A Hobby was present this morning seen hunting on the border of C4/C6. Lots of Warblers singing including, Grasshopper, Sedge, Reed and Willow Warblers. A total of 8 Whitethroats were singing. A Single Garden Warbler was singing in C6, also two juvenile Blackcap in C6. 1 Water Rail heard in Nevisons Flash. Decent numbers of the usuals about Meadow Pipit, Skylark, Reed Bunting. Singles of Linnet, Snipe, Kestrel and Little Grebe.
Mute swans on diggle flash this morning with cygnets, not sure how many as they were hidden by parents and in reed bed on far side but did see at least 5, other juveniles on water included coot, moorhen and mallard, c 20 swift over water,
07.30-08.30 C3 and as far as New Water only 1 Hobby briefly showed an interest in a passing Swallow before departing east 1 Raven mobbing a Buzzard 1 Kestrel Grasshopper Warbler, Whitethroat, Blackcap, Reed Warbler all singing loudly
06.30-10.30 Cuckoo called twice from near back of stock pond @09.30 family party of Willow Tit by Fir Tree Flash Mute Swan on FTF recently fledged plus usual warbler mix
cuckoo calling from behind stock pond from 10-25 until 10-40 only managed a glimpse it was well hidden and then heard at 11-40 from behind school on bickershaw lane,
cuckoo flew from church yard on Bickershaw lane @05-50 to trees around stock pond calling before settling down still calling first of the year for me, decent numbers of warblers, blackcap, whitethroat, sedge warbler, reed warbler, grasshopper warbler, chiffchaff and willow warbler all seen, skylark, reed bunting, great tit, blue tit, dunnock, wren, kestrel, buzzard, pheasant, magpie, carrion crow, wood pigeon. diggle flash- 4 pairs of coot with young a 3, 2x2s, and a single on the stock pond, mallard with 6 ducklings also on stock pond, tufted duck, mute swan, moorhen, great crested grebe, 3 little grebe, black headed gull, 2 lesser black backed gull.
morning dog walk 7 greenfinch picking grit on old car park, great tit, willow warbler, chiffchaff. blackbird and robin all into double figures, 2 wren, 3 dunnock, 1mistle thrush, 4 pheasant, 2 meadow pipit, 2 blackcap, whitethroat heard but not seen, 5 reed bunting, 3 blue tit, 2 jay, 7 jackdaw, magpie, carrion crow, wood pigeon, 2 skylark. diggle flash- 3 reed warbler, 1 sedge warbler heard but not seen, 2 grasshopper warbler from field to side of flash, 1 drake gadwall, c30 tufted duck, 2 mute swan, 14 coot, 1 lesser black backed gull, 3 moorhen, 3 great crested grebe, 2 little grebe, 2 mallard, 2 swallow hawking over water.
Those who keep piping on about developing "brownfield" sites before any others need to take a peep at Scott's list for Bickershaw today. The warbler variety alone, with the additional importance of numbers of locally declining 'grassland' species - Skylark, Meadow Pipit, and Linnet - (as well as Stonechat) knocks the "build on brownfield first" suggestion for six. As for the 4x4s, we've tried for years to get shut of them, without success. When/if the site acquires 'Country Park' status, perhaps there'll be a greater determination to send them packing. For the record, the future of the site has been discussed at umpteen meetings for at least the last fourteen years, and, hopefully, the time will come when any lingering doubts about its vulnerability will be dispelled!
07.45 - 11.00 9 Grasshopper Warbler - 6 C8, watched one singing from top of thicket for 30 mins occasionally dropping to the floor before quickly returning to its singing perch, others reeling in C2,3 & 5 1 Sedge Warbler 3 Whitethroat 3 Blackcap plenty of Reed Warbler 5 Sand Martin 12 Swallow
no sign of Cuckoo yet (thought they might be early this year but got it wrong)
morning dog walk willow warbler 20+, great tit, chiffchaff,blackbird,robin,reed bunting all into double figures, 4 blue tit, 2 long tailed tit, 4 blackcap heard only 2 of them seen 1 in particular giving excellent close up views,6 pheasant, 2 grasshopper warbler heard only 1 of them seen and then only briefly, 1 mistle thrush, whitethroat heard only,magpie, carrion crow, wood pigeon, 2 jay, several jackdaw, diggle flash- 3 little grebe, 2 great crested grebe, pair of gadwall on stock pond, 4 mallard, 2 canada geese, 2 mute swan, 30+ tufted duck, 16 coot, 4 moorhen, 8 black headed gull, 2 lesser black backed gull,
07.45 - 10.15 C2,3,4 & 6 7 Reed Warbler - 4 NF, 2 Central ditch, 1 New Water 1 Grasshopper Warbler - showed briefly in C5 1 Whitethroat -C4 2 Raven flew from C4 over C5 and landed on phone mast in Firsdale Industrial Park and stayed there for an hour before leaving Willow Warbler calling from everywhere
An amazing spectacle of well over 4000 sand martins at Tinker Joe's yesterday evening. There were a few coming and going up to 8pm, but it really got going at about 8:10pm when thousands came in. I've attached a photo with a crude grid in an attempt to count them.
In the field we'd estimated 3 - 5000 birds, and I just wondered how accurate we had been. I haven't counted every bird in every square on this image, but I have counted birds in every other square, and for the rest estimated the number based on counted squares if you see what I mean. If you add up the totals for each square it comes to 4005 birds. Bearing in mind that not every bird is on this photo because there were smaller flocks on the periphery of the main swarm, an estimate of 5 - 7000 birds might have beeen more accurate. Even so, not a bad attempt in the field and what an amazing number of sand martins!
Between one and two thousand Sand Martins roosting at Tinker Joe's Flash last night - with occasional murmurations. No build-up : several hundred appeared overhead in oval ball formation at 2208 hrs. - and they and many others down in the reeds within ten minutes!
A Treecreeper was either nest building or visiting existing nest in C3, the latter the more likely, as I didn't notice it carrying any nesting material, although it was constantly popping in and out of the hole. Will keep a close eye on it when passing.
07.25 - 10.15 1 Grasshopper Warbler - reeling from Blackthorn on edge of path between C8 & C10 (I was ready with camera 10ft away but I didn't even manage to see it never mind photograph it) 1 Whitethroat - C4 1 Grey Wagtail - C3 2 Lesser Redpoll Pair of Buzzard copulating rather precariously on a thin branch in C8 with the male still displaying later on Mute Swan on nest - FTF 3 pairs of Linnet - 2 C4 + 1 C8 2 pairs of Little Grebe - C10 plenty of Chiffchaff & Willow Warbler a few Sand Martin over
and 5 Blackcap
-- Edited by Gordon Newman on Sunday 9th of April 2017 10:56:27 AM
8 Willow Warbler 12 Chiffchaff 100+ Sand Martin 2 Swallow 6 Buzzard together over C3 with 4 of them displaying 2 Sparrowhawk displaying over C8 3 Little Grebe - C10 1 Pink-footed Goose - feeding and looked healthy on Fir Tree Flash (not really associating with Canada Geese so probably dropped in on migration?)
2 Stonechat, Male and Female C8 8 Reed Bunting C6 and C8 5 Skylark C6 and C8 4 Meadow Pipit C6 and C8 3 Linnet C8 1 Kestrel C8 4 Chiffchaff C6 and C8 2 Snipe C10 1 Water Rail, Nevisons Flash c25 Goldfinch C8 1 Goldcrest C6 1 Kingfisher, Fir Tree Flash. Same place as yesterday probably same bird.
Good numbers of the usuals about and lots of singing.
3 Chiffchaff C6 and C8 6 Skylark C5,C6 and C8 3 Meadow Pipit C6 3 Linnet C8 6 Reed Bunting C8 2 Buzzard C4 1 Male Stonechat C10 1 Kingfisher, Fir Tree Flash. 2 Jay C6 1 Nuthatch, Rare on this site. 3 Greenfinch, don't see many Greenfinch either.
morning dog walk 19 goldfinch, great tit, blue tit, 2 bullfinch, robin and blackbird both into double figures, 1 jay, dunnock,wren, 2 mistle thrush, 3 reed bunting, 2 skylark, 3 pheasant, diggle flash- 2 goldeneye 1m 1f, mallard, coot, tufted duck, moorhen, 1 common gull amongst black headed gulls,2 great crested grebe, 1 little grebe seen 3 more heard only,
morning dog walk 2 bullfinch with several goldfinch, decent numbers great tit, 4 blue tit, 1 jay, c30 jackdaw over, 9 canada geese over, 2 cormorant over, mixed finch flock in trees around old anglers car park included 8 greenfinch, 4 goldfinch and 3 chaffinch, 2 collared dove, robin and blackbird into double figures, 3 dunnock, 1 wren, 3 reed bunting, magpie, carrion crow, wood pigeon, diggle flash- 1 canada goose, 1 cormorant, 1 drake goldeneye, 2 gadwall, 3 malard, 2 little grebe, 2 great crested grebe, tufted duck, coot, 2 moorhen, black headed gulls,
09.00-12.30 1 Chiffchaf singing 1 Raven 1 Kingfisher 1 drake Goldeneye 5 Water Rail heard only 3 Siskin heard only plenty of Skylark and Reed Bunting singing throughout whole area 1 Greenfinch (not seen here very often) 1 pair of Great crested Grebe 4 Snipe