A Cetti's Warbler was at first heard and then seen when I had to stop to take a phonecall, the bird popped out whilst I was stood trying to get a signal!!
John Williams said
Sat Sep 10 4:39 PM, 2016
09.30-14.00
1 young female Sparrowhawk had caught a Woodpigeon on the entrance track and was very unhappy when passing cars drove her off her kill.
Also on the reserve : 12 Spoonbills, 6 Curlew Sandpipers, 1 Little Stint, 2 Greenshanks,1 Little Ringed Plover, 1 Green Sandpiper, 4 Ruff, 4 Black Tailed Godwits,
5 Snipe, 1 female Marsh Harrier, 1 Kestrel, 1 Barnacle Goose, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker and 1 male Blackcap.
A steady stream of Chiffchaffs and a few Willow Warblers were moving through the bushes by the railway and edging South.
Roger Baker 3 said
Wed Sep 7 8:11 PM, 2016
full of alien characters ...............................................
I know a few pubs like that Tim !
Tim Wilcox said
Wed Sep 7 6:07 PM, 2016
Make that 12 species - I forgot the 4 Greenshank and 10 plus Ruff. NB post edited function has gone all weird - full of alien characters
-- Edited by Tim Wilcox on Thursday 8th of September 2016 03:11:56 PM
Tim Wilcox said
Wed Sep 7 6:03 PM, 2016
Bumper day for waders today with Tony Darby 11.00am - 3.00pm - 10 species present
Curlew Sandpiper 6 (though 8 were on the board) Little Stint 1 Dunlin 20 Snipe 3 Black-tailed Godwit c.6 Avocet 1 (it has a deformed leg and has apparently been named 'Lindy"!) Ringed Plover 1 juv. Common Sandpiper 1 Green Sandpiper 1 Lapwings 100s
Also Spoonbill 12 still present on the Bridge Pool Buzzard 2 Sparrowhawk 1 Kestrel 1
Speculating with Tony as to when we had a similar wader-fest at Burton Mere Wetlands/IMF which included a Pectoral Sandpiper, Little Stints, Spotted Redshanks and Curlew Sandpiper along with a Red-necked Phalarope, I checked my notebooks and it turned out to be exactly two years ago to the day on Sunday 7 Sept 2014 in similarly warm, sunny weather!
Craig Higson said
Sat Sep 3 5:58 PM, 2016
12 Spoonbills still present. 2 Curlew Sandpipers, 5 Greenshank and a Little Stint were also present today.
-- Edited by Craig Higson on Saturday 3rd of September 2016 05:58:35 PM
Ian Boote said
Tue Aug 30 6:34 PM, 2016
12 Spoonbills in front of main hide, at least one Marsh Harrier, 2 Buzzard, Kestrel, pointed out Little Stint, Greenshank, Dunlin, Redshank and Ruff.
Doc Brewster said
Tue Aug 2 9:26 PM, 2016
With an afternoon off & the weather being dull I decided to pop to BMW to drop off some stuff I'd promised them and say hi to folk. Whilst there I had a short time to bird too.
Joined a few mates in the 'bunker' hide and we saw the juvenile Spotted Crake a few times, once at length and probably 3 Water Rails, all youngsters of varying ages. Once annual both at Marbury No.1 Tank (now Haydn's Pool) and Inner Marsh Farm (Spotted Crake that is) it is nice to see them breeding locally too. We all discussed just how many Cheshire sites we had seen Spotted Crake at in the past and between us it was between 6 and 8 locations!
The 9 Spoonbills were present but had flown up into the heronry trees when a Peregrine flew through, allopreening was again taking place. A female Marsh Harrier was seen. A handful of Dunlin and Black-tailed Godwits were on the lagoons. A Green Sandpiper and a Common Sandpiper were on the very small pool by the main centre. Little Egrets were everywhere, the biggest number on the lagoon past Marsh Covert Hide where there were several young Grey Herons too. Finally a Spotted Flycatcher was seen near the centre.
Highlights... - Spotted Crake 2, ad+juv seen quite a few times, we were happy with the juvenile so the other one we saw had to be the adult.
Just to be clear, I'm not claiming to have seen an adult Spotted Crake yesterday, I am only recording the juvenile bird as a definite ID. I think Rob's scope goes to x60 zoom so he sometimes gets better views than my x50 when we are watching distant birds.
Rob Creek said
Mon Aug 1 6:18 PM, 2016
Sunday 31st July with Steve Burke and Simon Gough.
A full day around the reserve with some 72 species racked up.
Highlights... - Spotted Crake 2, ad+juv seen quite a few times, we were happy with the juvenile so the other one we saw had to be the adult. As Simon says, it was good to see the spots on the plumage - Water Rail 4, ad (1 had a longish red bill) , 1 juv, 1 younger juv, and a chick - Spoonbill 9 together...fantastic! 2 were preening one another. - Great White Egret 1 from Burton Point - Little Egrets - Grey Heron - Spotted Redshank 2 - Redshank 1 - Knot 70 - Black-tailed Godwit 700?? - Dunlin 10 - Green Sandpiper 1 - Common Sandpiper 2 - Ruff 3 - Common Snipe 9 at least - Lapwing - Little Ringed Plover 1 - Oystercatcher 1 - Little Grebe 2 - Black Swan 2 - Shelduck - Shoveler - Gadwall - Teal - Peregrine 1 - Sparrowhawk 1 - Marsh Harrier 2 - Common Buzzard 4 - Common Gull 1 adult on the scrape - Spotted Flycatcher 4, 1 ad feeding 3 juv - Blackcap 2, fem/imm male?? - Whitethroat 2 - Willow Warbler 2 - Chiffchaff 3 - Sedge Warbler 1 poss juv, bit unstable moving through the reeds - Reed Warbler with chasing fledglings - Goldcrest 2 - Song Thrush 1 - Treecreeper 2 incl 1 imm - Nuthatch 1 - Great Spotted Woodpecker 2 - Blue, Great, and Long-tailed Tit families moving around - House Martin 1 - Swallow and Sand Martin around - Linnet 2 - Goldfinch 2 or 3 large family groups flying around - Stock Doves around - Plus lots of usuals associated with the reserve
Images show Spoonbill's, Spotted Flycatcher's, and I think just enough of the Spotted Crake including the upright buff under tail, greenish legs and I managed a brief flight view too!
Steve Burke, Rob Creek and myself had a top day here yesterday (Sunday 31st July) from about 9am till 7pm or so, primarily to look at the Spotted Crake. In morning light from the bunker screen we had some great views of the juvenile bird. We also saw 3 different juvenile Water Rails, at different ages. One looked recently hatched and downy, another was older but still growing, with a short bill and the potential to confuse as a result, and a third was a similar sandy-brown base colour to the Crake, and needed some separating when they showed together. We also had a tantalizing couple of views of a darker bird that looked a possible for adult Crake, but we never nailed it. Still, ageing the bird we did see properly was a step forward from the week before. In the evening we had more views of it tussling with a juvenile Water Rail. I think we ended up seeing at least 4 Water Rails through the day, not one of which was an adult. This was excellent in itself. The Crake was rather attractive when it stood still, with a lovely pattern of white spots and marks on its flanks and chest. A well-named species in fairness...
I got 68 species on my day list, as we noted a brilliant variety of other birds wandering around. There were 9 Spoonbills present, which was awesome, especially when a couple preened each other for a few minutes. Steve picked out a Great White Egret from Burton Point, and probably best of all in some ways, we got onto some Spotted Flycatchers around the trees by the car park, and spent a superb hour or so watching various small birds feeding. There were at least 4 Spotted Flycatchers, and with them some busy Treecreepers, Nuthatch, Willow Warblers, Chiffchaff, Goldcrest, Chaffinch, Blackcap and Blue Tits. We also saw a family party of Reed Warblers really well in the bushes along that path round to the far part of the reserve. Also 2 Marsh Harriers, the slightly scruffy immature male bird (I think) that we saw the week before and then a bigger clean juvenile later on.
A great advert for the reserve all in all
Sarfraz Hayat said
Sun Jul 31 8:46 AM, 2016
Hi John,
Wondered if I talked to you yesterday about 2pm? Spotted Crake was a lifer for me. The only breeding birds of the North West of England I have yet to see are Quail, Black Grouse and Lesser Spotted Woodpecker.
Nine Spoonbill must be a record for the North and proudly unprecedented away from the South Coast?Sarfraz
John Rayner said
Sat Jul 30 6:59 PM, 2016
The Spotted Crake eventually showed well bathing in a small patch of water to the right of a water cress bed. Can only just tell what it is from distant and poor phone-scoping. Also 9 Spoonbills c600 Black-tailed Godwits 50 Knot 2 Ruff Common Sandpiper 2 Black Swans Sparrowhawk 2 Marsh Harriers
With 49 species in and around burton mere. I primary went to see the spotted crake. I kept watching the area for a few hours and alas, no show. As dedicated as I am in birding, one thing I won't do is spend an entire day waiting for one species. However I was rewarded with a juvenile yellow wagtail, 8 spoonbills that came in to land, Marsh harrier, 23 little egrets, both common and green sandpipers, 4 common terns passing, close views of a juvenile great spotted woodpecker, dunlin, spotted redshank and black tailed godwits been the key highlights. After looking around, I decided to have one last look for the spotted crake before I left and sure enough, it showed! So much so that it had the cheek to show off big time. It preened itself in full view for a while, (the warden spotted a 2nd bird at this point too) and the original bird was active for long periods on and off from 1:45pm till 3pm when I left! Somewhat distant but fantastic full views with all its details and markings seen!
Nick Hilton said
Thu Jul 28 9:11 AM, 2016
27/07/16 1200 - 1500; Spotted Crake (distant but showing well circa 1430, interacting with juvenile Water Rail as mentioned by Roger below). Little Egret (at least 50) Spotted Redshank = 2 Spoonbill = 4 Avocet = 1 Green Sandpiper = 1 Common Sandpiper = 2 Ruff = 1 Little Ringed Plover = 1 Black-tailed Godwit = >50 Mediterranean Gull = 1 (juv) Sedge Warbler (6), Blackcap (1), Chiffchaff (3), Willow Warbler (1), Common Whitethroat (5) Buzzard (1), Kestrel (1) Goldfinch, Greenfinch, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Nuthatch Oystercatcher, Lapwing, Grey Heron Mallard, Teal, Shoveler, Tufted Duck Black-headed Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull.
Roger Baker 3 said
Wed Jul 27 10:56 PM, 2016
Weds 27th July.
Evening visit with Ian Lyth.
2 hour wait for the Spotted Crake ... put in around 6 furtive appearances (in typical crake fashion) eventually excelling itself around 19.00 hrs by emerging to chase a juvenile Water Rail ... even managed to flap its wings a couple of times before diving back into cover !
Spotted Redshank. Spoonbill 4.
Roger.
-- Edited by Roger Baker 3 on Wednesday 27th of July 2016 10:57:31 PM
Mark Jarrett said
Mon Jul 25 5:54 PM, 2016
I saw on Birdguides that one of the Spotted Crakes had been showing mid morning today, so I nipped across for a look. After a wait of around one hour a bird was seen at the back of the scrape, behind the island, preening for a couple of minutes before running to its left and then disappearing into the vegetation behind. An adult and a juvenile have been seen and whilst it was difficult to definitely say which my bird was due to the distance and light conditions etc, I think it was the juvenile.
Five of the Spoonbill flew in for twenty minutes or so (four later refound from IMF hide) and in addition to the usuals, also around were Dunlin, Green Sandpiper, Redshank, Ruff, Spotted Redshank, Avocet and Black tailed Godwit.
Rob Creek said
Mon Jul 25 12:05 PM, 2016
Sunday 24th with Steve Burke and Simon Gough.
Morning visit. - Spotted Crake 1 (Lifer for me) Took its time to show but eventually did, briefly but then for a good 30 seconds or so. - Spoonbill 5 on main scrape - Water Rail 2 (1 adult 1 juv) - Green Sandpiper 1 - Common Sandpiper 1 - Avocets - Black-tailed Godwits - Lapwing - Oystercatchers - Common Snipe 1 - Shoveler - Gadwall - Teal - Tufted Duck - Little Grebe 1 - Stock Dove - Marsh Harrier 1 (briefly) - Common Buzzard 1 - Sedge Warbler 3 - Reed Bunting 1 - Linnets
Evening visit after Hilbre Island. - Spotted Crake (possibly 2 showed) We didn't bargain on what we saw, one of the Crake's was very aggressive towards a Water Rail and kept showing on and off as it was driving the Rail away again and again. All present got good scope views of the action, too distant for any camera shots.
Also present in addition to this morning... - Marsh Harrier showing very well hunting - Ruff 6 - Swift over
-- Edited by Rob Creek on Monday 25th of July 2016 12:07:00 PM
Spoonbill 4 Little Egret 12+ Grey Heron 3 Common Sandpiper 1 Green Sandpiper 1 Ruff 3males. Avocet 1 Black-tailed Godwits Lapwings Peregrine 1 Buzzard 1 Water Rail 1 heard.
Daniel Owen said
Tue Jul 19 10:22 PM, 2016
45+ little egrets around Marsh Covert and Inner Marsh Farm (1 bird had a largely yellow bill and upper legs resembling a great white egret) 3 spoonbills in the egret colony 1 greenshank 2-3 spotted redshank 448 black-tailed godwits 185 lapwing 1 avocet 2 oystercatcher 2 common sandpiper 1 ruff 3 knot 1 marsh harrier (female/ juvenile) 1 blackcap still singing
Also: 1 common toad 1 unidentifiable small mammal comma, peacock, small tortoiseshell, speckled wood, meadow brown, gatekeeper, small skipper, small white, large white and a painted lady
Lucky i managed to get 9 days of work experience with the warden. 4 spoonbills in the trees and later 4 seen flying towards the marsh from burton mere 1 common sandpiper 1 dunlin 100+ black-tailed godwits several redshanks lots of avocets about 2 buzzard lots of little egrets 16 sedge warblers 7 reed warbler 9 whitethroats 1 green woodpecker from burton point twice 2 skylark other wildlife 4 6 spotted burnet moths 1 wood carpet moth 2 small magpies hemlock and bittersweet nightshade
3 spoonbills were in front of reception & then flew into the tree tops, another 3 flew in later, but 7 were seen in flight as they flew out towards the marsh. 2 spotted redshank 1 cuckoo 1 common sandpiper 250+ black tailed godwits several redshank around plenty of avocets with well grown juveniles 2 common tern 2 buzzards lots of little egrets around no sign of the great white egret or glossy ibis for me cettis warbler seen on a few occasions whilst it was feeding at least 3 juveniles lots of swifts, swallows, house martins, few sand martins still plenty of blackcaps, chiffchaffs, whitethroats & sedge warblers singing. plus all usuals around.
Of interest to forum members I hope, the bird news services are reporting a White-winged Black Tern at Burton Mere Wetlands at 3.30pm
JOHN TYMON said
Sat Jun 4 2:37 PM, 2016
7 spoonbills being claimed now so probably 7
also
124 Black Tailed Godwit
3 Cetti's Warbler
lots of young Avocet
plus the usuals :)
-- Edited by JOHN TYMON on Saturday 4th of June 2016 06:00:17 PM
JOHN TYMON said
Sat Jun 4 1:41 PM, 2016
5 spoonbill up to now today
sid ashton said
Sat Jun 4 11:58 AM, 2016
I have been reliably informed that there have been 7 Spoonbills at BMW this morning!!!
steven burke said
Thu Jun 2 11:25 PM, 2016
12.45-8pm
3 spoonbill were sleeping in front of reception hide when I first arrived, later on about 5pm I looked over from the field near the viewing points & there was 6 in front off reception hide, by the time I got back there they had gone. 1 spotted flycatcher along woodland trail 1 hobby flew over & spread panic amongst the black headed gulls, avocets & lapwings. 1 cettis warbler seen, more heard around avocets seem to have done well with lots of chicks around, several of them well grown, I counted 68 in front of reception hide. plenty of little egrets around reed warblers, sedge warblers, whitethroats, blackcaps & chiffchaffs 2 buzzard 120+ black tailed godwit several redshank pair of nuthatch with 3 juveniles 1 treecreeper 2 great spotted woodpecker plus the usuals
Only a quick visit. 17:15 - 18:30 yesterday. 2 spoonbills on the scrape which later departed. 1 odd male aythya on the scrape 1 whitethroat to the left of the reception hide 1 yellow wagtail on the scrape Several tufted ducks, shoveler, avocets and black tailed godwits dotted about.
Lovely morning on the Wirral. The 4 Spoonbills were still present in the same tree near Marsh Covert hide - never seen this species in a tree previously!!
The Spotted Flycatchers were still busy in the car park and there was lots of Warbler activity taking place. A female Marsh Harrier was around for a while and put the big flock of Black-tailed Godwits in the air when it first appeared.
This was my first visit to the reserve since July last year - mustn't leave it so long next time .
6.27pm edit:- Just had a message to say there are now 5 Spoonbills feeding on the main scrape.
-- Edited by sid ashton on Sunday 29th of May 2016 06:29:00 PM
As a tree nesting species the only time I have seen them in trees was at the small breeding colony of them at Holkham NNR a few years ago, and that was in a Grey Heron & Little Egret colony. Let's hope that them hanging around in trees is a sign of them breeding in the NW
I was there last night and I know that where they were was the little egret colony but when I arrived there were only 2 left on the scrape and the other 4 had apparently been seen heading off high. The last 2 left a well so unles they just flew onto the Dee then it looks like they've left for good.
Doc Brewster said
Tue May 31 10:08 AM, 2016
sid ashton wrote:
Lovely morning on the Wirral. The 4 Spoonbills were still present in the same tree near Marsh Covert hide - never seen this species in a tree previously!!
The Spotted Flycatchers were still busy in the car park and there was lots of Warbler activity taking place. A female Marsh Harrier was around for a while and put the big flock of Black-tailed Godwits in the air when it first appeared.
This was my first visit to the reserve since July last year - mustn't leave it so long next time .
6.27pm edit:- Just had a message to say there are now 5 Spoonbills feeding on the main scrape.
-- Edited by sid ashton on Sunday 29th of May 2016 06:29:00 PM
As a tree nesting species the only time I have seen them in trees was at the small breeding colony of them at Holkham NNR a few years ago, and that was in a Grey Heron & Little Egret colony. Let's hope that them hanging around in trees is a sign of them breeding in the NW
Tony Coatsworth said
Mon May 30 1:26 PM, 2016
I only saw 4 but they were asleep most of the time.
Grasshopper Warbler showing brilliantly by the boardwalk.
Lovely morning on the Wirral. The 4 Spoonbills were still present in the same tree near Marsh Covert hide - never seen this species in a tree previously!!
The Spotted Flycatchers were still busy in the car park and there was lots of Warbler activity taking place. A female Marsh Harrier was around for a while and put the big flock of Black-tailed Godwits in the air when it first appeared.
This was my first visit to the reserve since July last year - mustn't leave it so long next time .
6.27pm edit:- Just had a message to say there are now 5 Spoonbills feeding on the main scrape.
-- Edited by sid ashton on Sunday 29th of May 2016 06:29:00 PM
M Gannon said
Sat May 28 7:16 PM, 2016
Today between 15:00-17:30
4 spoonbill, showing well from the bottom of the path leading up to the marsh covert hide 2 spotted flycatcher in car park 1 garden warbler 2 reed warbler 1 whitethroat 1 Cetti's warbler (heard only) Lots of avocet chicks with their parents 1 sparrowhawk with prey, getting mobbed by black headed gulls 3 chiffchaffs 5 buzzard 4 great spotted woodpecker
-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Saturday 28th of May 2016 07:31:32 PM
Geoff Walton said
Fri May 27 7:01 PM, 2016
Still 4 Spoonbill today in the trees. It was also a joy to see them flying around.
Not a lot around, but the Avocet and chicks were nice to see, as was also a Wood Warbler.
Tim Wilcox said
Wed May 25 10:06 PM, 2016
It was me that reported their departure at 1.20pm Mark. One of the birds was billing the other on the wing so possible pairing activity. Someone said there were '5' around and this could be as our birds were in a tight group and it would be odd if just one split off to Decca Pools when you caught up with it
-- Edited by Tim Wilcox on Wednesday 25th of May 2016 10:07:17 PM
Mark Jarrett said
Wed May 25 5:54 PM, 2016
I arrived at BMW shortly after midday and initially saw two of the four Spoonbill that were in the area described. Very distant from the reception hide but the birds were out of sight when I tried to get better and closer views later on. I then found out that all four birds had departed at 13.20 hrs, so I tried my luck down on the marsh, working my way up to the Decca Pools area. There is a red flag flying by the pathway a few hundred yards past Net's Cafe with a fairly large pool to its left. Here I found a lone Spoonbill showing characteristics of a mainly juvenile bird but also those of a non breeding adult. Spent half an hour watching the bird in both hazy sunshine and lightly falling rain. I am assuming this bird was one of the four. I couldn't see the other three but, to be honest, I didn't venture on any further.
Tony Darby said
Wed May 25 5:21 PM, 2016
After hearing about 4 Spoonbills at BMW Tim Wilcox and I decided to take a punt, especially as the weather on the Wirral was supposed to be drier than GM. We struck lucky: Tim spotted the birds in the air over the Little Egret's nesting area, they then circled over us and headed over towards Decca Pools. Other highlights were lots of Avocet chicks and Spotted Flycatchers nest building above the car park.
Stunning Curlew Sandpiper in summer finery on the Reception Scrape. Unfortunately the two Buzzard put everything up at around 11.30 and the Curlew Sandpiper and Black-tailed Godwit in particular retreated to the field behind the main reedbed. Cuckoo and Grasshopper Warbler were also around but not seen or heard by me.
steven burke said
Tue May 3 12:03 PM, 2016
late post for 1st may 4-8.30pm.
1 pied flycatcher, showed on my second search for it around the pools only for a couple of minutes before disappearing again. 70+ avocet 300+ black tailed godwit 80+ redshank 1 whimbrel lots of lapwings around inc 2 chicks 1 common tern, over 2 barnacle geese several shelducks little egrets scattered around 1 yellow wagtail 1 marsh harrier 2 buzzard 1 raven 1 great spotted woodpecker 1 nuthatch 2 treecreeper 1 cettis warbler, others heard 1 grasshopper warbler heard chiffchaff, willow warbler, blackcap, whitethroat & sedge warbler all around. swallow, sand martin, house martin & swifts whizzing around.
viewed from the viewing point over burton marsh...
2 great white egret lots of little egret 1 short eared owl grasshopper warbler heard
Afternoon on the reserve from 12 until 4pm. Cool and blustery although remained dry with the sun coming out a fair bit. Amongst others :-
Little Egret (1) Great White Egret (1) Barnacle Goose (1) Avocet (c.65) Dunlin (7) Ruff (2) Black-tailed Godwit (c.300) Spotted Redshank (8) Stock Dove (1) Skylark (1) White Wagtail (1) Cetti's Warbler (2) Grasshopper Warbler (1) Sedge Warbler (1) Reed Warbler (c.6) Whitethroat (2) Blackcap (c.6)
There during the morning but not seen in the afternoon were Mandarin, Yellow Wagtail, Knot and Greenshank. Interestingly and just before I left, a guy called in after receiving a call regarding a rumoured Marsh Sandpiper seen at some point during the morning. Whilst the Sandpiper had not been reported to the RSPB staff (nor seen since) other than size it is not too dissimilar to Greenshank.
steven burke said
Sun Apr 17 11:25 PM, 2016
late post for yesterday 16th aft/eve.
71 avocet 4 ruff 4 snipe several black tailed godwit & redshank plenty of lapwings around shoveler teal tufted duck 4 little grebe 1 barnacle goose with Canada geese 3 yellow wagtail plus one with a blue/grey head 1 water pipit with meadow pipits & wagtails 2 nuthatch plenty of sand martins & swallows, few house martins several chiffchaff, willow warbler & blackcap around 2 sedge warbler, heard only water rail & green woodpecker also heard only cracking views of a cettis warbler along the path near the pools, I managed a couple of ok pictures.
-- Edited by steven burke on Sunday 17th of April 2016 11:27:08 PM
A late post for a late visit with Simon Gough yesterday.
Of note... - Avocet plenty around - Redshank ... - Black-tailed Godwit ... - Ruff 4 - Lapwing - Oystercatcher - Shoveler - Kestrel - Chiffchaff - Great Spotted Woodpecker - Swallow and Sand Martin through
stuart lewis-gough said
Thu Apr 14 6:49 PM, 2016
Have been informed of a spoonbill at Burton mere. Seen today by my brother and others.
M Gannon said
Tue Apr 12 2:34 PM, 2016
Late post from yesterday morning:
1 ringtail hen harrier
1 Cetti's warbler showing pretty well from reedbed screen, with another heard
1 spotted redshank
1 sparrowhawk
2 kestrel
5 Reed bunting
8 chiffchaffs
2 great spotted woodpecker
1 little ringed plover
1 blackcap
Simon Gough said
Sat Apr 9 8:57 PM, 2016
An excellent and unexpected visit today for me, thanks to Alan and Beryl Turner giving me a lift over from Parkgate (and then back to Manchester!). Within a few minutes of arriving we'd been put onto a drake Green-winged Teal showing pretty well on the main scrape. This was a lifer for me and not a sighting I thought I'd pick up from this winter. Presumably a re-find of the one seen there some weeks back, but who knows?
Besides this the main hubbub was related to migrants; Yellow Wagtail and Redstart. I headed over to Burton Point and saw the Redstart, a lovely male. There were also some truly spanking Wheatears on the same field, 3 birds, 2 were grey males and the other I think was also a male but possibly not having worn through to the grey-blue colour. They all had vivid eye-stripes and 'masks'.
I saw Jonathan Platt and he found the Yellow Wagtail. It was also a smart male, and of note it was feeding amongst a good number of White Wagtails, certainly double figures. I have only seen an 'Alba' once before so I was pretty chuffed about that too. This was on the grass in front of the Bunker Screen. No sign of the Little Owl over that way, or Water Pipit, but you can't have everything. On the scrape were all the usual species, there was one Spotted Redshank and a few Ruff lingering. Nice numbers of Avocet, also first House Martins of the year, and plenty of Swallows. Heard only were Cetti's Warbler and Green Woodpecker.
So a great visit from a birding perspective and also a really nice friendly and good-spirited day out. Thanks so much to Alan and Beryl, I really appreciate your kindness. I also love the gang of RSPB guys at Burton Mere, they do a great job.
Cheers Ian
We also had a Great White Egret at the Old Baths.
I just noticed that there hadn't been any mention previously of the Cattle Egret at Burton Mere Wetlands, and I just mentioned it in passing, sorry. I realise not everyone is on an information service so here's an update:
The bird is present again today, viewed from the Reception building. It is not the same bird as the one at Marshside RSPB as both were present at their respective sites yesterday! The bird has been present since the 13th September and as I say is still present so well worth a look
-- Edited by Doc Brewster on Wednesday 21st of September 2016 10:47:48 AM
Very fleeting visit today utilising a few hours free. Good to bump into lots of friendly folk, too many to mention, but nice to chat at length to Tim & Phil especially. A nip round to the Inner Marsh Farm Hide brought rewards despite meeting returning birders who had only had four Dunlin there. Birds were moving and by the time I got there, on my own in the hide at first, a group of 17 Dunlin was evident. I then picked up a Curlew Sandpiper on its own on the far shore, later to come closer and show very well. Then when a few Teal moved they revealed at first 2, then 3, Little Stints that had been roosting behind the ducks! It was great to show some visiting birders there two passage wader species as they were lifers for them.
Other birds seen in the short visit included a Cattle Egret on the island in the visitor centre lagoon, asleep as usual! Also a Sparrowhawk, several Black-tailed Godwits, hundreds of Teal & Pintail, and a calling Greenshank heard only. A Cetti's Warbler was at first heard and then seen when I had to stop to take a phonecall, the bird popped out whilst I was stood trying to get a signal!!
1 young female Sparrowhawk had caught a Woodpigeon on the entrance track and was very unhappy when passing cars drove her off her kill.
Also on the reserve : 12 Spoonbills, 6 Curlew Sandpipers, 1 Little Stint, 2 Greenshanks,1 Little Ringed Plover, 1 Green Sandpiper, 4 Ruff, 4 Black Tailed Godwits,
5 Snipe, 1 female Marsh Harrier, 1 Kestrel, 1 Barnacle Goose, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker and 1 male Blackcap.
A steady stream of Chiffchaffs and a few Willow Warblers were moving through the bushes by the railway and edging South.
...............................................
I know a few pubs like that Tim !
-- Edited by Tim Wilcox on Thursday 8th of September 2016 03:11:56 PM
Curlew Sandpiper 6 (though 8 were on the board)
Little Stint 1
Dunlin 20
Snipe 3
Black-tailed Godwit c.6
Avocet 1 (it has a deformed leg and has apparently been named 'Lindy"!)
Ringed Plover 1 juv.
Common Sandpiper 1
Green Sandpiper 1
Lapwings 100s
Also Spoonbill 12 still present on the Bridge Pool
Buzzard 2
Sparrowhawk 1
Kestrel 1
Speculating with Tony as to when we had a similar wader-fest at Burton Mere Wetlands/IMF which included a Pectoral Sandpiper, Little Stints, Spotted Redshanks and Curlew Sandpiper along with a Red-necked Phalarope, I checked my notebooks and it turned out to be exactly two years ago to the day on Sunday 7 Sept 2014 in similarly warm, sunny weather!
-- Edited by Craig Higson on Saturday 3rd of September 2016 05:58:35 PM
12 Spoonbills in front of main hide, at least one Marsh Harrier, 2 Buzzard, Kestrel, pointed out Little Stint, Greenshank, Dunlin, Redshank and Ruff.
With an afternoon off & the weather being dull I decided to pop to BMW to drop off some stuff I'd promised them and say hi to folk. Whilst there I had a short time to bird too.
Joined a few mates in the 'bunker' hide and we saw the juvenile Spotted Crake a few times, once at length and probably 3 Water Rails, all youngsters of varying ages. Once annual both at Marbury No.1 Tank (now Haydn's Pool) and Inner Marsh Farm (Spotted Crake that is) it is nice to see them breeding locally too. We all discussed just how many Cheshire sites we had seen Spotted Crake at in the past and between us it was between 6 and 8 locations!
The 9 Spoonbills were present but had flown up into the heronry trees when a Peregrine flew through, allopreening was again taking place. A female Marsh Harrier was seen. A handful of Dunlin and Black-tailed Godwits were on the lagoons. A Green Sandpiper and a Common Sandpiper were on the very small pool by the main centre. Little Egrets were everywhere, the biggest number on the lagoon past Marsh Covert Hide where there were several young Grey Herons too. Finally a Spotted Flycatcher was seen near the centre.
A pleasant short stroll as usual here.
Just to be clear, I'm not claiming to have seen an adult Spotted Crake yesterday, I am only recording the juvenile bird as a definite ID. I think Rob's scope goes to x60 zoom so he sometimes gets better views than my x50 when we are watching distant birds.
A full day around the reserve with some 72 species racked up.
Highlights...
- Spotted Crake 2, ad+juv seen quite a few times, we were happy with the juvenile so the other one we saw had to be the adult. As Simon says, it was good to see the spots on the plumage
- Water Rail 4, ad (1 had a longish red bill) , 1 juv, 1 younger juv, and a chick
- Spoonbill 9 together...fantastic! 2 were preening one another.
- Great White Egret 1 from Burton Point
- Little Egrets
- Grey Heron
- Spotted Redshank 2
- Redshank 1
- Knot 70
- Black-tailed Godwit 700??
- Dunlin 10
- Green Sandpiper 1
- Common Sandpiper 2
- Ruff 3
- Common Snipe 9 at least
- Lapwing
- Little Ringed Plover 1
- Oystercatcher 1
- Little Grebe 2
- Black Swan 2
- Shelduck
- Shoveler
- Gadwall
- Teal
- Peregrine 1
- Sparrowhawk 1
- Marsh Harrier 2
- Common Buzzard 4
- Common Gull 1 adult on the scrape
- Spotted Flycatcher 4, 1 ad feeding 3 juv
- Blackcap 2, fem/imm male??
- Whitethroat 2
- Willow Warbler 2
- Chiffchaff 3
- Sedge Warbler 1 poss juv, bit unstable moving through the reeds
- Reed Warbler with chasing fledglings
- Goldcrest 2
- Song Thrush 1
- Treecreeper 2 incl 1 imm
- Nuthatch 1
- Great Spotted Woodpecker 2
- Blue, Great, and Long-tailed Tit families moving around
- House Martin 1
- Swallow and Sand Martin around
- Linnet 2
- Goldfinch 2 or 3 large family groups flying around
- Stock Doves around
- Plus lots of usuals associated with the reserve
Images show Spoonbill's, Spotted Flycatcher's, and I think just enough of the Spotted Crake including the upright buff under tail, greenish legs and I managed a brief flight view too!
I got 68 species on my day list, as we noted a brilliant variety of other birds wandering around. There were 9 Spoonbills present, which was awesome, especially when a couple preened each other for a few minutes. Steve picked out a Great White Egret from Burton Point, and probably best of all in some ways, we got onto some Spotted Flycatchers around the trees by the car park, and spent a superb hour or so watching various small birds feeding. There were at least 4 Spotted Flycatchers, and with them some busy Treecreepers, Nuthatch, Willow Warblers, Chiffchaff, Goldcrest, Chaffinch, Blackcap and Blue Tits. We also saw a family party of Reed Warblers really well in the bushes along that path round to the far part of the reserve. Also 2 Marsh Harriers, the slightly scruffy immature male bird (I think) that we saw the week before and then a bigger clean juvenile later on.
A great advert for the reserve all in all
Also
9 Spoonbills
c600 Black-tailed Godwits
50 Knot
2 Ruff
Common Sandpiper
2 Black Swans
Sparrowhawk
2 Marsh Harriers
Cheers, John
Spotted Crake (distant but showing well circa 1430, interacting with juvenile Water Rail as mentioned by Roger below).
Little Egret (at least 50)
Spotted Redshank = 2
Spoonbill = 4
Avocet = 1
Green Sandpiper = 1
Common Sandpiper = 2
Ruff = 1
Little Ringed Plover = 1
Black-tailed Godwit = >50
Mediterranean Gull = 1 (juv)
Sedge Warbler (6), Blackcap (1), Chiffchaff (3), Willow Warbler (1), Common Whitethroat (5)
Buzzard (1), Kestrel (1)
Goldfinch, Greenfinch, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Nuthatch
Oystercatcher, Lapwing, Grey Heron
Mallard, Teal, Shoveler, Tufted Duck
Black-headed Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull.
Evening visit with Ian Lyth.
2 hour wait for the Spotted Crake ... put in around 6 furtive appearances (in typical crake fashion) eventually excelling itself around 19.00 hrs by emerging to chase a juvenile Water Rail ... even managed to flap its wings a couple of times before diving back into cover !
Spotted Redshank.
Spoonbill 4.
Roger.
-- Edited by Roger Baker 3 on Wednesday 27th of July 2016 10:57:31 PM
Five of the Spoonbill flew in for twenty minutes or so (four later refound from IMF hide) and in addition to the usuals, also around were Dunlin, Green Sandpiper, Redshank, Ruff, Spotted Redshank, Avocet and Black tailed Godwit.
Morning visit.
- Spotted Crake 1 (Lifer for me)
Took its time to show but eventually did, briefly but then for a good 30 seconds or so.
- Spoonbill 5 on main scrape
- Water Rail 2 (1 adult 1 juv)
- Green Sandpiper 1
- Common Sandpiper 1
- Avocets
- Black-tailed Godwits
- Lapwing
- Oystercatchers
- Common Snipe 1
- Shoveler
- Gadwall
- Teal
- Tufted Duck
- Little Grebe 1
- Stock Dove
- Marsh Harrier 1 (briefly)
- Common Buzzard 1
- Sedge Warbler 3
- Reed Bunting 1
- Linnets
Evening visit after Hilbre Island.
- Spotted Crake (possibly 2 showed)
We didn't bargain on what we saw, one of the Crake's was very aggressive towards a Water Rail and kept showing on and off as it was driving the Rail away again and again. All present got good scope views of the action, too distant for any camera shots.
Also present in addition to this morning...
- Marsh Harrier showing very well hunting
- Ruff 6
- Swift over
-- Edited by Rob Creek on Monday 25th of July 2016 12:07:00 PM
Little Egret 12+
Grey Heron 3
Common Sandpiper 1
Green Sandpiper 1
Ruff 3males.
Avocet 1
Black-tailed Godwits
Lapwings
Peregrine 1
Buzzard 1
Water Rail 1 heard.
3 spoonbills in the egret colony
1 greenshank
2-3 spotted redshank
448 black-tailed godwits
185 lapwing
1 avocet
2 oystercatcher
2 common sandpiper
1 ruff
3 knot
1 marsh harrier (female/ juvenile)
1 blackcap still singing
Also:
1 common toad
1 unidentifiable small mammal
comma, peacock, small tortoiseshell, speckled wood, meadow brown, gatekeeper, small skipper, small white, large white and a painted lady
4 spoonbills in the trees and later 4 seen flying towards the marsh from burton mere
1 common sandpiper
1 dunlin
100+ black-tailed godwits
several redshanks
lots of avocets about
2 buzzard
lots of little egrets
16 sedge warblers
7 reed warbler
9 whitethroats
1 green woodpecker from burton point twice
2 skylark
other wildlife
4 6 spotted burnet moths
1 wood carpet moth
2 small magpies
hemlock and bittersweet nightshade
3 spoonbills were in front of reception & then flew into the tree tops, another 3 flew in later, but 7 were seen in flight as they flew out towards the marsh.
2 spotted redshank
1 cuckoo
1 common sandpiper
250+ black tailed godwits
several redshank around
plenty of avocets with well grown juveniles
2 common tern
2 buzzards
lots of little egrets around
no sign of the great white egret or glossy ibis for me
cettis warbler seen on a few occasions whilst it was feeding at least 3 juveniles
lots of swifts, swallows, house martins, few sand martins
still plenty of blackcaps, chiffchaffs, whitethroats & sedge warblers singing.
plus all usuals around.
Of interest to forum members I hope, the bird news services are reporting a White-winged Black Tern at Burton Mere Wetlands at 3.30pm
7 spoonbills being claimed now so probably 7
also
124 Black Tailed Godwit
3 Cetti's Warbler
lots of young Avocet
plus the usuals :)
-- Edited by JOHN TYMON on Saturday 4th of June 2016 06:00:17 PM
I have been reliably informed that there have been 7 Spoonbills at BMW this morning!!!
3 spoonbill were sleeping in front of reception hide when I first arrived, later on about 5pm I looked over from the field near the viewing points & there was 6 in front off reception hide, by the time I got back there they had gone.
1 spotted flycatcher along woodland trail
1 hobby flew over & spread panic amongst the black headed gulls, avocets & lapwings.
1 cettis warbler seen, more heard around
avocets seem to have done well with lots of chicks around, several of them well grown, I counted 68 in front of reception hide.
plenty of little egrets around
reed warblers, sedge warblers, whitethroats, blackcaps & chiffchaffs
2 buzzard
120+ black tailed godwit
several redshank
pair of nuthatch with 3 juveniles
1 treecreeper
2 great spotted woodpecker
plus the usuals
2 spoonbills on the scrape which later departed.
1 odd male aythya on the scrape
1 whitethroat to the left of the reception hide
1 yellow wagtail on the scrape
Several tufted ducks, shoveler, avocets and black tailed godwits dotted about.
I was there last night and I know that where they were was the little egret colony but when I arrived there were only 2 left on the scrape and the other 4 had apparently been seen heading off high. The last 2 left a well so unles they just flew onto the Dee then it looks like they've left for good.
As a tree nesting species the only time I have seen them in trees was at the small breeding colony of them at Holkham NNR a few years ago, and that was in a Grey Heron & Little Egret colony. Let's hope that them hanging around in trees is a sign of them breeding in the NW
I only saw 4 but they were asleep most of the time.
Grasshopper Warbler showing brilliantly by the boardwalk.
There are SIX Spoonbills reported at BMW this morning
4 spoonbills showing well in trees, and a male garganey from inner marsh hide.
Lovely morning on the Wirral. The 4 Spoonbills were still present in the same tree near Marsh Covert hide - never seen this species in a tree previously!!
The Spotted Flycatchers were still busy in the car park and there was lots of Warbler activity taking place. A female Marsh Harrier was around for a while and put the big flock of Black-tailed Godwits in the air when it first appeared.
This was my first visit to the reserve since July last year - mustn't leave it so long next time .
6.27pm edit:- Just had a message to say there are now 5 Spoonbills feeding on the main scrape.
-- Edited by sid ashton on Sunday 29th of May 2016 06:29:00 PM
4 spoonbill, showing well from the bottom of the path leading up to the marsh covert hide
2 spotted flycatcher in car park
1 garden warbler
2 reed warbler
1 whitethroat
1 Cetti's warbler (heard only)
Lots of avocet chicks with their parents
1 sparrowhawk with prey, getting mobbed by black headed gulls
3 chiffchaffs
5 buzzard
4 great spotted woodpecker
-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Saturday 28th of May 2016 07:31:32 PM
Still 4 Spoonbill today in the trees. It was also a joy to see them flying around.
Not a lot around, but the Avocet and chicks were nice to see, as was also a Wood Warbler.
-- Edited by Tim Wilcox on Wednesday 25th of May 2016 10:07:17 PM
drier than GM. We struck lucky: Tim spotted the birds in the air over the Little Egret's nesting area, they then circled over us and headed over
towards Decca Pools.
Other highlights were lots of Avocet chicks and Spotted Flycatchers nest building above the car park.
Little Egret
Buzzard (2)
Hobby (1)
Oystercatcher
Avocet
Lapwing
Curlew Sandpiper (1)
Dunlin (1)
Black-tailed Godwit
Redshank
Pied Flycatcher (1)
Reed Warbler
Sedge Warbler
Whitethroat
Cetti's Warbler (3)
Stunning Curlew Sandpiper in summer finery on the Reception Scrape. Unfortunately the two Buzzard put everything up at around 11.30 and the Curlew Sandpiper and Black-tailed Godwit in particular retreated to the field behind the main reedbed. Cuckoo and Grasshopper Warbler were also around but not seen or heard by me.
1 pied flycatcher, showed on my second search for it around the pools only for a couple of minutes before disappearing again.
70+ avocet
300+ black tailed godwit
80+ redshank
1 whimbrel
lots of lapwings around inc 2 chicks
1 common tern, over
2 barnacle geese
several shelducks
little egrets scattered around
1 yellow wagtail
1 marsh harrier
2 buzzard
1 raven
1 great spotted woodpecker
1 nuthatch
2 treecreeper
1 cettis warbler, others heard
1 grasshopper warbler heard
chiffchaff, willow warbler, blackcap, whitethroat & sedge warbler all around.
swallow, sand martin, house martin & swifts whizzing around.
viewed from the viewing point over burton marsh...
2 great white egret
lots of little egret
1 short eared owl
grasshopper warbler heard
Little Egret (1)
Great White Egret (1)
Barnacle Goose (1)
Avocet (c.65)
Dunlin (7)
Ruff (2)
Black-tailed Godwit (c.300)
Spotted Redshank (8)
Stock Dove (1)
Skylark (1)
White Wagtail (1)
Cetti's Warbler (2)
Grasshopper Warbler (1)
Sedge Warbler (1)
Reed Warbler (c.6)
Whitethroat (2)
Blackcap (c.6)
There during the morning but not seen in the afternoon were Mandarin, Yellow Wagtail, Knot and Greenshank. Interestingly and just before I left, a guy called in after receiving a call regarding a rumoured Marsh Sandpiper seen at some point during the morning. Whilst the Sandpiper had not been reported to the RSPB staff (nor seen since) other than size it is not too dissimilar to Greenshank.
71 avocet
4 ruff
4 snipe
several black tailed godwit & redshank
plenty of lapwings around
shoveler
teal
tufted duck
4 little grebe
1 barnacle goose with Canada geese
3 yellow wagtail plus one with a blue/grey head
1 water pipit with meadow pipits & wagtails
2 nuthatch
plenty of sand martins & swallows, few house martins
several chiffchaff, willow warbler & blackcap around
2 sedge warbler, heard only
water rail & green woodpecker also heard only
cracking views of a cettis warbler along the path near the pools, I managed a couple of ok pictures.
-- Edited by steven burke on Sunday 17th of April 2016 11:27:08 PM
Of note...
- Avocet plenty around
- Redshank ...
- Black-tailed Godwit ...
- Ruff 4
- Lapwing
- Oystercatcher
- Shoveler
- Kestrel
- Chiffchaff
- Great Spotted Woodpecker
- Swallow and Sand Martin through
Besides this the main hubbub was related to migrants; Yellow Wagtail and Redstart. I headed over to Burton Point and saw the Redstart, a lovely male. There were also some truly spanking Wheatears on the same field, 3 birds, 2 were grey males and the other I think was also a male but possibly not having worn through to the grey-blue colour. They all had vivid eye-stripes and 'masks'.
I saw Jonathan Platt and he found the Yellow Wagtail. It was also a smart male, and of note it was feeding amongst a good number of White Wagtails, certainly double figures. I have only seen an 'Alba' once before so I was pretty chuffed about that too. This was on the grass in front of the Bunker Screen. No sign of the Little Owl over that way, or Water Pipit, but you can't have everything. On the scrape were all the usual species, there was one Spotted Redshank and a few Ruff lingering. Nice numbers of Avocet, also first House Martins of the year, and plenty of Swallows. Heard only were Cetti's Warbler and Green Woodpecker.
So a great visit from a birding perspective and also a really nice friendly and good-spirited day out. Thanks so much to Alan and Beryl, I really appreciate your kindness. I also love the gang of RSPB guys at Burton Mere, they do a great job.