Fiddler's Ferry 1 Chiffchaff singing from trees round Water Plant building. Several Skylarks singing in fields Flooding in the fields attracted Oystercatcher, Curlew, Heron. Pair of Mute Swans nesting on canal.
-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Wednesday 4th of April 2018 07:31:42 AM
Really enjoyable couple of hours this morning at the west end of my patch. Highlight - six Whooper Swans on the River Mersey adjacent to Norton Marsh also 2 Green Sandpipers on the marsh together with 7 Redshank, 5 Curlew, 2 Oystercatcher, 4 Shelduck, 23 widgeon and 17 teal.
Cetti's Warbler heard west of Richmond Bank and one in the Eastern Reedbed at Moore Nature Reserve.
Several Chiffchaff singing in the area and Brimstone, Peacock and Small Tortoiseshell on the wing.
Penketh Old Hall
20 or so Redwing in horse paddocks round riding stables made a nice wintery scene in light swirling snow.
One or two Mistle Thrush with them.
A short stroll from home in Great Sankey to Gatewarth then along the Sankey Canal, we heard a Goldcrest singing in the conifers near Penketh Lane Ends (been there for a few days now) and a Cetti's Warbler was singing near where Sankey Brook joins the Mersey
Gatewarth
AM
Bright Winter sunshine made even the Dunnocks energetically singing look handsome.
The 3 Bullfinch (2m1f) feeding in alders/birches positively glowed with colour.
Fiddlers Ferry - Gatewarth
pm
Localised flooding around the Water Plant fenced area included a frozen sheet of water which had attracted around 10 Pied Wagtails , busy scurrying over the ice.
1 m Stonechat in same area flitting round reeds and bushes.
M Stonechat still present, not putting on so much of a show today, more typical behaviour, flitting round reeds and bushes on the Old Tip. Still close to where seen y/day.
1 m Stonechat, presumably same bird I saw last month. On fence posts and in scrub at edge of canal towpath.
Oddly, seemed to be flycatching, though presumably not too many insects on the wing at the moment. Certainly flying up and returning to perch on posts. A Robin further along the fence was behaving in similar way.
Small flock of Linnets. Reed Buntings in hedges all seemed to be paired up rather than in flocks.
Gatewarth
Small flock of Greylag Geese (6 / 7 birds) flew in and landed in field on far side of River. Away from feral flock of Canadas/Feral White Greylags.
Fields along Station Rd had big flocks of mixed thrushes, Fieldfare, Redwing, Mistle Thrush, Blackbird . Bushes along canal and hedges on site had plenty of thrushes feeding.
Finch / Tit flocks included a pair of Bullfinch
1 Grey Wagtail on River.
Cettis Warbler giving short bursts of song from cover , top of bank.
Fiddlers Ferry - Gatewarth
Canal side trees and bushes full of fruit. Greenfinch Goldfinch Linnets Long Tailed Tits Blue Tits Blackbird Song Thrush Redwing feeding in the trees.
Continous stream of Sky Lark over, vocal , in ones and twos.
I had a stroll this morning from Sankey Bridges/Liverpool Road, we found a Cetti's Warbler amongst a small flock of Blackcaps about 600 metres from the old Sankey Bridges railway station, on the way back, while watching a grey Heron fishing near the overflow, we heard and saw what we assumed to be a different Cetti's (about 500m from the earlier sighting)
-- Edited by Dave Riley on Saturday 29th of July 2017 02:37:13 PM
Gatewarth 5:00 pm Single Grasshopper reeling half heartedly 7 fledged Mute Swans with parents on duckweed clogged canal. 10+ Pied Wagtails , adult and young on horse fields by Penketh Old Hall
Gatewarth
9:45 PM
single Grasshopper Warbler reeling briefly from old tip area
2 or 3 Sedge Warblers singing, a bit half heartedly.
A fledged Whitethroat deep in a small hawthorn was begging do loudly and so incessantly it not only attracted the adult Whitethroat but also a Wren which flitted around it in attendance.
Single Kestrel hunting high, upsetting the swallows.
Gatewarth
Unusually good view of a reeling Grasshopper warbler perched up on scrubby weeds as it sang. Briefly joined by a second non singing bird (F? Young?) Another heard reeling nearby.
Sedge warblers, Reed warblers, Whitethroat, Chiffchaff, Willow warblers and Blackcaps all singing. Loose flock of fledged warblers feeding with Goldfinch and Blue Tit
Gatewarth
1 Cettis Warbler showing fairly well while singing from a small hawthorn bush....flew into small copse.
Numerous Sedge Warblers, Reed warblers, Willow Warblers , Whitethroats and Chiffchaffs singing.
Small mixed group of tits, possibly post breeding flock ?
Good numbers of toad tadpoles in shallow pool near entrance/level crossing
Southern Marsh Orchids coming out.
Single Grasshopper Warbler reeling incessantly from brambley edge of reedbed in field sloping down to Ferry pub.
After longish wait I managed to see the bird as it flew up to change position.
Gatewarth
"2 Swallows over Old Hall Stables
3 Willow Warblers heard singing from old tip area and riverbank
3 Bullfinch
Chiffchaff up to double figures, 3 singing just in the few trees and tiny reedbed round wooden bridge
Fiddlers Ferry 2 Buzzards up in air together being divebombed by 2 Lesser Black Backed Gulls Gatewarth 1 Buzzard being mobbed by a Murder of Crows. Skylark singing.
-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Thursday 30th of March 2017 11:18:32 PM