Had a quick look for the Dippers, without success (but Grey Wagtail)

Access easy from behind College - Sports Centre CPs; head under former railway bridge, turn right towards river bridge

JOHN TYMON wrote:

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That Tufted Duck with what looks from a distance like a Mute swan ring stuck round its bill ,is a saddle then?

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 Yes, nasal saddle with an alpha-numeric code

Late afternoon into the evening today was pretty productive for a change:

Grey Plover briefly only, over the spit

Single Greenshank

A non-breeding plumaged adult Common Tern

14 Swift

Hirundines almost impossible to count accurately but estimates of 700 Sand Martin, 500 Swallow and 220 House Martin

360 Lesser Black-backed Gulls in the roost along with a few dozen Herring, 3 Great Black-backed Gulls and 3100 Black-headed Gull

A nasal saddled female Tufted Duck amongst the couple of hundred present which, subject to confirmation, looks to have come from a French project

Following Jons directions in the previous post I was able to locate the dipper this afternoon at about 3pm. For those who don't know the area that well, it's the bridge nearest Leigh college.  Walk under the road bridge near the car park, then turn left at the next bridge and walk along the line of the old railway for about 100m until you come to a third bridge. As John commented in his post, the bird was mainly frequenting a rock on the southern (or right hand) side of the bridge. It wasn't always in view and at first I walked past this bridge because it seemed an unlikely place for a dipper. However I had a second look and spotted the bird through some vegetation.  Then suddenly a second bird flew towards the first and they flew around for a bit and then under the bridge before returning, There was quite a lot of interaction between the two and it made me wonder (amazing as it may seem) if it was a new arrival and had not been present this morning because surely in the hour Jon was there he would have seen the two together at some stage?

I couldn't get a photo of the two birds together, but I think I have them individually in the attached photos. If you notice the white fringes to the terials on the photograph of the bird through the vegetation, they look more prominent than on the bird on the rocks. I assume that the pale fringes to the tertials and greater coverts make them young birds, though clearly not juveniles, first winters I guess. Also today, a juvenile common tern and at least 5 swifts.

-- Edited by colin davies on Wednesday 6th of September 2017 05:01:23 PM

Dipper seen from the bridge this morning, that goes over the brook, which is on the path of the old railway line from the Flash to St. Helens Road. Observed for over an hour, favouring a stone on the south side although, at times, flying under the bridge to the north.

Only things of real note today were the large numbers of Hurundines present during the heavy rain this morning including the following

Swallow -1000+

Sand Martin -500+

House Martin- 200+

Swift -25

Saturday 02 September 2017

2 Tree Pipits calling and flying around low over the Lapwing Hide area at around 08:40 this morning while I was warming up for the parkrun.
Another, probably different Tree Pipit heard overhead near the Common Lane canal bridge a little later on.

Just to be an annoying pedant and to correct the correction:

Butts Lagoon is part of Pennington Marshes, Hampshire (not Lancashire)

To be honest, it's one of the reasons I've always tried to keep the forum down to what you've seen yourself, and not what you've heard elsewhere 

- Spoonbill just been reported (seen at 8.02am today) on the salt marsh at Butts Lagoon, Pennington Flash CP, anyone familiar? Might visit after work if I get chance.
Cheers

Late news from yesterday. 7 Black-tailed Godwits flew through mid morning.

Spotted Flycatcher in trees near bridge over brook on south side this am also Garden Warbler amongst good numbers of commoner warblers around Sorrowcow farm 2 Yellow Wagtail in cut fields between western end and Slag lane, little egret at west end. Other birds seen around flash drake Pochard, notable increase since last weekend of tufted duck, shoveler, and teal and still c.15 Swift over rucks.

6am - 7.15am this morning, mainly around the western end:

35+ swifts over

1 little egret

1 Kingfisher

A late evening stroll around the ruck with the dog - quiet on the passerine front with only a couple of Chiffchaffs and Willow Warblers 'hweeting' or 'hoo-weeting' in the scrub. There were at least 5 terns flying around the spit but slightly too far away in fading light for a positive ID with just bins, so they'll have to stay as Commics. There was quite a large number of gulls roosting with a surprising number of larger gulls - I counted over 100 mainly Lesser Black-backed Gulls with a smattering of Herring Gulls. Good numbers of Coot and Tufted Ducks too, the latter being pushed around a bit by the yachts which were out in force. 55+ Swallows headed over the ruck as I was leaving, presumably heading to roost in one of the reed beds and 6 Swifts were high over the western end.

-- Edited by Craig Higson on Wednesday 23rd of August 2017 10:40:37 PM

So far today:

6 Common Tern

2 Little Egret

2 Snipe

6 Buzzard

1 Pochard

Info thanks to Bill Harrison

 

 

This morning;

1 black tailed godwit on the spit from Horrocks (info Bill Harrison)

2 little egrets

7 common terms

I had a good look for the black necked grebe in it's usual spot at the western end but couldn't find it.

Tad cool and breezy today Little Egret , kingfisher, willow tit , highlights today plenty of lapwing gadwall , hopefully pictures attached. 

So far today:

Black-necked grebe 1 juv. still western end

Willow tit 1 western end

Cetti's warbler 1 singing Sorrowcow pond

Sedge warbler 1 western end

Little egret 2 (one near yacht club, one from Ramsdales)

Lapwing 150

Common tern 11

I wasn't expecting a new bird for me at the flash today, but I got one, red-legged partridge on the path through the woodland on the Ruck, near the car park in Slag Lane. Also today, the juvenile black-necked grebe still at the western end and 3 little egrets, 2 from Ramsdales and 1 near the yacht club.

 

Also this morning black necked grebe juvenile still in the western bay with 2 little egrets and a 3rd little egret from ramsdales. 

A few photos of the black terns this morning and the common scoter this afternoon. My sources (Mr. Harrison) tell me that the black terns left at about 10am.

Plenty of sand martins about today, probably upto 400, whilst at Sorrowcow pond there was a willow warbler still in sub-song.

 

 

colin davies wrote:

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Also this afternoon, female common scorer in East Bay and 3 orchard.

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Sadly, the inventor of predictive text has died. His funfair will be hello on Sundial

Juvenile black-necked grebe also still present this morning in the western bay and late news for yesterday, 2 little egrets from ramsdales.

Late morning through to late afternoon today:

Chiffchaff, willow warbler, blackcap, garden warbler (western bay area), reed warbler, sedge warbler (with food, also western bay area), bullfinch, reed bunting, jay
4 (at least) willow tit heard (3+ western bay area, 1 wooded area on from the ruck), also another heard along the canal walking from Leigh
1 kingfisher
6 teal
22 gadwall
2 shoveler
15 tufted duck
5 little grebe
1 black-necked grebe (western bay)
30+ great crested grebe
c50 lapwing
2 little egret (perhaps one twice, but another birder said he'd had two together)
6+ grey heron
5+ common tern
1 kestrel
1 buzzard


-- Edited by Shannon Llewellyn on Sunday 13th of August 2017 10:40:51 PM