Yesterday morning birds of note Inc 8 x Shelduck (Inc 6 X fledglings), 1 x Yellowhammer, 2 x Snipe, 4 x Oystercatcher, 1 x Little Egret, 1 x Sedge Warbler
Very brief visit to the Eastern screen today to find... a very horizontal screen!
Not a great view over the Flash (the foliage seems to have grown about 6 feet since my last visit) but I did manage to see lapwing, a couple of shelduck, some coot and mallards, as well as house martin, chiffchaff, willow warbler and reed bunting. On my walk to/from the Rothwells Farm development, there was a buzzard overhead, a few lapwings about the second/third field, around 30 wood pigeon on the fourth field, 2 lesser black-backed gulls overhead and a kestrel sitting on the roof of Lightshaw Hall.
3.45pm - 6.30pm, beautiful sunny late afternoon/early evening.
Abram Flash:
A few pairs and individuals each of mallard, shoveler, tufted duck; approx. 10 Canada geese, 2 mute swan, great crested grebe pair, 6 lapwing, 2 coot, 1 moorhen, 1 male reed bunting, 1 grey heron.
2 Sedge warbler, 1 blackcap and 2+ chiffchaff heard on path to Lightshaw Flash; in the field to the south of the side-path, approx 100+ wood pigeon, approx 20+ lapwings, a few collared dove, mallards, Canada geese and pheasant, 2 oystercatcher, 1 carrion crow
Lightshaw Flash: a few reed bunting, 1 magpie, approx 5 greylag geese with a feral domestic goose, a few shoveler, lapwings (flying to and from the field), 2+ mallard, 1 stock dove, 1 cormorant, 2 black headed gull, 2 commic terns, 2 greenshank, 1 redshank, 1 moorhen, 1 buzzard over, 1 little egret, 1 kestrel on grassland by the east screen.
Lightshaw Lane had 1 yellowhammer, and fields to the south of Lightshaw Lane were being ploughed, with a few lapwings flying about.
13:45 to 16:00 - From Plank Lane Lift Bridge to both Lightshaw Flash viewing points & back along canal to Lift Bridge.
Apart from a few Canada Geese & Mallards Lightshaw Flash was devoid of anything significant, but the surrounding fields & farmland made up for it with :-
Jay x 6; Kestrel; Buzzard; Grey Heron & 2 Cormorant over, Bullfinch x 3 ~ 2F & 1M, Goldfinch; Linnet; Greenfinch x 2, Fieldfare x 2;
Pied Wagtail; Pheasant x 10 ~ 7F & 3M.
Also a field at the side of Lightshaw Flash had a nice covey of 12 Red-Legged Partridge but they were very distant so pics very poor.
No sign of the Mandarin Duck at Pennington Wharf Marina.
Dover Basin: 34 Shoveler, 2 Wigeon, 2 singing male Cetti’s Warblers (one a young male), 2 Willow Tit, 5 Chiffchaff, 2 Willow Warbler and a single Restart along the western end.
Lightshaw Flash: 18 Shoveler, 2 Wigeon, one singing male Cetti’s Warbler, 6 Chiffchaff, 2 Blackcap
14.30 walk from Plank Lane swing bridge to Dover Lock, then back to Pennington Flash via Lightshaw Lane and Byrom Hall Wood arriving back at canal bridge 17.30 ,was very quiet only things of note were 2 Drake Pintail, 5 Goosander - Dover Lock 4 Shelduck - Lightshaw Flash 1 Buzzard over Lightshaw Flash 2 Willow Tit on path heading towards road, near fenced shooting warnings and 30+ Redwing as you approach the house.
No sign of Wryneck between 18:30-19:00 this evening, but a class find by Rob and shows the rewards of working a patch. c75 Goldfinch in the hedge and 2 Lapwing over.
No sign now for approx 2 hours since it dropped in to a large dense Hawthorn and Blackthorn hedgerow opposite the wooden footbridge (before I got here)
-- Edited by dave broome on Saturday 28th of August 2021 01:33:34 PM
Walk from swing bridge along canal to Dover Lock and back to Pennington Flash via Lightshaw Lane and Byrom Hall Wood. Highlights 2 Hobby flew South over Dover Lock 1 Blackcap along path between Dover and Lightshaw 1 Swift 1 Lesser Whitethroat by the east sightscreen Not really a highlight but the carcass of a Pheasant on path near West sightscreen.
Walk from swing bridge along canal to Dover Lock and back to Pennington Flash via Lightshaw Lane and Byrom Hall Wood. Highlights 2 Hobby flew South over Dover Lock 1 Blackcap along path between Dover and Lightshaw 1 Swift 1 Lesser Whitethroat by the east sightscreen Not really a highlight but the carcass of a Pheasant on path near West sightscreen.
9.30-12.00. Both screens visited. Highlights included....
4 Black Tailed Godwits
2 Oystercatchers
At least 12 Shoveler
4 Gadwall
2 Shellduck
2 Teal
6 Buzzards.. overhead
2 Kestrels.. male and female
1 Sparrowhawk.. male
3 Cock Pheasants
Lots of Lapwings
Plenty of calling Chiffchaff
A few Willow Warblers
Sunday afternoon wander around Lightshaw, sightings included:-
1 x Woodcock
4 x Greylag (one white)
4 x Redshank
1 x Oystercatcher
1 x Great Spotted Woodpecker
40 x Lapwing
4 x Shelduck
3 x Wigeon
2 x Gadwall
2 x Shoveler
40 x Teal
1 x Snipe
4 x Linnet
1 x Kestrel
-- Edited by Keith Williams on Monday 22nd of March 2021 08:59:47 AM
-- Edited by Keith Williams on Monday 22nd of March 2021 09:00:35 AM