For those interested, I have put together a bird report for 2018 covering the Marbury & Witton Flashes patch and therefore including Marbury Country Park. If you would like a copy please PM me with your email address and I'll send it to you. It's currently in a pdf format only.
Saturday, 2nd March 2019 10:30 - 15:00 hrs. Budworth Mere, Anderton, section of Trent and Mersey Canal, Great Budworth village.
Bittern x 1 (in Coward reedbed between 14:30 and 15:00 hrs). Thanks to guy from St Helens who gave me the tip off - would never have spotted it without his help! Chiffchaff x 1 (my first of the year) - near feeders at Marbury Park bird hide Skylark x 1 Buzzard x 7 different sightings Reed Bunting x 2 Brambling x 1 Nuthatch x 2 Curlew x 1 (heard) Song Thrush x 1 Mistle Thrush x 1 Greylag Geese x 6 Canada Geese x 30 Gadwall x 2 Shoveler x 3 Shelduck x 2 Lapwing x 10 Great Crested Grebe x 5 Little Grebe x 1 Grey Heron x 2 Dunnock x 1 House Sparrow x 10 Goldfinch x 8 Wren x 1 Long Tailed Tit x 4 Chaffinch x 3 Great Tit x 8 Blue Tit x 7 Robin x 3 Blackbird x 5 Coot x 30 Moorhen x 5 Tufted Duck x 20 Cormorant x 5 Black-Headed Gull x 50 Jackdaw x 40 Crow x 30 Woodpigeon x 25 Feral Pigeon x 20 Magpie x 7 Mallard x 25
Mediterranean Gull this morning in with the Black-headed Gulls, middle of Budworth Mere in front of Kid Brook Spit. Fairly quiet otherwise with 10 Shoveler, 3 Teal, 2f Goldeneye and several Great-crested Grebe. Around 50 Curlew behind the Spit.
On Monday 11 February, I found a juvenile/1st Winter Russian White-fronted Goose in with the goose flock, in the field immediately behind Kid Brook Spit. The bird had disappeared by the following morning but, having seen photographs of a same aged bird that then turned up at Crossens Marsh, I am reasonably sure that this was the same bird.
Had a brisk walk around marbury and the surrounds this morning saw the following- bullfinch in the car park. Two sparrow Hawks displaying overhead. Tree creeper. Half a dozen goosander. 30 curlew. Shell duck. Good view of a gs woodpecker and many others heard drumming. Lapwing. Cormarants. Long tailed tits. Coal tits. Nothing at Hayden's pool. What's going on there? The area looks devoid of life and the water levels well down. A fair number of gulls and water fowl seen at extreme distance at neumanns flash on an area that had thawed out, a large portion of the flash was still under ice. Could only make out lesser black backed and herring gulls. Lovely day for a walk.
After a cold long wait at the Coward Reedbed Screen last night without a sniff of a Bittern, and then finding out that 2 came out 10mins after we had left I decided that I had better go back today! So seeing as how it was a 5pm show yesterday I turned up at 4.50pm this evening to be greeted by several birders telling me that a Bittern was out & showing. I was soon scoping it as it clambered around in Coward Reedbed giving pretty good views. It flew short distances, clambered up to the top of the rreds and generallu showed off. Movement nearby suggested a 2nd Bittern in the reeds with it, but the second bird was a bit too shy to shopw itself whilst I was there
A single Bittern could be seen in the Coward reedbed, but it did'nt move very much and was extremely difficult to locate.
Many thanks to the lady who advised me exactly where to look. The bird was in the reedbed directly opposite the screen.
Nearby 2 Great Crested Grebes and a single female Goosander were on the mere.
13 Curlews were on the pasture at Kid Brook whilst 11 Common Gulls were amongst the gull flock.
2 Nuthatches and a couple of Song Thrushes were in Big Wood, whilst 2 Mistle Thrushes were on the nearby meadow, and 2 highly vocal Ravens flew over.
A recently ploughed field on the Marsden side of Big Wood attracted a large mixed flock of Starlings and Redwings, plus lesser numbers of Fieldfare, Goldfinch and Chaffinch.
2 bitterns in the coward reedbed from 3.30pm viewed from the screen. Lots of disturbing gun shots coming from the side near kid brook spit meaning all the geese, coots & other birds dispursing, all the ducks & grebes coming to the coward reed bed end. Woodcock flying over as I walked back to my car.
A quick walk with the little uns the other day around Marbury to walk off Christmas excesses. Water fowl of note were a few Goosanders and a couple of Goldeneyes.
Dusk visit to see the starling murmuration at Coward Reedbed.
Peregrine - 1 (possibly 2) - several sightings of soaring, stooping and swooping bird. First seen as soon as the first wave of starlings appeared. Presumably, it had been awaiting their arrival from a vantage point.
Sparrowhawk - one over the reedbed after the starlings arrived. (Not sure that either raptor was successful!)
Little Egret - 1 (Spit) Kingfisher - 1 Water Rail - at least 2 heard
Budworth Mere : 50 Great Crested Grebes, 1f Goosander, 1m Pochard (Amongst a mass of Tufted Ducks) and 2 Little Grebes.
All the waterfowl gathered at the Western end of the mere due to sailing.
Elsewhere in the park, a male Kestrel patrolled alongside Big Wood. Raven heard but not seen here too.
A Hawfinch was reported at the woodland feeding station just before I arrived. Whilst I was there squirrels were preventing Chaffinches from feeding on the ground.
News today of a first for the Marbury Patch - a Cattle Egret, found by patch regular Trevor Davies. Unfortunately it was short staying, with no other patchers connecting as far as I know, but Trev got a record picture in time, before if flew off. I claim a small amount of credit as I provided Trevor with a step up thread adapter for his camera mount, at Focalpoint, just 2 days ago
-- Edited by Doc Brewster on Thursday 15th of November 2018 12:47:15 PM
Spent two and a half hours this morning, viewing split between the slipway, the woodland hide and the screen hide overlooking Coward Reedbed. Weather cool but sunny and dry. Of note :-
Firecrest 1 - good views for a couple of minutes at 12.30. Active in the spindly yew next to the Grotto sign (opposite the path leading to the woodland hide). Probably a male, though it was difficult to observe the centre of the crown-stripe. Spent an hour trying to relocate it but only a goldcrest put in an appearance.
Visit to Focalpoint yesterday to buy a scope.Whilst there I decided to make my debut at this venue.No special birds but an impressive place.Birds as follows: Starling: Small flock of 8 Magpie 6 Blue Tit 12 Redwing:Alarge flock put up by a tractor opposite Focalpoint.Around 30 mallard 20 coot 32 LLittle Grebe 1 Great Crested Grebe 26 Nuthatch 4 Shoveler 2 Black Headed Gull 80+ Cormorant 1 Carrion Crow 4 Mute Swan 3 Long Tailed Tit 1 Kingfisher 1 Coal Tit 6 Robin 4 Great Tit 3 Willow Tit 2 Lesser Black Backed Gull 2 Blackbird 3 Wood Pigeon 4 House Sparrow 4 Rook 1 Common Buzzard 1 Herring Gull 2
Juvenile Little Gull still present mid afternoon at the east end of Budworth Mere. Flying around due to fishermen in the water and several yachts doing circuits. Viewed from the Fisherman's Path, accessed via the A559 lay-by. Nice find by Luke O-H this morning.
The 4CY Yellow-legged Gull was present again this morning on Budworth Mere. Wasnt showing for the first hour, so presumably flew in from Neumanns Flash where it was noted late afternoon yesterday. Raven over and a superb close-in view of a Kingfisher by the boat house, otherwise fairly quiet, no waders on Kid Brook Spit and nothing else of note.
Of interest today was a Ruddy Shelduck. When I saw it it was a scope job, tucked in the grass behind Kid Brook Spit, with Canada Geese. It was viewed from the inlet near Big Wood at the end of the mereside path.
After hot-footing it from Neumann's Flash Malc Curtin re-located the stunning adult summer White-winged Black Tern on Budworth Mere at 12.30pm. The bird was favouring the Kid Brook Spit area, often perching on the posts there. The bird was still present at 2.45pm at least.
-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Friday 18th of May 2018 04:52:39 PM
Garden Warbler singing away at Garden Warbler Corner this morning along with a Blackcap fifteen yards to its left. Common Sandpiper over on Kid Brook Spit together with two Little Ringed Plover. Female type Goosander over to the left, asleep on the grass. Around a hundred Sand Martin and House Martin over the Mere prior to most of them departing. Walked across to Dairy House Meadows via Big Wood where at least one Lesser Whitethroat was being very vocal. Two Common Whitethroat also present.
-- Edited by Mark Jarrett on Tuesday 1st of May 2018 03:05:38 PM
Friday pm dropped in at Budworth Mere on way back from BMW. I was particularly looking for yellow wags but was destined to be disappointed for the second time this week. However some determined scoping of the far shore around Kid Brook produced Little Ringed Plover and Dunlin as well as the usual Oystercatchers and Curlew. Would have tried for the lesser spot again but someone had nicked the bridge
On my way back from Leighton Moss I had to travel past Marbury CP so I popped in and managed to pick up a couple of good birds that had been found earlier by a couple of local patch 'lads'
Best of these was an adult Little Gull, in very near full-summer plumage but just with a few flecks of white in the black hood, not noticeable uless scoped at high mag. This smart bird also had the pink flush that many Little Gulls often do. It was watched coursing up and down Budworth Mere, occasionally alighting on the water. Also present were two Common Terns, one with long tail-streamers that had earlier raised hopes of it being an Arctic Tern, but sadly not. A female Goosander was on the far shore near the spit as well as two Oystercatchers.
Popped down pm Mark & the Tawny Owl had shuffled its way back deep into the ivy, only the breast and wing were showing when I first watched it & then by the time Dave H came after I phoned him it was pretty much just a few feathers that we could see. Hope it turns out to be a regular roosting tree
Male Scaup on Budworth Mere this morning with four Goldeneye and a minimum of two Goosander amongst others. Nice to see a roosting Tawny Owl, quite out in the open sunning itself in Big Wood.
Both adults in immaculate breeding plumage. They were amongst c200 gulls - predominantly black-headed and common gulls (60-70%, the former species), with a few lesser black-backed gulls.
Like Mark I spent a couple of hours with a friend of mine looking for the Hawfinch and we only had one prolonged view of a single bird in the scope plus a couple of birds just in flight.Didn't heard any birds calling all the time we were there either.There were probably about 10 people searching for the birds as well.Last time I went we had 5 or 6 birds on and off most of the time we were there.Whether they've moved on or we just went on a bad day?,be interesting to see what reports come out in the next week or so.
Spent around two and a half hours this morning doing circuits of the Old Hall/Arboretum area looking for Hawfinch as a friend had come down from Lancashire. Managed to see just the one bird and from speaking to others, it would appear that only a couple of birds have been showing. Spent a while at the slipway looking across to Kid Brook Spit plus further time viewing the flooded fields from the spot where the bridge used to be. Amongst others :-
Will these Hawfinches that have come to the UK this winter go back to Europe at the end of winter or can we expect some at least of them to stay and breed?
I would hazard a guess that most will return to the continent Ian. A couple of the Marbury birds have been heard singing (as opposed to calling) and one has been observed pulling moss from a tree and flying off with it. The whole Marbury Country Park, when added to Anderton Nature Park and the Flashes is a huge area and easily capable of supporting a couple of pairs of Hawfinch. There is also a wide range of trees and therefore food. Fingers crossed that one or two stay.
Will these Hawfinches that have come to the UK this winter go back to Europe at the end of winter or can we expect some at least of them to stay and breed?
Spent an hour and a half on the slipway, this morning, looking across to Kid Brook Spit, then a further hour or so split between looking for any Hawfinch and hoping to catch a glimpse of one of the two Bittern in Coward Reedbed.
Much of Budworth Mere is still frozen and plenty of birds were congregated around the spit which was ice free. These included 6 Goosander, the odd Wigeon and Teal, good numbers of Tufted Duck, a few Shelduck, Canada Goose and Greylag Goose. Waders were represented by 2 Ruff, 1 Dunlin, 3 Oystercatcher, a few Lapwing and 1 Snipe.
Great Spotted Woodpecker were heard drumming nearby at the edge of Big Wood.
Although a couple of Hawfinch had been seen earlier by a patch birder, I was out of luck after checking the usual spots. I had had 10 on Saturday morning and there were reports of a minimum of 17 yesterday. These charismatic birds have been with us for four months now and surely it wont be long until they disperse.
A minimum of nine Hawfinch seen today around the Old Hall site. Two or three others were noted within the arboretum, with another group of four nearby. Most than likely some duplication in numbers.
Well, What can I say?, this trip has rendered me speechless!
Last year, I was planning to view the hawfinches at Sizergh castle which took place in November. Though they showed, it was misty and silhouetted and not as good as my lifer view years prior. So rather than going all that way again at dawn in February, I thought I'd try those visitors in Marbury first. This was by far the best decision I made.
I Didn't know what to expect when I arrived at the park. I could hear two Hawfinches calling from a small conifer straight away in the area close and eventually i managed to see one close in full view and it stayed for 2 mins through a gap in the tree. But, nothing could have prepared me for the photographic results as I was impressed that they turned out well as usually shots taken at an awkward angle and through a tiny gap with lots of distractions and objects in the way for the camera ends up with blurry images!
This was a fine example of being in the right spot at the right moment! After which, we only caught glimpses of them.
41 species were seen with 3 others heard (jay, great spotted woodpecker and 3 water rails very close)
Other highlights were; sparrowhawk male, 3 buzzards showing superbly well calling, goldcrest, treecreeper, shelduck, Oystercatcher, goosander, and shoveler.
5 Hawfinches seen today, but I'm sure there were more to be heard around the Old Hall area. It was great to have prolonged views - the birds' call was quite distinctive and gave them away, but they remained reasonably mobile. I managed a record shot before one of the birds was scared off by an over enthusiastic Jack Russell
Seven Hawfinch seen this morning in the usual Old Hall area. Sometimes elusive, today they were very active, coming and going over the forty five minutes I was there. On or by the Mere were seventy five Curlew, three Goosander, five Pochard and two Barnacle Goose amongst the usual fayre. One of the patch birders/photographers had an interesting photograph from yesterday showing an extremely small Canada Goose in amongst the flock. Size wise good for Cackling Goose but the bill wasnt stubby at all and just a tiny Canada.
2 Hawfinch seen perched up in trees around the Old hall site, I had 6/7 sightings of Hawfinch in flight and perched up but never more that 2 in view together. Also Green Woodpecker calling in the same area Greenfinch 7 in one flock And a very unusual sighting of a fly through Kingfisher in a wooded and open area some distance from any water
10 Hawfinch in trees near Rangers Cabins this morning, after 8 (of these) were seen in the car park earlier
Yes Paul amazing I was with the Marbury regular, Dave H when we found the 10 Hawfinch together in one of the bare trees, viewed from the area of the old hall, at 10.20 this morning. They stayed around for a while giving excellent views. Earlier there was a Buzzard feeding on the ground and flitting about near the picnic tables, a Sparrowhawk and a Kestrel over. The raptors had left when the Hawfinch settled on the tree in the sunshine.
Also a nice surprise for me was a Kingfisher passing the hide overlooking the mere.