1.30 to 3.30 today: Hot and sunny.

Greenshank....1 after 40 minutes of ''no show'' it came off the back of south isle in a flush of other birds. Returning to the southern tip where it showed well.

Oystercatcher...12 this is my highest count this year. 9 chattering together near my scoping position.

Ringed Plover....1

Lapwing....45 flushed off island with Gulls.

Great Crested Grebe...2

Grey Heron....1

Tufted Duck...1

In the wood was a Nuthatch and a juvenile Nuthatch

Common Terns....2 sat, I think, forlornly on the dam gantry, their young having been predated . Almost certainly by a Fox.(see Rumworth other wildlife).

-- Edited by Keith Mills on Thursday 5th of July 2018 08:57:16 PM

Common Tern...1 no sign of the female with chicks.

Lapwing...c35 with juveniles ~one very tiny.

Oystercatcher...2

Common Sandpiper.....3

Ringed Plover.....2

Little Ringed Plover.....4

no sign of Greenshank up to 6.30

-- Edited by Keith Mills on Tuesday 3rd of July 2018 07:09:27 PM

Dam and flower meadow, this am.

The singing Blackcap showed.

Swift....1

Swallow.....4

Common Tern....1

Great Crested Grebe....1

A Moorhen scurried over the channel.

 

This evening. Hot, but some smoke in the air, off moorland fires, effecting visibility.

Ringed Plover....3

Common Sandpiper....2

Common Terns....4 including 2 young.

Pied Wagtail...c 12 juveniles.

Black-headed Gull juveniles... c 2 score.

Grey Heron seen going to a tree roost.

Reed Bunting...3

Great Crested Grebe....2

This morning at the Dam/wood.

Buzzard....2 soaring together.

Common Tern....3, fishing the channel; two of these looked smaller than usual.

Grey Heron....1

Swift....1

Swallow....2

The evasive Blackcap, Chaffinch, Blackbird and Wren singing in the wood.

Due to issues on site with regards to fishing around or near to the conservation area of the islands and adjacent shore on the east side of the reservoir (and accessed via the footpath from Beaumont Road), there has now been a seasonal access restriction on this length of banking adjacent to the islands between 1st April and 15th July (inclusive).

During this period there will be no access to birdwatchers (fishermen or anyone else for that matter) and a temporary sign will be put up on the bank, but in order to not only reduce disturbance to breeding birds but to also to maintain relations with the fishing club and support the work which has gone into bringing about this agreement, I would ask that any birdwatchers or photographers visiting the eastern side of the site respect this restriction and avoid the shore adjacent to the islands.

The restricted area can be found in the image below.

This evening up to 7.30. Dull light

Bird of the day was a  young Juvenile Buzzard, ground feeding in vegetation near the shore. Good lengthy views in the scope. No sign of parents.

Starlings... flock c70 with a high proportion of juveniles.

Grey Wagtail....1 adult

4 Mallard broods~ one with 11 large~ one with 10 medium~ 1 with at least 4 smallest possible.

Oystercatcher...6 including 1 juvenile.

Coot brood ~ 5 large

Common Terns......2

Black-headed Gull at least 6 large juveniles.

Reed Bunting...3

Reed Warbler....1 (having good year here)

Ringed Plover....1

 

 

-- Edited by Keith Mills on Tuesday 12th of June 2018 07:56:11 PM

This evening's sightings:

Common Tern....1

Grey Wagtail....1 juvenile.

Pied Wagtail...1

Song Thrush...1 seen first, and then sang regularly.

Blackcap heard only in flower meadow corner hedge.

Long -tailed Tit...7, with juveniles amongst.

Mallard with 3 young in outflow channel.

Usual Lapwing family at Lock Lane and what looked like another pair with one sitting.

Linnet...1

Chaffinch...2 males

Mute Swan...1 adult

Reed Bunting...6+

Reed Warbler....3

Sedge Warbler....1

Swift....1

Wren...1

-- Edited by Keith Mills on Thursday 7th of June 2018 08:43:14 PM

This evening's sightings:

Mute Swans....4 adult. First seen in the Conservation Area and then in North Isle channel. Not too common here.

Tufted Duck.6 (3 Pairs)

Oystercatcher...6 plus 1 young juvenile

Lapwing at Lock Lane . 4 including 2 large juveniles

Greenfinch.

Linnet...2

The Cock Pheasant  was heard twice at the farm. Stan says it's trying to get in with the hens!

He now has 6 Swallows nests at Seddon Fold Farm.

At least a score of Swallows.

 

 

 

 

-- Edited by Keith Mills on Monday 28th of May 2018 09:35:29 PM

At the Lodge late yesterday evening:

White Wagtail...1

Reed Bunting....2

Sedge Warbler....1

Oystercatcher....4  one sitting

Great Crested Grebe....5 one sitting

Coot family...with 4 chicks.

Canada Geese ..28 with 2+1 goslings

Grey Heron....1

Swallows....7

Mallards were the only ducks seen.

-- Edited by Keith Mills on Friday 18th of May 2018 09:21:36 AM

This am, Dam and Lock Lane only. Sunny.

At the dam were:

Common Sandpiper....1

Common Tern....1

Mistle Thrush...1

Very distant raptor south not ID'd

Singles of Moorhen(having a spat with a Carrion Crow?) and Great Crested Grebe.

Elsewhere the Lapwing family was intact (4 Chicks)

A juvenile Starling was being fed in a bush, by Parent.

The 2 House Martin still feeding over the flood.

Six plus Linnets, including 2 feeding on the cobbled lane.

Swallows at the farm/flood.....c10

Pied Wagtail...3 in total.

3 Mediterranean Gulls (2 second summer and 1 adult) and a Common Sandpiper at 11am this morning.

 

Info thanks to Phil Rhodes 

Visited today with David Aldred 3.20pm to 4.50pm via the footpath from Beaumont Road

24 species seen including:

• Lapwings 4+
• Reed Buntings 2
• Great Crested Grebes 6+
• Oystercatchers 6+
• Wheatear (Female) 1
• Lesser Whitethroat 1

Also went around to Lock Lane 5.00pm to 5.20pm. usual birds there.

Whitethroat seen moving in Haws and Bramble by the stile. In full voice, and once singing in flight over my head.

Quite remarkable to me, that these exact bushes attract Whitethroat every year; despite an errant car driver demolishing it's favourite one

This evening: Grey Wagtail...1,

Pied Wagtail....2,

Wheatear........3, all female.

Reed Bunting....1,

Goosander... pair still present and asleep on island,

Tufted Duck....2 pairs,

Common Sandpiper....1,

Usual Hirundines over water and up to 10 Swallows at Seddon Fold Farm and flooded field.

One of the Oystercatchers is ''sitting'' at last.

-- Edited by Keith Mills on Thursday 3rd of May 2018 07:46:21 PM

This afternoon up to 2.20. Sunny with cool wind.

Willow Tit...1

Linnet....2

Reed Bunting....1

Wheatear....1 female ( same place as last Friday)

Common Sandpiper....1

Grey Heron....1 ( behind the Shell station)

Hirundines....c40 with 3 House Martin Picked out.

Goosander....a pair.

Tufted Duck.... a pair.

Usual resident Lapwings, Oystercatchers, Coots, and Great Crested Grebes.

Moorhen....2

Lesser Black-backed Gull....2 adult at Lock Lane flood.

 

 

Visited 2.30pm to 4.00pm (Beaumont Rd side)  birds seen include: Sand Martin 6+, Swallows 40+, House Martins 20+, Tufted Ducks 5, Oystercatchers 6+, Lapwings 4, Grey Herons 2, and Great Crested Grebe 6+. Also heard only: Grasshopper Warbler 1, Reed Warbler 1 and Reed Bunting 1. 

Afterwards went around to Lock Lane for 10 minutes birds seen there : Little Ringed Plover 1, Lapwing 4 and Oystercatchers 2.

This morning:

Swift 5
Swallow 100
Sand Martin 50
House Martin 15
Common Sandpiper 1
Reed Warbler 2
Oystercatcher 6

plus usual

2.45pm  Red Kite, over channel, and then me, before turning away west.

-- Edited by Keith Mills on Wednesday 25th of April 2018 10:49:43 PM

4 White Wagtail present his afternoon.

Info thanks to Phil Rhodes

Common Sandpiper at dam this morning

Common Sandpiper present today.

Info thanks to Phil Rhodes

3.30 this pm. Lock Lane flooded field:

Little Ringed Plover....1

Oystercatcher....2

Herring Gull....2 adult.sum.

Lesser Black-backed Gull....1

Pied Wagtail...3

Lapwings sitting.

This morning:

Mediterranean gull 2
Shoveler 6
Mute Swan 2
Snipe 1
Oystercatcher 9
Swallow 20
House Martin 1