Adult Yellow-legged Gull this afternoon but larger Gull numbers seemed to be low with high numbers of Black-headed and Common Gulls at roost. Apart from gulls c25 Goosander, c15 Goldeneye. No sign of yesterday's Iceland Gull but there were still birders looking through the flock as I left at 16.00.
got my new key yesterday so thought id have an early morning visit.
huge gull roost split over all three reservoirs when i arrived and present until around 8.15, still trying to work hard on my gulls so could of been something decent but i didnt see it.
LBB, Herring, Common and Black Headed all present
4 goosander ( 1 male & 3 females ) 23 Goldeneye ( 9 males & 14 females ) 1 Mute Swan 9 GC Grebes 1 Juve Little Grebe was fishing at the entrance to the well in the corner of no 3. 33 Tuffties 5 pied wags
A huge number of gulls tonight, thousand of them sat on the ice of a frozen number 3 res.
I found a cracking Glaucous gull , and was very pleased, till that cad Mr Raynor came along and said there were two,imagine that who saw it first, one for Ian to sort out!
1 Redshank taking the mickey, as this was my bogey bird last January. 20+ Goldeneye 30+ Goosander 23 Canada geese and a hybrid white one, if its not a hybrid I saw it first Ian.
40 Goldeneye 17 tufted 7 cormorants plus one with a green darvic ring CO? could not read last letter the ring was on its left leg. 50 jackdaw 4 crows 1 Redshank 17 Goosander large gull 30+ Bh gulls 300+
NOTICE TO AUDENSHAW RESERVOIR PERMIT HOLDERS - Some of you may already be aware that the padlock to the gate used by Permit holders "disappeared" over the weekend. United Utilities have been contacted regarding this issue and are in the process of obtaining a new lock and keys which will be distributed to all permit holders in due course. In the meantime they have secured the gate with a temporary padlock for which there will be no means of access.
Swan Sp - 7 over WSW mid am on size and call were almost certainly Bewick's. Pink-footed Goose - 62 over SE. Common Scoter - 1 female/immature Wigeon - 1 Teal - 1 Dunlin - 1
purple sandpiper present this morning on number 3 reservoir, resting on one of the boats (!), was number 6 boat. Common scoter apparently present also.
Found by paul wren, info thanks to rob and sonia adderley
Flying into Manchester today over Audenshaw Res, saw what I presume were Whoopers (Could have been Mutes?) flying over Audenshaw around 12:15 - 7 in total.
October 15th 2008 08.30-10.50 Light westerly, mild Cloudy
C40 Tufted Duck 22 Great Crested Grebe 2 Whooper Swan left at 10.10 flying south east 5 Mute Swan Rock Pipit (Rob and Sonia had at least 2 if not 3 this am) at least 79 Golden Plover 4 Goldeneye Cormorant
Common Scoter - 1 female Yellow-legged Gull - 1 adult Dunlin - 2 Common Sand - 3 Golden Plover - 50 Wheatear - 1
The advice Mr Heaton refers to was a somewhat unkind text for him to take his bins next time, but to be fair the Scoter (picked up by Paul Wren) was hiding behind the boats, the YLG arrived at 6.30pm, the waders were camoflaged against the stonework and the Wheatear was er.....a bit skulking!
Arrived this morning to be told by Roy, turn back there,s nothing here! so decided to walk all the way round, should have taken Roy advise
Sorry Paul, I couldn't agree less I'm afraid
The point is admirably illustrated on a visit of mine to Porthgwarra several years ago now when my visit coincided with the onset of heavy rain. Undaunted (well it was either go out or stay in the car with a heavily snoring 3 year old son!) I set off out towards the 60ft cover to be met by several birders heading back to the car park who not only looked at me like I was daft (for heading out in the seriously crappy weather) but who also assured me that there was nothing about. All the way up to the 60ft cover and indeed once inside it seemed they were right, nothing about, so a roving tit flock atleast afforded the opportunity to look at something! Needless to say I found a Red-eyed Vireo in with that tit flock and later found out that Porthgwarra's very own local patcher and extremely competent birder had spent a good amount of time in there just prior to my visit and obviously hadn't found it himself (he wasn't best chuffed but went on to find one of his own the very same day at the bottom of the valley!).
The moral of the story? No matter how many birders have trod before you, it's always worth checking any site as it takes but a second for something to drop in or to decide to pop out infront of you after being hidden beforehand
Really surprised at the water levels today No 1 res was half empty or half full which ever way your boat floats!
Anway 2 turnstones still present
55 goosanders 36 tufted 1 pochard 300 gulls all sunning on the embankments Bh gulls LBB common gull etc, 4 common tern on No 2 3 swallows 5 wheater A raptor came through fast at 15.30 sadly very fast did not get enough on it and by then I was too interested in the reported cowbird in cheshire