Have had Wheatear here as the spring pushes come through in the past so went after work today to see if any were about, via Occupation Lane/Gale Brook/Appleton Moss. No Wheatear but star bird was a Cattle Egret near Moss Farm.

Good numbers of Lapwing (16) on territories in the fields. 33 Pied Wagtails, poss two White in that number, in the fields between Occ. Lane and Gale Brook.

Kestrel hunting over and three Buzzards.

Seven Yellowhammers in total, two Linnet flocks 16 + 26 in the hedges.

Flyover Curlew (single bird) and two Oystercatchers at the garden pond of one of the houses on South end Occ. Lane. Also 21 Canada Geese and two Bar-headed Geese - feral clipped birds as none seen to fly.

South end of the Reed towards Antrobus today - Keepers Lane and North. Very flooded fields. Biggest flood two Shelduck, four Teal, 17 Mallard - behind golf course on flood, which had 3 Snipe and one Jack Snipe in margins.

Curlew over and I could swear heard Redshank but no visual.

Otherwise Blackbird, Song Thrush (singing), Mistle Thrush (12), Redwing (210+), Fieldfare (47), Yellowhammer (1m), Tree Sprog, all the usual Titmouse, 1 Moorhen by the A537.

Not a single raptor!

Plenty Corvids, Pied (m+f) and Grey Wagtails (m), Stonechat (m), Linnets in small flocks (3-10). Few Redpoll and Siskin and Greenfinch on the Arley to Appleton Prison Road.

Saw seven Waxwings as I was on New Road (near the Evergreen Containers) in the berry bushes in the hedge. Possibly more but was on a schedule and couldn't stop for more than 1 minute.

Posted on Arley thread as well as these seem to be the closest Red Kite being mobbed by two Kestrels over the A50 at Sworton Heath at 3:30pm.

Having plenty of time out today either side of work, this afternoon after having being at Rixton this morn and failed to see any Hoopoe I forgot to check my phone leaving work (1 mile from Rixton where the Hoopoe was now showing) and decided to go to Appleton and Stretton Mosses (if we can call them that now drained and Appleton Moss being ploughed today - hope there were no Lapwing nests there).

I am glad I did. As I saw the most gorgeous Little Owl out sunning itself. Seven Northern Wheatear and a a Stonechat on the fields west of Occupation Lane. A Lapwing with two chicks in the same area (plus Ravens stalking the field). Two Grey Partridge and two Linnet (m,f) same area.

Loads of Swallows feeding and in song.

Next to M56, two more Ravens attacking Buzzards loafing on the thermals with a Kestrel joining in at all of them.

Two Oystercatchers around the South end Occupation Lane and three Yellowhammers in the trees there.

Almost stood on a Snipe crossing one of the ditches and a Yellow Wagtail tweeped past me at low level giving great views next to Jacks Oil Rig.

Birds seen yesterday Flushed by jays along Arley Mile but lost to sight . 2 x Woodcock 5 x Teal 20c Tree Soarrow 10c Yellowhammer 2/4 Mistle Thrush 1x Green Sandpiper ( Gale Brook nr motorway ) 1 x Oystercatcher 7 x Golden Plover - landed briefly in field along Occupation lane 200/250c Linnet 2/3 Kestrel Up to 10 Lapwing on territory 9 x Stonechat ( 7 feeding in newly ploughed field along Occupation lane - like mini Wheatears ! ) My highest count I think. Chris Hancock

A.m. in the snow, circuit from by the M56 over ex-Appleton Moss, Stretton Moss and Occupation Lane.

35 Redwing, 14 Fieldfare, eight Snipe, 18 Yellowhammer, 180 (!) Linnets with four Chaffinch on Appleton Moss, a few reed Bunting and 47 Canada Geese being highlights, Curlew heard to call but not seen.

Yellowhammer in amongst a flock of Chaffinch by Reed Lane. 42 Fieldfare on stubble at Reed-gate Lane, with two Kestrels looking menacing on the telegraph poles, a couple of Buzzards and an all too fleeting glimpse of a probable (fork tailed raptor) Red Kite disappearing over the old airfield, going E. 

Notable birds seen over the long weekend on the 'Reed.

8 Yellow Wagtail
150/200 Hirundines
2 Swift
28 Curlew
2/3 Hobby
4 Stonechat ( 1 m , 2 f , 1 Juv )
1 possible Wheatear
2 Whinchat. - nb - chat species very elusive and difficult due to amount of cover .
2 Sparrowhawk
1 Great Black backed Gull
6 Mistle Thrush
40c Tree Sparrow
2 Snipe
Possible Lesser Whitethroat calling briefly

Birds seen today / recently. .
Currently 82/84 Curlew and 5/6 Oystercatcher ( the former are regular at this time of year but this number is encouragingly high and the latter have done well this season with my best count being 10 on 1/7 ) - both species on cut grass field just off Occupation lane. , also with several hundred Corvids . Female 'Channel' wagtail paired with a flava male with the first juv found 28/6 . A female Common Redstart on 3/7 was I assume an early autumn migrant. Other notables in the last couple of weeks - Mandarin Duck , Grasshopper warbler , Lesser Whitethroat , Hobby (2) , 20/25 Tree Sparrow in nest boxes off Barbers lane , also possible Merlin seen by a friend a couple of days ago.

Birds seen this morning

1 Little Ringed Plover
22c Wheatear
20c Lapwing
6 Snipe
2 Grey Partridge
6 Linnet
1 Brambling ( on feeders with good numbers of Treesparrow , Yellowhamer etc )
Certainly more Blackcap and Willow warbler now but no Swallows yet !
2 Mistle Thrush

Not going out far at the moment for various reasons so I thought watching the weather front approaching with some downdraught showers an afternoon meander over the Appleton / Stretton Moss / Occupation Lane was in order to see if any migrants dropped in. As it was the weather front seemed to weaken and not push as far South, but nevertheless.

13 Tree Sparrows, good numbers of Black-Headed Gulls following the slurry spraying tractors (farmer knows it is going to rain), two Lesser Black-backed Gulls in the midst. Two buzzards, Kestrel and Sparrowhawk. Single Yellowhammer. Cormorant over (patch tick!). Numerous Chiffchaffs and my target bird for the day, Blackcap (first of spring) greeted me as I stepped out the car on the Arley - Appleton Thorn Road!

14 Pied Wagtail in one field, a pause to scan the flock produced two Whites so perhaps I wasn't far off with my prediction of migrants dropping in!

Unfortunately the field I'd know as "Appleton Moss" which used to be an area of scrub about 400m square has been cleared, no doubt for arable farming. Was always good for both Chats and Reed Bunting, and in the winter have have both Snipe there as well all of which were absent today.

Most curious though was the sound of a Corn Bunting singing near Occupation Lane. Managed to get a audio recording the second time I heard it and examining the sonogram it looks right in duration, build up to the "jangling keys" timeline for the final burst and in frequency but there is a lot of noise from the M56 when trying to re-listen to the audio so without a sighting can't be more than "possible", did look at a few other species such as Skylark in case it was that but frequencies only seem to match Corn Bunting. Interesting to see the two low frequency strips that must be either carriageway of the M56 giving off slightly different sonograms. Anyone want a listen the file is 1Mb .wav file, PM and I'll return it. Curious almost to eliminate Corn Bunting as I thought they were long gone from this part of Cheshire.

Birds seen this morning ..

Jack Snipe 3
Common Snipe 10
Woodcock 1
Lapwing . Sev now establishing territory
Raven 1
Kestrel 3-4
Stonechat 1 ( f )
Greylag goose 1
Siskins - sev heard
Brambling 3/4
BH gull. Sev hundred on flooded fields

A most excellent walk around today, starting at Arely Road by Burley Heys Woodyard. Fields full of Restart and Fieldfare. A Great Spotted Woodpecker flew S.

I proceeded along Sandy Lane, where a Siskin was present on alder cones.

Via the public footpath to Penny Pleck Lane and the east end of the airfield and two raven were  present, angry at something. A female Peregrine down at the end of the runway on prey.

Returning to head South Down Penny Pleck Lane, 2 Nuthatch were a courting and 6 Yellowhammer in the hedge opposite the dog kennels.

Onto Caudwell Gate Land and in a 12 Chaffinch flock a male brambling was present, plus two more Siskin.

M+F Goosander flew over.

Looping to Park Moss Nature reserve, in the trees East of Arley Road, 100 yrds South of the nature reserve was a white washed out belly, wing bar, generally looking scruffy plumaged, large (almost as large as the male Chaffinch it was near/with), very visible red crowned Redpoll. Probable Meally? Flew towards barns opposite side of the road to Park Moss.

Seven more yellowhammer were seen on the way to Occupation Lane over the field and back paths and two more on Occupation Lane.

37 species in total and two blisters as a four mile walk turned into a seven mile one as I was having such a good afternoon! Patch birding at its best!

Thanks Chris. I called to the site again first thing this morning when much the same was around (so good to see so many Tree Sparrows again) but more spread out around the surrounding hedgerows. I did see the Little Egret flying about and also Redwings. Thanks about hopping over the gate next time, I shall if that's ok! I shall also explore some of the surrounding footpaths as I like what you are seeing in the area.

Thanks Chris for your excellent posts and sightings from Whitley Reed! I have joined the forum especially to post about my visit there today. I was delighted to find your feeding area this lunchtime on my first ever visit to the Reed. A fantastic flock of birds in the hedgerow there in the breezy conditions: including Tree Sparrow (20+) together with the House Sparrows, Yellowhammers (at least six just near the feeders), Bramblings (3), Greenfinches (pair) etc - a fantastic sight and sound! My birding highlight of the year.

Birds seen yesterday...

3 Kestrel
1 Sparrowhawk
1 Woodcock
2 Jack Snipe
9 Common Snipe
Sev Brambling ( calling overhead )
9 Siskin
50/60 Treesparrow
25 Yellowhammer
1 Grey Wagtail

Birds seen this morning.

Peregrine ( m)
Raven. X4
Woodcock x2
Common Snipe x8
Jack Snipe x2
Brambling - heard
Redpoll - Heard
Siskin 8/10
Bullfinch 4/5
Grey Wagtail x3
Yellowhammef 20 plus
Treesparrow x16
Pink-footed Geese X 20/22 . Seen going into land Stretton area
Grey Partridge. X 15. . Seen yesterday by a ( reliable !) friend on a private site nearby. An excellent count of this now dIfficult to find species

-- Edited by Chris Hancock on Tuesday 23rd of November 2021 02:17:08 PM

Ta Chris, will be in touch, might be the other side of Christmas before I have time to meet but will txt to arrange a date.

Whilst I'd call the section I walked 3 miles over this morn "Appleton and Stretton Moss", Whitley Reed and the old HMS Blackcap airfield cover a bigger area so I'll stick this report in as a sub-area.

First visit, inspired by a friend who saw Jack Snipe and Tawny Owl up there a couple of weeks ago.

1hr visit, bit mizzley, SW breeze.

31 species so not a bad start.

Quite feel I could make this a bit of a local patch being only a few minutes from home. Surprised though on this visit not to see yellowhammer as there are regular on many of the paths round Arley, Grappenhall, towards Budworth, never in great numbers, but predictably single figures.

Todays record.