Adult Mediterranean Gull this afternoon

this morning
33 Pochard
66 Wigeon
Plus the usuals :)

Made a quick stop at 1.00 pm, on my way back from Woolston Eyes. Totals included: 61 Wigeon, 153 Black-headed Gulls, 4 Common Gulls, 24 Lapwings, 10 Long-tailed Tits, 1 Pied Wagtail, 13 Pochard, 6 Great Crested Grebes and 1 Teal.

Cheers David

JOHN TYMON wrote:

---

Its interesting looking back how the population has declined at the pool,since the water has been extracted, at the similar period in 2007 there were 172 Wigeon, 100+Coot,and in the years previous to that 200 wigeon was not unusual,and 200 coot was also not unusual,so how coot have declined at the pool over the years

---

I think Coot numbers are dropping generally, they has been a definite decline during my WeBS counts.

Hi John, I'm sure you're right. Even in the two years I've been living in Winwick and visiting the pool I've seen a negative change. The smaller water area seems to make the birds jumpier and more easily disturbed. It's a shame that it hasn't been given some real protection. If it gets sold, you do wonder what the future holds

Cheers David

DavidBowman wrote:

---

Quick scan at lunchtime today produced: 63 Wigeon, 18 Pochard, 1 Teal, 36 Mallard, 75 Black-headed Gulls, 5 Common Gulls, 6 Lapwings, 1 Kestrel, 5 Coot, 27 tufted Ducks and a couple of over-flying Fieldfares.

Cheers David

---

Its interesting looking back how the population has declined at the pool,since the water has been extracted, at the similar period in 2007 there were 172 Wigeon, 100+Coot,and in the years previous to that 200 wigeon was not unusual,and 200 coot was also not unusual,so how coot have declined at the pool over the years

Quick scan at lunchtime today produced: 63 Wigeon, 18 Pochard, 1 Teal, 36 Mallard, 75 Black-headed Gulls, 5 Common Gulls, 6 Lapwings, 1 Kestrel, 5 Coot, 27 tufted Ducks and a couple of over-flying Fieldfares.

Cheers David

Quick look yesterday c.1.30ish found
Pair of goldeneye
Around 150 bathing black headed gulls
58 wigeon
11 tufted duck
18 pochard
And 2 buzzard showing very well in stubble field on other side of road to flash

Drake Goosander today

PM
of note
21 Pochard
66 Wigeon

JOHN TYMON wrote:

---

AM of note
Wigeon -72
plus the usuals

---

same as today

AM of note
Wigeon -72
plus the usuals

PM
Wigeon-56 (numbers starting to build up at last )
Mallard-68
Tufted Duck-28
Pochard-12
Teal-2
plus the usuals

37 wigeon-this morning

Late PM
Wigeon-11
Little Grebe-2
Common Buzzard-2

sat 13th pm
Wigeon-14
Cormorant-8
Great Crested Grebe-18
Little Grebe-3
Common Buzzard-2
Sparrowhawk-1
Rook-50+
Jackdaw-60+
Pied Wagtail-2
Goosander-1f
Pochard-4
Tufted Duck-25

LATE PM
WIGEON-5
GOOSANDER-1F
BLACK NECKED GREBE-1 Imm /1st w
GREAT CRESTED GREBE-22
SWALLOW-1>S
TUFTED DUCK-20
CORMORANT-3

JOHN TYMON wrote:

---

late PM
Wigeon-2
Black necked Grebe-1
Goosander-1 f
Great crested grebe-22

---

Same Tues apart from the Great crested dropped to 16

late PM
Wigeon-2
Black necked Grebe-1
Goosander-1 f
Great crested grebe-22

PM
BLACK NECKED GREBE-1
GOOSANDER-1F
GREAT CRESTED GREBE-26
TUFTED DUCK-30
POCHARD-3
WIGEON-1F
TEAL-1F

pm
Black necked grebe-1
great crested grebe-26
pochard-3
teal-1
cormorant-3
swallow-25
sand martin-5
common Buzzard-3

late pm
Black Necked Grebe-1
Great crested grebe-27

Lunchtime walk from home, across the fields at Arbury, round the flash and back again. Counts (44 species) included:

Hobby 1 hunting hirundines over the fields at Arbury.
Redshank 1 over-flying
Swallow c. 170 over the fields
House Martin c. 110 over the fields
Black-headed Gull c. 120 split between the Pool and the fields
Lesser Black-backed Gull 43 on the fields
Common Gull 5 on the fields
Starling c. 220 on the fields
Skylark 11
Meadow Pipit 5
Robin 11
Pheasant 1
Buzzard 10 all bar one feeding on the fields
Kestrel 3
Sparrowhawk 1
Linnet c.90 feeding on the fields
House Sparrow 25
Pied Wagtail 2
Dunnock 2
Chiffchaff 1
Rook 58
Jackdaw c. 170
Feral Pigeon c. 100
Collared Dove 26
Stock Dove 21
Magpie 17
Chaffinch 12
Greenfinch 3
Great Spotted Woodpecker 1
Goldfinch 19
Wren 2
Carrion Crow 9
Great Tit 7
Blue Tit 9
Long-tailed Tit 7
Jay 2
Wood Pigeon c.240
Blackbird 5
Great Crested Grebe 22 on the Pool (along with the rest of the waterbirds)
Little Grebe 2
Coot 24
Cormorant 5
Tufted Duck 34
Mallard 25

Cheers David

Wigeon this morning plus Little Ringed Plover, 4 Teal and juvenile Black- necked Grebe

One Oystercatcher, 7 Cormorants, 21 Great Crested Grebes, 31 Swallows and a couple of Common Gulls this morning.

Cheers David

Ian Mckerchar said
John's is 'just' (I say just but it's a damn fine bird!) a straight cut juvenile Black Tern and not surinamensis in my humble opinion

---

Your not wrong there ,one of the best encounters with a black tern ever,it was a crackin little bird and started my week off nicely with some crackin photo oppotunities

JOHN TYMON wrote:

---

Nick Isherwood wrote:

---

Did you get any shots John?

There's been a possible Juvenile American Black Tern at eccleston mere in st Helens this afternoon. Could be the same bird.

---

Yep got loads ,but not too sure of the difference really between the two in Juve plumage apart from grey flanks and the one I saw had a slight bit of gray on the flanks,but looked just like a juv Black to me ,but I have no experience of American Black Tern. I tend to think common before rare,but I will send a few out to see what people think and timewise it left the pool ne at 3.30 pm and could have headed down the east lancs to st helens .

---

There's a few photos of the possible American Black Tern on the Birding St Helens blog. If you google that you should be able to find it and compare.

Did you get any shots John?

There's been a possible Juvenile American Black Tern at eccleston mere in st Helens this afternoon. Could be the same bird.

crackin afternoon at the pool,
A juv Black tern appeared about 2.15pm,and had crackin views,and had an encounter I may never see again.The Black tern about 3pm started spiraling upwards until it was very tiny in the sky above as i was watching it the stacks of swallows and sand martins at the back of me suddenly all started making alarm calls,and next thing a hobby shot past me began to spiral up toward the black tern,as it got close the tern closed its wings and dropped like a stone with the hobby following it half way down the hobby was passed by a group of sand martins that took it off track and it chased them instead of the tern,which dropped in at the pool again.The tern rose again at 3.30 and headed off high NW,So I wouldn't be supprised if it not on penny flash now.

pm
Black tern -1 Juv Came in from the SE (Stayed from 2.15pm - 3.30pm)then headed off NE.
Black Necked Grebe-1 juv
Hobby-1
sand martin -200+ s
Swallow-500+ s
Great crested Grebe-26

JOHN TYMON wrote:

---

Nick Isherwood wrote:

---

JOHN TYMON wrote:

---

Nick Isherwood wrote:

---

Did you get any shots John?

There's been a possible Juvenile American Black Tern at eccleston mere in st Helens this afternoon. Could be the same bird.

---

Yep got loads ,but not too sure of the difference really between the two in Juve plumage apart from grey flanks and the one I saw had a slight bit of gray on the flanks,but looked just like a juv Black to me ,but I have no experience of American Black Tern. I tend to think common before rare,but I will send a few out to see what people think and timewise it left the pool ne at 3.30 pm and could have headed down the east lancs to st helens .

---

There's a few photos of the possible American Black Tern on the Birding St Helens blog. If you google that you should be able to find it and compare.

---

It Looks similar,but my pictures are much better than that,I have sent a few to Ian to see if he can give an oppinion on it :)Unless someone says different who knows more or as experience of American Black tern,I would say Black Tern Also it was seen at prescot apparently at 13.45 so dauptful that it would be in winwick at 14.15 so most likely not the same bird.

-- Edited by JOHN TYMON on Friday 31st of August 2012 07:13:48 PM

-- Edited by JOHN TYMON on Friday 31st of August 2012 07:29:42 PM

---

John's is 'just' (I say just but it's a damn fine bird!) a straight cut juvenile Black Tern and not surinamensis in my humble opinion

Nick Isherwood wrote:

---

JOHN TYMON wrote:

---

Nick Isherwood wrote:

---

Did you get any shots John?

There's been a possible Juvenile American Black Tern at eccleston mere in st Helens this afternoon. Could be the same bird.

---

Yep got loads ,but not too sure of the difference really between the two in Juve plumage apart from grey flanks and the one I saw had a slight bit of gray on the flanks,but looked just like a juv Black to me ,but I have no experience of American Black Tern. I tend to think common before rare,but I will send a few out to see what people think and timewise it left the pool ne at 3.30 pm and could have headed down the east lancs to st helens .

---

There's a few photos of the possible American Black Tern on the Birding St Helens blog. If you google that you should be able to find it and compare.

---

It Looks similar,but my pictures are much better than that,I have sent a few to Ian to see if he can give an oppinion on it :)Unless someone says different who knows more or as experience of American Black tern,I would say Black Tern Also it was seen at prescot apparently at 13.45 so dauptful that it would be in winwick at 14.15 so most likely not the same bird.

-- Edited by JOHN TYMON on Friday 31st of August 2012 07:13:48 PM

-- Edited by JOHN TYMON on Friday 31st of August 2012 07:29:42 PM

Nick Isherwood wrote:

---

Did you get any shots John?

There's been a possible Juvenile American Black Tern at eccleston mere in st Helens this afternoon. Could be the same bird.

---

Yep got loads ,but not too sure of the difference really between the two in Juv plumage apart from grey flanks and the one I saw had a slight bit of gray on the flanks,but looked just like a juv Black to me ,but I have no experience of American Black Tern. I tend to think common before rare,but I will send a few out to see what people think and timewise it left the pool NW at 3.30 pm and could have headed down the east lancs to st helens .

-- Edited by JOHN TYMON on Friday 31st of August 2012 06:57:44 PM

1 common sandpiper
2 little ringed plover
And on my return home a stowaway on my jumper in the form of an orb web spider(araneus quadratus).Mrs d was over the moon.I thought it was cute myself.hope it enjoys its new life at the bottom of the garden.it should do as it looks a lot like the habitat at the flash!

Juvenile Knot currently at HGF. Also Common Sandpiper and two Black- necked Grebes

pm
Common Sandpiper-1
Little ringed plover-4
cormorant-2
great crested grebe-25
black necked grebe-2
Common Buzzard-3 over high
Kestrel-1

Grey Plover still present mid-morning but at 1.30pm it was flushed by dogwalkers (not birders!) and flew off high to the west.

Info thanks to John Tymon

Grey Plover still present this morning and ditto for the rest

Ian McKerchar wrote:

---

Grey Plover still present mid-morning but at 1.30pm it was flushed by dogwalkers (not birders!) and flew off high to the west.

Info thanks to John Tymon

---

Thanks Ian -I asked Ian to post to save anyone who was travelling for the Plover.

On my first visit at 10am this morning the cracking find by mike of the adult summer Grey plover was present ,but was flying around a few times due to being flushed by walkers,then I left assuming it would be gone later.On my second visit at 1.20 I could not find it at first then I heard the grey plover call on the sw bank as it was flushed accidentily by 2 dogwalkers,it flew past me and at first looked like landing but changed its mind when intercepted by a black headed gull and flew high west over my head and into the distance,and I got a few record shots as it flew past and over my head.
Shame it didn't stop as it was the best looking Grey plover I have ever seen inland,and the first ive seen at the pool,that i can recall.Another great find by Mike ,and shows the pool still can produce anything.
Also present
1 common sandpiper
18 great crested grebe
2 juv Black necked Grebe
plenty swallows, house martin,and sand martin through south today
:)



-- Edited by JOHN TYMON on Saturday 25th of August 2012 03:07:34 PM

Nice breeding plumaged Grey Plover this evening. Also 2 Black-necked Grebes and 2 Common Sandpipers

Still 1 Juv Black necked grebe

Of note this aft
1 Juv Black necked grebe
c16 great crested grebe
1 juv sparrowhawk

1 Kestrel,
1 Yellow Wagtail,
5 Pied Wagtail,
7 Great-Crested Grebe,
Linnets,
Goldfinches.

JOHN TYMON wrote:

---

of note this aft
still 4 juv black necked grebe

---

same this morning

of note this aft
still 4 juv black necked grebe

In a small section of hawthorn hedge by the road this morning were:

18 Swallows inc 4 juveniles
12+ Long-tailed Tits plus several Great and Blue Tits
2 Blackcaps (juveniles)
2 Whitethroats (adult plus juvenile)
2 Chiffchaffs (juveniles)
5 Goldfinches (2 adults, 3 juveniles)

Elsewhere

2 Common Sandpipers
Little Ringed Plover (presumed migrant)
4 Black-necked Grebes (juveniles)

JOHN TYMON wrote:

---

Just 3 juv Black necked grebes this morning
1 little grebe
60 tufted duck

---

Same Today

Just 3 juv Black necked grebes this morning
1 little grebe
60 tufted duck

Still 7 Black Necked Grebe very early this morning plus lots of Tufted Duck and 10+ Great Crested Grebe - I didn't walk round for a better look as there were a lot of birds roosting on the far bank but I did wonder what else might have been lurking!

Still 7 black necked grebe today-2 adult and 5 juv
plus a pile of Tufted c60

9 black necked grebe today-6 adult / 3 juv