57 Pink-footed Geese REALLY low over North Appleton now heading NNW towards Warrington Town centre. They were so low as I heard them coming over the garden I wondered if they were coming to land in my pond!!!!!

Paddington Meadows am.

3 Cetti's Warblers on the North Bank of the Mersey (2 heard on South Bank towards #4 bed at Woolston also).

2 Jay, one Raven, Blackbird, lots of Magpies (24+), two Chiffchaff, Long-tailed, Blue Great and Coal Tits. Wrens, Robins, Reed Bunting all in sub/song.

Great Black-backed and Lesser Black-backed (6+) Gulls over and Cormorant and 4 Black-headed Gulls.

1 Kestrel and one Marsh Harrier soaring over #4 bed. 

Two Oystercatcher over in flight and a Kingfisher on the river near the info boards.

2 Mute Swan, Mallard, Gadwall, Pochard (flight), Coot, Moorhen, Little Grebe, Grey Heron, flyover Little Egret.

House Sparrows, Dunnock, Goldfinch and Green finch at the allotments at Kingsway Bridge with the dreaded Ring-necked Parakeets (5) having a good time on the fruit bushes.

Starlings (~50-55) on the electric pipes at the rowing club with a couple of House Martins and a few Swallows (5-7).

Tawny Owls starting to get vocal around the area of the Market Garden next to Red Lane Allotments in North Appleton tonight.

Smallish skein of Pink-footed Geese over North Appleton a few minutes ago, going SE/E judging from the sound.

11 Swift  over our garden this afternoon in central Warrington heading South at pace

22 Ring-necked Parakeets into the roost at the Market Garden by Red Lane Allotments tonight. They are taking lots of fruit off the allotment at the moment our cherries, berries and apples are decimated. 

5+4+6 flocks of Ring-necked Parakeets flew west past the House tonight at dusk, presume to roost at either the Red Lane Allotments / Market Gardens or Walton Hall area.

Edit: I will put in the none bird forum but neither ourselves or a few neighbours have seen any bats around here this year (bottom end Stockton Heath / Bridgewater Canal / Appleton up to the Reservoir) which is a worrisome deveopment.

-- Edited by Andy Slee on Thursday 15th of August 2024 11:14:10 PM

Blue and White Budgerigar past our house in Appleton near the Bridgewater Canal about 35 minutes ago if anyone hears of one lost. Looks like it was going to where the Parakeets roost at the old market garden near Red Lane Allotments.

Funny, I used to keep Budgerigars as part of my cage birds (98-2010s) and blue Budgerigar (Buggerigars) were always the escapists. Wonder if it was the RAF colours in them made them 'reach for the sky'!.

Since a month ago looking through my notes an absolute dearth of garden birds.

Not one tit species.

Blackbird one male occasionally and that is it.

No Dunnocks, House Sparrows, Wrens, Greenfinch, Goldfinch or Thrush.

Apart of course, from those bloody Ring-Necked Parakeets in our neighbours orchard and by Red Lane allotments 200yards away and seeming to use the Bridgewater Canal opposite as a flyway to screech up and down early morns.

South Warrington round Red Lane Allotments / Market garden along Bridgewater Canal up to 17 Ring-necked Parakeets roosting since last Sunday inc at least 6 juv. Tonight nice to see 11 Swift (only second sighting from house this year) in the local.

A family party of 5 raven over our house

In central Warrington ,near to Bank Park Warrington 

Drifted off South . 

Curlew heard last night around 4 am, start of returnees? 

Juv Wren flew in through my kitchen window today, perched on the draining rack at the sink, looked at me confused and flew out again. Never had that before.

Mixed year for breeding in the garden, two successful Blackbird Broods, one Long Tailed Tit brood, two House Sparrow broods and three Dunnock broods from two pairs (I think). Juv Chiffchaff was around the other day in the trees on the lane next to the garden and adult again singing from there. Neither Blue Tit brood made it though cold spells killing them off leaving the sad task of clearing the next boxes.

Unexpected Ringed Plover wandering around Birchwood Park today!

Last couple nights 12, then 14 Ring-necked Parakeets have roosted in a tree to the South of Kingsway Bridge over the Mersey, only a few hundred yards from Woolston #4 bed!!!

And either the art class at school were having a joke or there was the ghostly dusty image of a Tawny Owl having hit a window at Bridgewater Higher School (upper site); no sign of an injured bird. Two pairs Herring Gulls appear to be nesting on the roof also!

Yesterday fledgling Blackbird in our garden and today fledgling Dunnock. Our cat is well hacked off at facing the next few months shut indoors.

Edit: Also Tawny Owls heard most nights in the old market Garden by Red Lane Allotments.

Last night and tonight - Tawny Owls calling and flying between trees by Red Lane, North Appleton.

Nice to find a pair of Ringed and a pair of Little Ringed plover on a soon to be Housing site near central Warrington yesterday and this morning   ,hopefully both will get young off before they start the building this summer . 

15 Whooper Swans flying low NW over Warrington Town Centre at 17.40 tonight 

North Appleton - garden list since lockdown. First Song Thrush for many years yesterday and then this morning three Curlew directly flew over NNW-SE taking the post March 2000 list for the Garden to a nice round half century.

Four Waxwing, Whitefield Road (Bargain Booze End) in Stockton Heath at 2:50 pm.

North Appleton Tawny Owls tei-twoing each other near Red Lane Allotments at 10pm last night. Today 17 Ring-necked Parakeets hassling one of the Owls in daytime.

3-4pm had a look around for the Waxwing in the usual spots around Tesco, Kemmac Distribution (sketchy poss Yellow Legged Gull on roof), Battersby Lane and all other environs for Waxwing and only turned up 33 Starlings in a tree at Osnath works by Tesco, plus on the traffic light / street light at the A49 / Tesco Extra junction a male Peregrine. I'll take that as a year tick for my efforts!

33 Waxwing Battersby Lane Warrington  at 2pm yesterday. 

170 Pink Footed Geese SW over Tesco Extra Warrington at 8.30 

This morning 

Yesterday, as I was tarting to cook lunch wife asks me why I'm transfixed on the kitchen window........"I'm counting that Skien of Pink-footed Geese flying SE over Moore Nature Reserve"...................."Get looking at the Goose in the Oven and worry about birds on Boxing Day.......". Oooops!

Now its Boxing Day, 464 SE over Moore / Lower Walton at ~10:45am in three loose Skeins almost converging as one.

-- Edited by Andy Slee on Tuesday 26th of December 2023 08:50:06 PM

Short-eared Owl at Paddington Meadows recentley....I do pass this spot on the river every couple of weeks with the rowers, not yet seen myself but will be keeping an eye out

https://www.warringtonguardian.co.uk/news/23991809.rare-birds-spotted-paddington-meadows-warrington/

28 - 32 Waxwing at Forshaw Street / Battersby Lane, Warrington at times through the day. Calling nicely this afternoon when I had time to stop and watch as opposed to views from traffic queues to date this year. Around 3pm a second flock of 20 or so flew in twice from the direction of Winwick Road circling the trees the other group is roosting in before returning that direction (flocks have been seen near Tesco). A group of eight Starlings flew by the second time the mobile flock appeared to give a nice flight comparison.

2 waxwing marsh house lane car park Warrington at 9.50 as they went to leave at 10am   unfortunately 1 was taken by sparrowhawk , the other flew back towards battersby lane .

2 Waxwing seemingly roosted at Battersby Lane and present until 09.20 when they flew off strong east . none present when I called in at 12.30 on my way home from the patch.record sjot of them below 

2,300 Corvids West over North Appleton towards the Capped Tip at Moore ~15:50 - 16:15, majority (JUST) Carrion Crow, most the remainder Jackdaw - always interesting to watch the Jackdaw flocks flying faster and through the Carrion Crow flocks, two Ravens and 15 Magpies in the same direction during the period. A small roost of Rooks appears to be forming near Red Lane Allotments by the canal.

The previous years Gull flightpath in a similar direction for an evening roost doesn't seem to be happening this year, used to be able to watch both flightlines from the same places (North Appleton, Moore, Lower Walton).

270 Pink Footed Geese heading West at 1300 over our house central Warrington 

Fri 8th Dec

Delivering on Orford Lane near the Wolves Stadium early afternoon when I saw the report of c30 Waxwings in trees opposite Tesco. I made my way round there but they were all Starlings.
Thats not to say there was some just before I got there?

I checked Battersby Lane round the corner (incidentally where they were a few years ago too) but no sign.


-- Edited by Rob Creek on Friday 8th of December 2023 08:43:42 PM

-- Edited by Rob Creek on Friday 8th of December 2023 08:44:25 PM

-- Edited by Rob Creek on Friday 8th of December 2023 08:45:10 PM

-- Edited by Rob Creek on Friday 8th of December 2023 08:45:31 PM

-- Edited by Rob Creek on Friday 8th of December 2023 08:46:00 PM

Yesterday 06.12.2023

2 Nuthatch in the grounds of the town hall bank park,

8 Redwing feeding on Berries in Palmyra Square by the parr hall looks a good area to check for Waxwing if your in town .

2 Waxwings in car park at junction of marsh house lane and marsh lane mid afternoon but no sign of any at battersby lane where one was seen late morning

No sign of any waxwings this afternoon apparently

JOHN TYMON wrote:

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at least 9 Waxwing earlier and at least 8 still present at Battersby Lane at 13.00 when I left. 

-- Edited by JOHN TYMON on Friday 1st of December 2023 01:10:59 PM

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Went for a look a few days ago before the influx and looks like plenty of berries there. Hopefully we'll get a decent flock over the next few days

at least 9 Waxwing earlier and at least 8 still present at Battersby Lane at 13.00 when I left. 

3 Waxwing still present at 3.30pm at Battersby Lane, at times they flew away for quite a while but came back . Getting mixed in with the Starling at times . 

3 waxwing battersby lane warrington flighty

Reports this morning of 11 waxwing heading towards the town centre from Woolston, anyone in the area check near Sainsbury's,Milner street and battersby lane they are the likely sights.

Adult Yellow legged gull  on the stonemill pub chimney with a Herring Gull just Winwick road, both flew east at 8am

Dean Clark wrote:

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Which end John ? Im quite local to there ( by the king and queen )

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 Back Forshaw street is their favoured place were the 3 big trees are ,they have been regular there over the years 

Which end John ? Im quite local to there ( by the king and queen )

I have been checking the usual Waxwing sites in Warrington for Waxwing, none found so far but not a great lot of Berries at Milner street as most ofthe trees at vw have been removed ,but Battersby Lane heaving with Berries so anyone passing just have a quick look as im expecting them hopefully any day now ,but need more eyes when im working later in the week . 

A nice Male Sparrowhawk just in our garden in central Warrington near to Bank Park.