Ian Boote wrote:

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Blackcaps, Chiffchaffs, Willow Warbler, from the hide Nuthatches, Treecreeper, obliging kingfisher, Great Spotted Woodpecker, several Mandarin, Tufted Ducks Coal Tit, further on 2 Buzzard, top of wood more of the species listed Goldcrest Keg Willow Tit and Egyptian thing, and on lodge 6 Swallow.

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Willow Tit? Are you quite sure you've got that right Ian? Haven't seen one in the area for over a decade.

Cheers,

Andy

Highlights of a lunchtime walk around the reserve

First Chiffchaff of the year - 3 seen in total
Appear to be a healthy number of Tufted ducks pairing up, having seemingly dropped in numbers over the last few years.
Pair of very vocal Buzzards over Ernocroft Wood
Plenty of Nuthatches about

Last chance you people out there. I have received a reply to the concerns which I voiced to Stockport MBC that make for, shall we say, interesting reading. It looks as if we are looking at events for over 200 people which could last in excess of 24 hours!! All sorts of factors will be put in place to stop people going off site with alcohol, and to keep events drug free (because everyone is just so law abiding these days). Oh, and the music (which appears to be confined to indoors) will be restricted to 11:00 to 00:00 only (some concession that!). I hope others will at least raise some issues with the authorities. You only have until 11th March. Otherwise one feels that your day in the park is about to become that bit more crowded (and noisy).

10.00 - 12.30 with Tony Darby
A stunning total of 40 Mandarins present: 28 at the weir and 12 in the channel from the main lake
Pair Dippers very active at the weir
Tawny Owl heard from Ernocroft Wood
Egyptian Goose on Keg Pool honking furiously for a mate
Mute Swans ZP4 and 4ADL at the weir and juvenile 4ADJ on the main lake at the model boat end
Buzzard over mobbed by a Carrion Crow

Went this morning, saw 2 dipper nest building at the weir and the egyptian goose was on the river behind the hide.

Canada geese
Pink-footed geese
Mallards
Coots
Moorhen
Mandarins (12m, 8f)
Black-headed gulls
Great tits
Coal tit
2 nuthatch
Grey wagtail
4 cormorants

treecreepers, low buzzard, lots of mandarin, redwings and jackdaws coming in to roost.

-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Saturday 1st of February 2014 11:05:28 PM

Quick wander to Keg pool and back 2.30-4.00:

Egyptian Goose

34 Mandarin(Mainly behind Pump House)

7 Tufted Duck

Little Grebe

Sparrowhawk

3 Common Buzzard

5 Teal

Nuthatch

Goldcrest

4 Mute Swan

 

First visit here today, nice place.

Nothing earth-shattering, as follows:
Woods to the left of the river
Nuthatch 2
Great Spotted Woodpecker male
Treecreeper
Goldcrest
plus common tits, robins
Buzzard over the fields behind.

Weir area
12 or so Mandarins
10 Tufted Duck
Kingfisher-like flash, couldn't say for sure
Grey Wagtail

Ernocroft Wood
Kestrel
Bullfinch 2

Is a Kestrel in woodland fairly common? not sure I've seen one in such a habitat before

Finally as I left, around 500 Jackdaw heading back west towards Stockport



-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Sunday 22nd of December 2013 10:24:06 PM

-- Edited by Simon Gough on Monday 23rd of December 2013 12:11:41 AM

Car park-weir-hide 3.40-5.15

Single Woodcock down river from hide at 4.40
2+ Tawny Owls
26 Mandarin
Dipper
Kingfisher
Grey Wagtail
26 Cormorant
5 Goosander over
Grey Heron
Song Thrush in song
Common Buzzard

Car Park-Weir-Ernocroft 8.30-10.30

Dipper
1+ Egyptian Goose
25+ Mandarin Duck, inc. juvenilles
5 Grey Wagtail. inc juvenilles
3+Grey Heron
Juv. Nuthatch
2 Great Spotted Woodpecker
4 Jay
4 Goldcrest, inc. juv.
4 Chiffchaff, inc. juv.
2 Swallow
Common Swift

0600 - 1100


Not been getting much sleep these past couple of days so decided rather than stay in I'd make the most of the nice mornings we've been having and go down Etherow. All in all it turned out to be quite a fruitful day;

4 Chiffchaff
5 Blackcaps all male
4 Grey Wagtail 2 adult and 2 juv
1 Juv Dipper
1 Tawny owl in Ernocroft
A pair of Bullfinch's
3 Goldcrest
2 Spotted Flycatcher around the weir cottage area

Plenty more about but these were the highlights.

Cheers

Mark

A quick walk from 4:30 - 7:30 pm


Good numbers of all usual tits with lots of juveniles
3 Treecreeper
Saw 5 Nuthatch but heard more
6 Chiffchaff
5 Blackcap (4f + 1m)
Grey Wagtail
Tufted Duck (3m +2f)

Cheers

Mark

Yesterday evening from 17:30 - 21 :00

Of note;

1 Reed Bunting male
Good numbers of Chiffchaff and Willow warbler
Several Goldcrest
3 Grey Heron
Juv Great Spotted Woodpecker

There were however lots of signs of new life with lots of parties of blue and great tits feeding young all over the park the same with nuthatches.

Walking all through the park it seemed that wherever I was there was always a roving party of some type of bird.

Cheers

Mark

A late post for yesterday.

A late afternoon early evening stroll produced much the same as Ian with the exception of a Sparrowhawk over ernocroft and a Reed Bunting on the path to the hide.

A late post for Saturday the 25th

As I didn't get down Friday I headed down Saturday morning 07:40 - 10:30

Same as previous trips managed everywhere other than the hide.

Several Goldcrest
Willow Warbler and Chiffchaff heard
1 Little Grebe on Keg Pool
1 Dipper on the river
3 Treecreeper all in the same vicinity within Ernocrroft
1 Buzzard circling over the weir area.

Lovely day but by 10am quite busy.

Etherow CP 15:00 - 18:00

Again managed to cover the whole park (minus the hide)



Plenty of Willow Warbler heard with a couple seen feeding.
Plenty of Chiffchaff heard though non seen.
1 Tawny Owl being chased by Blackbirds
1 Bullfinch male
2 Grey Wagtail
1 Buzzard

Unfortunately I encountered the Canada's by Keg Pool which took 5 minutes to bypass without alarming them to much

Cheers

Mark

A male Brambling at the back of the house near the pump house.
A common sandpiper flew on to the left banking of the main lake and flew off to the opposite banking when a dog approached.
Swallows flying into a disused fan hole in the side of the old boat house.
3 Buzzard
Several blackcap
Plenty of coot with young around keg pool
Surprisingly not a single cormorant on the usual tree viewed from the hide.
also no Mandarin at the back of the pump house but there were a few canadas chasing everything off. also some aggressive canadas guarding path to hide.
Dipper on rocks closest to the weir.

Etherow CP 16:30 - 19-30

Managed to cover the whole of the park, visitor centre - ernocroft - hide - sunny corner - keg pool.

The highlights being;

2 Siskin (main lake area)
3 Willow Warbler seen, more heard
2 Chiffchaff seen, again more heard
3 Blackcap (1m +2f)
2 Lapwing
8 Redpoll over Ernocroft
Not quite John's 11 but I did get 2 Buzzards circling low over Ernocroft.
Plenty of Swallows with the odd house martin mixed in.

Then plenty of the usual nuthatch's, treecreeper's, and all the normal tit's.

Mark

-- Edited by Mark Walsh on Friday 26th of April 2013 09:07:13 PM

c 8 Chiffchaff
3 Willow Warblers
Mandarin pair at nest hole
Egyptian Goose (Keg Pool)
2f Goosander (Keg Pool)
Aggresive pair of Canadas on eggs by riverside footpath at Keg Pool

Cheers, John

Went down through Ernocroft Woods to the hide and back briefly yesterday late morning.

Plenty of tits around (usual 4 species). Greenfinches part way down and a nuthatch calling up near the road. Needless to say, no new arrivals.

From the hide (someone had left the gate and hide door open!), twelve teal - 1m1f to the left + 3m3f a little up to the right + 4m up in the distance to the right. Usual cormorants and a few Canada geese. Great spotted woodpecker calling. No tufted ducks nor mandarins seen from the hide in perhaps my 45mins there.

Peregrine over the car park today.

Monday 2pm-3pm (from hide):
Teal: 2m+1f on left far bank at sandy area and another 2m+1f up as far as you can see to the right.
Tufted Duck: 4m+5f
Mandarin Duck: 3m+2f
Jay: 1
Cormorant: 19
Treecreeper: 2
Little Grebe: 1 below Cormorant tree.
Grey Heron: 1
Coot: 2
Mallard: 1m+1f
Carrion Crow: 2
Buzzard: 2

I then went on a walk through till 4:45pm:
Plenty more Tufted Ducks and Mandarin Ducks (>13) near the pump building.

Keg Pool added the following:
Goosander: 1m+2f
Mute Swan: 2 (ringed)
Egyptian Goose: 1
Numerous Moorhen, Coot
Great Spotted Woodpecker: 2 - both drumming.

And round in Keg Woodland:
Raven: 1 flying over.
Nuthatch (a few making faint high-pitched little calls; no typical clear whistling calls).

And finally on the hill up through Ernocroft:
Stock Dove (heard up above the right-angle turn in the path where there's some private property beyond).
Goldfinch flew over, calling.
And another Great Spotted Woodpecker - calling.

Plenty of Robins around generally and a few tits, blackbirds etc.

Etherow 15:00 - 18:00

1 Great Crested Grebe
12 Tufted Duck (7f + 5m)
15 Mandarin (9m + 6f)
2 Teal both males
1 Kingfisher
1 Little Grebe
6 Goldcrest seen throughout the park

A little quiet in the woods with not overly much making itself known.

Mark

Forgot to mention 2 Goosander 1 male, 1 female.



-- Edited by Mark Walsh on Friday 8th of February 2013 09:36:05 PM