Had a morning visit, very very cold and overcast, very 'flat' and not encouraging to be honest.

On the pools the striking thing was it was birdless, no geese or swans at all and a massive reduction in duck and Coot numbers. A total of 3 female Goosanders were seen, 2 on Big Pool. The only duck with high numbers (other than the usual Tufted Ducks) was Gadwall. An estimated 20 Gadwall were seen with many in display. Teal were heard on Gull Pool. A Little Grebe called on Big Pool and 2 Cormorants were present. A Grey Heron was in reeds in the corner of Small Pool. A Lesser Black-backed Gull was again on Big Pool.

There were 6 Stock Doves (3 pairs) in the field east of the Pine Belt. Great Spotted Woodpeckers were heard drumming today, the first time here this year. At least 2 Bramblings were in a Chaffinch flock near the corner of the leek field between Small Pool and Gull Pool, a flock that also contained at least 5 Goldfinches. A Treecreeper was seen nearby in Gull Pool Wood as well as 2 Bullfinches and a Nuthatch. A Goldcrest was again north of Big Pool and 11 Long-tailed Tits flew over the track near Finch Hedge.

With a bit of time this afternoon I had my third patch walk of this year, dry and not too cold but pretty birdless too!

On the two pools a total of 14(5drk) Goosanders was seen, with 12 of these on Big Pool. A Grey Heron by Small Pool was the only new patch bird of the year today.

A Rook flew over the fields north of the Pine Belt. A Great Spotted Woodpecker perched up east of the Pine Belt. A Goldcrest was in the hedge between Big Pool and the northern farm fields.

A lot of management work is going on by the fishing club and it involves taking out hedges, cutting back those that are left and generally destroying many areas that are good for birds. This is being done in winter so is legal and it is there land so nothing can be done about it. All I can do is watch my patch become more and more sterile

I had probably the worst day I'll have in 2022 yesterday: a family funeral in Somerset, the car windscreen hit and deeply chipped en route by a huge stone and then home to find out that my kind, lovely birding friend Alan Warford had passed away, such awful news, so sorry for Simon and Melanie. So still feeling a bit shellshocked I had a short walk on patch this afternoon, but my heart wasn't totally in it.

The main waterbird news was 17(4drk) Goosanders on Big Pool with little else of note. Also on Big Pool were 10 Greylag Geese and a Lesser Black-backed Gull. There were 49 Lapwings in the field east of the Pine Belt as well as a Pheasant which was new for patch in 2022. A Kingfisher flew down Big Pool Island Cut, a species new for my year here and in the UK.

A Kestrel was on wires on Sandy Lane, my first at Newchurch in 2022 whilst 2 Buzzards were east of the Pine Belt. In the fields east of the Pine Belt 4 Stock Doves were new on patch this year, a Collared Dove also flew over.  In the same field 2 Mistle Thrushes flew up into the hedgeline. A totally new species this year was a Grey Wagtail on Beach Peg, Big Pool, always a stunning bird to see. My final new addition to my UK and Newchurch lists was a Treecreeper low down on a small branch in the Pine Belt, giving superb close-up views.

The first day of 2022 had to be spent on patch, fine, dry, warm, a lovely day out

On the pools 8(2drk) Goosanders with 7 of theese on Big Pool. Also a female Shoveler on Big Pool and a Teal on Gull Pool. Totls included 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls and 2 Herring Gulls, all ove rbar the usual lone LBbGull on Big Pool. A flock of 50 Lapwings circled Big Pool; At an undisclosed location I recorded a Woodcock, 12 Common Snipe and a Jack Snipe.

At least 2 Bramblings were in a Chaffinch flock east of the Pine Belt in the mangold field. Also here were the bulk of the 50 Redwings seen today. A Goldcrest was in bushes near the Pine Belt. At least 3 Bullfinches were seen as well as 8 Linnets over on the mosslands. A Total of 19 Siskins were seen,mainly in alders near Big Pool Island Cut. A Song Thrush was in song as were a couple of Mistle Thrushes. At least 2 Pied Wagtails were still in the maize stubble field  north of the Pine Belt. Two Collared Doves flew over the horse paddocks by Novia Scotia Lane.

A good morning with 48 species seen, nothing outstanding but good standard patch birding.

Last day of 2021 so did what I did on the first day of 2021 - headed to my patch of Newchurch Common!! A later start than usual as it was a meet up with pals to celebrate New Year outside and COVID safe rather than in a pub as we used to do pre-pandemic! It's safety first at the mo as we have a family funeral in 4 days time with lots of older, vulnerable relatives there. Dry, pretty warm and even some sunshine!

Very quiet as expected late morning/early afternoon. The best on the pools was just 1 drake Pochard, 2 drake Shoveler and 2 Teal. A flock of 14 Greylag Geese were on Big Pool and a Little Grebe was heard in cover there. A Kingfisher was on Big Pool today. There were 2 Grey Herons, 1 on Small Pool and 1 on the flooded field east of the Pine Belt. An immature Herring Gull flew over and there was an adult Lesser Black-backed Gull on Big Pool again.

A lone Rook flew over the entrance track. In the flooded field east of the Pine Belt the flock of c.40 Chaffinches held just 2 Bramblings. Also here were 3 Mistle Thrushes and 4 Pied Wagtails. Only 4 Redwings were seen. Just a couple of Siskins were in the alders near Big Pool Island Cut. A Goldcrest was in finch hedge with 4 Long-tailed Tits.

Work days finished and the main festivities behind us I decided on a short walk on patch today. It was dry, still and not too warm!

The best birds were on the pools with 4(2drk) Pochard on Big Pool and 16(6drk) Goosander on the 2 main pools (14 of those on Big Pool). Teal were heard again but not seen. In the field by the entrance track 17 Greylag Geese were seen. The large flock containing 58 Lapwings today was still around the fields east of the Pine Belt. A Lesser Black-backed Gull flew high over Big Pool.

A welcome return of 8 Stock Doves after the species was missing for the past couple of visits. A lone Collared Dove was on Sandy Lane. A Rook flew over Big Pool. Just 1 Redwing flew over but others called and 1 Mistle Thrush fed in the field east of the Pine Belt.

Another morning on patch before I return to work to do all the days up to Christmas. Same weather as before, cold, still and a bit murky

A weird day with a 'flat' feeling birdwise, very little calling and a lack of birds generally. One species bucked the trend with 16(4drk) Goosander distributed between Big and Small Pools. A pair of Teal were on Small Pool and the drake Pochard was still on Big Pool. Canada Geese were totally absent with just one heard over, it's a mystery where and why they have all gone overnight. In contrast 15 Greylag Geese were in the field east of the Pine Belt feeding on potatoes left after harvesting, up from 9 yesterday. A lone Lesser Black-backed Gull was on Big Pool but again flew off. In the same field as the Greylags 65 Lapwings flew in to wash in one of the floods. A Kingfisher was on Small Pool again.

A sizeable finch flock was back in the leek field next to Gull Pool and contained 1+Brambling. A Goldcrest was in Finch Hedge pm. A Pied Wagtail remained in maize stubble north of the Pine Belt.

Another relatively early start and again misty/murky and cold and dry.

On Small Pool were 2(1drk) Goosander and a drake Pochard was on Big Pool. A drake Teal was on Gull Pool. At least 3 drake Shovelers were on Big Pool. A patch scarcity was a very high flyover of 30+Pink-footed Geese, seen over Abbot's Moss. In the fields by the entrance track 9 Greylag Geese were the only ones of this species on patch today. Two Grey Herons were seen, one on Small Pool and 1 over the Abbot's Moss Nurseries. On Big Pool 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls were down on the pool until one flew off.

A flighty flock of 38 Lapwings were in the field east of the Pine Belt. A Common Snipe was in a wet area. Another Mistle Thrush was singing, this time way over on the NW side of my patch. A Skylark was seen on the mosslands.

After not being able to find a large finch flock on recent visits it was good to discover one in maize stubble off Sandy Lane. This was primarily Chafinches but contained at least 1 Brambling. At least 20 Linnets were feeding together in the Abbot's Moss Nurseries and 26 Siskins were seen, mainly in the Big Pool area as usual. Other species noted included 3 Goldfinches, 3 Redwings and a Starling, all on Sandy Lane.

Tooth repaired and early on patch today. A wee bit misty and cold but still and dry.

A lone female Goosander visited both pools. Teal were heard calling but I turned round on the path that I was on so as not to flush them. On Big Pool 6(4drk) Shovelers was a good count. A Little Grebe was on Small Pool.  An adult Great Black-backed Gull was again down on Big Pool but flew off. The Kingfisher was again on Small Pool seen when a dogwalker flushed it. A Grey Heron was on Big Pool and then Small Pool.

A small male Sparrowhawk was north of Big Pool showing well perched up for a short while. A Green Woodpecker was heard, my first here for a while. At least 8 Rooks flew from the arable fields on the north side. On Sandy Lane 7 Collared Doves showed just how common this once scarce patch species has become. A Lapwing was in the field east of the Pine Belt. A Mistle Thrush was in song to the east of the patch.

A flock of 30 Siskins flew around the Big Pool Island Cut area. Roving winter feeding flocks included 10 Long-tailed Tits and 2 Goldcrests. A Nuthatch was in Gull Pool Wood. On the north side of Big Pool 4 Bullfinches were seen and nearby a Pied Wagtail was still in maize stubble north of the Pine Belt.

Broke my tooth yesterday so not doing much whilst waiting for treatment so out for an hour and a half to try to take my mind off it Just did the Big Pool area, dry and sunshine felt quite warm for the time of year, so a nice walk.

Just 1 drake Goosander was seen and commuted between the pools. A nice group of 4(2drk) Teal were near the Island Cut whilst 2 drake Shoveler were also on Big Pool. A total of 14 Greylag Geese were seen, 2 on Big Pool and 12 on the flooded field by the entrance track. The biggest surprise on Big Pool was a single adult Great Black-backed Gull, very rare to be on the water, along with 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls which are much more common here. A Kingfisher was still on Small Pool.

A Raven flew over Big Pool cronking. One thing noted was a huge increase of Magpies across the site. The final estimate was of 40 Magpies in small groups, chasing and bickering making a heck of a racket as the constan5t backdrop to my walk! Just 3 Redwings were seen as well as 3 Starlings.

In the hedge north of Big Pool there were 4 Yellowhammers and a Greenfinch as well as a male Bullfinch flying over. In the maize stubble 2 Pied Wagtails were seen as well as numerous chaffinches, but the finch flock was elusive and hidden much of the time so could not be properly chesked for other species. Two Goldcrests were in the Pine Belt and just 8 Siskins in the poolside alders.

With a small weather window of dry weather coinciding with a day off (pre-work which I'm in again tomorrow!) I made my first December visit to my patch this morning. It was dry and still and cold but not uncomfortably so. It ended up being one of those excellent patch days without seeing anything new for the year!

There were 8(5drk) Goosanders on the pools (6 being on Big Pool) as well as an excellent record of 4 drake Pochard out in the centre of Big Pool. Also on Big Pool were 3 drake Shoveler as well as 2+Teal and lots of Gadwall, Wigeon and Tufted Ducks. One amazing count was c.300 Mallards, my highest number ever on patch which included 250 birds new in on the flooded, harvested potato fields east of the Pine Belt. On Big Pool 3 Little Grebes were seen and 2 Greylag Geese flew over. A total of 5 Cormorants included 4 on Big Pool and 1 flyover. A single Lesser Black-backed Gull flew around Big Pool. A Grey Heron was seen on Big and Small Pools and was assumed to be the same bird on both. A large flock consisting of 110 Lapwings flew high over the field NE of the Pine Belt.

Notable birds in the arable fields were a Rook over and a smaller number of Stock Doves (c.2) with a smaller number of Woodpigeons compared to late November. A Buzzard was in Gull Pool Wood, this species being seen less in winter due to fewer thermals to ride.

A really large winter feeding flock was watched in Gull Pool Wood with some birds coming within a couple of feet at times and included Treecreeper, Nuthatch, Goldcrest, Coal Tit, Long-tailed Tit, Blue Tit and Great Tit. A flock of 12 Lesser Redpolls was also loosely associated with this flock but they were feeding on adjacent alders rather than insect hunting! Elsewhere alders near Big Pool Island Cut contained a large feeding flock of 40 Siskins. Another really nice sighting was a female Yellowhammer in a hedge adjacent to the north side of Big Pool that sat in a hedge just 5m away from me. A Bullfinch was in the same hedge as well as a few Chaffinches. The final bird of the morning was a male House Sparrow sat in the sun on the top of the barn at Dairy Farm, bringing the mornings species total to 50, a good count for my patch.

Decided on a morning visit to beat the weather forecast. Very cold, dry at first but then ended early pm in the first snow this winter end. Now settled all around where I live.

On Big Pool 7(5drk) Goosanders were a nice sight with 5(3drk) Shoveler on the pool too. A Teal was heard calling from cover with plenty of the common duck species present too. The 4(2ad) Mute Swans were still present, despite my thinking I'd seen a dead adult earlier, it turned out to be a false alarm luckily. A Kingfisher was on Small Pool and a Grey Heron was on Big Pool. The Lesser Black-backed Gull was still down on Big Pool, I suspect it isn't 100% to have lingered so long.

A Grey Wagtail was feeding with 2 Pied Wagtails in the maize stubble north of the Pine Belt where a couple of Redwings were with a large flock of probable winter-visitor Blackbirds. At least 5 Bramblings were in treetops in the middle of the main leek field. A Goldcrest was with Long-tailed Tits in the fishing spit car park. The maize stubble fields held large numbers of Woodpigeons still and over 10 Stock Doves. A Nuthatch called near the entrance barrier.

Back on patch after a few days off birding elsewhere. Overcast, dry, cold.

Lots of wildfowl on Big Pool with highlights being 2(1drk) Shoveler and 5 Greylag Geese. A total of 5 Lesser Black-backed Gulls included 1 on Big Pool whilst 4 more circled in the distance.

Elsewhere several species that are not recorded on every visit made for an interesting morning. A Sparrowhawk flew low over the field NE of the Pine Belt, near where the largest finch flock on site was seen. A Buzzard was down in the same field. A Rook flew over north of Big Pool and 10 Stock Doves were in the fields near the Pine Belt. A flock of 12 Redwing flew over near the entrance track, with a few others calling in various hedgerows around the site. A Meadow Pipit and 2 Pied Wagtails were nice to find in the field NE of the Pine Belt. A count of 16 Siskins involved a flock and then a few pairs flying about east of Big Pool. A Goldcrest was a nice find to the north of Big Pool, not a usual place but I have had them here before in winter, and a Bullfinch was in the same trees too.

Another morning visit before another work day! Overcast but mild and dry.

A drake Goosander was on Big Pool as well as 4(2drk) Shoveler. A Lesser Black-backed Gull was down on the pool with the other gulls. Still pretty high numbers of Tufted Ducks.

A total of 17 Siskin was made up of a flyover flock of 15 near Big Pool Island Cut and 2 watched at length bathing and drinking in a puddle on the main track. A few Redwings were scattered across the area around Big Pool. To the north and NE of Big Pool 4 Mistle Thrushes were seen in two pairs. A Goldcrest was in a winter tit flock at the northern end of the Pine Belt. In the same area 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers were watched chasing, the encounter looking pretty aggressive rather than pair bonding! A Nuthatch was heard in Gull Pool Wood.

Had a morning at Newchurch Common on my last day off before work tomorrow! Overcast but mild, came on to rain at the end of the morning.

On Big Pool duck numbers were up, especially a count of c.85 Tufted Ducks. This gave renewed hope that the Smew seen at Moore may have been mine and she could return, but no luck again. This did though bring in 2 drake Pochards, cracking birds. Also on Big Pool were 2(1drk) Goosanders, the male glowing pink in fantastic plumage. Also seen were 6(2drk) Shovelers and the feeling that Gadwall numbers were also up although not formally counted. Goose numbers were lower than normal though but 15 Greylag Geese initially were on Big Pool before flying off.

To the north of Big Pool a large flock of Chaffinches contained at least 5 Bramblings, but again leaves on trees made an accurate count impossible. In the fields north and west of the pool were 30 Stock Doves, numbers of this species are high currently. Just a single Redwing was seen, near the entrance barrier in roadside hawthorns.

Another early start on Patch. Started in thick mist, couldn't even see across Big Pool! Cleared later but still grey and cold. But the sightings soon warmed me up!!

The biggest news were two passerine sightings. First of these was a new species for 2021 on Patch with a Grey Wagtail found feeding on Gorse Peg which wasn't being used. I get this species here annually but having reached the 2nd week in November I was doubting whether I'd add it for this year. The second find was a huge surprise in the shape of a male Blackcap on the Fishing Spit. This again was watched at length as it sat in a bare silver birch and I can only assume that it is a wintering bird. To continue with passerines a roaming flock of 50 Siskins was nice to watch, again around the Fishing Spit area on the south shore of Big Pool. A single Brambling was seen in flight in a flock of Chaffinches in the maize stubble to the NE of Big Pool. In the same area the only Redwing of the day was seen.

On Big Pool a female Goldeneye and a drake Shoveler were the highlights whilst a redhead Goosander was on Small Pool. Also on Small Pool the Kingfisher was seen again. A count of 4 Cormorants was made and 2(ad+imm) Herring Gulls flew over Big Pool.

Having to be at the horses very early for the equine dentist meant that I could head to Newchurch early today. It was dry, sunny and quite warm.

On Big Pool a distant duck caught my attention due to its silhouette looking different and a longer look confirmed that it was a female Goldeneye, my first this winter here. Soon after, at 9.45am, I had it fly over me when I was on the track between the pools and it headed off south-east.Also on Big Pool were 2 drake Shoveler and an immature drake Goosander. On Gull Pool a pair of Teal were elusive in the reed edges. A Grey Heron flew up from near the Willow Spit, my first for some time.

On a walk over to the mosslands I recorded 4 Woodcock and 7 Common Snipe. Again the Woodcock were my first of this winter. A flyover Lapwing completed the wader species.

A Raven was over the mosslands, a usual location for them. In the fields east of the Pine Belt were 9 Stock Doves in a single flock, numbers of this species are certainly high at present. A small group of 3 Mistle Thrushes was at the edge of Shemmy Moss whilst the count of 11 Redwings was made up of a few scattered groups.

A group of 6 Bullfinches in one of the fishermen's car parks was nice to see. Even more impressive was a flock of 30 Siskins feeding in the alders near Big Pool Island Cut, the flock also containing a few Goldfinch. A Nuthatch was calling in Gull Pool Wood.

Popped down for a very short morning visit just to check Big Pool again, especially given Andy's news of a Smew reported on Moore Quarry, another Warrington Anglers water like Big & Small Sandiway on Newchurch Common. I really hope that it is my female and that she may return when the Tufteds decide to.

Found evidence of a fox-kill Mallard, collected the speculum feathers. Otherwise very quiet.

The only other bird worth a mention was a female Siskin near the north shore of Big Pool with a large flock of Chaffinches, The trees in which they were in had so many leaves the flock was hard to check out.

An afternoon visit, pretty quiet as all the fishermen go home Sunday morning!! Dry, fine and breezy, but a bit colder.

A bit better for birds today. On Big Pool counts of 5(2drk) Teal and 3(1drk) Shoveler were nice.  On the Willow Spit 6 Cormorants was a highest count for birds actually down on the pools this winter.

A count of 22 Stock Doves in the field east of the Pine Belt, with Woodpigeons, may be my record count for this species on my patch. A total of 42 Redwings was seen, including 22 in Gull Pool Wood. A couple of Mistle Thrushes were around the leek field, a usual winter haunt but the first this year end. A good count of 20 Bramblings were around the leek field (former setaside). A mixed winter flock in Gull Pool Wood contained 20 Long-tailed Tits, a Goldcrest, a Treecreeper, Blue Tits and a loosely associating female Siskin.

Down for a brief check of Big Pool am, dry and not too cold.

Very very quiet indeed. The very white-faced Tufted Duck was still present. The 4(2ad) Mute Swans were still on but only 2 Greylag Geese now. The 2 Cormorants remain too.

Now 3 Collared Doves together on Sandy Lane. Best of the day was a count of 38 Redwings, 30 near Dairy Farm and 8 scattered around elsewhere.

Took a stroll around the Big Pool area this afternoon in the sun, but still very cold!

No sign of yesterdays Scaup, as with the last one (that I didn't see) it was a one day bird. A very white-faced Tufted Duck was present though, a trap for the casual observer, but in reality nowt like the Scaup! A Teal was hunkered down in cover at the willow spit otherwise nothing special on Big Pool. A Little Grebe and 2 Cormorants were here though.

In the harvested maize fields the Woodpigeon flocks contained 3 Stock Doves. The 2 Collared Doves were still on Sandy Lane. A total of 10 Redwings was seen, 9 in a flypast flock and 1 atop a tree.

Significantly quieter than my morning walk yesterday.

A morning walk, sunny and cold at first but quite warm later, no wind, so pretty pleasant.

A really good find today in the shape of a first-winter Scaup on Big Pool. The bird was first picked up near the willow spit viewed from Beach Peg on the east side of the pool. Initially facing away it looked bulkier and almost Wigeon-sized and then when it turned the extensive white face could be seen as well as a hint of a paler 'ear' patch. This with the rounded head and large bill made ID easy, my first patch Scaup. Although this wasn't a patch first as in this thread a few years ago one wasreprted and seen by a visitor, but unfortunately I missed it as I was at work that day!! My bird did not associate with any other ducks and headed rapidly off round the spit out of view. It took about 15mins to get round to the other side of the spit but there was no further sign of the bird, this bit of the pool having the most bays and cover for ducks to hide in, it is the place that the Shoveler and Teal always lurk!! Coincidentally I did find a lone Teal here whilst looking for the Scaup! No Smew and no Goosander or Shoveler though. A count of 56 Greylag Geese today, Canadas weren't counted but the flock was still huge. Across the pool 2 Little Grebes and 1 Cormorant were seen.

On Abbot's Moss 15 Snipe were seen whilst I was looking for insects in the sunshine.

Two Collared Doves were on Sandy Lane on the road itself! Some nice passerine sightings again today too with a Skylark high over Abbot's Moss where 3 Meadow Pipits were also seen flying around at low level. A Goldcrest and a Nuthatch were in Gull Pool Wood and a Treecreeper was by the Whitegate Way near Small Pool. a small group of c.4 Redwings was seen in the Leek Field near Gull Pool. In Finch Hedge 3 Bullfinches were a sign of winter as they are regular here all through the cold season.

Down on patch pm today, was fine all morning but some downpours this afternoon, not warm either

Still Smew-less! Best duck on Big Pool was a redhead Goosander, also 2(1m) Teal and 3(2m) Shoveler.  Other numbers were up with plenty of Gadwall and Tufted Ducks and a big increase to c.60 Wigeon. The large numbers of geese were still on Big Pool with 65 Greylag Geese being a possible site record along with 550 Canada Geese. One Little Grebe and one Cormorant were seen. A Lesser Black-backed Gull dropped in late afternoon.

A Raven flew over and 2 Stock Doves were in the field east of the Pine Belt. The finch flock was not in the fields where I had previously found it but nearby 4 Siskin were my first of this winter here. Also at the south-west corner of Big Pool were 8 Redwings feeding in the bushes.

Decided on a morning visit today. Mild and dry with a very light breeze again.

Still no Smew. Today on Big Pool a nice count of 6(2m) Shovelers and 10 Gadwall. Still not too many Tufted Ducks though. The 4 strong Mute Swan family were on Big Pool as were 14 Greylag Geese still and a big flock of Canada Geese. I recorded 2 Little Grebes on Big Pool whilst a count of 7 Cormorants flying south in a loose group was unusual. A lone Lesser Black-backed Gull also flew over. A Kingfisher, my first of this end of the year, was on Small Pool.

A Collared Dove was on Sandy Lane as well as a single Starling. A flock of 25 Redwings flew from trees on the north side of Big Pool. A Goldcrest was near the Pine Belt.

Visited this afternoon, col;d and dry with a very light breeze.

Still no Smew! On Big Pool 23 Wigeon were scattered around and a small count of a maximum of 20 Tufted Ducks gives hope that the Smew will return if more Tufteds do too. A huge flock of 250 Canada Geese were on Big Pool with 16 Greylag Geese amongst them. A single Cormorant was on the pool too.

A good discovery was the location of a 'finch flock' on the farmland. Each year my patch attracts a feeding finch flock and it has always attracted Bramblings. This flock was no different with my first of this 'winter' being a stunning male Brambling in oaks on the west side of Big Pool, dropping into farm fields over a tall hedge out of sight. A large number of Chaffinches made up the bulk of the flock but a Linnet and a Greenfinch were also seen, no doubt there were more of the other three species in the flock but leaves on the trees made observation very very hard. As the winter progresses and the leaves fall I am sure that this are will provide some great counts and views of these finches. At least 2 Redwings were seen in the same area as the finch flock. A Nuthatch called nearby too. Over farm fields further west a flock of 46 Starlings wheeled round, no doubt gathering for roosting later in the afternoon.

A morning visit, dry and cold.

The undoubted highlight was a Jack Snipe along with 15 Common Snipe in a private area. On Big Pool 2 Teal were new as were 3(1drk) Shoveler. Yesterdays Pochard was missing and only 19 Wigeon were seen today. The lone Little Grebe was still present. A Cormorant was on the end of the willow spit.

On a day when huge numbers of Redwings were recorded on passage through the NW I saw 63 Redwings in 3 flocks of 10 (10.13am), 49 (12.04pm) and 4 (12.06pm), the first 2 flocks travelling north-west and the latter one going north. A Raven was over Abbot's Moss as was a Kestrel. On Sandy Lane 2 Collared Doves were again on a rooftop.

An afternoon visit saw the weather worse than foerecast with light drizzle all the time.

A drake Pochard was new in on Big Pool. A high count of 38 Wigeon were also fresh in but 18 of these flew off leaving a flock of 20 out in the middle of the pool. Aproximately 40 Tufted Ducks were on Big Pool but again no Smew. The 2 adult Mute Swans plus 2 cygnets were on Big Pool with 2 adult Mute Swans on Small Pool. Just 1 Little Grebe was still on Big Pool.

Dry and slightly warmer than expected this morning, but no sun, no wind either which was welcome.

Still no Smew even though I counted c.40 Tufted Ducks. Just 2 redhead Goosander today and no Wigeon or Shoveler. There was still 1 Little Grebe on Big Pool. Also on Big Pool was an adult Lesser Black-backed Gull (plus 3(2ad) LB-b Gulls over too).

Two Collared Doves were on Sandy Lane roofs as well as 4 Starlings.

For a variety of reasons this was my first trip this October, a fine day, not too cold or windy and even a little sunshine!

On Big Pool the most noticeable thing was the huge count of c.70 Mallards, possibly the most that I've ever seen on here. Amongst them was a single eclipse drake Shoveler. Also seen were 6 Wigeon, 10 Gadwall and 25 Tufted Ducks. Still no Smew but Tufted Duck numbers are still low. The biggest surprise though were 4 redhead Goosanders in West Bay. The 2 cygnets were still with the 2 adult Mute Swans and some quite young Great Crested Grebes were still present. A single Little Grebe was in West Bay. At least 2 Cormorants were on Big Pool.

The best passerine was a Cetti's Warbler calling in the spit car park of Big Pool, just round the banks, on the south side of the pool, from my first last month. Four Stock Doves were in the field east of the Pine Belt with Woodpigeons. A few Rooks were with Jackdaws off Dalefords Lane.

You wait all year and 3 good days arrive at once!! A morning walk in warm sun, before it rained pm and joined by another patcher Brian for the walk.

A massive patch lifer was seen when a Little Owl flew across the track in front of us near Common Farm (SJ609683) which is near Lymm Vale fishing pool. Lots of passerines followed it and were agitated around the track after it had flown through, but it ciouldn't be found perched up anywhere.

A quick look at the fishing pools revealed 2 Wigeon amongst the usual Coot and Tufted Ducks. An additional 2 Mute Swans were on Small Pool with the resident family still on Big Pool. A Cormorant flew over Abbot's Moss whilst 6 Common Snipe were on the mosses and landed back in the middle. A Lapwing was heard near Abbot's Moss over the Nursery flields.

A Raven flew over Abbot's Moss whilst 2 Rooks were also here. Two Collared Doves were seen, one on Sandy Lane and one at Common Farm. A family party of 5 Swallows was over Common Farm where they no doubt bred.

Needed to take advantage of good weather and especially as I'm working 6 days next week! So a sunny morning walk on my patch.

Another cracking sighting with only my second ever Reed Warbler here. The bird was watched clambering through willows by Big Pool and was silent throughout, no doubt a bird on passage.

On Big Pool only 3 Gadwall and no Wigeon seen. The 2 Mute Swan cygnets were still with the adult swans. Just 4 Greylag Geese were seen and 1 Little Grebe. The pools were massively busier with fishermen and the lower waterbird levels may have been due to this factor.

On the north side of Big Pool a Yellowhammer and 2 Greenfinches were a surprise and a welcome sight.

Back on patch and the autumnal conditions made it feel more 'birdy'. Warm but mainly overcast with occasional sunny periods.

A red letter day with a Patch Tick, a species that I have been expecting to arrive at Newchurch but I didn't know when that would be. I was on Beach Peg on the east side of Big Pool when I heard a Cetti's Warbler song along the island cut. It wasn't the explosive full adult song but was unmistakably Cetti's Warbler. Checking through Xeno Canto I have confirmed it as a young bird, which is what I expected the timing coinciding with post-breeding dispersal. Whether the bird sticks and this is the start of colonisation on my patch I don't know, but everything crossed that this is the case.

On Big Pool 8 Greylag Geese and c.120 Canada Geese were seen. Just 1 Mute Swan and no young were recorded, I hope the cygnets haven't perished. Also on Big Pool were 4(3drk) Wigeon and 16 Gadwall, but still no Smew. The first 2 Little Grebes (post-breeding) were also on Big Pool, an adult and a juvenile. Several well developed young Great Crested Grebes were seen. On Small Pool a large gathering of Black-headed Gull contained 2(juv+1w) Mediterranean Gulls. These gulls were constantly on the move, seemingly dropping in to wash and then heading off, maybe to feed in fields locally.

A couple of Nuthatches were calling as was a single Chiffchaff. Despite it feeing good for birds not many species were in fact recorded, but the Cetti's Warbler more than made up for that!!

A very short walk in the sweltering heat brought just 1 notable sighting, a lone Swallow, who knows when the last will be recorded on my patch?

A late morning walk do do a bit more management but picked up a few sightings on the way. Overcast, a glimpse of sun.

On the 2 main pools were a total of 82 Black-headed Gulls plus 1 Common Gull.

A lone Swallow flew over the mosslands whilst a Reed Bunting was on the nursery fence by Abbot's Moss. Ravens again cronked here too.

Had a walk from late am until mid afternoon with an old friend and colleague. Warm, overcast at first with a few glimpses of sun later. Still very quiet.

Still no Smew, but it must be a matter of time. Several Gadwall and lots of Tufted Ducks again on Big Pool. The Mute Swan pair still have 2 cygnets in tow.

Over on the mosslands 3 Ravens included a pair chasing a third bird off and giving a great display of aerobatics. On Dairy Farm 2 Collared Doves were together on the roof. A Nuthatch called in Gull Pool Wood.

A short walk on an overcast day this morning.

Checked the pools because a redhead Smew was seen in Cambridgeshire yesterday and with all the Tufted Ducks returning then the female on Newchurch must be due back. But just 50+Tufted Ducks still, including fledged young again and no Smew. At least 6 Gadwall were still on Big Pool as well as 30 Mallard including fledged young.

Ravens again called near Big Pool. A Nuthatch called near the entrance barrier and a Collared Dove was on Sandy Lane.

On patch from 8.45pm-9.30pm tonight bat surveying but of note were a couple of Tawny Owls calling. Always nice to hear them on patch

Back on patch pm, dull, drizzle but warm.

No sign of the Hobby on Abbots Moss but a Kestrel in the dead trees and 2 Ravens over. 15 Swallows were gathered on telegraph wires on Sandy Lane.

I was on Newchurch am and pm today, am mainly inverts, pm blackberry picking, but a bit of birding all day too! Bright sun and hot!

A surprise was 12 Gadwall back on Big Pool, heard first and then seen. At least 40 Tufted Ducks on site too. The pair of Mute Swans have 2 well grown cygnets, so both I saw earlier have survived.

The Hobby was back on Abbot's Moss and 1+Ravens were heard here. A Green Woodpecker still yaffled on the mosslands. Two Linnets flew over Abbot's Moss. Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff, Jay and Nuthatch were noted.

Not much bird news today, dull and overcast am.

3 Green Woodpeckers were recorded, 1 by Small Pool and an adult plus juvenile on Shemmy Moss. 1+Ravens were calling on Abbot's Moss but no sign of the Hobby despite a thorough search.

A gentle stroll in the sun this afternoon mainly to photograph Common Lizards but it paid off birdwise.

On Gull Pool was a brood of 5 Tufted Ducklings, only a day or two old, my first ever of this age on my patch. A Grey Heron flew from the shore on Small Pool. The highlight was a Whimbrel flying over and calling on Shemmy Moss, a new species for 2021 on patch and species number 100 for the year for me here too.

On Abbot's Moss the Hobby still showed well, feeding up on dragonflies still. A Bullfinch by Shemmy Moss was in a place I don't often see this species.

A short visit am in the sun.

No sign of the Hobby but a Cormorant flew over Abbot's Moss, an August rarity! A Green Woodpecker was again on Abbot's Moss whilst a total of 4 Ravens was recorded, 3 on Abbot's Moss and 1 over Newchurch Common.

A nice group of 3 juvenile Yellowhammers were gritting on a path by Shemmy Moss, proof of breeding nearby. A male Reed Bunting was on Abbot's Moss. A family party of Willow Warblers moved through birch scrub on Shemmy Moss whilst others sang on Abbot's Moss still. Chiffchaffs were also noted. a large group of at least 20 Swallows, including juveniles, fed over Shemmy Moss and the nursery fields.

Spent all day on my patch. Lots of the time was taken up with management work again but I got a bit of wildlife watching in. Hot and sunny most of the time!

The Hobby was still on Abbot's Moss, although I was always looking into the sun when digiscoping (picture attached). It was great watching it hunt dragonflies, luckily there's plenty about! A Green Woodpecker was also on here as well as a Raven.

On Gull Pool a female Teal was still around suggesting, as I thought, that a breeding attempt has been made by this species here. A Little Grebe and chick were still present here too.

Had a very short visit am, warm and sunny intervals but also black cloud at times.

Probably now 50 Tufted Ducks on Big Pool and the Common Gull still.

A Green Woodpecker was near Big Pool and a flock of at least 20 Long-tailed Tits flew through.

Much of the time spent chopping lots of overgrown brambles as no-one manages the site so it soon becomes impenetrable.

Headed down this afternoon for a short walk, warm, cloudy and no breeze.

Biggest surprise was a juvenile Cuckoo on the wires next to the parking area on Novia Scotia Lane (pictured). It then moved a bit closer onto a projection from a telegraph pole before heading off. If was being mobbed by the Swallows from Dairy Farm. A juvenile Buzzard was also across the same potato fields.

At least 40 Tufted Ducks including well grown young were on Big Pool. With these returning who knows the Smew may come back soon if her carrier flock returns. The first returning adult Common Gull was on Big Pool with the Black-headed Gulls too.

A morning walk, sunny intervals but now much cooler than of late, bit breezy at times too.

The highlight was a Hobby on Abbot's Moss, showing well both perched and in flight. A Kestrel was hunting the same area at the same time but with no conflict seen between the two raptors.

A Little Grebe was feeding a chick on Gull Pool whilst a Great Crested Grebe was doing the same on the east side of Big Pool.

A Whitethroat was seen with a single youngster on Abbot's Moss. Willow Warblers were still noted here too. Swallows were seen around Dairy Farm and a Sand Martin was over Big Pool. Across the whole site at least 20 Goldfinches were counted.

A short walk pm.

On Big Pool 2 Wigeon were noteworthy. A male Yellowhammer was singing in the arable fields to the north. A Hobby was photographed by a birding pal am on Abbot's Moss.

Up at 5am due to being in work later, great to be out so early in the cool of the day. Highlight was a mammal but see elsewhere for that!

A check of Big Pool from the south side revealed no Common Scoter, but despite checks from 2 vantage points all the bays could not be seen, so could just still be around. There were 2 Mute Swan cygnets with the parents this am.

I kept away, in the heat of the day! Went down with Carys and the horses in the cool(er!) of the evening.

Biggest surprise was a drake Common Scoter out in the middle of Big Pool, my first for a few years. Also noteworthy was a single Mute Swan cygnet with the pair of adults. They had been tucking themselves away in a flooded inaccessible area so that is where they must have nested. Around 30 Tufted Ducks were seen in total so still quite high numbers. Mallard numbers were at a yearly high at c.25 Mallard in total.

A Green Woodpecker was north of Big Pool.

A walk of 2 halves with morning and afternoon on patch since I'm now in work til next Weds and won't be out again until after that!! Sunny intervals and a light breeze, warm.

A count of the single flock of Coot on Big Pool numbered 120!! Other Coot around patch will have brought the number up to at least 150 Coot in total!! Two Ravens were noisy and seen well over the east side of Big Pool. A juvenile Green Woodpecker was proof of breeding and was showing very well near Small Pool.