Common Sandpiper, Little Ringed Plover, 18 Curlew, 2 Oystercatcher, Willow Warbler, Reed Bunting, 5 Chiffchaff, 6 Blackcap, 2 Redwing, 5 Swallow, 40 Sand Martin, House Martin Peregrine Falcon, Kestrel Common Buzzard
Mark Jarrett said
Sun Apr 14 12:26 PM, 2019
Kid Brook Spit from the slipway. Two hours from 9.30 in sunnyish and cold conditions.
Common Sandpiper (1) Green Sandpiper (2) Little Ringed Plover (3) Oystercatcher (2) Curlew (3) Yellow Wagtail (1) White Wagtail (2) Pied Wagtail (10) Sand Martin (c.500) House Martin (2) Swallow (3)
Several Blackcap on the mereside path along with a couple of Willow Warbler. All the usuals on the Mere, Great-crested Grebe, Tufted Duck, Teal, Grey Heron etc. Nice to see the first Yellow Wagtail of the season. Wagtail passage was pretty poor last year so lets hope for an improvement this time around.
Mark Jarrett said
Fri Apr 12 12:32 PM, 2019
Kid Brook Spit from the slipway 9am then 11.15 from the Fishermans Path :-
Little Ringed Plover (1) Common Sandpiper (1) Curlew (21) Oystercatcher (2) White Wagtail (1)
An interesting Pipit at the waters edge. From colouration, possible Rock or more winter plumaged Water but difficult to be certain at that distance.
Mark Jarrett said
Thu Apr 11 8:10 PM, 2019
Early evening, five Little Ringed Plover on or around Kid Brook Spit, Budworth Mere. One of the patchers (DH) had a Common Sandpiper on the Spit this morning but that would now appear to have moved on. Still no Little Gull or Terns.
Mark Jarrett said
Tue Apr 9 1:51 PM, 2019
Viewing Kid Brook Spit this morning from the slipway produced a male Wheatear on the grass just behind the shoreline together with a Little Ringed Plover and a good candidate for a White Wagtail. Reasonably sure it was but scoping at a distance of a third of a mile is difficult with a bird of that size. All the usuals around including Stock Dove, Green Woodpecker and multiple Blackcap.
John Williams said
Tue Apr 2 9:10 PM, 2019
13.45-16.00
A singing male Blackcap by the Bittern Screen had succeeded in attracting a female.
A pair of Goldcrests were seen together in Big Wood, one of them carrying nesting material.
A couple of House Martins flew across Marbury Lane heading West, whilst hundreds of Sand Martins flew low over Budworth Mere.
30 Curlew and a couple of Oystercatchers were on the meadow by Kid Brook.
A couple of Mistle Thrushes were on the cattle pasture, whilst another was seen in Big Wood.
5 Great Crested Grebes were on the mere.
Amongst 30+ Tufted Ducks on the mere was a female with not only a prominent white patch at the base of he bill, but also a perfectly smooth round head,
however her dark saddle was clearly evident too. She was the same size as the others , and also clearly dating a Tufted drake.
-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Tuesday 2nd of April 2019 09:22:21 PM
Mark Jarrett said
Mon Apr 1 7:51 PM, 2019
Spent around an hour and a quarter, from 17.45 hrs, on the Fishermans Path. Two Little Ringed Plover over on Kid Brook Spit together with a few Lapwing and a couple of Curlew. A minimum of 150 Sand Martin over Budworth Mere with at least two Swallow. One or two Pied Wagtail on both the Spit and in the fields by the Fishermans Path but unfortunately no White or Yellow. First thing this morning, Greg Baker found two Male Wheatear in the fields south of nearby Marston Hall Farm.
-- Edited by Mark Jarrett on Monday 1st of April 2019 07:52:20 PM
Mark Jarrett said
Tue Mar 26 7:58 PM, 2019
Around 70 Sand Martin over Budworth Mere this morning. Also 3 Goosander present on the Mere with 3 Gadwall, several each of Great crested Grebe and Tufted Duck. Approx 75 Curlew in the field behind Kid Brook Spit with a Little Egret on the Spit itself. Good numbers of Chiffchaff singing away, in addition Greg B had a Blackcap. Yesterday, a looped walk around Anderton Nature Park produced 16 Chiffchaff and a Cettis Warbler near Cardens Ferry Bridge.
Mark Jarrett said
Tue Mar 12 7:27 PM, 2019
Around 15 Sand Martin over Budworth Mere late afternoon today.
Yesterday, 2 Mediterranean Gull also present (GB).
Tony Coatsworth said
Fri Mar 8 3:39 PM, 2019
A few Chiffchaff singing today.
Small flock of Siskin near the boathouse
Great Spotted Woodpecker drumming but not much else
-- Edited by Tony Coatsworth on Friday 8th of March 2019 03:40:35 PM
-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Friday 8th of March 2019 05:07:04 PM
Greg Baker said
Thu Mar 7 11:03 AM, 2019
Where did you see the Brambling Steve? It would be a first for the patch in 2019!
Greg
Greg Baker said
Thu Mar 7 9:09 AM, 2019
For those interested, I have put together a bird report for 2018 covering the Marbury & Witton Flashes patch and therefore including Marbury Country Park. If you would like a copy please PM me with your email address and I'll send it to you. It's currently in a pdf format only.
Saturday, 2nd March 2019 10:30 - 15:00 hrs. Budworth Mere, Anderton, section of Trent and Mersey Canal, Great Budworth village.
Bittern x 1 (in Coward reedbed between 14:30 and 15:00 hrs). Thanks to guy from St Helens who gave me the tip off - would never have spotted it without his help! Chiffchaff x 1 (my first of the year) - near feeders at Marbury Park bird hide Skylark x 1 Buzzard x 7 different sightings Reed Bunting x 2 Brambling x 1 Nuthatch x 2 Curlew x 1 (heard) Song Thrush x 1 Mistle Thrush x 1 Greylag Geese x 6 Canada Geese x 30 Gadwall x 2 Shoveler x 3 Shelduck x 2 Lapwing x 10 Great Crested Grebe x 5 Little Grebe x 1 Grey Heron x 2 Dunnock x 1 House Sparrow x 10 Goldfinch x 8 Wren x 1 Long Tailed Tit x 4 Chaffinch x 3 Great Tit x 8 Blue Tit x 7 Robin x 3 Blackbird x 5 Coot x 30 Moorhen x 5 Tufted Duck x 20 Cormorant x 5 Black-Headed Gull x 50 Jackdaw x 40 Crow x 30 Woodpigeon x 25 Feral Pigeon x 20 Magpie x 7 Mallard x 25
John Williams said
Sat Feb 23 5:04 PM, 2019
11.30-13.15
Budworth Mere : 6 Great Crested Grebes, 3m Goosanders, and 2 Wigeon.
Kid Brook : 18 Curlew, 2 Oystercatchers and 10 Lapwings.
Large numbers of gulls were on the mere, but there was nothing unusual amongst them, there were 25 Common Gulls though.
2 Mistle Thrushes and a single Redwing were on the cattle pasture adjacent to Marbury Lane.
A Buzzard flew alongside Big Wood, whilst 2 more displayed above Marbury Lane.
No sign of any woodpeckers around the dead trees in the park, plenty of Nuthatches though.
The large roaming flocks of Long Tailed Tits appear to have broken up, with birds now mainly in pairs.
Mark Jarrett said
Tue Feb 19 12:34 PM, 2019
Mediterranean Gull this morning in with the Black-headed Gulls, middle of Budworth Mere in front of Kid Brook Spit. Fairly quiet otherwise with 10 Shoveler, 3 Teal, 2f Goldeneye and several Great-crested Grebe. Around 50 Curlew behind the Spit.
On Monday 11 February, I found a juvenile/1st Winter Russian White-fronted Goose in with the goose flock, in the field immediately behind Kid Brook Spit. The bird had disappeared by the following morning but, having seen photographs of a same aged bird that then turned up at Crossens Marsh, I am reasonably sure that this was the same bird.
Curt Whitby said
Mon Feb 4 7:15 PM, 2019
Had a brisk walk around marbury and the surrounds this morning saw the following- bullfinch in the car park. Two sparrow Hawks displaying overhead. Tree creeper. Half a dozen goosander. 30 curlew. Shell duck. Good view of a gs woodpecker and many others heard drumming. Lapwing. Cormarants. Long tailed tits. Coal tits. Nothing at Hayden's pool. What's going on there? The area looks devoid of life and the water levels well down. A fair number of gulls and water fowl seen at extreme distance at neumanns flash on an area that had thawed out, a large portion of the flash was still under ice. Could only make out lesser black backed and herring gulls. Lovely day for a walk.
Doc Brewster said
Mon Jan 28 10:27 PM, 2019
After a cold long wait at the Coward Reedbed Screen last night without a sniff of a Bittern, and then finding out that 2 came out 10mins after we had left I decided that I had better go back today! So seeing as how it was a 5pm show yesterday I turned up at 4.50pm this evening to be greeted by several birders telling me that a Bittern was out & showing. I was soon scoping it as it clambered around in Coward Reedbed giving pretty good views. It flew short distances, clambered up to the top of the rreds and generallu showed off. Movement nearby suggested a 2nd Bittern in the reeds with it, but the second bird was a bit too shy to shopw itself whilst I was there
John Williams said
Sat Jan 26 7:14 PM, 2019
12.00-14.30
A single Bittern could be seen in the Coward reedbed, but it did'nt move very much and was extremely difficult to locate.
Many thanks to the lady who advised me exactly where to look. The bird was in the reedbed directly opposite the screen.
Nearby 2 Great Crested Grebes and a single female Goosander were on the mere.
13 Curlews were on the pasture at Kid Brook whilst 11 Common Gulls were amongst the gull flock.
2 Nuthatches and a couple of Song Thrushes were in Big Wood, whilst 2 Mistle Thrushes were on the nearby meadow, and 2 highly vocal Ravens flew over.
A recently ploughed field on the Marsden side of Big Wood attracted a large mixed flock of Starlings and Redwings, plus lesser numbers of Fieldfare, Goldfinch and Chaffinch.
steven burke said
Sat Jan 12 9:23 PM, 2019
2 bitterns in the coward reedbed from 3.30pm viewed from the screen. Lots of disturbing gun shots coming from the side near kid brook spit meaning all the geese, coots & other birds dispursing, all the ducks & grebes coming to the coward reed bed end. Woodcock flying over as I walked back to my car.
A quick walk with the little uns the other day around Marbury to walk off Christmas excesses. Water fowl of note were a few Goosanders and a couple of Goldeneyes.
Ian McKerchar said
Thu Nov 22 7:47 PM, 2018
Bittern present at 4:15 pm today, chasing starlings in the left part of Coward Reedbed viewed from the main screen.
About 8000 Starlings in the roost.
Info thanks to Graham Roberts
Steve Costa said
Wed Nov 21 9:02 PM, 2018
15:40 - 16:25
Dusk visit to see the starling murmuration at Coward Reedbed.
Peregrine - 1 (possibly 2) - several sightings of soaring, stooping and swooping bird. First seen as soon as the first wave of starlings appeared. Presumably, it had been awaiting their arrival from a vantage point.
Sparrowhawk - one over the reedbed after the starlings arrived. (Not sure that either raptor was successful!)
Little Egret - 1 (Spit) Kingfisher - 1 Water Rail - at least 2 heard
John Williams said
Sat Nov 17 9:50 PM, 2018
13.30-15.10
Budworth Mere : 50 Great Crested Grebes, 1f Goosander, 1m Pochard (Amongst a mass of Tufted Ducks) and 2 Little Grebes.
All the waterfowl gathered at the Western end of the mere due to sailing.
Elsewhere in the park, a male Kestrel patrolled alongside Big Wood. Raven heard but not seen here too.
A Hawfinch was reported at the woodland feeding station just before I arrived. Whilst I was there squirrels were preventing Chaffinches from feeding on the ground.
Doc Brewster said
Thu Nov 15 12:46 PM, 2018
News today of a first for the Marbury Patch - a Cattle Egret, found by patch regular Trevor Davies. Unfortunately it was short staying, with no other patchers connecting as far as I know, but Trev got a record picture in time, before if flew off. I claim a small amount of credit as I provided Trevor with a step up thread adapter for his camera mount, at Focalpoint, just 2 days ago
-- Edited by Doc Brewster on Thursday 15th of November 2018 12:47:15 PM
Mark Jarrett said
Tue Nov 13 8:30 PM, 2018
Spent two and a half hours this morning, viewing split between the slipway, the woodland hide and the screen hide overlooking Coward Reedbed. Weather cool but sunny and dry. Of note :-
No unusual gulls but at least 20 Common Gull seen.
Steve Costa said
Thu Nov 1 2:48 PM, 2018
10.55-13.40
Goldeneye 2 Curlew 60+ Kingfisher 1
Firecrest 1 - good views for a couple of minutes at 12.30. Active in the spindly yew next to the Grotto sign (opposite the path leading to the woodland hide). Probably a male, though it was difficult to observe the centre of the crown-stripe. Spent an hour trying to relocate it but only a goldcrest put in an appearance.
bernard hooley said
Tue Oct 23 1:30 PM, 2018
Visit to Focalpoint yesterday to buy a scope.Whilst there I decided to make my debut at this venue.No special birds but an impressive place.Birds as follows: Starling: Small flock of 8 Magpie 6 Blue Tit 12 Redwing:Alarge flock put up by a tractor opposite Focalpoint.Around 30 mallard 20 coot 32 LLittle Grebe 1 Great Crested Grebe 26 Nuthatch 4 Shoveler 2 Black Headed Gull 80+ Cormorant 1 Carrion Crow 4 Mute Swan 3 Long Tailed Tit 1 Kingfisher 1 Coal Tit 6 Robin 4 Great Tit 3 Willow Tit 2 Lesser Black Backed Gull 2 Blackbird 3 Wood Pigeon 4 House Sparrow 4 Rook 1 Common Buzzard 1 Herring Gull 2
Mark Jarrett said
Sat Sep 22 4:26 PM, 2018
Juvenile Little Gull still present mid afternoon at the east end of Budworth Mere. Flying around due to fishermen in the water and several yachts doing circuits. Viewed from the Fisherman's Path, accessed via the A559 lay-by. Nice find by Luke O-H this morning.
Mark Jarrett said
Tue Jul 24 7:08 PM, 2018
The 4CY Yellow-legged Gull was present again this morning on Budworth Mere. Wasnt showing for the first hour, so presumably flew in from Neumanns Flash where it was noted late afternoon yesterday. Raven over and a superb close-in view of a Kingfisher by the boat house, otherwise fairly quiet, no waders on Kid Brook Spit and nothing else of note.
Mark Jarrett said
Mon Jul 23 3:42 PM, 2018
Mereside path from Bittern Screen to slipway, very warm, 7.40-9.40 am. Amongst others :-
Little Ringed Plover (2) Oystercatcher (4) Lapwing Stock Dove (2) Kingfisher (2) Common Tern (1) Yellow-legged Gull (1 4CY) Mediterranean Gull (1 Juv)
No sign of yesterdays Ruddy Shelduck.
Doc Brewster said
Sun Jul 22 9:24 PM, 2018
Of interest today was a Ruddy Shelduck. When I saw it it was a scope job, tucked in the grass behind Kid Brook Spit, with Canada Geese. It was viewed from the inlet near Big Wood at the end of the mereside path.
colin rushmer said
Fri May 18 6:07 PM, 2018
White-winged Black Tern still present about 5.00pm
-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Friday 18th of May 2018 06:36:28 PM
Doc Brewster said
Fri May 18 3:03 PM, 2018
After hot-footing it from Neumann's Flash Malc Curtin re-located the stunning adult summer White-winged Black Tern on Budworth Mere at 12.30pm. The bird was favouring the Kid Brook Spit area, often perching on the posts there. The bird was still present at 2.45pm at least.
-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Friday 18th of May 2018 04:52:39 PM
Dave Benson said
Mon May 14 1:41 PM, 2018
50 Black-tailed Godwit on Haydn's Pool at 1.30pm
Mark Jarrett said
Tue May 1 1:19 PM, 2018
Garden Warbler singing away at Garden Warbler Corner this morning along with a Blackcap fifteen yards to its left. Common Sandpiper over on Kid Brook Spit together with two Little Ringed Plover. Female type Goosander over to the left, asleep on the grass. Around a hundred Sand Martin and House Martin over the Mere prior to most of them departing. Walked across to Dairy House Meadows via Big Wood where at least one Lesser Whitethroat was being very vocal. Two Common Whitethroat also present.
-- Edited by Mark Jarrett on Tuesday 1st of May 2018 03:05:38 PM
John Williams said
Thu Apr 26 12:20 AM, 2018
(25.04.18) 19.00-20.00
2 Arctic Terns on Budworth Mere, also 1f Goosander and 6 Great Crested Grebes.
2 Common Sandpipers, 1 Little Ringed Plover, 19 Pied Wagtails and 1 White Wagtail by Kid Brook.
Lots of Swallows and Sand Martins over the mere, plus 1 House Martin.
Brief burst of Lesser Whitethroat song from bushes by the small pond (NW corner of Big Wood}
Paul Flackett said
Sat Apr 21 4:29 PM, 2018
Friday pm dropped in at Budworth Mere on way back from BMW. I was particularly looking for yellow wags but was destined to be disappointed for the second time this week. However some determined scoping of the far shore around Kid Brook produced Little Ringed Plover and Dunlin as well as the usual Oystercatchers and Curlew. Would have tried for the lesser spot again but someone had nicked the bridge
John Williams said
Sat Apr 21 3:39 PM, 2018
10.45-14.00
On the mere : 8 Great Crested Grebes, 35 Tufted Ducks (Mainly in a large single group, lots of displaying going on).
Raven heard calling near the Coward screen. Numerous Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs in song throughout the park.
Lesser Whitethroat singing briefly in the hedge alongside Big Wood, near the marshy area and pond.
Doc Brewster said
Sun Apr 15 10:20 PM, 2018
On my way back from Leighton Moss I had to travel past Marbury CP so I popped in and managed to pick up a couple of good birds that had been found earlier by a couple of local patch 'lads'
Best of these was an adult Little Gull, in very near full-summer plumage but just with a few flecks of white in the black hood, not noticeable uless scoped at high mag. This smart bird also had the pink flush that many Little Gulls often do. It was watched coursing up and down Budworth Mere, occasionally alighting on the water. Also present were two Common Terns, one with long tail-streamers that had earlier raised hopes of it being an Arctic Tern, but sadly not. A female Goosander was on the far shore near the spit as well as two Oystercatchers.
Doc Brewster said
Mon Mar 26 9:04 PM, 2018
Popped down pm Mark & the Tawny Owl had shuffled its way back deep into the ivy, only the breast and wing were showing when I first watched it & then by the time Dave H came after I phoned him it was pretty much just a few feathers that we could see. Hope it turns out to be a regular roosting tree
Mark Jarrett said
Mon Mar 26 8:42 PM, 2018
Male Scaup on Budworth Mere this morning with four Goldeneye and a minimum of two Goosander amongst others. Nice to see a roosting Tawny Owl, quite out in the open sunning itself in Big Wood.
Steve Costa said
Mon Mar 19 11:45 AM, 2018
08:40 - 10:50
Mediterranean Gull - 2 on Budworth Mere
Both adults in immaculate breeding plumage. They were amongst c200 gulls - predominantly black-headed and common gulls (60-70%, the former species), with a few lesser black-backed gulls.
pete berry said
Wed Mar 7 8:38 PM, 2018
Like Mark I spent a couple of hours with a friend of mine looking for the Hawfinch and we only had one prolonged view of a single bird in the scope plus a couple of birds just in flight.Didn't heard any birds calling all the time we were there either.There were probably about 10 people searching for the birds as well.Last time I went we had 5 or 6 birds on and off most of the time we were there.Whether they've moved on or we just went on a bad day?,be interesting to see what reports come out in the next week or so.
Mark Jarrett said
Wed Mar 7 5:37 PM, 2018
Spent around two and a half hours this morning doing circuits of the Old Hall/Arboretum area looking for Hawfinch as a friend had come down from Lancashire. Managed to see just the one bird and from speaking to others, it would appear that only a couple of birds have been showing. Spent a while at the slipway looking across to Kid Brook Spit plus further time viewing the flooded fields from the spot where the bridge used to be. Amongst others :-
Came back later in the day and spent an hour at the screen hoping to see Bittern, without luck.
Ian Chisnall said
Mon Mar 5 7:32 PM, 2018
That would be wonderful Mark
Thank you for the information
Ian
Mark Jarrett said
Mon Mar 5 5:53 PM, 2018
Ian Chisnall wrote:
Will these Hawfinches that have come to the UK this winter go back to Europe at the end of winter or can we expect some at least of them to stay and breed?
I would hazard a guess that most will return to the continent Ian. A couple of the Marbury birds have been heard singing (as opposed to calling) and one has been observed pulling moss from a tree and flying off with it. The whole Marbury Country Park, when added to Anderton Nature Park and the Flashes is a huge area and easily capable of supporting a couple of pairs of Hawfinch. There is also a wide range of trees and therefore food. Fingers crossed that one or two stay.
Ian Chisnall said
Mon Mar 5 4:48 PM, 2018
Will these Hawfinches that have come to the UK this winter go back to Europe at the end of winter or can we expect some at least of them to stay and breed?
Mark Jarrett said
Mon Mar 5 1:54 PM, 2018
Spent an hour and a half on the slipway, this morning, looking across to Kid Brook Spit, then a further hour or so split between looking for any Hawfinch and hoping to catch a glimpse of one of the two Bittern in Coward Reedbed.
Much of Budworth Mere is still frozen and plenty of birds were congregated around the spit which was ice free. These included 6 Goosander, the odd Wigeon and Teal, good numbers of Tufted Duck, a few Shelduck, Canada Goose and Greylag Goose. Waders were represented by 2 Ruff, 1 Dunlin, 3 Oystercatcher, a few Lapwing and 1 Snipe.
Great Spotted Woodpecker were heard drumming nearby at the edge of Big Wood.
Although a couple of Hawfinch had been seen earlier by a patch birder, I was out of luck after checking the usual spots. I had had 10 on Saturday morning and there were reports of a minimum of 17 yesterday. These charismatic birds have been with us for four months now and surely it wont be long until they disperse.
One of the two Bittern did show briefly.
John Williams said
Sat Mar 3 11:00 PM, 2018
11.30-15.00
3 Hawfinches showed briefly on top of the big trees behind the picnic tables near the garden centre.
The Bittern had been seen earlier in the morning but stayed hidden whilst I was there.
Lots of Redwings, Fieldfares and Blackbirds were on the fields bordering the NW corner of the park, and also the pasture opposite Big Wood.
Amongst the mixed thrush flock were 4 Mistle Thrushes and 7 Song Thrushes. The thrushes were being closely watched by a Buzzard and a Kestrel.
There was the sad sight of a freshly killed male Blackbirds head on the path indicating predation.
6 Great Crested Grebes were on the mere and a Tawny Owl was calling near the arbitorium.
2 Great Black Backed Gulls were on Kid Brook, whilst on the adjoining meadow were 12 Curlews, 8 Oystercatchers and 12 Wigeon.
Mark Jarrett said
Thu Feb 22 1:38 PM, 2018
A minimum of nine Hawfinch seen today around the Old Hall site. Two or three others were noted within the arboretum, with another group of four nearby. Most than likely some duplication in numbers.
11.15-12.30
Common Sandpiper, Little Ringed Plover, 18 Curlew, 2 Oystercatcher, Willow Warbler, Reed Bunting, 5 Chiffchaff, 6 Blackcap, 2 Redwing, 5 Swallow, 40 Sand Martin, House Martin Peregrine Falcon, Kestrel Common Buzzard
Common Sandpiper (1)
Green Sandpiper (2)
Little Ringed Plover (3)
Oystercatcher (2)
Curlew (3)
Yellow Wagtail (1)
White Wagtail (2)
Pied Wagtail (10)
Sand Martin (c.500)
House Martin (2)
Swallow (3)
Several Blackcap on the mereside path along with a couple of Willow Warbler. All the usuals on the Mere, Great-crested Grebe, Tufted Duck, Teal, Grey Heron etc. Nice to see the first Yellow Wagtail of the season. Wagtail passage was pretty poor last year so lets hope for an improvement this time around.
Little Ringed Plover (1)
Common Sandpiper (1)
Curlew (21)
Oystercatcher (2)
White Wagtail (1)
An interesting Pipit at the waters edge. From colouration, possible Rock or more winter plumaged Water but difficult to be certain at that distance.
13.45-16.00
A singing male Blackcap by the Bittern Screen had succeeded in attracting a female.
A pair of Goldcrests were seen together in Big Wood, one of them carrying nesting material.
A couple of House Martins flew across Marbury Lane heading West, whilst hundreds of Sand Martins flew low over Budworth Mere.
30 Curlew and a couple of Oystercatchers were on the meadow by Kid Brook.
A couple of Mistle Thrushes were on the cattle pasture, whilst another was seen in Big Wood.
5 Great Crested Grebes were on the mere.
Amongst 30+ Tufted Ducks on the mere was a female with not only a prominent white patch at the base of he bill, but also a perfectly smooth round head,
however her dark saddle was clearly evident too. She was the same size as the others , and also clearly dating a Tufted drake.
-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Tuesday 2nd of April 2019 09:22:21 PM
-- Edited by Mark Jarrett on Monday 1st of April 2019 07:52:20 PM
Yesterday, 2 Mediterranean Gull also present (GB).
A few Chiffchaff singing today.
Small flock of Siskin near the boathouse
Great Spotted Woodpecker drumming but not much else
-- Edited by Tony Coatsworth on Friday 8th of March 2019 03:40:35 PM
-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Friday 8th of March 2019 05:07:04 PM
Greg
Bittern x 1 (in Coward reedbed between 14:30 and 15:00 hrs). Thanks to guy from St Helens who gave me the tip off - would never have spotted it without his help!
Chiffchaff x 1 (my first of the year) - near feeders at Marbury Park bird hide
Skylark x 1
Buzzard x 7 different sightings
Reed Bunting x 2
Brambling x 1
Nuthatch x 2
Curlew x 1 (heard)
Song Thrush x 1
Mistle Thrush x 1
Greylag Geese x 6
Canada Geese x 30
Gadwall x 2
Shoveler x 3
Shelduck x 2
Lapwing x 10
Great Crested Grebe x 5
Little Grebe x 1
Grey Heron x 2
Dunnock x 1
House Sparrow x 10
Goldfinch x 8
Wren x 1
Long Tailed Tit x 4
Chaffinch x 3
Great Tit x 8
Blue Tit x 7
Robin x 3
Blackbird x 5
Coot x 30
Moorhen x 5
Tufted Duck x 20
Cormorant x 5
Black-Headed Gull x 50
Jackdaw x 40
Crow x 30
Woodpigeon x 25
Feral Pigeon x 20
Magpie x 7
Mallard x 25
Budworth Mere : 6 Great Crested Grebes, 3m Goosanders, and 2 Wigeon.
Kid Brook : 18 Curlew, 2 Oystercatchers and 10 Lapwings.
Large numbers of gulls were on the mere, but there was nothing unusual amongst them, there were 25 Common Gulls though.
2 Mistle Thrushes and a single Redwing were on the cattle pasture adjacent to Marbury Lane.
A Buzzard flew alongside Big Wood, whilst 2 more displayed above Marbury Lane.
No sign of any woodpeckers around the dead trees in the park, plenty of Nuthatches though.
The large roaming flocks of Long Tailed Tits appear to have broken up, with birds now mainly in pairs.
On Monday 11 February, I found a juvenile/1st Winter Russian White-fronted Goose in with the goose flock, in the field immediately behind Kid Brook Spit. The bird had disappeared by the following morning but, having seen photographs of a same aged bird that then turned up at Crossens Marsh, I am reasonably sure that this was the same bird.
After a cold long wait at the Coward Reedbed Screen last night without a sniff of a Bittern, and then finding out that 2 came out 10mins after we had left I decided that I had better go back today! So seeing as how it was a 5pm show yesterday I turned up at 4.50pm this evening to be greeted by several birders telling me that a Bittern was out & showing. I was soon scoping it as it clambered around in Coward Reedbed giving pretty good views. It flew short distances, clambered up to the top of the rreds and generallu showed off. Movement nearby suggested a 2nd Bittern in the reeds with it, but the second bird was a bit too shy to shopw itself whilst I was there
A single Bittern could be seen in the Coward reedbed, but it did'nt move very much and was extremely difficult to locate.
Many thanks to the lady who advised me exactly where to look. The bird was in the reedbed directly opposite the screen.
Nearby 2 Great Crested Grebes and a single female Goosander were on the mere.
13 Curlews were on the pasture at Kid Brook whilst 11 Common Gulls were amongst the gull flock.
2 Nuthatches and a couple of Song Thrushes were in Big Wood, whilst 2 Mistle Thrushes were on the nearby meadow, and 2 highly vocal Ravens flew over.
A recently ploughed field on the Marsden side of Big Wood attracted a large mixed flock of Starlings and Redwings, plus lesser numbers of Fieldfare, Goldfinch and Chaffinch.
Lots of disturbing gun shots coming from the side near kid brook spit meaning all the geese, coots & other birds dispursing, all the ducks & grebes coming to the coward reed bed end.
Woodcock flying over as I walked back to my car.
Bittern present at 4:15 pm today, chasing starlings in the left part of Coward Reedbed viewed from the main screen.
About 8000 Starlings in the roost.
Info thanks to Graham Roberts
Dusk visit to see the starling murmuration at Coward Reedbed.
Peregrine - 1 (possibly 2) - several sightings of soaring, stooping and swooping bird. First seen as soon as the first wave of starlings appeared. Presumably, it had been awaiting their arrival from a vantage point.
Sparrowhawk - one over the reedbed after the starlings arrived. (Not sure that either raptor was successful!)
Little Egret - 1 (Spit)
Kingfisher - 1
Water Rail - at least 2 heard
Budworth Mere : 50 Great Crested Grebes, 1f Goosander, 1m Pochard (Amongst a mass of Tufted Ducks) and 2 Little Grebes.
All the waterfowl gathered at the Western end of the mere due to sailing.
Elsewhere in the park, a male Kestrel patrolled alongside Big Wood. Raven heard but not seen here too.
A Hawfinch was reported at the woodland feeding station just before I arrived. Whilst I was there squirrels were preventing Chaffinches from feeding on the ground.
News today of a first for the Marbury Patch - a Cattle Egret, found by patch regular Trevor Davies. Unfortunately it was short staying, with no other patchers connecting as far as I know, but Trev got a record picture in time, before if flew off. I claim a small amount of credit as I provided Trevor with a step up thread adapter for his camera mount, at Focalpoint, just 2 days ago
-- Edited by Doc Brewster on Thursday 15th of November 2018 12:47:15 PM
Whooper Swan (2)
Mute Swan
Black-tailed Godwit (2)
Curlew (60 min)
Goosander (1)
Wigeon
Shoveler
Teal
Tufted Duck
Pochard (3)
Great Crested Grebe (c.50)
Cormorant (30 min)
Canada Goose (c.400)
Greylag Goose
Kingfisher (1)
No unusual gulls but at least 20 Common Gull seen.
Goldeneye 2
Curlew 60+
Kingfisher 1
Firecrest 1 - good views for a couple of minutes at 12.30. Active in the spindly yew next to the Grotto sign (opposite the path leading to the woodland hide). Probably a male, though it was difficult to observe the centre of the crown-stripe. Spent an hour trying to relocate it but only a goldcrest put in an appearance.
at this venue.No special birds but an impressive place.Birds as follows:
Starling: Small flock of 8
Magpie 6
Blue Tit 12
Redwing:Alarge flock put up by a tractor opposite Focalpoint.Around 30
mallard 20
coot 32
LLittle Grebe 1
Great Crested Grebe 26
Nuthatch 4
Shoveler 2
Black Headed Gull 80+
Cormorant 1
Carrion Crow 4
Mute Swan 3
Long Tailed Tit 1
Kingfisher 1
Coal Tit 6
Robin 4
Great Tit 3
Willow Tit 2
Lesser Black Backed Gull 2
Blackbird 3
Wood Pigeon 4
House Sparrow 4
Rook 1
Common Buzzard 1
Herring Gull 2
Little Ringed Plover (2)
Oystercatcher (4)
Lapwing
Stock Dove (2)
Kingfisher (2)
Common Tern (1)
Yellow-legged Gull (1 4CY)
Mediterranean Gull (1 Juv)
No sign of yesterdays Ruddy Shelduck.
Of interest today was a Ruddy Shelduck. When I saw it it was a scope job, tucked in the grass behind Kid Brook Spit, with Canada Geese. It was viewed from the inlet near Big Wood at the end of the mereside path.
White-winged Black Tern still present about 5.00pm
-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Friday 18th of May 2018 06:36:28 PM
After hot-footing it from Neumann's Flash Malc Curtin re-located the stunning adult summer White-winged Black Tern on Budworth Mere at 12.30pm. The bird was favouring the Kid Brook Spit area, often perching on the posts there. The bird was still present at 2.45pm at least.
-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Friday 18th of May 2018 04:52:39 PM
Garden Warbler singing away at Garden Warbler Corner this morning along with a Blackcap fifteen yards to its left. Common Sandpiper over on Kid Brook Spit together with two Little Ringed Plover. Female type Goosander over to the left, asleep on the grass. Around a hundred Sand Martin and House Martin over the Mere prior to most of them departing. Walked across to Dairy House Meadows via Big Wood where at least one Lesser Whitethroat was being very vocal. Two Common Whitethroat also present.
-- Edited by Mark Jarrett on Tuesday 1st of May 2018 03:05:38 PM
2 Arctic Terns on Budworth Mere, also 1f Goosander and 6 Great Crested Grebes.
2 Common Sandpipers, 1 Little Ringed Plover, 19 Pied Wagtails and 1 White Wagtail by Kid Brook.
Lots of Swallows and Sand Martins over the mere, plus 1 House Martin.
Brief burst of Lesser Whitethroat song from bushes by the small pond (NW corner of Big Wood}
Friday pm dropped in at Budworth Mere on way back from BMW. I was particularly looking for yellow wags but was destined to be disappointed for the second time this week. However some determined scoping of the far shore around Kid Brook produced Little Ringed Plover and Dunlin as well as the usual Oystercatchers and Curlew. Would have tried for the lesser spot again but someone had nicked the bridge
On the mere : 8 Great Crested Grebes, 35 Tufted Ducks (Mainly in a large single group, lots of displaying going on).
Raven heard calling near the Coward screen. Numerous Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs in song throughout the park.
Lesser Whitethroat singing briefly in the hedge alongside Big Wood, near the marshy area and pond.
On my way back from Leighton Moss I had to travel past Marbury CP so I popped in and managed to pick up a couple of good birds that had been found earlier by a couple of local patch 'lads'
Best of these was an adult Little Gull, in very near full-summer plumage but just with a few flecks of white in the black hood, not noticeable uless scoped at high mag. This smart bird also had the pink flush that many Little Gulls often do. It was watched coursing up and down Budworth Mere, occasionally alighting on the water. Also present were two Common Terns, one with long tail-streamers that had earlier raised hopes of it being an Arctic Tern, but sadly not. A female Goosander was on the far shore near the spit as well as two Oystercatchers.
Popped down pm Mark & the Tawny Owl had shuffled its way back deep into the ivy, only the breast and wing were showing when I first watched it & then by the time Dave H came after I phoned him it was pretty much just a few feathers that we could see. Hope it turns out to be a regular roosting tree
Mediterranean Gull - 2 on Budworth Mere
Both adults in immaculate breeding plumage. They were amongst c200 gulls - predominantly black-headed and common gulls (60-70%, the former species), with a few lesser black-backed gulls.
Hawfinch (1)
Goosander (4)
Goldeneye (5)
Mandarin (1m)
Ruff (1)
Green Sandpiper (1)
Sparrowhawk (1)
Buzzard (2)
Came back later in the day and spent an hour at the screen hoping to see Bittern, without luck.
That would be wonderful Mark
Thank you for the information
Ian
I would hazard a guess that most will return to the continent Ian. A couple of the Marbury birds have been heard singing (as opposed to calling) and one has been observed pulling moss from a tree and flying off with it. The whole Marbury Country Park, when added to Anderton Nature Park and the Flashes is a huge area and easily capable of supporting a couple of pairs of Hawfinch. There is also a wide range of trees and therefore food. Fingers crossed that one or two stay.
Will these Hawfinches that have come to the UK this winter go back to Europe at the end of winter or can we expect some at least of them to stay and breed?
Spent an hour and a half on the slipway, this morning, looking across to Kid Brook Spit, then a further hour or so split between looking for any Hawfinch and hoping to catch a glimpse of one of the two Bittern in Coward Reedbed.
Much of Budworth Mere is still frozen and plenty of birds were congregated around the spit which was ice free. These included 6 Goosander, the odd Wigeon and Teal, good numbers of Tufted Duck, a few Shelduck, Canada Goose and Greylag Goose. Waders were represented by 2 Ruff, 1 Dunlin, 3 Oystercatcher, a few Lapwing and 1 Snipe.
Great Spotted Woodpecker were heard drumming nearby at the edge of Big Wood.
Although a couple of Hawfinch had been seen earlier by a patch birder, I was out of luck after checking the usual spots. I had had 10 on Saturday morning and there were reports of a minimum of 17 yesterday. These charismatic birds have been with us for four months now and surely it wont be long until they disperse.
One of the two Bittern did show briefly.
3 Hawfinches showed briefly on top of the big trees behind the picnic tables near the garden centre.
The Bittern had been seen earlier in the morning but stayed hidden whilst I was there.
Lots of Redwings, Fieldfares and Blackbirds were on the fields bordering the NW corner of the park, and also the pasture opposite Big Wood.
Amongst the mixed thrush flock were 4 Mistle Thrushes and 7 Song Thrushes. The thrushes were being closely watched by a Buzzard and a Kestrel.
There was the sad sight of a freshly killed male Blackbirds head on the path indicating predation.
6 Great Crested Grebes were on the mere and a Tawny Owl was calling near the arbitorium.
2 Great Black Backed Gulls were on Kid Brook, whilst on the adjoining meadow were 12 Curlews, 8 Oystercatchers and 12 Wigeon.