Best sighting today was a juvenile Green Woodpecker with another unseen bird calling nearby (near Windybottom Farm)

Main Lake :
Mallard broods down to 2 & 5 (from 2 & 7)
4 Great Crested Grebes (2 ads & 2 juvs, down from 3)
45 adult and 20 juv Coot
1 adult Little Grebe
25 House Martins
1 Sand Martin
1 Sparrowhawk over

1 Kingfisher flew up-river
1 Buzzard with missing central tail feathers giving impression of forked tail

Cheers John

148 adult Mallard (record number?) but only 2 broods of 7 & 2 ducklings
2 adult Great-crested Grebes tending 3 young
38 adult Coot and 12 young
1 Buzzard

Cheers John

My first visit for 5 weeks and the gates at Main Lake were shut so birding was through thick foliage which hampered views. But a couple of surprises.

My first Kingfisher at the site this year. Hovering as it hunted. Lovely.
1 Adult Great crested Grebe was feeding 3 half grown chicks. I didn't see a second adult but it could well have been present.
(The odd thing is that 5 weeks ago there was only 1 fairly well grown chick. If they lost this could they have raised a second brood to 1/2 size of adult in only 5 weeks? I'm sure there weren't 2 pairs nesting here)
1 female Goosander
1 Grey Heron on the bank
1 Adult Little Grebe
2 Chiffchaffs

Overhead were 11 Swifts, 5 House Martins and 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls.

Cheers, John

-- Edited by John Rayner on Wednesday 31st of July 2013 09:41:45 PM

Forgot to post that there was a common sandpiper (and a very confiding one at that) on Monday 15th, which is probably quite unusual for here? Also common whitethroats were in noisy family party, with at least 4 birds seen.

The Great Crested Grebe chick is now almost the same size as the adults.
1 Adult Little Grebe.
2 New Coot nests under construction
Juvenile Carrion Crow

On the river a juvenile Dipper, a pair of Grey Wagtails collecting food and 3 juvenile Long-tailed Tits.

At Linnet Cough Res a male Tufted Duck and 3 Mallards.

Cheers John

Main Lake

Not been down for over a month so don't know how many chicks the Great Crested Grebes started with - they currently have 1.
Tufted Duck - 1 pair.
Mallard with brood of 9
Canada Geese 28
Coot - broods of 4, 2, 2, and 1 with another bird still sitting.
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Blackcap 2

North Lake

Tufted Duck - 1 pair (may be from Main Lake)

Linnet Clough Reservoir

Canada Goose pair with brood of 5
Willow Warbler and Chiffchaff singing
But not a lot else.

Cheers John

Main Lake:

1 Swallow
1 Sand Martin
Great Crested Grebes still sitting

Linnet Clough Res.

1 Tawny Owl
2 Blackcaps
2 Jays mobbing Tawny Owl

Cheers John

30th April:

1 Pink-footed Goose with the Canadas

Cheers, John

John Rayner wrote:

---

Pair of Blackcaps and Great Crested Grebe is sitting on eggs.

---

Not in the same nest I hope?

Pair of Blackcaps and Great Crested Grebe is sitting on eggs.

Cheers, John

John Rayner wrote:

---

22 Nov:

... managed to read all 3 Darvics on the Mute Swans

Blue 7HPV
Blue 7HNZ
Blue 7HJH

I'm told these are not Cheshire or Lancashire codes.

Cheers, John

---

I have just found out that these were ringed as part of a brood of 8 on 12/09/2012 at Newport, Shropshire. They were at Roman Lakes from 27th Oct 2012 - 4th Jan 2013.

Many thanks to Steve Christmas and Kane Bridges for managing to track down this information when I was only hitting brick walls.

Cheers, John

3rd April:

2 Great Crested Grebes
5 Coot nests
4 male Tufted Duck

otherwise no change - still no Chiffchaffs

Cheers, John

1st April:

3 Tufted Duck males
5 Pied Wagtails
Otherwise little change.

Cheers John

30th March.

Main Lake held 2 Great Crested Grebes and 1 male Tufted Duck among the usuals.
1 Buzzard over.
1 Dipper (unringed) and 2 Grey Wagtails on the river.
2 Male Pied Wagtails in a claw-locked fight.

No Chiffchaffs.

Cheers, John

Great-crested Grebes are displaying
Coot numbers are down to 22 but now 4 sitting birds
The single male Tufted Duck now joined by 2 more males and a female
In the woodland fringe GS Woodpecker was drumming, Nuthatches calling and a Treecreeper feeding.

Cheers, John

A few decent birds today - mostly on or over the river.

Main Lake - now 2 Great-crested Grebes again. I've not seen more than 1 since 15th March. Apart from the regulars the male Tufted Duck remains.

On the river there was a ringed Dipper (metal),
a pair of Goosanders,
3 Grey Wagtails
and a nice flock of 8 male Mandarins displaying to a single female.
Overhead 3 Buzzards called loudly with a stooping display.
After some debate on-line about aging birders losing the ability to hear Goldcrests I am pleased to say that I heard 3 today

Cheers, John

As yesterday

minus Pink footed Goose
plus 4 Meadow Pipits (in horse field)

Cheers, John

20th Mar:

1 Pink-footed Goose with 78 Canadas
1 G C Grebe
1 Little Grebe
Pair Tufted Duck
1 Stock Dove

Cheers John

15th March

All Main Lake unless otherwise mentioned:

1 Teal (North Lake)
37 Coot (3 sitting on nests)
52 Mallard
30 Canada Geese
2 GC Grebes
2 BH Gulls
2m, 1f Tufted Duck
Pair Mandarin (River Goyt)
Pair Dipper (1 unringed and 1 metal ringed) on R. Goyt opposite R.L. entrance plus another Dipper (unringed) at Bottoms Bridge

Cheers, John


-- Edited by John Rayner on Friday 15th of March 2013 03:12:22 PM

8th March:

35 Coot
c20 Mallard
1 Tufted Duck
No sign of Great-crested Grebes but they may have been hiding.

At feeders
2 Nuthatches
2 Great-spotted Woodpeckers
Blue, Great, Coal and LT Tits

Cheers John

6th March: Main Lake.

2 Great-crested Grebes displaying
5 Tufted Ducks (4m, 1f)
Plus the regulars

Cheers, John



-- Edited by John Rayner on Wednesday 6th of March 2013 07:43:14 PM

2nd March. Little change:

Coot 31
Canada Goose 12
Great-crested Grebe 2
Tufted Duck pair
Mallard 12
Grey Wagtail (on river)

Cheers, John

26th February (Main Lake only)

Coot 31
Canada Goose 55
Great-crested Grebe 2
Tufted Duck 1m
Mallard 6 only

Cheers, John

22 Feb

Coot 27
Moorhen 10
Tufted Duck pair
Great-crested Grebe pair
Canada Goose c70
Mallards - lots
Grey Heron 1
Great--spotted Woodpecker 2
Siskin 5

Cheers, John

8th Feb:

Nothing much changed...

Coot 65
Moorhen 9
Wigeon 5
Gadwall 1
Tufted Duck 2
GC Grebe 1
Mallard 57
Barnacle Goose (feral resident)

Cheers, John

6th Feb:

Wigeon 2m, 3f
Tufted Duck 4m, 2f
Gadwall 1f
Goosander 1m, 1f
Siskin c60

Cheers, John

Hoping for some cold weather movement but all that has happened is 1 of the Wigeons has gone.

Wigeon 2 pairs
Gadwall fem
GC Grebe 1
Coot c60

A new Dipper - singing near Roman bridge (this one wearing a metal ring on right leg)

Cheers, John

31st Jan

Wigeon 2m, 3f
Gadwall 1f
Great-crested Grebe 1

Goosander pair on North Lake

Dipper at Bottoms Bridge

Cheers, John

29th Jan:

Wigeon 2m, 3f
Tufted Duck 4m, 1f
Gadwall 1f
Great-crested Grebe 1
Buzzard 1
Siskin c40
Grey Heron 1
Goosander 1m, 1f on North Lake

Cheers, John

26th Jan:

Wigeon 2m, 3f
Tufted Duck 4m, 2f
Gadwall 1f
Mallard 81
Great-crested Grebe 1
Coot 64
Black-headed Gull 42
Common Gull 1
Grey Heron 1

Cheers, John

23rd Jan

Now 2m and 3f Wigeon.
Otherwise as yesterday.

Cheers, John

22 Jan: A very quick visit.

Wigeon (2m, 2f)
Gadwall (1f)
Tufted Duck (2m, 1f)
1 Great-crested Grebe (a different bird quite well advanced into summer plumage)
Dipper (Unringed. On River Goyt at Bottoms Bridge)
+ Usuals

Cheers, John

16th Jan:

Mallard numbers up (103)
Coot numbers down (58, but didn't search side channels)
Moorhens (17)
Gadwall (fem)
GC Grebe (pair)

Cheers, John

15th January: Main Lake almost completely frozen


Female Gadwall still
Pair of Great-crested Grebes in 'head shaking' and 'weed dancing' display.
+ Usuals

Cheers, John

11th Jan:

North Lake:
2m, 1f Goosanders.

Main Lake:
4m Tufted Duck
female Gadwall had re-appeared
2 Wigeon were new in (1ad m, 1 1st w. m)
Signs of spring with one of the 2 Great-Crested Grebes adding material to a nest then a Coot showed interest and ended up standing on the nest. One of the 3 Cormorants was a male in full breeding dress and a vocal Dipper was on the river.

Linnet Clough Res:
1 Woodcock
8 Mallards
1 Little Grebe
1 Grey Heron


Cheers, John

10th Jan A.M.

Fewer birds overall on Main Lake

Coot 67
Tufted Duck 4m, 2f
Great-crested Grebe 2
+ Canadas, Mallards, Moorhens etc

Dipper on River Goyt.

Cheers, John

9th Jan

Tufted Ducks increased to 7
2nd Great-crested |Grebe has arrived
No sign of the Gadwall or the 3 Mute Swans which arrived last October.
Treecreeper 1

Cheers, John

4th Jan

North Lake:
Pair Goosander
4 Mallard
1 Cormorant
2 Mistle Thrush

Main Lake: Numbers seemed a little down

67 Coot
5 Tufted Duck
49 Mallard
1 Great Crested Grebe
52 Canada Geese
16 BH Gulls

Cheers, John

Main Lake - Windybottom Farm:

A turnover of ducks.

Wigeon gone
Tufted Duck (3m, 2f) and Shoveler (1m, 2f) arrived.

Also 1 Great-crested Grebe
Gadwall (f)
Mute Swans 3
Treecreeper 1
Sparrowhawk (male perched, female on the ground plucking Woodpigeon)
Noisy flock of 41 Carrion Crows in the crown of a single tree.

Cheers, John

-- Edited by John Rayner on Tuesday 1st of January 2013 12:58:09 PM

31st Dec (10.00 - 10.45).

Main Lake:

85 Coots
65 Mallards (increase)
59 Canada Geese
3 Mute Swans (still not heard anything about their origins despite reporting it months ago)
Black-headed Gulls 35
Moorhens 14
Wigeons (male now joined by a newly arrived female)
Gadwall (1, f)
Great-crested Grebe 1 (new in)


North Lake:

Mallards 9
Goosander 2

Cheers, John

28th Dec:

1 Wigeon
1 Gadwall
3 Mute Swans
1 Siskin
20 Moorhens
Uncounted Coot and Mallard


Late news: Dipper (unringed) on Goyt feeder stream on 26th Dec

Cheers, John

Main Lake.

1 Wigeon
1 Gadwall
1 Tufted Duck
30 Siskin
3 Mistle Thrush
1 Song Thrush singing

Cheers John

23rd Dec (10.00 - 11.15)

Main Lake:
Wigeon (m)
Gadwall (f) has returned unless I've overlooked it the last few visits.
Tufted Duck (1m)
Mute Swan (3)
Coot 85 (minimum - side channels not checked)
BH Gull (40)

Cheers, John

22nd Dec:

Didn't venture out of the car in heavy rain.

North Lake:
Goosander (2m, 1f)

Main Lake:
Usual numbers including:-
Cormorant 4
Wigeon (m) - still no sign of Gadwall
Tufted Duck (2m)
Mute Swans (3 juv)
Great-spotted Woodpecker almost joined me in the car.

Cheers, John

21st Dec: Main Lake

95 Coot (highest count)
Wigeon (m), (but no sign of Gadwall (f) since 18th)
Tufted Duck (2m)
Mute Swan (3 juv)
Mistle Thrush singing
+ Other expected species.

Cheers John

19th Dec:

Movement of Gulls up-river (south)

Common Gull c20
Herring Gull 2
LBB Gull 3

20th Dec:

Pair Goosander (North Lake)
Wigeon, m (But couldn't see the female Gadwall in a brief search)
Cormorant 3
Mute Swan 3

Cheers, John

18th Dec: Main Lake

94 Coot (highest count)
Wigeon (m) still paired to Gadwall (f)
1 Tufted Duck (m)
Mute Swan (3 juv)
+ Other expected species.

Cheers, John

L.N.Y. Sat 15th Dec:

Male Wigeon still being closely tracked by female Gadwall. Seldom more than a foot apart.
3 Juv Mute Swans still
82 Coot
33 Mallard
2 Goosander overhead

Cheers, John

Main Lake completely frozen except a very small area kept open by 210 assorted water birds (including the Gadwall and Wigeon)

On the river 8 Goosander (4 pairs), 1 Kingfisher and 1 Grey Wagtail.

Cheers John