Main lake: 2 lesser black backed gulls 1 herring gull 2 great crested grebe
Broad ees dole: 23 minimum sand martins 1 house martin at least 3 snipe 1 lapwing 11 gadwall 7 tufted ducks (5m,2f) 2 goosanders (2f) 2 little grebe 1 grey heron and I saw a duck through the willows to the left which my mind went to wood duck or manadarin duck but by the time I'd moved along the path to get a clear view there was no sign of any ducks in that area,. I'm fairly certain it wasn't any of the other duck species already seen and Stuart's post has given me confidence that it was a mandarin duck but I'm not counting it unless my early morning visit tomorrow turns it up.
Stuart Marsden said
Tue Apr 9 9:11 AM, 2019
7.50-8.45am - quiet, 1 sand martin through, 1 male Mandarin among the teal, tufted duck and gadwall on BED
Joel Tragen said
Mon Apr 8 11:55 PM, 2019
Midday today
Main lake: 3 cormorants 2 great crested grebes 1 herring gulls 4 lesser black backed gulls (2ads,2juvs) usual mallards, canada goose, etc.
Broad ees dole: 2 lapwing 1 snipe 6 gadwall 4 tufted duck (3m,1f) 2 little grebe 2 grey heron
Teal pool: 5 gadwall
Joel Tragen said
Mon Apr 8 11:51 PM, 2019
Late posts
Thursday (evening visit)
Main lake: 40 or so sand martins
Broad ees dole: 2 swallows (weird that they kept so separate to the sand martins)
Broad ees dole... 2 grey heron 4 little grebe 7 tufted duck 6 gadwall 2 common snipe
steven burke said
Sun Mar 24 6:41 PM, 2019
late morning/afternoon visit.
main lake... 27 mute swan 3 great crested grebe 4 cormorants 7 sand martin 6 chiffchaff 2-4 buzzards 2 siskin 2 great spotted woodpecker 3 nuthatch 2 treecreeper 5 bullfinch
visitor center feeders... 1 great spotted woodpecker 1 nuthatch 1 reed bunting
broad ees dole... 13 gadwall 4 tufted duck 6 teal 3 little grebe 3 grey heron
Joel Tragen said
Fri Mar 15 12:58 PM, 2019
10am - 12am
Main lake: 6+ sand martins (6 seen together but probably more like 8) 7 great crested grebes 5 cormorants (3 on pylons) 1 male tufted ducks 16 gadwall 1 herring gull 1 lesser black backed gull 2 common gulls 50+ black headed gulls mute swans, coots, moorhens, canada geese, etc.
Sale ees: 2 sand martins over 1 reed bunting 2 greenfinch 1 bullfinch
Broad ees dole: 5 little grebe (2 very clumsily dropped in) 8 grey heron 2 teal (1m & 1f) 4 tufted ducks (3m & 1f) 9 goosander (1m, 1 first yr m & 7f) 16 gadwall
-- Edited by Joel Tragen on Friday 15th of March 2019 12:58:49 PM
steven burke said
Sun Mar 10 4:12 PM, 2019
1.30-3.30pm.
1 sand martin feeding over main lake. 30 mute Swan 5 cormorant 19 gadwall 7 tufted duck 2 goosander 6 great crested grebe 160+ black headed gulls 14 common gulls 4 herring gulls 2 lesser black backed gulls 1 sparrowhawk 1 buzzard 1 willow tit 1 nuthatch 1 reed bunting 1 Chiffchaff, singing 5 bullfinch 1 chaffinch 12 goldfinch 4 siskin 2 grey heron
Broad ees dole...
6 grey herons 2 teal 3 little grebe 3 goosander
steven burke said
Sat Mar 9 9:02 PM, 2019
there was 3 sand martins whizzing around the river bank & tall poplars directly opposite the boathouse at 5pm & 2 goosander on the river.
Joel Tragen said
Sat Mar 9 6:33 PM, 2019
Hour skywatching on sale ees from 8am, then on to the lake and dole. Then returned from 1:45 - 3 after I warmed up at home.
AM
Main lake: 6 great crested grebes, all in pairs 10 cormorants 29 mute swans 3 goosanders (1M,2F) 5 tufted ducks (3M,2F) 35 gadwall 7 common gulls 2 lesser black backed gulls 6 herring gulls + usual coots, mallards, etc.
Sale ees: 3 goosander (probably the same male & 2 females seen later on the later) & 1 cormorant towards lake 1 sparrowhawk, 1 buzzard & 6 grey heron over Ivy green woods 1 goldcrest & 2 long-tailed tits in hedge woodcock flew towards Ivy green from direction of lake
Broad ees dole: 9 grey heron 4 little grebe 1 teal (M) 1 grey wagtail 6 lesser redpoll & 1 treecreeper in front of hides 2 buzzard, 1 collared dove & 1 ring necked parakeet flew across
Teal pool: 1 little grebe 1 chiffchaff
PM
Broad ees dole: 11 grey heron 3 little grebe 2 goosander (2F)
Lovely few hours spent around here earlier, from around 10 - 2.30.
2 goldcrest 2 willow tit 2 treecreeper 1 nuthatch 7 siskin 6+ goldfinch 5 greenfinch (including display) 2 bullfinch 1 reed bunting 2 sand martin (my earliest record by a good 2 weeks) 2 or 3 grey wagtail c15 redwing 4 song thrush 1 kingfisher 6 moorhen 31 coot 47 gadwall 7 shoveler over 6 tufted duck 31 mute swan 1 great crested grebe 2 grey heron 137 (or thereabouts) black-headed gull 3 common gull 2 lesser black-backed gull 3 herring gull 6 cormorant 1 buzzard
Broad Ees Dole (both pools):
4 moorhen 4 teal 1 shoveler 3 little grebe 5 snipe 4 grey heron (including one, frog hanging out of its beak, being chased by another attempting to win its meal for itself)
Ian McKerchar said
Mon Feb 25 11:25 AM, 2019
Originally posted today by stuart Marsden:
An hour and half from 7.30 this AM - some bits of bird movement in the sunshine including 3 curlew, 1 Woodcock, 2 lapwing, 1 brambling, 2 redpoll and 2 reed bunting over. Snipe (7) on Teal Pool, kingfisher, 1 redwing, 1 singing chiffchaff, willow tit, 6 or so siskin.
steven burke said
Sat Feb 16 2:27 PM, 2019
Morning visit.
Main lake... 7 great crested grebe 2 little grebe 48 gadwall 20 mute Swan 10 cormorant Black headed, common, lesser black backed & herring gulls. 2 bullfinch 1 sparrowhawk 1 goldcrest 2 nuthatch 1 treecreeper 1 great spotted woodpecker
Broad ees dole... 8 shoveler 8 grey heron 1 little grebe 1 kingfisher 1 grey wagtail 1 common buzzard landing in tree.
Teal pool... 7 snipe 2 teal
phillipskelly said
Sun Feb 10 5:16 PM, 2019
Very short visit this afternoon:- Buzzard - 2 over r.mersey . Kestrel - 1f in old car park.
Main Lake - Grt. Crested Grebe - 3. Yellow-Legged Gull - 1. Cormorant - 4 . Mute Swan - 17 inc.4CYY and 4CJJ.
ps.nice to meet fellow birder Pat.
Joel Tragen said
Sat Feb 9 10:46 AM, 2019
Late post for yesterday late morning
Main lake: 44 gadwall 21 mute swan 7 cormorant 5 little grebe, one party of 3 on the lake side of teal pool 3 great crested grebe + usual gulls, coots, etc.
Broad ees dole: 8 shoveler (4m + 4f) 9 grey heron 1 little grebe
Teal pool: 2 snipe
River mersey: 1 redhead goosander
Joel Tragen said
Tue Feb 5 8:08 PM, 2019
This am
Main lake: 20 mute swans 5 tufted ducks (4m + 1f) 61 gadwall 2 goosander (2 redheads) 7 cormorants (6 on lake + 1 on pylons) 3 great crested grebes 1 little grebe 1 yellow legged gull 10 lesser black backed gull 3 herring gull + usual coots, moorhens, common gulls and black headed gulls (which there seemed to be more of than usual)
Feeders: 3 willow tits 2 nuthatch 2 chaffinch 1 dark buzzard which flew behind the feeders + usual tits, robins, dunnocks
Sale ees: 2 bullfinch (1m + 1f)
Broad ees dole: 2 snipe (over the channel, but close-in on the right bank) 1 grey heron
Teal pool: 4 snipe visible in the far right hand corner but suspect more would be visible through a scope
Ian McKerchar said
Sun Feb 3 7:36 PM, 2019
Originally posted today by Richard Cross:
1st Feb. 2019
Seen from hide:- 5 snipe, Marsh Harrier flying in and perching on small bush on mud bank, disturbing 4 Heron and teal on water......
Joel Tragen said
Wed Jan 30 11:29 PM, 2019
Midday with Phil Kelly, bumped into him at the feeders and ended up walking around together
Highlights:
Main Lake: 1 Female Goosander 3 Tufted Ducks (2 Male, 1 Female) 48 Gadwall 1 Little Grebe 1 Yellow-legged gull (thanks to Phil for pointing it out for me) 12 Mute swans (counted from the far end so might not be full count) Usual gulls, coots, moorhens, etc.
Broad Ees Dole: 6 Grey Heron (5 sat on islands, 1 flew over Teal pool) 15 Snipe (1 on island, 14 sat in the far right hand side of Teal pool!) 1 Buzzard 1 Little Grebe 8 Teal 60+ Siskin flock with about 10 Goldfinch and 3 or so Lesser Redpoll
Feeder: 1 Nuthatch 1 Willow Tit
Joel Tragen said
Mon Jan 28 8:55 PM, 2019
This am
Broad Ees Dole, mostly frozen over: 1 Grey heron 1 Kingfisher (briefly catching fish right outside the hide)
Main lake: 2 Great crested grebes 2 Cormorants + 3 on the pylons 1 female Goosander Gadwall and tufted ducks (didn't go out of my way to count but would estimate the numbers were less than what Steven had yesterday) Lesser black-backed, herring, black-headed and common gulls in usual numbers Still 2 dead mute swans submerged in the channel between the 2 rectangle islands and the shore
steven burke said
Sun Jan 27 8:29 PM, 2019
afternoon visit.
main lake...
18 mute swan 5 cormorants 1 great crested grebe 1 little grebe 59 gadwall 11 tufted duck 2 ring-necked parakeet 1 sparrowhawk 1 kestrel 2 siskin with a flock of goldfinch 3 lesser redpoll 3 goldcrest 3 willow tit, 2 at the visitor centre feeders 3 nuthatch, 2 at the visitor centre feeders 1 chaffinch 2 bullfinch 2 jay 2 treecreeper the usual herring, lesser black backed, black headed & common gulls, no signs of the yellow-legged gull.
broad ees dole...
11 grey heron 5 teal 3 goosander & 1 on the river
4 buzzards flew over from sale golf course & headed over to chorlton ees.
steven burke said
Wed Jan 23 11:18 PM, 2019
Yellow-legged gull on the main lake this afternoon, flew off west at 4pm. 59 gadwall 14 tufted duck 1 goosander 1 grey heron 15+ siskin
Broad ees dole... 7 grey heron, 9 goosander, 1 little grebe, 2 snipe, kestrel over, reed bunting heard.
yellow-legged gull showing well on the main lake, eventually disappeared around 12pm. 1 great black backed gull, at times pecking at the small bouys. herring gulls lesser black backed gulls black headed gulls common gulls 8 cormorants, 2 of them catching big eels but struggled to swallow them pair of goosander 64 gadwall 27 tufted duck 2 goldcrest
Late post for yesterday Thursday 17.01.19 Main Lake - Common gull - 15. Yellow legged Gull - 1. Gadwall - c40. Mute Swan - 12 including 4CJJ and 4CUI. Cormorant - 6 ( one with white breeding patch).
Afternoon til dusk. Main lake... 18 mute Swan 4 cormorant 24 gadwall 27 tufted duck 2 little grebe Teal pool... 6 snipe 10 teal Broad ees dole... 8 grey heron 8 shoveler 8 goosander 3 little grebe 2 lesser redpoll A walk along river produced a woodcock flying over from sale side then over Stretford ees.
Late post for Wednesday 12:30 - 14:00, bumped into another birder who'd come to check out the site
Main lake: 5 tufted ducks (3m & 2f) ~20 gadwall 1 little grebe 7 cormorants plenty of gulls
Broad ees dole: 1 snipe, on left island 1 little grebe 6 shoveler 9 teal 1 grey wagtail 1 buzzard, back of dole but flew toward hide before heading left towards the canal 6 grey herons, total count
Teal pool: 1 grey heron 2 teal
Shannon Llewellyn said
Mon Dec 10 2:05 PM, 2018
phillipskelly wrote: Water rail - 1 (possibly 2) seen in left hand corner of the Teal pool just after Shannon Llewellyn left.
Excellent, glad they showed themselves.
The only things to add to Phillip's sightings yesterday was a small flock of 5-10 siskin alighting from tree as I approached it, flying off calling, and later a lone redpoll over.
Gulls at the Broad Ees Dole end of the main lake all disturbed by water-sports before I could look them over, but one large one seen briefly in flight looked a possible for yellow-legged gull, though I couldn't relocate for confirmation.
Dave Cropper said
Mon Dec 10 10:36 AM, 2018
Yellow-legged Gull again giving good views on a small buoy in centre of main lake.
phillipskelly said
Sun Dec 9 3:27 PM, 2018
Visitor Centre feeders : Willow tit - 2 together. Coal tit - 1 . Nuthatch - 1. Plus Great and Blue tits.
Inflow channel : Grey Heron - 1.
Main Lake : Gadwall - 29. Tufted Duck - 7. Yellow - legged gull - 1. Black headed gill - c100. Common gull - 7. Lesser black back gull - 8.
Broad Ees Dole : Water rail - 1 (possibly 2) seen in left hand corner of the Teal pool just after Shannon Llewellyn left. Snipe - 1. Shoveler duck - 7 . Grey Heron - 9. Goosander - 1m. Little grebe - 1. Common Buzzard - 2 over several times.
Pete Hines said
Tue Dec 4 4:07 PM, 2018
Yellow-legged Gull adult bathing in the center of the main lake 12.00 to 12.25 at least Water Rail 1 feeding in the open at the small pool 13.20 to 13.40 at least Gadwall 46 Teal 37 Shoveler 5 Tufted 3 Little Grebe 1 Cormorant 6 Kingfisher 1 Buzzard 1
main lake, 37 gadwall 4 tufted duck 1 little grebe 7 mute swan 10 cormorant
broad ees dole, 1 water rail, showing very well in front of the lakeside hide. 19 teal 2 shoveler 18 goosander 1 little grebe 3 grey heron 1 kingfisher 1 grey wagtail 2 buzzard 1 great spotted woodpecker
teal pool, 2 water rail, 1 on the far side again & 1 on the left hand side. 12 teal 1 grey wagtail
nice to have a chat with paul heaton.
joel, yes they are different. the old cow field & dry weir is Stretford ees & the old cow field/ ivy green / hardy farm is chorlton ees.
When did the second pool get named teal pool? Late post for Wednesday - 2 Kingfishers chasing each other around
Since Paul Heaton named it last Wednesday. It's all part of Broad Ees Dole.
Paul the cow field is Stretford Ees, which rightly has it's own thread. Pete Berry's dog flushed Corncrake and Nightjar from there in the early 80's. Also pre 1978 it was in Lancashire, whereas Sale WP was in Cheshire.
Joel, it's all relative. There never were Gadwall or Buzzard around in the 'old days'.
True, I still feel as if over all the numbers and range of species in this area of the mersey valley has decreased.
Is stretford ees the field next to the dry weir/are the cow field (streford ees) and the old cow field (the one between ivy green and hardy farm) different?
Pete Hines said
Sat Dec 1 8:54 AM, 2018
Tim Wilcox wrote:
When did the second pool get named teal pool? Late post for Wednesday - 2 Kingfishers chasing each other around
Since Paul Heaton named it last Wednesday. It's all part of Broad Ees Dole.
Paul the cow field is Stretford Ees, which rightly has it's own thread. Pete Berry's dog flushed Corncrake and Nightjar from there in the early 80's. Also pre 1978 it was in Lancashire, whereas Sale WP was in Cheshire.
Joel, it's all relative. There never were Gadwall or Buzzard around in the 'old days'.
Tim Wilcox said
Fri Nov 30 10:29 PM, 2018
When did the second pool get named teal pool? Late post for Wednesday - 2 Kingfishers chasing each other around
steven burke said
Fri Nov 30 7:27 PM, 2018
2.30pm til dusk. similar sightings as joels.
main lake, I managed at least 41 gadwall around the islands 3 little grebe 1 grey heron 6 mute swan 8 cormorants black headed, lesser black backed, common & herring gulls, no signs of the yellow legged gull.
teal pool, 8 teal 1 water rail, showing well out in the open but on the far side of the pool, watched for 20 minutes then again for another 15 minutes after visiting the lakeside hide.
Its a shame to how good the Mersey valley used to be compared to nowadays.
Spent about and hour here today from 11:30 - 12:30
Main lake: 33 Gadwall (kept going out of sight behind the islands but this was the most I counted together as a group) 3 Cormorants (1 over, the rest on the lake) 2 Tufted ducks 5 Mute swans + one dead by the square islands 2 Buzzards over usual numbers of Gulls, Coots, Mallards, etc.
Broad Ees Dole: 1 Grey heron 17 Teal 11 Shoveler 4 Moorhen 1 Little grebe
Teal pool: 1 Teal 1 Grey heron 1 Snipe
Sale Ees: 1 Kestrel
JSPALDING said
Wed Nov 28 5:28 PM, 2018
Spent an hour between 1 and 2 this afternoon sheltering from the rain in the Bird Hide, had excellent views of a pair of Kingfisher and a Water Rail.
The Water Rail was visible for most of the time.
brian kirkwood said
Wed Nov 28 12:15 PM, 2018
Hi All, I moved to the Stretford area in 1963 and the Mersey valley became my patch until the early 80s, I used to wander the area that is now Sale water park/Broad ees dole, the lake was created in the early 70s by removal of gravel to build the embankment for the extension of the M63, and the Dole was managed in 1980 to create the reserve.
I have dug out some old notes and found records for Snipe and Water Rail between 1964 and 1974 with some counts reaching 56 for Snipe and 6 for Water Rail, I have no definitive record of the latter breeding but always assumed they did.
Regards Brian.
Pete Hines said
Wed Nov 28 11:14 AM, 2018
Just a couple of points to add
Water Rail breed at the Meadow Pond just over the river on Chorlton Ees. An adult and a very young chick was seen on 17th August 2016 (as posted on the Forum and elsewhere)
A couple of old personal Common Snipe counts from Broad Ees dole
86 on 11th November 1980 90 on 27th December 1987
pete berry said
Wed Nov 28 9:43 AM, 2018
35 odd years ago the Mersey Valley was my local patch which I birded nearly every day for a number of years.Water Rails were annual on The Dole at SWP,I used to tempt them out from an area just left of the old hide by putting maggots down in cold weather,this inevitably resulted in seeing a Water Rail within 10 mins of putting the maggots down.We also used to do an annual flush of the marshy area behind the scrape (or Jheel as Paul Jepson named it)which turned up in excess of a100 Common Snipe and good numbers of Jack Snipe most years,if you stood near the hide at dusk you could here the Snipe flying out of the marsh to feed elsewhere.Most of the marshy area seems to be overgrown with trees now,no doubt due to lack of maintenance with the virtual disbanding of the warden service.
Paul Heaton said
Wed Nov 28 6:42 AM, 2018
Team SWP excellent stuff I have been speaking to the Godfather of SWP Pete Hines and he has given me a golden piece of information from the Halcyon days when rangers were in charge of the place .
The pool we now see has just always been part of Broad res Dole and is based on the Indian jheel an idea Paul Jepson got from Bharatpur , cool stuff this , Now bearing in mind if you look at the Map of SWP it doesn't appear on there, the undergrowth has formed a new area , So I feel Teal pool rhythms with jheel , and the Teal that are there look stunning on that pool . so I propose we use Teal pool from now on . ( The Cow field over the river has not has cows in for quite some time ,and we still use cow field for that )
As for the Water Rail along with Buzzard and Raven these are now becoming regular sightings here , rumours of them breeding close by have reached me.
Keep Birding
-- Edited by Paul Heaton on Wednesday 28th of November 2018 08:55:38 AM
Joel Tragen said
Wed Nov 28 12:29 AM, 2018
Thanks Steven and Paul. Not an easy bird to see in Mersey valley but (correct me if I'm wrong) they seem to have become more established over the past couple of years and hopefully due to the low water levels at that pool we might hope to see them more regularly. I've never heard them on the Sale side of the Mersey but heard one once at the reed bed in the meadow field. Regarding the name of the pool, unless there is a name for it used by some of the long time patchers then Reed bed Pool might be the most fitting. However I could see some people confusing this with the reed bed in the meadow field. Teal pool could work but might lose its meaning a bit during the summer months
steven burke said
Tue Nov 27 11:24 PM, 2018
Well done Shannon & joel on the water rail sighting. As tim Wilcox mentions in an earlier post I myself managed a sighting of a water rail in the same location on the reed bed pool of broad ees dole on 4th November 2014, not seen one since but have heard them.
Paul Heaton said
Tue Nov 27 9:43 PM, 2018
Joel thats great stuff , I think we might end up with the first team patch
I think that pool should be called Teal pool , pretty never fails to get them there seems a good name what do the rest of Sale Water Park team think
?
Main lake:
2 lesser black backed gulls
1 herring gull
2 great crested grebe
Broad ees dole:
23 minimum sand martins
1 house martin at least
3 snipe
1 lapwing
11 gadwall
7 tufted ducks (5m,2f)
2 goosanders (2f)
2 little grebe
1 grey heron
and I saw a duck through the willows to the left which my mind went to wood duck or manadarin duck but by the time I'd moved along the path to get a clear view there was no sign of any ducks in that area,. I'm fairly certain it wasn't any of the other duck species already seen and Stuart's post has given me confidence that it was a mandarin duck but I'm not counting it unless my early morning visit tomorrow turns it up.
7.50-8.45am - quiet, 1 sand martin through, 1 male Mandarin among the teal, tufted duck and gadwall on BED
Main lake:
3 cormorants
2 great crested grebes
1 herring gulls
4 lesser black backed gulls (2ads,2juvs)
usual mallards, canada goose, etc.
Broad ees dole:
2 lapwing
1 snipe
6 gadwall
4 tufted duck (3m,1f)
2 little grebe
2 grey heron
Teal pool:
5 gadwall
Thursday (evening visit)
Main lake:
40 or so sand martins
Broad ees dole:
2 swallows (weird that they kept so separate to the sand martins)
Saturday (midday)
Visitor centre:
1 female kestrel
2 chiffchaff
2 buzzards (circling)
2 raven (circling)
Broad ees dole:
6 teal (3m,3f)
5 tufted ducks (4m,1f)
3 little grebe
14 gadwall
Late new from last night - 7-8pm. SWP quiet but 1 Little ringed plover and 1 Lapwing on Broad Ees.
Main lake...
15 mute swans
3 cormorants
2 great crested grebe
1 goosander, over
2 sand martin
5 chiffchaff
1 blackcap
2 bullfinch
1 treecreeper
1 nuthatch
Visitor centre feeders...
1 willow tit
1 nuthatch
1 reed bunting
Broad ees dole...
2 grey heron
4 little grebe
7 tufted duck
6 gadwall
2 common snipe
main lake...
27 mute swan
3 great crested grebe
4 cormorants
7 sand martin
6 chiffchaff
2-4 buzzards
2 siskin
2 great spotted woodpecker
3 nuthatch
2 treecreeper
5 bullfinch
visitor center feeders...
1 great spotted woodpecker
1 nuthatch
1 reed bunting
broad ees dole...
13 gadwall
4 tufted duck
6 teal
3 little grebe
3 grey heron
Main lake:
6+ sand martins (6 seen together but probably more like 8)
7 great crested grebes
5 cormorants (3 on pylons)
1 male tufted ducks
16 gadwall
1 herring gull
1 lesser black backed gull
2 common gulls
50+ black headed gulls
mute swans, coots, moorhens, canada geese, etc.
Sale ees:
2 sand martins over
1 reed bunting
2 greenfinch
1 bullfinch
Broad ees dole:
5 little grebe (2 very clumsily dropped in)
8 grey heron
2 teal (1m & 1f)
4 tufted ducks (3m & 1f)
9 goosander (1m, 1 first yr m & 7f)
16 gadwall
-- Edited by Joel Tragen on Friday 15th of March 2019 12:58:49 PM
1 sand martin feeding over main lake.
30 mute Swan
5 cormorant
19 gadwall
7 tufted duck
2 goosander
6 great crested grebe
160+ black headed gulls
14 common gulls
4 herring gulls
2 lesser black backed gulls
1 sparrowhawk
1 buzzard
1 willow tit
1 nuthatch
1 reed bunting
1 Chiffchaff, singing
5 bullfinch
1 chaffinch
12 goldfinch
4 siskin
2 grey heron
Broad ees dole...
6 grey herons
2 teal
3 little grebe
3 goosander
AM
Main lake:
6 great crested grebes, all in pairs
10 cormorants
29 mute swans
3 goosanders (1M,2F)
5 tufted ducks (3M,2F)
35 gadwall
7 common gulls
2 lesser black backed gulls
6 herring gulls
+ usual coots, mallards, etc.
Sale ees:
3 goosander (probably the same male & 2 females seen later on the later) & 1 cormorant towards lake
1 sparrowhawk, 1 buzzard & 6 grey heron over Ivy green woods
1 goldcrest & 2 long-tailed tits in hedge
woodcock flew towards Ivy green from direction of lake
Broad ees dole:
9 grey heron
4 little grebe
1 teal (M)
1 grey wagtail
6 lesser redpoll & 1 treecreeper in front of hides
2 buzzard, 1 collared dove & 1 ring necked parakeet flew across
Teal pool:
1 little grebe
1 chiffchaff
PM
Broad ees dole:
11 grey heron
3 little grebe
2 goosander (2F)
River mersey:
2 sand martins (my earliest)
2 goosander (1M & 1 F)
Barrow brook:
1 goosander (1F)
2 goldcrest
2 willow tit
2 treecreeper
1 nuthatch
7 siskin
6+ goldfinch
5 greenfinch (including display)
2 bullfinch
1 reed bunting
2 sand martin (my earliest record by a good 2 weeks)
2 or 3 grey wagtail
c15 redwing
4 song thrush
1 kingfisher
6 moorhen
31 coot
47 gadwall
7 shoveler over
6 tufted duck
31 mute swan
1 great crested grebe
2 grey heron
137 (or thereabouts) black-headed gull
3 common gull
2 lesser black-backed gull
3 herring gull
6 cormorant
1 buzzard
Broad Ees Dole (both pools):
4 moorhen
4 teal
1 shoveler
3 little grebe
5 snipe
4 grey heron (including one, frog hanging out of its beak, being chased by another attempting to win its meal for itself)
Originally posted today by stuart Marsden:
An hour and half from 7.30 this AM - some bits of bird movement in the sunshine including 3 curlew, 1 Woodcock, 2 lapwing, 1 brambling, 2 redpoll and 2 reed bunting over. Snipe (7) on Teal Pool, kingfisher, 1 redwing, 1 singing chiffchaff, willow tit, 6 or so siskin.
Main lake...
7 great crested grebe
2 little grebe
48 gadwall
20 mute Swan
10 cormorant
Black headed, common, lesser black backed & herring gulls.
2 bullfinch
1 sparrowhawk
1 goldcrest
2 nuthatch
1 treecreeper
1 great spotted woodpecker
Broad ees dole...
8 shoveler
8 grey heron
1 little grebe
1 kingfisher
1 grey wagtail
1 common buzzard landing in tree.
Teal pool...
7 snipe
2 teal
Buzzard - 2 over r.mersey .
Kestrel - 1f in old car park.
Broad Ees Dole-
Snipe - 2.
Shoveler duck - 5.
Goosander - 1f.
Grey Heron - 12.
Little Grebe - 2.
Main Lake -
Grt. Crested Grebe - 3.
Yellow-Legged Gull - 1.
Cormorant - 4 .
Mute Swan - 17 inc.4CYY and 4CJJ.
ps.nice to meet fellow birder Pat.
Main lake:
44 gadwall
21 mute swan
7 cormorant
5 little grebe, one party of 3 on the lake side of teal pool
3 great crested grebe
+ usual gulls, coots, etc.
Broad ees dole:
8 shoveler (4m + 4f)
9 grey heron
1 little grebe
Teal pool:
2 snipe
River mersey:
1 redhead goosander
Main lake:
20 mute swans
5 tufted ducks (4m + 1f)
61 gadwall
2 goosander (2 redheads)
7 cormorants (6 on lake + 1 on pylons)
3 great crested grebes
1 little grebe
1 yellow legged gull
10 lesser black backed gull
3 herring gull
+ usual coots, moorhens, common gulls and black headed gulls (which there seemed to be more of than usual)
Feeders:
3 willow tits
2 nuthatch
2 chaffinch
1 dark buzzard which flew behind the feeders
+ usual tits, robins, dunnocks
Sale ees:
2 bullfinch (1m + 1f)
Broad ees dole:
2 snipe (over the channel, but close-in on the right bank)
1 grey heron
Teal pool:
4 snipe visible in the far right hand corner but suspect more would be visible through a scope
Originally posted today by Richard Cross:
1st Feb. 2019
Seen from hide:- 5 snipe, Marsh Harrier flying in and perching on small bush on mud bank, disturbing 4 Heron and teal on water......
Highlights:
Main Lake:
1 Female Goosander
3 Tufted Ducks (2 Male, 1 Female)
48 Gadwall
1 Little Grebe
1 Yellow-legged gull (thanks to Phil for pointing it out for me)
12 Mute swans (counted from the far end so might not be full count)
Usual gulls, coots, moorhens, etc.
Broad Ees Dole:
6 Grey Heron (5 sat on islands, 1 flew over Teal pool)
15 Snipe (1 on island, 14 sat in the far right hand side of Teal pool!)
1 Buzzard
1 Little Grebe
8 Teal
60+ Siskin flock with about 10 Goldfinch and 3 or so Lesser Redpoll
Feeder:
1 Nuthatch
1 Willow Tit
Broad Ees Dole, mostly frozen over:
1 Grey heron
1 Kingfisher (briefly catching fish right outside the hide)
Main lake:
2 Great crested grebes
2 Cormorants + 3 on the pylons
1 female Goosander
Gadwall and tufted ducks (didn't go out of my way to count but would estimate the numbers were less than what Steven had yesterday)
Lesser black-backed, herring, black-headed and common gulls in usual numbers
Still 2 dead mute swans submerged in the channel between the 2 rectangle islands and the shore
main lake...
18 mute swan
5 cormorants
1 great crested grebe
1 little grebe
59 gadwall
11 tufted duck
2 ring-necked parakeet
1 sparrowhawk
1 kestrel
2 siskin with a flock of goldfinch
3 lesser redpoll
3 goldcrest
3 willow tit, 2 at the visitor centre feeders
3 nuthatch, 2 at the visitor centre feeders
1 chaffinch
2 bullfinch
2 jay
2 treecreeper
the usual herring, lesser black backed, black headed & common gulls, no signs of the yellow-legged gull.
broad ees dole...
11 grey heron
5 teal
3 goosander & 1 on the river
4 buzzards flew over from sale golf course & headed over to chorlton ees.
59 gadwall
14 tufted duck
1 goosander
1 grey heron
15+ siskin
Broad ees dole... 7 grey heron, 9 goosander, 1 little grebe, 2 snipe, kestrel over, reed bunting heard.
Water rail on teal pool.
yellow-legged gull showing well on the main lake, eventually disappeared around 12pm.
1 great black backed gull, at times pecking at the small bouys.
herring gulls
lesser black backed gulls
black headed gulls
common gulls
8 cormorants, 2 of them catching big eels but struggled to swallow them
pair of goosander
64 gadwall
27 tufted duck
2 goldcrest
broad ees dole... 4 teal, 1 little grebe.
teal pool...1 snipe, 1 teal.
Hi Pete, Just wondering if this photo I took at Sale in December is the Yellow Legged Gull you saw there.
Main Lake -
Common gull - 15.
Yellow legged Gull - 1.
Gadwall - c40.
Mute Swan - 12 including 4CJJ and 4CUI.
Cormorant - 6 ( one with white breeding patch).
Broad Ees Dole -
Kingfisher - 1m.
Grey Heron - 11.
Grey Wagtail - 1.
Teal - 10.
Little Grebe - 1.
Snipe - 6.
57 gadwall
28 tufted duck
1 goosander
Broad ees dole..
6 teal
4 grey heron
1 kingfisher
Teal pool..
4 teal
4 snipe.
other birds to add just before dusk... 19 goosander, 1 water rail & peregrine falcon flew down river heading towards Stretford ees.
-- Edited by steven burke on Sunday 13th of January 2019 07:34:49 PM
2 Willow Tit feeding of birdtable still at Sale Water Park near visitors centre/cafe this morning.
Gadwall 52
Tufted Duck 12
Mallard 32
Coot 45
Moorhen 4
Mute Swan 21
Canada Goose 68
Little Grebe 1
Herring Gull 15
Lesser-black Backed Gull 16
Common Gull 17
Black-headed Gull 300
Main lake...
18 mute Swan
4 cormorant
24 gadwall
27 tufted duck
2 little grebe
Teal pool...
6 snipe
10 teal
Broad ees dole...
8 grey heron
8 shoveler
8 goosander
3 little grebe
2 lesser redpoll
A walk along river produced a woodcock flying over from sale side then over Stretford ees.
48 Gadwall
2 Little Grebe
5 Goosander
10 Teal
1 Snipe
7 Tufted Duck
1 Buzzard
1 Grey Wagtail
15 Mute Swan
8 Cormorant, 1 eating a huge Perch!
12:30 - 14:00, bumped into another birder who'd come to check out the site
Main lake:
5 tufted ducks (3m & 2f)
~20 gadwall
1 little grebe
7 cormorants
plenty of gulls
Broad ees dole:
1 snipe, on left island
1 little grebe
6 shoveler
9 teal
1 grey wagtail
1 buzzard, back of dole but flew toward hide before heading left towards the canal
6 grey herons, total count
Teal pool:
1 grey heron
2 teal
Excellent, glad they showed themselves.
The only things to add to Phillip's sightings yesterday was a small flock of 5-10 siskin alighting from tree as I approached it, flying off calling, and later a lone redpoll over.
Gulls at the Broad Ees Dole end of the main lake all disturbed by water-sports before I could look them over, but one large one seen briefly in flight looked a possible for yellow-legged gull, though I couldn't relocate for confirmation.
Yellow-legged Gull again giving good views on a small buoy in centre of main lake.
Willow tit - 2 together.
Coal tit - 1 .
Nuthatch - 1.
Plus Great and Blue tits.
Inflow channel :
Grey Heron - 1.
Main Lake :
Gadwall - 29.
Tufted Duck - 7.
Yellow - legged gull - 1.
Black headed gill - c100.
Common gull - 7.
Lesser black back gull - 8.
Broad Ees Dole :
Water rail - 1 (possibly 2) seen in left hand corner of the Teal pool just after Shannon Llewellyn left.
Snipe - 1.
Shoveler duck - 7 .
Grey Heron - 9.
Goosander - 1m.
Little grebe - 1.
Common Buzzard - 2 over several times.
Water Rail 1 feeding in the open at the small pool 13.20 to 13.40 at least
Gadwall 46
Teal 37
Shoveler 5
Tufted 3
Little Grebe 1
Cormorant 6
Kingfisher 1
Buzzard 1
main lake,
37 gadwall
4 tufted duck
1 little grebe
7 mute swan
10 cormorant
broad ees dole,
1 water rail, showing very well in front of the lakeside hide.
19 teal
2 shoveler
18 goosander
1 little grebe
3 grey heron
1 kingfisher
1 grey wagtail
2 buzzard
1 great spotted woodpecker
teal pool,
2 water rail, 1 on the far side again & 1 on the left hand side.
12 teal
1 grey wagtail
nice to have a chat with paul heaton.
joel, yes they are different. the old cow field & dry weir is Stretford ees & the old cow field/ ivy green / hardy farm is chorlton ees.
True, I still feel as if over all the numbers and range of species in this area of the mersey valley has decreased.
Is stretford ees the field next to the dry weir/are the cow field (streford ees) and the old cow field (the one between ivy green and hardy farm) different?
Since Paul Heaton named it last Wednesday. It's all part of Broad Ees Dole.
Paul the cow field is Stretford Ees, which rightly has it's own thread. Pete Berry's dog flushed Corncrake and Nightjar from there in the early 80's. Also pre 1978 it was in Lancashire, whereas Sale WP was in Cheshire.
Joel, it's all relative. There never were Gadwall or Buzzard around in the 'old days'.
main lake,
I managed at least 41 gadwall around the islands
3 little grebe
1 grey heron
6 mute swan
8 cormorants
black headed, lesser black backed, common & herring gulls, no signs of the yellow legged gull.
broad ees dole,
16 teal
11 shoveler
13 goosander
1 little grebe
2 grey wagtail
1 grey heron
2 buzzard
reed bunting, heard
teal pool,
8 teal
1 water rail, showing well out in the open but on the far side of the pool, watched for 20 minutes then again for another 15 minutes after visiting the lakeside hide.
Spent about and hour here today from 11:30 - 12:30
Main lake:
33 Gadwall (kept going out of sight behind the islands but this was the most I counted together as a group)
3 Cormorants (1 over, the rest on the lake)
2 Tufted ducks
5 Mute swans + one dead by the square islands
2 Buzzards over
usual numbers of Gulls, Coots, Mallards, etc.
Broad Ees Dole:
1 Grey heron
17 Teal
11 Shoveler
4 Moorhen
1 Little grebe
Teal pool:
1 Teal
1 Grey heron
1 Snipe
Sale Ees:
1 Kestrel
Spent an hour between 1 and 2 this afternoon sheltering from the rain in the Bird Hide, had excellent views of a pair of Kingfisher and a Water Rail.
The Water Rail was visible for most of the time.
Hi All, I moved to the Stretford area in 1963 and the Mersey valley became my patch until the early 80s, I used to wander the area that is now Sale water park/Broad ees dole, the lake was created in the early 70s by removal of gravel to build the embankment for the extension of the M63, and the Dole was managed in 1980 to create the reserve.
I have dug out some old notes and found records for Snipe and Water Rail between 1964 and 1974 with some counts reaching 56 for Snipe and 6 for Water Rail, I have no definitive record of the latter breeding but always assumed they did.
Regards Brian.
Water Rail breed at the Meadow Pond just over the river on Chorlton Ees. An adult and a very young chick was seen on 17th August 2016 (as posted on the Forum and elsewhere)
A couple of old personal Common Snipe counts from Broad Ees dole
86 on 11th November 1980
90 on 27th December 1987
Team SWP excellent stuff I have been speaking to the Godfather of SWP Pete Hines and he has given me a golden piece of information from the Halcyon days when rangers were in charge of the place .
The pool we now see has just always been part of Broad res Dole and is based on the Indian jheel an idea Paul Jepson got from Bharatpur , cool stuff this , Now bearing in mind if you look at the Map of SWP it doesn't appear on there, the undergrowth has formed a new area , So I feel Teal pool rhythms with jheel , and the Teal that are there look stunning on that pool . so I propose we use Teal pool from now on . ( The Cow field over the river has not has cows in for quite some time ,and we still use cow field for that )
As for the Water Rail along with Buzzard and Raven these are now becoming regular sightings here , rumours of them breeding close by have reached me.
Keep Birding
-- Edited by Paul Heaton on Wednesday 28th of November 2018 08:55:38 AM