Common Tern still present this morning.

Info thanks to Barry Hulme

Single Common Tern and three Swallows this late afternoon.

Drake Scaup present at 7pm today.

Info thanks to Phil Rhodes

Early this morning, one Curlew, three singing Blackcaps and c30 Sand Martins.

Info thanks to Bill Harrison

Late afternoon/early evening today:

c180 Sand Martins

Male Wheatear on Ramsdales Ruck

2 Little Egrets at the western end, seemed to fly off towards the field just west of Mossley Hall

8 Oystercatchers

This afternoon 5 x Snipe on spit, 7 x Goosander, 7 x Goldeneye, 3 x Oystercatcher, 10 x Chiffchaff, 3 x singing Blackcaps, 2 x Cettis Warbler, 3 x Willow Warbler

Having missed virtually everything this weekend and still not seen or heard a willow warbler anywhere, the best I can add is a bar-headed goose flying around the flash at 11am. Presumably the same bird that was present last year but if it is, it's the first time that I've seen it in 5 months.

The panicked alarm calls of Lesser Black-backed Gulls gave away the Osprey flying through NW at 5pm today well before it came pretty low into view, circling only once over the western end before heading off. Diabolically poor iPhone (3x zoom) photos attached.

Also six Goosanders And two Siskins feeding in Alders by Sorrow Cow Pond.

Little Egret, 15 Chiffchaffs, 4 Willow Warblers and a Swallow early this morning around the north side/Ramsdales Ruck

This morning:

Single Ring-necked Parakeet through west at 07:33

2 Greylag Geese though west

10 Oystercatchers

1 drake Wigeon

70+ Sand Martins

1+ adult Mediterranean Gull

3 Goosanders

1 Little Egret

This afternoon, 

Goosander 9

Oystercatcher 9

Snipe 7

This morning to 9.30,

Little ringed plover 3 on spit 

Sand martin 100+ not really a count just a rough estimate. No other hirundines with them that I could see.

This morning:

Willow Warbler singing only briefly on Ramsdales Ruck

9 Snipe

2 Little Egrets

12 Oystercatchers

3 Goosander 

2 singing Blackcaps

11 Chiffchaffs on and around Ramsdales Ruck

c160 Sand Martins this mid-afternoon.

This morning 8am - 11am,

Common scoter 1 male in the middle

Little egret 4

Sand martin 40

Oystercatcher 10

Also from Bill Harrison but not seen by me, 

Little ringed plover 1 at the sailing club at 6:20am

Mediterranean gull 2 adults flew over

Early afternoon, 2 adult Mediterranean gulls dropped on to the water just off the car park.

This morning 8am - 9:45am

Dunlin 1 flew through at the western end

Raven 1 over the Ruck

Oystercatcher 15

Little egret 4

Sand martin 40+ mainly at western end where it was more sheltered.

Lunchtime today....6 x Sand Martin, 14 x Oystercatcher on the spit, 4 x Little Egret, 7 x Chiffchaff and 4 x Siskin

Late afternoon today:

Maximum of c130 Sand Martins

Single Curlew over east

22 Oystercatchers

16 Goldeneyes

2 Little Egrets

2+ Siskins around Sorrow Cow Farm with the male in song at one point

This afternoon, now 3 drake common scoter, 2 asleep together and presumably the same agitated bird off the sailing club. Also 11 wigeon still, and 4 snipe on the mini spit.

This morning:

2 drake Common Scoters though not together, with a sleeping bird closer to the East Bay off Horrocks Hide and an agitated looking bird swimming around the centre of the flash off the sailing club.

Maximum of 47 Sand Martins

12 Wigeon (including five drakes) flew in around 7am 

9 Oystercatchers

7 Redwings

8 Siskins

1 adult Great Black-backed Gull  

Just a quick visit this morning produced 3 sand martins and a single drake pochard, the latter my first at the flash in over a month. 

Sunday afternoon...

Chiffchaffs - couple heard (1 seen) near Teal hide, but really good view of one singing away only 10' up in a bush by Sorrow Cow pond.

Mandarin Duck - male - walked back along the canal to the Slag Lane end (too much mud elsewhere) and where it widens to form a sort of pond just before the marina, amongst the mallards and nesting mute swans was a male Mandarin happily swimming about. Is it always there? Couldn't see any sign of a female.

Goldeneye - 2 pairs at the Slag Lane end

Oystercatchers - plenty about

Nothing else seen of note

Fairly quick visit early afternoon today, five Chiffchaffs on and around Ramsdales Ruck alone, adult Mediterranean Gull and four Buzzards.

Three Sand Martins this morning, also a singing Chiffchaff.

Info thanks to Bill Harrison

At least two sand martins this morning. 

Early afternoon, single dunlin on the spit, flew east at 13.30.

Highlights this morning 1 x singing Chiffchaff, 1 x singing Cettis Warbler, 6 x Oystercatcher on spit, 4 x Little Egret, 3 x Snipe, 2 x Willow Tit and 2 x Greylag Goose

This morning:

Single Little Ringed Plover

Three Redshanks, at least one of which flew off west

Adult Whooper Swan in with the Mute Swans

Adult Mediterranean Gull on the spit and later off the car park, a vocal bird

11 Snipe on the mini spit

An adult Whooper Swan present around 3:50pm and 4 adult Mediterranean Gulls, 2 Redshanks and 2 Little Egrets this late afternoon.

Info thanks to Phil Rhodes

Ten Oystercatchers this morning, eight Greylag Geese which flew off north, 23 Redwings on Ramsdales Ruck, a single Kingfisher and four Willow Tits.

This morning's highlights included two Redshanks, nine Oystercatchers, three Little Egrets, one Snipe, two Skylarks and three Greylag Geese.

Info thanks to Barry Hulme

This morning's sightings thanks to Barry Hulme included:

1 Shelduck

6 Little Egrets

1 Redshank

1 Wigeon

8 Oystercatchers

This late afternoon up to dusk:

17 Oystercatchers 

143 Herring Gulls

72 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

18 Goldeneye

From first light this morning:

20 Oystercatchers first thing but many birds quickly departed west 

3 Little Egrets

12 Greylag Geese over high north

1 very vocal adult Mediterranean Gull

Singing Bullfinch and Willow Tit on Ramsdales Ruck

This morning, 3 Little Egrets, 2 Snipe, 30 Cormorants, 3 Goosanders and 7 Oystercatchers.

Info thanks to Barry Hulme

Late afternoon today up to dusk:

2 Little Egrets in Ramsdales

28 Goldeneye

6 Goosanders

15 Oystercatchers

1 adult Mediterranean Gull

332 Herring Gulls

186 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

7 Great Black-backed Gulls

Finally got to Pennington Flash on Saturday for a first visit in 2024. As a "tourist" from Northern Ireland I look forward to ticking off a few species I can't get at home. I normally go to the Bunting and Pengy's hide first and then go from there. Unfortunately limited mobility meant I got no further and I was really disappointed at the state of these two hides. My target birds were willow tit, stock dove, nuthatch and woodpecker. I had already knocked off three of these and only needed stock dove but came up empty. The Bunting hide was a lake and all the feeders were empty. Pengy's hide was overrun with squirrels who were monopolising the feeders to the detriment of the birds. Highlight was the sheer number of reed buntings, possibly 12+. The approach paths were wet and muddy and could benefit from some gravel or quarry dust. I will be back in late March but realistically I may give this site a miss. When I first visited 12/13 years ago I really looked forward to visiting and adding hard to get species, recently it has not delivered and clearly the whole reserve could do with some TLC and a bit of money spent. Appreciate budgets are tight, but I feel birders have been squeezed out by dog walkers, families and selling food at the café. Rant over!! I ticked woodpecker and willow at Elton and nuthatch at my son's garden feeder in Bolton. Thanks to the birders who check the gulls and the spit despite the high water levels, I will still check this out before my March visit and maybe things will have improved.

Single Black-tailed Godwit on the spit this morning.

Info thanks to Bill Harrison

140 Pink-footed Geese over low west at 07:10 and lots of birds in song including Reed Buntings, Skylarks and Bullfinch all on Ramsdales Ruck and a drake Pochard at the western end.

Probably the smallest gull roost of the winter tonight, with only a single Great Black-backed Gull, the first time in a few months!

Two adult Mediterranean Gulls (both probably new birds)

18 Oystercatchers (including two copulating on the spit)

34 Goldeneye

1 Kingfisher

Let afternoon today up to dusk:

19 Oystercatchers

42 Goldeneye

at least two adult Mediterranean Gulls

232 Lesser Back-backed Gulls

744 Herring Gulls

1 adult Yellow-legged Gull (the seemingly fairly regular bird)

14 Great Black-backed Gulls

Early afternoon,

Redwing 120+ in horse paddocks at Mossley Hall farm

Oystercatcher 12 on the spit

Pochard 1 drake

Late afternoon up to dusk tonight:

First winter Caspian Gull (photos below but more photos and videos on the website)

Adult Yellow-legged Gull again (photo below)

870 Herring Gulls

48 Goideneyes

21 Oystercatchers present close to darkness, although at c4:15pm there were only 11 present!

Early this morning:

2 Kingfishers

5 Skylarks, including two in song

43 Cormorants

1 Curlew over east and calling

7 Oystercatchers

6 Siskins around The Point

By recent standards it was a pretty small gull roost all around again this late afternoon but three adult Mediterranean Gulls contained two new individuals (so six in the past couple of weeks thus far), one of which was following around and displaying to the usual adult off Sorrow Cow, which itself was flying around calling a lot.

Also nine Oystercatchers, 29 Goldeneye and two Little Egrets.

Early this morning Barry Hulme had four Little Egrets though.

Late afternoon today up to dusk:

20 Oystercatchers (photo of 17 together attached)

2 adult Yellow-legged Gulls (which were together in the roost at one point!)

720 Herring Gulls

193 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

19 Great Black-backed Gulls

12 Goosanders