2 families of Great Crested Grebes, 1 with 1 full grown youngster, the other with 2 slightly smaller young. 1 family of Little Grebe with 3 small young and 1 family of Black Necked Grebes
with 1 near full grown youngster. In addition there were 2 adult Great Crested Grebes, 3 adult Little Grebes and 1 adult Black Necked Grebe. A family of Gadwall with 9 small ducklings.
It appears to be quite a good year for the Black Headed Gulls too, I counted 35 young, ranging in size from half grown to fully fledged, despite heavy predation. One plucky half grown
young gull on the scrape, was chasing of adults, and even adult Coots. The black backed gulls appear to have moved on, or this little fellow would be pushing its luck. A single Buzzard
flew above though, mewing loudly, despite having several adult gulls mobbing it. 3 Cormorants flew over. 5 Stock Doves fed below the feeders, around which I counted
7 male and 2 female Bullfinches at one point. 4 Magpies and a single Jay clung to the feeders at one point. 7 drake Pochards rested on the scrape and were starting to moult, a single drake
was with them. 4 more male Pochards were on the water, as was a female with a single duckling. 3 Shelduck. The only birds in song were a couple of Reed Buntings and a single Blackcap.
Daniel Owen said
Sat Jun 11 6:06 PM, 2016
No sign of the red-necked phalaropes today, but: 1 pochard brood(3 ducklings) which are diving and becoming a bit more independent, 2 black-necked grebe broods (2 chicks and 1 chick) and plenty of coot and mallard broods about. Reed and sedge warblers were showy in front of the Rotary Hide again, with one sedge warbler singing in south meadow too. 3 male teals and reed buntings were in front of Tower Hide.
JOHN TYMON said
Fri Jun 10 8:02 PM, 2016
2 red necked phalarope a pair Still present but distant no 3 bed at 8.30pm when I was the last to leave the site ,so hopefully they will still be there in the morning. :)
-- Edited by JOHN TYMON on Saturday 11th of June 2016 07:15:43 PM
The birding doldrums of June appear to have started, with moulting Mallard and Gadwall resting on the scrapes.
5 adult Black Necked Grebes were seen, all appearing to stay noticeably close to the reeds, also 1 family of Great Crested Grebes with 1 youngster that often strays well away from
it's parents, yet appears still small enough to make a nice meal for the local Lesser Black Backed gulls. There were 5 Lesser Black Back gulls around, including the near resident
adult pair, one of which has a silver BTO ring on it's leg. The Great Black Backed gull that had been terrorising the main scrape during the week as gone, even so the pair of Canada Geese
with 2 well grown goslings looked very anxious and kept their young hidden in the vegetation. Last year the Canada and Greylag Geese were confidently strolling along the reserve paths
with lots of goslings in tow, and expecting visiting birders to get out of their way, although they did make a real mess. Things appear to be very different this year.
A female Pochard has 3 small young, and there are still 7 surprisingly smart drakes around. 6 Shoveler were seen, with 2 out of 3 drakes now starting to look scruffy.
A Wren was making long display flights from a willow near the Tower Hide, flying right out above the reedbed. Just when I'm thinking this tiny fellow is foolhardy, I noticed another
miniature bird perched on top of the reeds towards the centre of the bed, it was a juvenile Wren looking very bemused.
Reed Warblers are not just showing well from the Tower Hide, but also as they forage amongst the oaks on the South bank too.
Also seen were 24 Lapwings, 1m Great Spotted Woodpecker and 4 Bullfinches. A Chiffchaff was still in full song on the South bank.
John Williams said
Wed Jun 1 11:28 PM, 2016
17.30-19.30
No 3 Bed
Despite many drake Mallard and Gadwall now looking a little shabby, lethargic and ready for their summer moult, the 6 drake Pochards seen still look resplendent.
6 Shelducks were around the scrape, where a pair of coot sized Canada goslings turned out to be the only young geese seen throughout the bed.
The sub-adult Great Black Backed Gull is still hanging around, it is frequently mobbed by the Black Headed Gulls, but it largely ignores them.
2 almost full grown Black Headed Gulls young were seen, with a parent keeping a close guard. 4 Lesser Black Backed and a single adult Herring Gull were also around.
No sign of any Black Necked Grebes, but 4 Great Crested Grebes, with 1 appearing to be carrying young on it's back, and a single Little Grebe were seen.
A flock of 12 Greenfinches were on the feeders, as were a male Great Spotted Woodpecker, 4 Bullfinches and a Jay.
Throughout there were around a 12+ Swifts flying over the bed. A Garden Warbler was singing by the F. Linley hide. 2 Buzzards were around the edge of the bed.
DavidBowman said
Thu May 26 2:24 PM, 2016
Despite the light drizzle, we managed to get some decent sightings this morning. They included 10 adult Black-necked Grebes with 3, possibly 4 broods, 4 broods of Pochard, a calling Cetti's Warbler, 9 Little Grebes, 2 broods of Great Crested Grebe and a Willow Tit on the Morgan Hide feeders.
Cheers David Bowman (with Alan Warford, David Spencer and John Ireland)
John Williams said
Sat May 21 4:04 PM, 2016
09.00-11.30
2 Great Black Backed Gulls, with an adult bird dominating the area in front of the Morgan Hide, it chased off several Lesser Black Backs, the bird was a real character, it terrorised a
pair of Moorhens who appeared to have young safely tucked away in the reeds. Another pair of Moorhens fed 2 small young only 20ft away from the predator, but if this is the same
family I seen there on Wednesday evening, they had 4 youngsters back then. The big gull may have been the reason the Canada Geese were not showing off their "Jay" sized goslings,
I only seen 2 youngsters, and one of those was with it's parents on the old river. The Canada family on the scrape a few days ago had around 7 youngsters that appeared too big to be
threatened by Lesser Black Backed Gulls, but their bigger cousin may not be deterred. The other Great Black Back Gull was an immature bird in flight over the weir.
Just when I was thinking the Great Black Backed Gulls were gluttons, a Buzzard plunged around 100ft, in a dive that would put a Peregrine to shame, and snatched a Black Headed
Gull chick before it's parents had time to react. Incredible wildlife drama. What I'm sure was the same Buzzard was hovering above the North bank of No. 3 bed shortly afterwards, above the
exact spot where it had grabbed the chick. Another Buzzard was above No.2 bed. Also on No.3 bed were 2 Little Grebes.
10 Tufted Ducks were on the weir pool with a single Great Crested Grebe. A pair of Greylag Geese and a pair of Shelduck were on the old river.
DavidBowman said
Sat May 21 2:33 PM, 2016
Nice variety on No.3 this morning. Kieran Foster had an early Ringed Plover on the Morgan Hide scrape before we arrived at 6.30 am. Then a Common Tern and Oystercatcher went through, while the Cuckoo which called sporadically around the bed was probably the bird which arrived yesterday. Over the east bank a Hobby showed well among the 100 or so Swifts and dozens of hirundines, before stooping away over No.2 bed. A systematic count of Black-necked Grebes turned up a minimum of 11 adults (max 13) plus at least two broods, each of two young. We were uncertain whether the adults with two young in the north-east corner were birds'd already counted which had moved. Meanwhile it was nice to see a male Lesser Whitethroat in breeding condition, caught by Kieran and his ringing team.
Cheers David Bowman (with David Spencer, Alan Warford, Helen Allan, George Dunbar and Brian Martin)
John Williams said
Wed May 18 12:12 AM, 2016
17.05.2016
17.45-19.45
No3 Bed
4 Black Necked Grebes, 1m Mandarin, 1 Ringed Plover, 3 Cormorants, 18 Pochard, 12 Great Crested Grebes, 4 Lesser Black Backed Gulls, 1 Shoveler,
2m Teal and 1m Bullfinch.
Daniel Owen said
Sun May 15 9:48 PM, 2016
2 garden warblers on no.4 bed by the sandpit pond Osprey, with fish, was being mobbed by a buzzard in front of the John Morgan Hide at 10:40 Cetti's warbler singing by Woolston weir
Osprey flew in to dead trees at 12.20pm seen from the Morgan Hide
Oliver Jepson said
Sun May 15 10:42 AM, 2016
A visit this morning provided views of 5+ Buzzards, 60+ Gadwall, 2 Little grebes and the highlight of the day was a group of 3 black necked grebes of which one was carrying a chick on its back. No sign of the Osprey this morning.
DavidBowman said
Sat May 14 4:35 PM, 2016
This morning turned up another surprise bird. We started off by having breakfast in the Morgan Hide, while scanning for the Osprey, without any luck. The surprise bird, though, was a large, immature female Goshawk on No.1 bed ,which hurtled after three Feral Pigeons and was last seen slaloming under Thelwall Viaduct at breakneck speed. It wasn't wearing jesses, so presumed to be a wandering non-breeder. Back on No.3 bed, just in time to see the Osprey drop in with a half-eaten fish. It tried to land in its usual dead tree but was mobbed away by the gulls. It reappeared a couple of hours later soaring away to the west.
Cheers David Bowman (with Alan Warford, Dave Steel, and Kelly Ainsworth)
-- Edited by DavidBowman on Sunday 15th of May 2016 01:02:10 PM
The Osprey flew in to No3 at 9-15 with a fish, it tried to land in bare tree but was harassed by the Black Headed Gulls and headed off towards No4. Also a Goshawk was seen over No1 earlier.
JOHN TYMON said
Fri May 13 6:50 AM, 2016
12/05/2016 Nice evening Visit to Woolston Eyes .The Osprey was in the dead tree with a Large fish when I arrived and never moved from there in 2 Hours also a nice female Marsh Harrier was flying about above the reedbeds . Not too much else of note apart from a few Black Necked Grebe. I noticed the Osprey has a Blue Ring on its left leg and what looks like a Metal on the Right,which I think denotes a Male that was Ringed in Scotland in the nest.
-- Edited by JOHN TYMON on Friday 13th of May 2016 06:52:49 AM
David Spencer said
Wed May 11 9:15 PM, 2016
The Osprey was seen again this evening (3rd day). This time it was perched in a dead silver birch on the north bank of No.3. It did fly off but returned and was still present at 20:00 hrs. 2 Common Terns, 1 Turnstone and 1 Marsh Harrier were also present.
Dave Riley said
Tue May 10 3:15 PM, 2016
A pleasant few hours ringing on No1 bed, while we were there, an Osprey landed on the workings at the north side of the bed and posed for about 20 mins, too far for a photo unfortunately. Other birds included a Garden Warbler, 2 Cetti's Warblers, a male Yellowhammer and a couple of Water Rails
-- Edited by Dave Riley on Tuesday 10th of May 2016 03:16:15 PM
John Williams said
Sun May 8 4:49 PM, 2016
09.45-13.00
No 3 Bed
2 Black Necked Grebes, 6 Great Crested Grebes, 8 Shelduck, 8 Pochard, 1 Buzzard (With a prominent white patch at the base of the tail) and 4 Common Whitethroats.
Also 4 Lesser Black Backed Gulls and 2 Grey Herons. Grasshopper Warbler heard reeling in the dead willowherb, hogweed and teasel scrub near the pond.
Butterfly sightings on separate thread.
Oliver Jepson said
Sun May 8 11:48 AM, 2016
This morning
5+ black necked grebes
A distant view of what appeared to be a female hen harrier
Daniel Owen said
Sat May 7 4:39 PM, 2016
1 garden warbler was singing in some willows to the left of the path just after the metal gate to the no.4 bed 1 grasshopper warbler reeling in the south meadow 10+ black-necked grebes scattered around no.3 bed 2 kestrel (male and female) flew over the no.3 bed with a 5 minute interlude, both heading south towards the canal plenty of whitethroats, willow warblers, chiffchaffs and blackcaps singing, with some reed/sedge warblers also singing from the reeds on no.3 bed
JOHN TYMON said
Fri May 6 8:02 PM, 2016
pm
Black Necked Grebe-8
Shelduck-6
Pochard-8
little else of note
DavidBowman said
Wed May 4 2:33 PM, 2016
With the winds swinging to the south-west it always looked good for migration this morning. At 7.00 am the 2 potential breeding adult Mediterranean Gulls showed well. Soon afterwards, 4 Oystercatchers and 3 Whimbrels flew in front of the Morgan Hide, also heading north-west. Out on the water, 11 Black-necked Grebes were the highlights, with 30 Swifts hawking overhead. Undoubtedly the star bird of the day, though, was an Osprey, which hovered briefly in front of the Morgan Hide before sweeping away over No.4 bed, where it was seen to spiral up and head north. In the drier areas, a single Grasshopper Warbler and 2 Garden Warblers were in song, while a Common Sandpiper was reported along the river.
Photo of the Osprey.
Cheers David Bowman (with David Spencer, Brian Martin, Kenny McNiffe, Tony Ormond, Colin Jones, Stewart Darroch, Bert Lloyd and John Verdon)
No sign today of yesterday's immature male Marsh Harrier but the pair of Mediterranean Gulls reappeared (they haven't been reported since last Friday) and spent most of the early morning circling low over the reed beds. Undoubtedly the star bird was a Whinchat, found by John Langley at midday, on the south meadow of No.3 bed
DavidBowman said
Sun May 1 3:48 PM, 2016
Went down at 6.30 am, with David Spencer, Holly Page and George Dunbar to see if there was any sign of the White-crowned Sparrrow but no luck. Did have two Hobbies, hawking over the east bank of the bed, though.
Cheers David
sid ashton said
Sun May 1 3:40 PM, 2016
Didn't find the White-crowned Sparrow yesterday but it was nice to see the returning Swifts
Rob Creek said
Sat Apr 30 9:54 PM, 2016
A late afternoon visit after work with Steve Burke and Simon Gough.
No sign of the White-crowned Sparrow since lunchtime and therefore no sign for us.
Some good birds seen nonetheless including :
- Blackcap plenty about (m+f) - Whitethroat 5 - Chiffchaff 2, more heard - Reed Bunting 2 - Linnet 1 - Greenfinch 9 on feeders - Sedge Warbler 1, another heard - Black-necked Grebe 6 - Little Grebe 4 - Great Crested Grebe - Gadwall - Pochard - Tufted Duck - Stock Dove 1 - Kestrel 1 - Great Black-backed Gull 2 adults (1 being harassed by Black-headed Gull) - Swallow and Sand Martin in abundance - few House Martin too
DavidBowman said
Sat Apr 30 9:35 PM, 2016
Well, all days birding at Woolston Eyes are good days but some are truly great days......and this was one of them. Started with a nice Grasshopper Warbler ringed by Kieran Foster et al. Then an understated text from Mike Miles ..." bird in the net, could be White-crowned Sparrow....opinions on the ID welcome". Mad, adrenalin-fuelled dash to the Obs. Turned out to be a spanking White-crowned Sparrow, a second year bird in pre-nuptial moult, decided by the retention of some brown feathers in the black parts of the crown. Then the logistics of trying to make sure that as many people as possible got to see the bird. All the people who came were great, even though not everyone got to see the bird...so thanks. Seen on and off till 11.45 in a bush right by the Morgan Hide, where it was released. Then seen to fly a little further away into cover and not relocated. We'll see if we can re-find it tomorrow and let people know. Bit of "after the Lord Mayor's Show" but other birds included: Hobby, Spotted Flycatcher, Dunlin, Common Sandpiper, 15 Black-necked Grebes, Cetti's Warbler, 3 Swifts and more than 300 House Martins.
Cheers David Bowman (with David Spencer, Kieran Foster, Mike MIles, Alan Warford, Paul Hazlehurst, Brian Baird, Helen Allan, Diane Shepherd and George Dunbar)
White-Crowned Sparrow- 1 Black Necked Grebe- 8+ Spotted Flycatcher- 1 another surprise find below the Sybil Hogg hide by the pool below.
:)
-- Edited by JOHN TYMON on Saturday 30th of April 2016 08:50:04 PM
Daniel Owen said
Sat Apr 30 7:14 PM, 2016
Managed to get two brief views of the white-crowned sparrow under the willow scrub to the left of the John Morgan Hide, not bad considering I didn't know it was on site until I got there. Also on the no.3 bed were, 10+ black-necked grebe, 2 summer plumage dunlin flew straight past the John Morgan Hide, 1 oystercatcher, 1 lapwing, 1 whitethroat, 1 sedge warbler, 2 great black-backed gulls
-- Edited by Daniel Owen on Saturday 30th of April 2016 07:33:30 PM
Adam Jones said
Sat Apr 30 3:34 PM, 2016
Very brief views of the White-crowned Sparrow at about 10:40 as it sat on a branch low to the ground in the scrub and bush to the left of the Morgan hide. Possibly seen once again after that but can't be certain. Hope it hangs around.
Ian McKerchar said
Sat Apr 30 10:37 AM, 2016
White-crowned Sparrow showing again at 10:30 near the feeders by the Morgan Hide.
Ian McKerchar said
Sat Apr 30 10:07 AM, 2016
No sign of the White-crowned Sparrow since the initially sighting but more seed has been put down in the area and it is still being looked for.
Doc Brewster said
Sat Apr 30 9:30 AM, 2016
I had a call from the ringers too. Make your way to the entracnce track off Thelwall Lane. The barriers will be open so drive down to the car parking area and go to the bridge for access. Non members will be asked for a £2 donation. The grid ref is SJ649882 and postcode WA4 2HZ. Access is today 10am-7pm.
-- Edited by Doc Brewster on Saturday 30th of April 2016 09:32:10 AM
Ian McKerchar said
Sat Apr 30 9:20 AM, 2016
White-crowned Sparrow, trapped and then released at 9:00am this morning at Woolston Eyes, Morgan Hide feeders; access will be given.
Info thanks to Alan Warford
David Spencer said
Fri Apr 29 3:24 PM, 2016
Despite the poor weather conditions this morning the Marsh Harrier was still hunting over No.3 bed. There was no sign of the Dunlin on the scrape but one flew north across the bed a c9:30. Around lunchtime John Barber reported 2 Common Sandpipers and 2 Mediterranean Gulls. Yesterday evening a Little Egret was seen on the scrape for 10 minutes before flying off east.
DavidBowman said
Thu Apr 28 2:07 PM, 2016
An excellent morning on No.3 bed, starting with two Mediterranean Gulls, then with Dunlin, Common Sandpiper and Oystercatchers dropping onto the Morgan Hide scrape and a total of 16 Black-necked Grebes. Towards lunchtime, we picked up a Marsh Harrier, dropping in and then, perhaps less pleasingly, watched a Mink persistently hunting the reedbed right in front of us.
Cheers David Bowman (with David Spencer, Alan Warford and Diane Shepherd)
David Spencer said
Tue Apr 26 8:34 PM, 2016
This evenings heavy hailstorm brought in an adult Kittiwake. Unfortunately it headed north and couldnt be relocated.
David Spencer said
Tue Apr 26 1:04 PM, 2016
Another 1st summer Little Gull this morning, at least 2 adult Mediterranean Gulls and 12 Black-necked Grebes.
David Spencer said
Mon Apr 25 2:24 PM, 2016
One Red Kite was seen this morning. Initially it was seen flying south, low over No.2 bed and was thought to have flown south. However it reappeared circling high with two Buzzards over the SE corner of No.3 bed. Also present was one female/imm. Marsh Harrier (a different individual to the one seen on Saturday). Two adult Mediterranean Gulls were again seen in the Black-headed Gull colony.Of interest last weeks colour ringed 1st summer Mediterranean Gull(red PRY6) )was ringed in Poland as a nestling on 20th June 2015. Also last week, the adult summer Mediterranean Gull with a white darvic ring, E718, is a Dutch bird ringed as a nestling in June 2012. Since then it has been seen in Germany and Ireland; the last report was on 21st January2016 at Bray Harbour, Wicklow.
Cheers David (with D Bowman, B Lloyd and J Verdon)
-- Edited by David Spencer on Monday 25th of April 2016 02:41:00 PM
Rob Creek said
Sat Apr 23 7:53 PM, 2016
On way to Richmond Bank I called in at the Wier at the side of Woolston Eyes.
- No sign of the Red-crested Pochard for me. - Pochard - Tufted Duck - Gadwall - Great Crested Grebe - Whitethroat - Lesser Whitethroat HEARD ONLY - Willow Warbler - Chiffchaff
DavidBowman said
Sat Apr 23 5:52 PM, 2016
With plenty of sunshine and despite a freshening northerly breeze, there was still some evidence of northward passage this morning. An immature male Marsh Harrier was an early find, quartering the reed-bed for an hour or so before flying off, low to the east. This is the fourth Marsh Harrier to pass through this week. The same first summer plumaged Little Gull was active all morning, while the three Mediterranean Gulls were seen well before disappearing into the heart of the Black-headed Gull breeding colony. Warblers included: 2 Cetti's, 4 Reed Warblers, 2 Sedge Warblers, 3 Whitethroats plus plenty of Blackcaps, Willow Warblers and Chiffchaffs. A Garden Warbler was reported from No.4 bed, though the recently arrived Grasshopper Warblers on No.3 bed weren't heard. Finally, a single Snipe and a surprise pair of Pintails were found, though there was no sign of yesterday's two Garganey.
Cheers David (with David Spencer, Alan Warford, Dave Steel, Helen Allan and Kelly Ainsworth)
David Spencer said
Sat Apr 23 2:09 PM, 2016
A pair of binoculars was found in the John Morgan hide this morning. They were probably left there yesterday. If you have lost a pair on the reserve please PM me with details.
DavidBowman said
Thu Apr 21 6:12 PM, 2016
Another productive morning, wandering around in the sunshine started with an early survey of the south bank of the Ship Canal, to see if Willow Tits are still breeding there. Didn't locate any but found Sedge Warbler and loads of other good birds, including a Common Sandpiper. It also gave us an excuse to cross the Canal on the Penny Ferry, which is always a delight. Then onto No.3 bed, where a Marsh Harrier showed well till mid-morning before soaring away to the north-west. The 1st summer plumaged Little Gull was still present, along with Grasshopper Warbler, 18 Black-necked Grebes, Willow Tit and Peregrine plus plenty of butterflies (Brimstone, Orange Tip, Comma, Meadow Brown, Peacock and Small Tortoiseshell).
Another photo of the Little Gull!
Cheers David Bowman (with Alan Warford, David Spencer, Brian Baird and John Langley)
Another stunning spring day with new birds turning up all the time. Highlights were 2 Red-crested Pochard on the Mersey just to the east of Woolston Weir (found by Dave Hackett), a drake Garganey past the No.3 bed footbridge (found by John Barber but may have been the bird we glimpsed briefly, earlier, in front of the Morgan Hide), another Little Gull, our 13th in the past couple of weeks (this time a 1st summer bird), 2 adult Mediterranean Gulls, , 14 Black-necked Grebes and a Grasshopper Warbler (reported from No.1 bed by John Blundell). There's still plenty more to come, though, with only a sprinkling of Whitethroats, Sedge Warblers and Reed Warblers yet arrived.
Two photos of the 1st summer Little Gull and one of the male and female Red-crested Pochards.
Cheers David Bowman (with David Spencer and Brian Martin)
One immature Little Gull from the John Morgan hide this morning. Yesterday an adult and immature were reported. Also today, 1 Little Ringed Plover and 2 Great Black-backed Gulls.
David Spencer said
Mon Apr 18 2:33 PM, 2016
A male Redstart was in bushes bordering the winter feed area this morning. Unfortunately it was rather camera shy! Also of note was a Whitethroat singing near the John Morgan hide.
Another solid day's birding, with bright sunshine moderated by a cool north-westerly breeze. We started and finished on No.3 bed but completed two full Common Bird Surveys, on Nos.1 and 2 beds, in between. Highlights were: 1 Mediterranean Gull, 12 Black-necked Grebes, 2 Cetti's Warblers, 1 Sedge Warbler, 1 Reed Warbler, 1 Whitethroat (per Kieran Foster), 12 Blackcaps, 16 Willow Warblers, 51 Chiffchaffs, 25 Swallows, 1 House Martin, 55 Sand Martins, 2 Kingfishers, 1 Peregrine, 5 Sparrowhawks, 3 Kestrels and 14 Buzzards.
Cheers David Bowman (with Dave Steel, David Spencer, Alan Warford, Brian Baird, Helen Allan, Diane Shepherd, Les Jones and George Dunbar)
Daniel Owen said
Fri Apr 15 2:57 PM, 2016
1 female wheatear on no.4 bed by the sandpit pond at 9:00 this morning. Also around were singing chiffchaffs, willow warblers and blackcaps. On the no.3 bed, a water rail swam across a channel between two sets of reeds, by the right-hand feeders of John Morgan Hide. Also present on the scrape and lagoon were 2 lapwing, at least 7 black-necked grebe and lesser black-backed gulls. 1 female sparrowhawk swooped at the right-hand feeders, where bramblings, greenfinches, great tits, 2 bullfinches and mallards were feeding. 1 grey squirrel also fed from the right-hand feeders.
Woolston Eyes are represented on the Steering Group of the exciting Carbon Landscape wetland development project. So, we started the day by meeting at 6.30 am to do some Willow Tit survey work, in support of the project, across the Ship Canal from our Reserve. We then walked the four miles from Statham to Warburton. Most productive, as expected, was my old patch at Statham Pools. There we located two Willow Tit territories, despite the constant drizzle, one of which had a pair carrying nest material. Other wetland species at the pools included Gadwall, Teal, Mallard, Mute Swan, Tufted Duck and Grey Herons. A few Blackcaps, Yellowhammers, Reed Buntings and singing Skylarks were also noted en route. Then it was back to chill out on No.3 bed at Woolston Eyes, where the highlights were: 1 Whimbrel (found by Paul Hazlehurst), 12 Black-necked Grebes, 4 Cetti's Warblers in song, 2 Reed Warblers, 100 Sand Martins, 8 Swallows and 4 House Martins. Dave Riley also reported a Sedge Warbler from No.1 bed.
Cheers David Bowman (with David Spencer, Alan Warford, Paul Hazlehurst, Brian Baird and Les Jones)
Daniel Owen said
Wed Apr 13 2:54 PM, 2016
I spent another morning on site today (9:00-12:40). On the way down to the no.3 bed I took a slight detour and ventured onto the no.4 bed and managed singing chiffchaffs, willow warblers and blackcaps including one rather showy male who sang in view allowing me to photograph him. I was also treated to views of rabbits running through the grass in the morning mist. When I got on to no.3 bed I picked up more singing willow warblers, chiffchaffs and blackcaps. Whilst walking past the Sybil Hogg Hide a kingfisher flew towards the canal calling as it went. I got to the John Morgan hide and spent the rest of the morning here, hoping for any migrants. 1 cetti's warbler called from the direction of the right-hand feeders but remained hidden (around 9:30).I found a pair of mediterranean gulls amongst the black-headed gulls, 6 black-necked grebes, 8 displaying common buzzards, 1 lapwing, 1 displaying sparrowhawk, 20+ bramblngs were also under the feeder on which a willow tit, male great spotted woodpecker and jay fed on the sunflower seeds. An overflying oystercatcher gave its presence away with its diagnostic call. 1 female marsh harrier flew left , scattering the wildfowl and gulls and then turned back before heading towards Tower Hide.
Old River
3 Grey Herons
No3 Bed
2 families of Great Crested Grebes, 1 with 1 full grown youngster, the other with 2 slightly smaller young. 1 family of Little Grebe with 3 small young and 1 family of Black Necked Grebes
with 1 near full grown youngster. In addition there were 2 adult Great Crested Grebes, 3 adult Little Grebes and 1 adult Black Necked Grebe. A family of Gadwall with 9 small ducklings.
It appears to be quite a good year for the Black Headed Gulls too, I counted 35 young, ranging in size from half grown to fully fledged, despite heavy predation. One plucky half grown
young gull on the scrape, was chasing of adults, and even adult Coots. The black backed gulls appear to have moved on, or this little fellow would be pushing its luck. A single Buzzard
flew above though, mewing loudly, despite having several adult gulls mobbing it. 3 Cormorants flew over. 5 Stock Doves fed below the feeders, around which I counted
7 male and 2 female Bullfinches at one point. 4 Magpies and a single Jay clung to the feeders at one point. 7 drake Pochards rested on the scrape and were starting to moult, a single drake
was with them. 4 more male Pochards were on the water, as was a female with a single duckling. 3 Shelduck. The only birds in song were a couple of Reed Buntings and a single Blackcap.
1 pochard brood(3 ducklings) which are diving and becoming a bit more independent, 2 black-necked grebe broods (2 chicks and 1 chick) and plenty of coot and mallard broods about. Reed and sedge warblers were showy in front of the Rotary Hide again, with one sedge warbler singing in south meadow too. 3 male teals and reed buntings were in front of Tower Hide.
2 red necked phalarope a pair Still present but distant no 3 bed at 8.30pm when I was the last to leave the site ,so hopefully they will still be there in the morning. :)
-- Edited by JOHN TYMON on Saturday 11th of June 2016 07:15:43 PM
No 3 Bed
The birding doldrums of June appear to have started, with moulting Mallard and Gadwall resting on the scrapes.
5 adult Black Necked Grebes were seen, all appearing to stay noticeably close to the reeds, also 1 family of Great Crested Grebes with 1 youngster that often strays well away from
it's parents, yet appears still small enough to make a nice meal for the local Lesser Black Backed gulls. There were 5 Lesser Black Back gulls around, including the near resident
adult pair, one of which has a silver BTO ring on it's leg. The Great Black Backed gull that had been terrorising the main scrape during the week as gone, even so the pair of Canada Geese
with 2 well grown goslings looked very anxious and kept their young hidden in the vegetation. Last year the Canada and Greylag Geese were confidently strolling along the reserve paths
with lots of goslings in tow, and expecting visiting birders to get out of their way, although they did make a real mess. Things appear to be very different this year.
A female Pochard has 3 small young, and there are still 7 surprisingly smart drakes around. 6 Shoveler were seen, with 2 out of 3 drakes now starting to look scruffy.
A Wren was making long display flights from a willow near the Tower Hide, flying right out above the reedbed. Just when I'm thinking this tiny fellow is foolhardy, I noticed another
miniature bird perched on top of the reeds towards the centre of the bed, it was a juvenile Wren looking very bemused.
Reed Warblers are not just showing well from the Tower Hide, but also as they forage amongst the oaks on the South bank too.
Also seen were 24 Lapwings, 1m Great Spotted Woodpecker and 4 Bullfinches. A Chiffchaff was still in full song on the South bank.
No 3 Bed
Despite many drake Mallard and Gadwall now looking a little shabby, lethargic and ready for their summer moult, the 6 drake Pochards seen still look resplendent.
6 Shelducks were around the scrape, where a pair of coot sized Canada goslings turned out to be the only young geese seen throughout the bed.
The sub-adult Great Black Backed Gull is still hanging around, it is frequently mobbed by the Black Headed Gulls, but it largely ignores them.
2 almost full grown Black Headed Gulls young were seen, with a parent keeping a close guard. 4 Lesser Black Backed and a single adult Herring Gull were also around.
No sign of any Black Necked Grebes, but 4 Great Crested Grebes, with 1 appearing to be carrying young on it's back, and a single Little Grebe were seen.
A flock of 12 Greenfinches were on the feeders, as were a male Great Spotted Woodpecker, 4 Bullfinches and a Jay.
Throughout there were around a 12+ Swifts flying over the bed. A Garden Warbler was singing by the F. Linley hide. 2 Buzzards were around the edge of the bed.
Cheers David Bowman (with Alan Warford, David Spencer and John Ireland)
2 Great Black Backed Gulls, with an adult bird dominating the area in front of the Morgan Hide, it chased off several Lesser Black Backs, the bird was a real character, it terrorised a
pair of Moorhens who appeared to have young safely tucked away in the reeds. Another pair of Moorhens fed 2 small young only 20ft away from the predator, but if this is the same
family I seen there on Wednesday evening, they had 4 youngsters back then. The big gull may have been the reason the Canada Geese were not showing off their "Jay" sized goslings,
I only seen 2 youngsters, and one of those was with it's parents on the old river. The Canada family on the scrape a few days ago had around 7 youngsters that appeared too big to be
threatened by Lesser Black Backed Gulls, but their bigger cousin may not be deterred. The other Great Black Back Gull was an immature bird in flight over the weir.
Just when I was thinking the Great Black Backed Gulls were gluttons, a Buzzard plunged around 100ft, in a dive that would put a Peregrine to shame, and snatched a Black Headed
Gull chick before it's parents had time to react. Incredible wildlife drama. What I'm sure was the same Buzzard was hovering above the North bank of No. 3 bed shortly afterwards, above the
exact spot where it had grabbed the chick. Another Buzzard was above No.2 bed. Also on No.3 bed were 2 Little Grebes.
10 Tufted Ducks were on the weir pool with a single Great Crested Grebe. A pair of Greylag Geese and a pair of Shelduck were on the old river.
Cheers David Bowman (with David Spencer, Alan Warford, Helen Allan, George Dunbar and Brian Martin)
17.45-19.45
No3 Bed
4 Black Necked Grebes, 1m Mandarin, 1 Ringed Plover, 3 Cormorants, 18 Pochard, 12 Great Crested Grebes, 4 Lesser Black Backed Gulls, 1 Shoveler,
2m Teal and 1m Bullfinch.
Osprey, with fish, was being mobbed by a buzzard in front of the John Morgan Hide at 10:40
Cetti's warbler singing by Woolston weir
Cheers David Bowman (with Alan Warford, Dave Steel, and Kelly Ainsworth)
-- Edited by DavidBowman on Sunday 15th of May 2016 01:02:10 PM
12/05/2016 Nice evening Visit to Woolston Eyes .The Osprey was in the dead tree with a Large fish when I arrived and never moved from there in 2 Hours also a nice female Marsh Harrier was flying about above the reedbeds . Not too much else of note apart from a few Black Necked Grebe. I noticed the Osprey has a Blue Ring on its left leg and what looks like a Metal on the Right,which I think denotes a Male that was Ringed in Scotland in the nest.
-- Edited by JOHN TYMON on Friday 13th of May 2016 06:52:49 AM
The Osprey was seen again this evening (3rd day). This time it was perched in a dead silver birch on the north bank of No.3. It did fly off but returned and was still present at 20:00 hrs. 2 Common Terns, 1 Turnstone and 1 Marsh Harrier were also present.
-- Edited by Dave Riley on Tuesday 10th of May 2016 03:16:15 PM
No 3 Bed
2 Black Necked Grebes, 6 Great Crested Grebes, 8 Shelduck, 8 Pochard, 1 Buzzard (With a prominent white patch at the base of the tail) and 4 Common Whitethroats.
Also 4 Lesser Black Backed Gulls and 2 Grey Herons. Grasshopper Warbler heard reeling in the dead willowherb, hogweed and teasel scrub near the pond.
Butterfly sightings on separate thread.
1 grasshopper warbler reeling in the south meadow
10+ black-necked grebes scattered around no.3 bed
2 kestrel (male and female) flew over the no.3 bed with a 5 minute interlude, both heading south towards the canal
plenty of whitethroats, willow warblers, chiffchaffs and blackcaps singing, with some reed/sedge warblers also singing from the reeds on no.3 bed
pm
Photo of the Osprey.
Cheers David Bowman (with David Spencer, Brian Martin, Kenny McNiffe, Tony Ormond, Colin Jones, Stewart Darroch, Bert Lloyd and John Verdon)
No sign today of yesterday's immature male Marsh Harrier but the pair of Mediterranean Gulls reappeared (they haven't been reported since last Friday) and spent most of the early morning circling low over the reed beds. Undoubtedly the star bird was a Whinchat, found by John Langley at midday, on the south meadow of No.3 bed
Cheers David
Didn't find the White-crowned Sparrow yesterday but it was nice to see the returning Swifts
No sign of the White-crowned Sparrow since lunchtime and therefore no sign for us.
Some good birds seen nonetheless including :
- Blackcap plenty about (m+f)
- Whitethroat 5
- Chiffchaff 2, more heard
- Reed Bunting 2
- Linnet 1
- Greenfinch 9 on feeders
- Sedge Warbler 1, another heard
- Black-necked Grebe 6
- Little Grebe 4
- Great Crested Grebe
- Gadwall
- Pochard
- Tufted Duck
- Stock Dove 1
- Kestrel 1
- Great Black-backed Gull 2 adults (1 being harassed by Black-headed Gull)
- Swallow and Sand Martin in abundance
- few House Martin too
Cheers David Bowman (with David Spencer, Kieran Foster, Mike MIles, Alan Warford, Paul Hazlehurst, Brian Baird, Helen Allan, Diane Shepherd and George Dunbar)
White-Crowned Sparrow- 1
Black Necked Grebe- 8+
Spotted Flycatcher- 1 another surprise find below the Sybil Hogg hide by the pool below.
:)
-- Edited by JOHN TYMON on Saturday 30th of April 2016 08:50:04 PM
-- Edited by Daniel Owen on Saturday 30th of April 2016 07:33:30 PM
Possibly seen once again after that but can't be certain. Hope it hangs around.
I had a call from the ringers too. Make your way to the entracnce track off Thelwall Lane. The barriers will be open so drive down to the car parking area and go to the bridge for access. Non members will be asked for a £2 donation. The grid ref is SJ649882 and postcode WA4 2HZ. Access is today 10am-7pm.
-- Edited by Doc Brewster on Saturday 30th of April 2016 09:32:10 AM
Info thanks to Alan Warford
Despite the poor weather conditions this morning the Marsh Harrier was still hunting over No.3 bed. There was no sign of the Dunlin on the scrape but one flew north across the bed a c9:30. Around lunchtime John Barber reported 2 Common Sandpipers and 2 Mediterranean Gulls. Yesterday evening a Little Egret was seen on the scrape for 10 minutes before flying off east.
Cheers David Bowman (with David Spencer, Alan Warford and Diane Shepherd)
This evenings heavy hailstorm brought in an adult Kittiwake. Unfortunately it headed north and couldnt be relocated.
Another 1st summer Little Gull this morning, at least 2 adult Mediterranean Gulls and 12 Black-necked Grebes.
One Red Kite was seen this morning. Initially it was seen flying south, low over No.2 bed and was thought to have flown south. However it reappeared circling high with two Buzzards over the SE corner of No.3 bed. Also present was one female/imm. Marsh Harrier (a different individual to the one seen on Saturday). Two adult Mediterranean Gulls were again seen in the Black-headed Gull colony. Of interest last weeks colour ringed 1st summer Mediterranean Gull (red PRY6) )was ringed in Poland as a nestling on 20th June 2015. Also last week, the adult summer Mediterranean Gull with a white darvic ring, E718, is a Dutch bird ringed as a nestling in June 2012. Since then it has been seen in Germany and Ireland; the last report was on 21st January2016 at Bray Harbour, Wicklow.
Cheers David (with D Bowman, B Lloyd and J Verdon)
-- Edited by David Spencer on Monday 25th of April 2016 02:41:00 PM
- No sign of the Red-crested Pochard for me.
- Pochard
- Tufted Duck
- Gadwall
- Great Crested Grebe
- Whitethroat
- Lesser Whitethroat HEARD ONLY
- Willow Warbler
- Chiffchaff
Cheers David (with David Spencer, Alan Warford, Dave Steel, Helen Allan and Kelly Ainsworth)
A pair of binoculars was found in the John Morgan hide this morning. They were probably left there yesterday. If you have lost a pair on the reserve please PM me with details.
Another photo of the Little Gull!
Cheers David Bowman (with Alan Warford, David Spencer, Brian Baird and John Langley)
Two photos of the 1st summer Little Gull and one of the male and female Red-crested Pochards.
Cheers David Bowman (with David Spencer and Brian Martin)
One immature Little Gull from the John Morgan hide this morning. Yesterday an adult and immature were reported. Also today, 1 Little Ringed Plover and 2 Great Black-backed Gulls.
A male Redstart was in bushes bordering the winter feed area this morning. Unfortunately it was rather camera shy! Also of note was a Whitethroat singing near the John Morgan hide.
Cheers David Bowman (with Dave Steel, David Spencer, Alan Warford, Brian Baird, Helen Allan, Diane Shepherd, Les Jones and George Dunbar)
Cheers David Bowman (with David Spencer, Alan Warford, Paul Hazlehurst, Brian Baird and Les Jones)