This morning 5+ black necked grebes A distant view of what appeared to be a female hen harrier

pm

No sign today of yesterday's immature male Marsh Harrier but the pair of Mediterranean Gulls reappeared (they haven't been reported since last Friday) and spent most of the early morning circling low over the reed beds. Undoubtedly the star bird was a Whinchat, found by John Langley at midday, on the south meadow of No.3 bed

Didn't find the White-crowned Sparrow yesterday but it was nice to see the returning Swifts 

Well, all days birding at Woolston Eyes are good days but some are truly great days......and this was one of them. Started with a nice Grasshopper Warbler ringed by Kieran Foster et al. Then an understated text from Mike Miles ..." bird in the net, could be White-crowned Sparrow....opinions on the ID welcome". Mad, adrenalin-fuelled dash to the Obs. Turned out to be a spanking White-crowned Sparrow, a second year bird in pre-nuptial moult, decided by the retention of some brown feathers in the black parts of the crown. Then the logistics of trying to make sure that as many people as possible got to see the bird. All the people who came were great, even though not everyone got to see the bird...so thanks. Seen on and off till 11.45 in a bush right by the Morgan Hide, where it was released. Then seen to fly a little further away into cover and not relocated. We'll see if we can re-find it tomorrow and let people know. Bit of "after the Lord Mayor's Show" but other birds included: Hobby, Spotted Flycatcher, Dunlin, Common Sandpiper, 15 Black-necked Grebes, Cetti's Warbler, 3 Swifts and more than 300 House Martins.

Cheers David Bowman (with David Spencer, Kieran Foster, Mike MIles, Alan Warford, Paul Hazlehurst, Brian Baird, Helen Allan, Diane Shepherd and George Dunbar)

Managed to get two brief views of the white-crowned sparrow under the willow scrub to the left of the John Morgan Hide, not bad considering I didn't know it was on site until I got there. Also on the no.3 bed were, 10+ black-necked grebe, 2 summer plumage dunlin flew straight past the John Morgan Hide, 1 oystercatcher, 1 lapwing, 1 whitethroat, 1 sedge warbler, 2 great black-backed gulls

-- Edited by Daniel Owen on Saturday 30th of April 2016 07:33:30 PM

White-crowned Sparrow showing again at 10:30 near the feeders by the Morgan Hide.

I had a call from the ringers too. Make your way to the entracnce track off Thelwall Lane. The barriers will be open so drive down to the car parking area and go to the bridge for access. Non members will be asked for a £2 donation. The grid ref is SJ649882 and postcode WA4 2HZ. Access is today 10am-7pm.

-- Edited by Doc Brewster on Saturday 30th of April 2016 09:32:10 AM

Despite the poor weather conditions this morning the Marsh Harrier was still hunting over No.3 bed. There was no sign of the Dunlin on the scrape but one flew north across the bed a c9:30. Around lunchtime John Barber reported 2 Common Sandpipers and 2 Mediterranean Gulls. Yesterday evening a Little Egret was seen on the scrape for 10 minutes before flying off east.

This evenings heavy hailstorm brought in an adult Kittiwake. Unfortunately it headed north and couldnt be relocated.

 

One Red Kite was seen this morning. Initially it was seen flying south, low over No.2 bed and was thought to have flown south. However it reappeared circling high with two Buzzards over the SE corner of No.3 bed. Also present was one female/imm. Marsh Harrier (a different individual to the one seen on Saturday). Two adult Mediterranean Gulls were again seen in the Black-headed Gull colony.  Of interest last weeks colour ringed 1^st summer Mediterranean Gull  (red PRY6) )was ringed in Poland as a nestling on 20^th June 2015. Also last week, the adult summer Mediterranean Gull  with a white darvic ring, E718, is a Dutch bird ringed as a nestling in June 2012. Since then it has been seen in Germany and Ireland; the last report was on 21^st January2016 at Bray Harbour, Wicklow.

Cheers David (with D Bowman, B Lloyd and J Verdon)

-- Edited by David Spencer on Monday 25th of April 2016 02:41:00 PM

With plenty of sunshine and despite a freshening northerly breeze, there was still some evidence of northward passage this morning. An immature male Marsh Harrier was an early find, quartering the reed-bed for an hour or so before flying off, low to the east. This is the fourth Marsh Harrier to pass through this week. The same first summer plumaged Little Gull was active all morning, while the three Mediterranean Gulls were seen well before disappearing into the heart of the Black-headed Gull breeding colony. Warblers included: 2 Cetti's, 4 Reed Warblers, 2 Sedge Warblers, 3 Whitethroats plus plenty of Blackcaps, Willow Warblers and Chiffchaffs. A Garden Warbler was reported from No.4 bed, though the recently arrived Grasshopper Warblers on No.3 bed weren't heard. Finally, a single Snipe and a surprise pair of Pintails were found, though there was no sign of yesterday's two Garganey.

Cheers David (with David Spencer, Alan Warford, Dave Steel, Helen Allan and Kelly Ainsworth)

Another productive morning, wandering around in the sunshine started with an early survey of the south bank of the Ship Canal, to see if Willow Tits are still breeding there. Didn't locate any but found Sedge Warbler and loads of other good birds, including a Common Sandpiper. It also gave us an excuse to cross the Canal on the Penny Ferry, which is always a delight. Then onto No.3 bed, where a Marsh Harrier showed well till mid-morning before soaring away to the north-west. The 1st summer plumaged Little Gull was still present, along with Grasshopper Warbler, 18 Black-necked Grebes, Willow Tit and Peregrine plus plenty of butterflies (Brimstone, Orange Tip, Comma, Meadow Brown, Peacock and Small Tortoiseshell).

Another photo of the Little Gull!

Cheers David Bowman (with Alan Warford, David Spencer, Brian Baird and John Langley)

One immature Little Gull from the John Morgan hide this morning. Yesterday an adult and immature were reported. Also today, 1 Little Ringed Plover and 2 Great Black-backed Gulls.

Another solid day's birding, with bright sunshine moderated by a cool north-westerly breeze. We started and finished on No.3 bed but completed two full Common Bird Surveys, on Nos.1 and 2 beds, in between. Highlights were: 1 Mediterranean Gull, 12 Black-necked Grebes, 2 Cetti's Warblers, 1 Sedge Warbler, 1 Reed Warbler, 1 Whitethroat (per Kieran Foster), 12 Blackcaps, 16 Willow Warblers, 51 Chiffchaffs, 25 Swallows, 1 House Martin, 55 Sand Martins, 2 Kingfishers, 1 Peregrine, 5 Sparrowhawks, 3 Kestrels and 14 Buzzards.

Cheers David Bowman (with Dave Steel, David Spencer, Alan Warford, Brian Baird, Helen Allan, Diane Shepherd, Les Jones and George Dunbar)

Woolston Eyes are represented on the Steering Group of the exciting Carbon Landscape wetland development project. So, we started the day by meeting at 6.30 am to do some Willow Tit survey work, in support of the project, across the Ship Canal from our Reserve. We then walked the four miles from Statham to Warburton. Most productive, as expected, was my old patch at Statham Pools. There we located two Willow Tit territories, despite the constant drizzle, one of which had a pair carrying nest material. Other wetland species at the pools included Gadwall, Teal, Mallard, Mute Swan, Tufted Duck and Grey Herons. A few Blackcaps, Yellowhammers, Reed Buntings and singing Skylarks were also noted en route. Then it was back to chill out on No.3 bed at Woolston Eyes, where the highlights were: 1 Whimbrel (found by Paul Hazlehurst), 12 Black-necked Grebes, 4 Cetti's Warblers in song, 2 Reed Warblers, 100 Sand Martins, 8 Swallows and 4 House Martins. Dave Riley also reported a Sedge Warbler from No.1 bed.

Cheers David Bowman (with David Spencer, Alan Warford, Paul Hazlehurst, Brian Baird and Les Jones)

Well, as hoped, the heavy overnight rain after south-easterly winds delivered the best day's spring passage so far this year. It started with 5 Little Gulls on No.3 bed (4 adults and a second winter plumage bird). These were then joined by 1 Arctic Tern and 2 Common Terns, plus a Common Sandpiper. Out over the lagoon were 250 Sand Martins plus a handful of Swallows and a single House Martin. Three Black-necked Grebes were also in front of the Morgan Hide. The best was saved for last, however, when John Langley found a male Ring Ouzel near the No.4 bed Sandpit Pond. Dave Spencer and I hurtled round there and were given excellent views as it fed contentedly.

Cheers David Bowman (with David Spencer)

With fresh south-easterly winds blowing there was always a chance of something decent turning up at Woolston Eyes Nature Reserve today. By the time I got onto No.3 bed, David Spencer had already had 1 Little Gull passing through but 2 adults were still feeding over the lagoon. These were later joined by a third bird, which came in to perch on the scrape in front of the Morgan Hide. By 1.30 pm all three had departed. There was no sign of yesterday's 3 Garganey, though. Other sightings included: 7 Black-necked Grebes, 1 female Ruddy Duck and a few passing Sand Martins.

Cheers David Bowman (with Dave Spencer and Brian Martin)

Another special morning at Woolston Eyes Nature Reserve, with a full team out completing the monthly Wildfowl Count before relaxing in the Morgan Hide to watch for passing migrants. It was another decent morning for hirundine passage, with 170 rising out of a roost at dawn and another 260 heading north later on. With them were just 7 Swallows and 1 House Martin. Other records included: a Little Egret which flew west (per Mike Lloyd), 3 Cetti's Warblers in song, 1 Pink-footed Goose on the fields across from Bollin Point, 1 singing Yellowhammer across the canal, 60 Bramblings under the Morgan Hide feeders, 8 Black-necked Grebes, 1 Kingfisher, 3 Blackcaps, 7 Little Grebes, 16 Great Crested Grebes, 1 Oystercatcher, 12 Willow Warblers, 1 Grey Wagtail, 14 Buzzards, 3 Sparrowhawks and 1 Kestrel.

Cheers David Bowman (with David Spencer, Alan Warford, Paul Hazlehurst, Brian Baird and Diane Shepherd)

A pleasant sunny morning on No.3 bed. A nice male Blackcap, 4 Willow Warblers and at least a dozen Chiffchaffs were singing as I walked onto the bed. From the Morgan Hide, 2 adult Mediterranean Gulls, a Water Rail, Peregrine, Kestrel, 4 Sparrowhawks, 7 Buzzards, 3 Black-necked Grebes were good sightings. While northward movement over the bed was less dramatic than during the previous couple of days, 40 Sand Martins and a single Redshank were noted. From other parts of the bed sightings included: 1 Cetti's Warbler, 2 more Black-necked Grebes, 2 more Water Rails, 55 Teal, 12 Shoveler, 31 Pochard, 48 Gadwall and 5 Grey Herons. It was good to see more butterflies emerging, too, with: 1 Comma, 2 Small Tortoiseshells, 1 Speckled Wood and 6 Peacocks spread around the paths.

Cheers David

DavidBowman wrote:

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Later, an adult Mediterranean Gull was very active in front of the Morgan Hide

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Hi, at what approximate time was this as I was at woolston eyes around 12:45 and didn't see the Mediterranean gull and have missed out a few times, am I arriving too late for the 'best' sightings?
Thanks.

No.3 bed, 12:45-16:00:
26 bramblings, 00's sand martins, 1 swallow, 1 stock dove, 3 black-necked grebe, 4 lesser black-backed gull (one of which ate a perch), gadwall, pochard, shelduck, tufted duck, 2 little grebe, 4 great crested grebe, 2 water rails (heard), 1 great spotted woodpecker (on right-hand feeder at John Morgan Hide), 1 lesser redpoll, 1 willow warbler (heard), plenty of chiffchaffs heard.
No.4 bed, 16:00-17:00:
1 lapwing, 2 lesser black-backed gulls, 2 little grebe, shoveler, gadwall, teal, 2 buzzards, chiffchaffs

I've attatched some pictures from the day

Also, belated news of a mink which walked up the path by the raised viewing platform/Sybil Hogg Hide, before disappearing into the vegetation to the left on the 28th March 2016.

-- Edited by Daniel Owen on Friday 8th of April 2016 12:16:44 PM

Thanks David. It simply hadn't occurred to me that they would be passing through the NW, but it makes sense once you think it through.

Cheers

Sorry if this is a dumb question, but the Bramblings, are they passing through heading East or North East then? So they might have wintered in Wales or the Midlands? Or further away?

A nice, lazy morning on No.3 bed, scanning for migrants and photographing some of the common birds. Highlights; 5 Black-necked Grebes, 2 Willow Warblers, 12 Bramblings, 3 Swallows, 55 Sand Martins, 13 Shelduck, 45 Teal, 7 Little Grebes, 2 Sparrowhawks and 7 Buzzards.

Cheers David Bowman (with David Spencer and Paul Hazlehurst)