Gaswall 9
Swift 2
Lapwing 215
Mediterranean Gull 1 adult flying towards Irlam Locks
Kingfisher 1
Hobby 1

Gadwall 1
Oystercatcher 1
Lapwing 14
Common Sandpiper 1
Great Black-backed Gull 1
Kingfisher 1
Hobby 1 with prey item (presumably a Sand Martin)
Sedge Warbler 1
Common Whitethroat 1

Gadwall 29
Goldeneye female still
Common Tern 2
Hobby 1 caught the male Grey Wagtail as it was flying in with food for it's young (right infront of me !)
Ring-necked Parakeet 1
Willow Warbler 3 singing
Goldcrest 1 singing
Grey Wagtail pair feeding young, now just the female since the male was taken by the Hobby

Gadwall 3
Goldeneye 1 female
Great Black-backed Gull 3, 2 adult 1 imm
Common Tern 2
Hobby 1

Early afternoon visit.

9 chiffchaff
6 blackcap
2 willow warbler
2 sparrowhawk
1 kestrel
41 sand Martins, all whizzing straight along the ship canal.
5 gadwall
2 grey heron
1 mistle thrush
1 great spotted woodpecker

Morning

Gadwall 55
Mallard 44
Teal 28
Tufted Duck 14
Goosander 2
Little Grebe 5
Great Crested Grebe 3
Oystercatcher 4
Kingfisher 1
Peregrine 1
Rook 2
Chiffchaff 1
Treecreeper 1
Redpoll 1
Siskin 7

14.11-15.43

Gadwall 56
Teal 20
Tufted Duck 11
Little Grebe 8
Rook 1 over

A pleasant visit here this morning what is soon to be one of my local patches.

Scaup still on ship canal
19 tufted ducks
76 gadwall
53 Teal
2 little grebes
4 great crested grebes
9 bullfinch
1 lesser redpoll
15 siskin
1 treecreeper
1 goldcrest
Cettis warbler heard only.

15.26-16.46

Scaup - drake still
Tufted Duck 19
Gadwall 94
Teal 46
Goosander 1
Little Grebe 3
Great Crested Grebe 4
Great Black-backed Gull 1 imm

-- Edited by Pete Hines on Saturday 27th of January 2024 06:29:22 PM

Scaup - drake still
Tufted Duck 30
Goldeneye 1 female
Gadwall 83
Teal 63
Little Grebe 3
Great Crested Grebe 8
Lapwing 23 over
Great Black-backed Gull 2
Cormorant 19
Kingfisher 3

Scaup there presently. GM tick and lifer unbelievably!

Scaup - drake still (now looking more advanced with brighter eye and no brown noticeable in wing coverts)
Tufted Duck 15
Goldeneye - female
Goosander pair
Gadwall 36
Teal 88
Little Grebe 6
Great Crested Grebe 3 (courtship display)
Great Black-backed Gull 1 imm
Kingfisher 2 together (pair ?) at the pond
Ring-necked Parakeet 1

Scaup - drake still
Tufted Duck 23+
Goldeneye 1 female
Gadwall 73
Teal 63
Great Black-backed Gull 2

Scaup - drake still present with Tufted on the Ship Canal
Tufted Duck 20
Gadwall 42
Teal 43
Little Grebe 9
Great Crested Grebe 7
Great Black-backed Gull 1

Male Scaup still on the Ship Canal this afternoon with approx 70 Tufted Duck a bit further downstream from where Nick describes. Approach the fence with caution though as the ducks are quite skittish.

Also:
1 Goosander- male
1 Little Egret
1 Kingfisher - heard only
1 Little Grebe
4 Great Crested Grebe - 2 virtually in summer plumage
1 Shoveler - male
Numerous Teal and Gadwall
2 Cormorant
1 Bullfinch - male.

-- Edited by Steven Nelson on Sunday 21st of January 2024 05:13:21 PM

Nice male Scaup with the large flock of Tufted Duck on the MSC currently. View from the muddy path down to the fence at the second stone picnic table.

Gadwall 105
Teal 189
Tufted Duck 52
Little Grebe 6
Lapwing 1
Snipe 1
Great Black-backed Gull 2
Cormorant 21
Willow Tit 1
Chiffchaff 1

Canda Goose 59
Mute Swan 5
Gadwall 50
Wigeon 1
Mallard 15
Teal 62
Tufted Duck 3
Goosander 3
Little Grebe 18
Great Black-backed Gull 2
Kingfisher 1
Sparrowhawk 1
Buzzard 3
Kestrel 1

Little Egret 1
Great Black-backed Gull 1

Gadwall 2
Teal 1
Little Egret 1
Peregrine 1
Lapwing 8 over
Sand Martin 9
Swallow 2

Gadwall 12
Teal 1
Little Grebe 3
Great Crested Grebe 1
Common Sandpiper 1
Great Black-backed Gull 2 ad 1 juv
Kingfisher 1

Superb views of a Hobby was the highlight of a walk around this morning, the bird chasing Swallows around the Sludge Loading Bay and adjacent canal. Views down to 20ft.

3 Buzzard and 3 Grey Wagtail. 13 Cormorant, Kestrel, Jay, 2 Little Grebe.

1 Chiffchaff in full song (amazing what a bit of sun does for everyone!)

Gadwall 10
Little Grebe 1
Great Crested Grebe 1
Swift 8
Common Sandpiper 1
Kingfisher 1
Peregrine 1 immature male perched on the tallest tower of Barton Lock, flew a loop overhead and returned to the tower
Garden Warbler 1

Mute Swan pair with 4 cygnet
Gadwall 1 female
Little Grebe 1 adult 1 juvenile
Great Crested Grebe 2 adult 2 chicks
Oystercatcher 4
Lapwing 12
Mediterranean Gull 1 adult (different to recent Turn Moss bird)
Great Black-backed Gull 1 adult being mobbed by 2 Oystercatcher
Common Tern 3 together, 1 carrying food across the MSC
Kingfisher 1

Gadwall 1
Goldeneye female
Little Grebe juvenile on the pond
Great Crested Grebe 1
Oystercatcher 3
Great Black-backed Gull 1 adult
Common Tern 2
Cormorant 9
Heron 6
Kingfisher 1

Gadwall 6
Goldeneye 1 female
Great Crested Grebe 1
Stock Dove 15 minimum
Oystercatcher 1
Lapwing 13
Mediterranean Gull 1 adult
Great Black-backed Gull 1 adult
Common Tern 2
Hobby 1 (mobbing the Peregrine)
Peregrine 1

Gadwall 2
Goldeneye pair still
Little Grebe adult with at least 3 chicks
Oystercatcher 5
Lapwing 5
Great Black-backed Gull 2 (ad & imm)
Common Tern 1
Cormorant 10
Heron 10
Kingfisher 1
Hobby 1
Kestrel 3
Buzzard 2
Willow Tit 1-2. One singing at 53.461574, -2.387360. Later one heard calling nearby 53.461309, -2.387046
Whitethroat 3
Goldcrest 2

Gadwall 8
Little Grebe 1 on nest
Great Crested Grebe 2
Oystercatcher 1
Great Black-backed Gull 1 adult
Common Tern 1
Heron 8
Buzzard 3
Willow Tit pair, carrying food 53.461498, -2.387409
Sedge Warbler 2
Whitethroat 2

52 sp this pm including

Gadwall 11
Tufted Duck 3
Goldeneye pair
Lapwing 2 over
Great Black-backed Gull 2 (ad and imm)
Common Tern 1
Kingfisher 1 carrying food over the locks
Willow Tit 1 at 53.461783, -2.387343
Sedge Warbler 2 singing

Goldeneye - pair on the MSC, drake displaying

Mute Swan 5
Gadwall 20
Teal 21
Goosander 1 female over
Little Grebe 1 pond
Great Crested Grebe pair displaying on the MSC
Stock Dove 8
Heron 1
Sparrowhawk 1
Buzzard 2
Kestrel 1
Peregrine 1 over the pond SW
Chiffchaff 9 singing
Blackcap 1 singing male at the pond
Goldcrest 2 singing
Grey Wagtail pair (singing male)

4 singing Chiffchaff were the highlight of a wander around the millennium park this morning

2 Willow Tit were the highlight of this mornings visit for the BTOs WeBS count.

Plenty of Gadwall paired up, dozen Tufted Duck still around and one very noisy Oystercatcher.

Reed Bunting on the large pond.

Gadwall 41
Teal 12
Little Grebe 11
Lapwing 136 flocks of 45,9,12,40, 30 flying west
Raven 2
Chiffchaff 1 calling
Redpoll 1

The MSC was ice free. Highlights include

Jack Snipe 1 flew straight towards me across the MSC and low directly overhead
Snipe 2 flying around Salford side
Woodcock 1 sat out in the open on the mown path within the UU compound behind the fence. Took flight before I could get a picture of the fence.
Lapwing 1 over
Water Rail 1 walking along Bent Lanes Brook viewed from the bridge
Gadwall 82
Teal 68
Tufted Duck 16
Goldeneye 1
Little Grebe 7
Kingfisher 1

Some of the 44 sp seen

Mute Swan 1
Gadwall 58
Mallard 20
Teal 15
Tufted 7
Little Grebe 6
Great Crested Grebe 1
Lapwing 145 over
Great Black-backed Gull 2 over
Kingfisher 1
Raven 1
Skylark 4 over
Fieldfare 3 over


Chiffchaff 1

-- Edited by Pete Hines on Saturday 3rd of December 2022 04:09:18 PM

Sunday 27.11.22
0900-1230hrs...

Mostly the same as Nick,

Although we did have a Woodcock flying over the main pond shortly after 10, possibly flushed by 2 dogs that shouldnt have been where they were, lost to view, but appeared to come down around the Cow field...

Little Egret appeared from over the locks and came down at the side of the Great Bear Warehouse where all the lapwings seem to appear from normally..

Today, around midday;
101 Black-headed Gull
5 Blackbird
4 Blue Tit
1 Carrion Crow
10 Collared Dove
1 Common Gull
2 Coot
6 Cormorant
45 Gadwall
3 Goldcrest
7 Goldfinch
2 Great Crested Grebe
1 Great Spotted Woodpecker
2 Grey Heron
11 House Sparrow
9 Lapwing (over)
2 Lesser Black-backed Gull
3 Little Grebe
4 Long-tailed Tit
6 Magpie
16 Mallard
10 Moorhen
2 Redwing
4 Robin
12 Starling
8 Tufted Duck
1 Willow Tit
6 Woodpigeon
3 Wren

Kittiwake corpse of a first winter on the Ship Canal near Barton Lock
Lapwing 215
Snipe 1 over
Fieldfare 43 over
Gadwall 17
Teal 9
Tufted Duck 8
Little Grebe 3
Great Crested Grebe 1

Little Egret 1 over SW at 14.26
Lapwing 38 over

Green Sandpiper 2 together flying along the Ship Canal, calling, towards Barton Lock
Little Egret 3 together. Arrived from the north at 10.44 flew along the Canal away from Barton Lock then u-turning and flying over the Lock at 11.11
Lapwing 45 over east
Mute Swan 6
Gadwall 14
Teal 10
Tufted Duck 1
Little Grebe 3
Common Gull 3
Kingfisher 1
Redwing 16
Fieldfare 6
Meadow Pipit 1
Redpoll 1
Siskin4

Caught these two minutes before from Fairy Lane, Sale over the Mersey. Nice to see them tracking well.

Whooper Swan 2 over NW 'whooping' at 10.41
Little Egret 1 flew along the MSC and over the locks towards Salford at 09.58
Little Grebe 6
Gadwall 10
Lapwing 45 over
Treecreeper 2
Meadow Pipit just 1 over
Redpoll 1 over
Siskin flock of 21 over

Gadwall 7
Goldeneye 1
Little Grebe 3
Lapwing 56 over
Sparrowhawk 1
Buzzard 2
Kestrel 1
Kingfisher 1
Willow Tit 1 at 53.460890, -2.387513
Swallow 3
Chiffchaff 3 (1 singing)
Treecreeper 1
Redwing 1

Some of the 49 sp recorded this morning

Mute Swan 7
Gadwall 15
Mallard 27
Teal 7
Goldeneye 1
Little Grebe 4
Great Crested Grebe 1
Lapwing 14 over
Great Black-backed Gull 1 adult directly overhead
Little Egret 1
Sparrowhawk 2
Buzzard 1
Kestrel 2
Kingfisher 2
Rook 2
Willow Tit 1 at 53.461587, -2.385711
Sand Martin 1
Swallow 5
Chiffchaff 4
Mistle Thrush 1 over
Meadow Pipit 2 over
Linnet 7
Siskin 1

Pink-footed Goose : 5 skeins, 73 east at 09.01, 95 east at 10.28, 60 east at 10.29, 60 east at 10.32 (following the MSC) and 55 north west at 10.50
Green Sandpiper 3 together in flight, one broke off and headed south east
Little Egret 1 north at 08.26
Kingfisher 1
Peregrine 1
Buzzard 7
Sparrowhawk 1
Gadwall 14
Teal 3
Tufted Duck 2
Little Grebe 4
Great Crested Grebe 1
Swallow 25
Chiffchaff 2
Blackcap 1
Linnet 9
Redpoll 2

Common Sandpiper 2
Goldeneye 1
Kingfisher 1

Mute Swan 10 (6 well grown cygnet)
Gadwall 6
Mallard 15
Teal 3
Goldeneye 1
Little Grebe 4
Kingfisher 1
Sparrowhawk 2
Buzzard 3
Kestrel 1
Hobby 1 adult
Sand Martin 1
Swallow 30

Common Tern 2, adult feeding a juvenile
Gadwall 6
Little Grebe 4
Great Crested Grebe 1
Raven 2
Willow Warbler 1
Chiffchaff 10 Cormorant 20 minimum Kingfisher 2

-- Edited by Pete Hines on Monday 22nd of August 2022 01:45:06 PM

Green Sandpiper 2 flew along MSC over the locks towards Barton Bridge
Little Egret 2 ditto
Common Tern 1
Great Black-backed Gull 1 adult over
Kingfisher 1
Gadwall 2
Willow Tit 2
Linnet 4