Sightings from this morning

10 whooper swan west
2 common scoter ( male and female)
Pintail
4 wigeon
Cettis warbler
800 redwing east
400 starling west
Skylark south
16 Siskin south

Yesterday
11 whooper swan west
Scaup
Pintail
Cettis warbler
1600 redwing North

Another fantastic morning of migration

Red kite east over pilsworth
35 whooper swan se
46 wigeon west in 3 flocks
5000 Woodpigeon south
3100+ redwing south
3 skylark
Siskin
36 Fieldfare west
1500 starling west
Pintail
Scaup
46 teal
6 little egret
Cettis warbler
3 Chiffchaff
Willow tit

Sightings from this morning

Pintail
Scaup
Cettis warbler
8 shoveler
2 gadwall
30 teal
2 little egret
3 Raven
Rock pipit
15 whooper swan SE at 11am

A cracking vis mig watch from withins most birds south unless stated
7300 Woodpigeon
9 stock dove
802 jackdaw
42 rook
15 meadow pipit
5 linnet
2 Siskin
2 skylark
4 Greylag goose east
10 Fieldfare west
207 redwing west
254 west
72 lapwing south

A chilly but rewarding morning:

Pink-footed Geese (all distant heading South East) - 360 approx. in 4 Skeins

Tufted Duck 34

Eurasian Teal 23

Gadwall 6

Northern Shoveler 3

Great Black-backed Gull 3

Rook 3

Goosander 2

Redwing 2

European Stonechat 2

Greater Scaup (Juv/fem type) 1

Common Scoter (Drake) 1

Black-Tailed Godwit (Over West) 1

Raven 1

Willow Tit 1

Rock Pipit 1

-- Edited by Keith Rowland on Thursday 15th of October 2026 04:14:53 PM

-- Edited by Keith Rowland on Thursday 15th of October 2026 04:23:24 PM

-- Edited by Keith Rowland on Thursday 15th of October 2026 04:28:01 PM

9.45am -13.30.pm. Light breeze, mixed cloud. 10c- 14c.

With Mike Harwood.

37 species including.

1 Cettis Warbler.
2 Scaup.
1 Pintail.
4 Redwing
5 Ring necked dove.
5 Long tailed tit.
12 Pied wagtail.
5 Great black backed gull.
7 Lesser black backed gull.
40+ Herring gull.
2 Shoveler.
120+ Coot.
11 Cormorant.
9 Great crested grebe.
18 Tufted duck.
120+ Mallard.
2 Goosander.
6 Mute swan.
3 Rose ringed parakeet.

Thanks Derek.

Sightings from today

1200 Redwing SW in 53 flocks
Pintail - female on withins
Stonechat
4 shoveler
Little egret
Cettis Warbler
3 Chiffchaff
170 Pink-footed Geese SE and 81 NW

Sightings from this morning

Red Kite
Whooper swan (ad) on res eventually flew east
3 pintail - 2 west and eclipse male on res
73 redwing NW
Pochard
30 teal
4 snipe
Siskin
120 linnet
127 meadow pipit south
2 skylark
427 herring gull
10 Great black-backed Gull
47 lesser black-backed Gull

09.30am -13.30pm, Clear, still. 12c- 16c.

With Mike Horwood.

45 Species including:

1 Great white egret.
1 Common buzzard.
1 Kestrel.
1 Little egret.
1 Kingfisher.
1 Raven.
1 Great spotted woodpecker.
1 Dipper.
1 Willow tit.
1 Nuthatch.
1 Swallow.
1 Coal tit.
2 Chaffinch.
12+ Greenfinch.
20+ Goldfinch.
4 Collared dove.
5 Jay.
1 Pheasant.
7 Lesser black backed gull.
4 Goosander.
3 Teal.
5 Great crested grebe.
110+ Coot.
40+ Mallard.
11 Cormorant.
13 Tufted duck.
1 Grey heron.
8 Mute swan.

Thanks Derek.

Sightings from yesterday

8 wigeon
12 Gadwall
2 Shoveler
Pochard
Cettis Warbler
Water rail
1100+ meadow pipits flew south
29 swallow south
19 linnet south
3 snipe west

This morning with Paul

16 Ringed Plover (one flock) flew west
Golden plover flew NE calling over withins
4 other unidentified waders flew west ( possible plovers)
5 gadwall
1 shoveler
10 teal
2 Little grebe

0910hrs-1100hrs

 

1 Willow Tit, 5 Parakeet and 2 Collared Dove on the feeders as well as the usual suspects. 

 

On and around the Res

3 Reed Bunting 

6 Cormorant 

4 Little Grebe 

5 Great Crested Grebe

2 Shoveler 

2 Gadwall

4 Teal

2 Pheasant 

2 Kestrel flew over together 

1 Grey Wagtail 

2 Pied Wagtail 

1 Grey Heron

Plus the usual Coot Gulls Tufted Duck Mallard Swan Canada Geese

 

River

3 Goosander

1 Cormorant

2 Kingfisher 

Sightings 6-7pm

835 Swallow flew though south in several large flocks
Little egret
2 Snipe SW
6 Rook

Duck numbers reduced from this mornings sightings. With 5 wigeon, 5 gadwall, 7 teal and 2 shoveler

This morning with Paul Wilson produced-

3 Ringed Plover through west around 8.15am
17 Snipe through west in several groups
3 Jay high south
350 Swallows south between showers
110 Meadow Pipits south

On the res, 26 Teal, 10 Gadwall, 7 Wigeon, 40+ Tufted Duck, 4 Little Grebes, 1 Little Egret.

20 Ring-necked Parakeets, 1 Willow Tit, 1 calling Cetti's Warbler near Wader Point, down to 3 Chiffchaff.


-- Edited by Simon Warford on Wednesday 23rd of September 2026 06:28:15 PM

This morning in the fog with Simon Johnson produced 1 juvenile Ruff in the Car Park bay, also 1 Wigeon on the res.

This mornings highlights, mainly with Simon Johnson produced-

1 Glossy Ibis flew very low along the wall at 06:45, relocated in horse field behind Doffer Fold farm 20 minutes by Simon J where it then flew low back towards the reservoir but couldn't be relocated up to 10:30am with a few of us looking. Rubbish phone video grab attached.

Also 5 Pintail flew in from the east, looked to land on the res but decided against it and flew off high NW at 08:30
6 Shoveler
4 Gadwall
11 Teal
2 Little Egret
Approx. 800 Pink-footed Geese over west or NW.
Willow Tit
Still 100+ Swallows, 50+ House Martins and one late Sand Martin around with some passing through south
400+ Meadow Pipits south

-- Edited by Simon Warford on Friday 18th of September 2026 02:42:05 PM

-- Edited by Simon Warford on Saturday 19th of September 2026 12:48:01 PM

Highlights of a morning circuit:

1 sparrowhawk, 1 kestrel.

6 Shoveler, 4 Teal, 7 Tufted Duck, 1 Goosander.

6 Little, 11 Great Crested Grebe.

2 Water Rail.

c20 Swallow, c50 House Martin

1 Whitethroat, 1 Blackcap, 6+ Chiffchaff.

1 Willow Tit.

 

Red kite went through 15 10pm.between old hall farm and canal  2 ravens around too

In addition to Simon's sightings there were 2 Wheatears seen by Paul W and myself.

I saw 4 Great Egrets over Grane Reservoirs just after 8am which then u-turned.  These must have been the same birds which flew north over Elton.  I hope we get more of your scarcities coming our way in the future. 

Interestingly two flocks 4 at the same time, one at Audenshaw and the other at Pennington.  I wonder which lot the 4 seen at Elton came from - Audenshaw or Pennington?

-- Edited by Sarfraz Hayat on Friday 28th of August 2026 09:25:58 PM

Black Tailed Godwits flew round Elton tonight, 17.53 did not seem to land, gave decent views even went over pumphouse for the classic shot

This mornings highlights-

1 Green Sandpiper
6 Gadwall
10 Teal
1 Common Tern
1 Cetti's Warbler
4 Spotted Flycatcher in the horse paddocks between the reservoir and Spen Moor.

Some nice migrants today and a total of 75 species

2 Whinchat - juvs Elton Goyt
Redstart - male near crow tree farm
2 Tree pipit. (1 Goyt and 1 south over the creek)
Yellow Wagtail south
Green sandpiper
2 Snipe west
6 lapwing
Teal
Gadwall
Shoveler
15 Swift
1000+ Hirundines mainly sand Martin landing on the pylon wires
4 Sedge warbler
Little egret
2 kingfisher

Highlights from an excellent morning with Simon, Paul and Dave Lowe -

adult Yellow-legged Gull (different bird to last weeks), also 2 Common Gulls amongst 70+ Lesser Black-backed and Herring Gulls.
Whimbrel called 3 times as it flew through south
2 Dunlin through with 4 Snipe
5 Yellow Wagtails over south
10 Mute Swan, 1 Teal, 5 Goosander, 6 Tufted Duck
2 Water Rail
1 Oystercatcher
3 Little Grebe
229 Coot
Common Tern
2 Raven
200 Sand Martin
100 Swallow
12+ Swift
300+ Goldfinch

Early morning today a Green Sandpiper was also present.