Black redstart again on green silo with ridges on roof in middle of sewage works. 

As we joked about over weekend Colin, the Blyths Reed Warbler was true to form and didnt show until today, a Monday again, typical! I bet its a no show again at weekend.

-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Monday 11th of February 2019 08:19:53 PM

An amazing performance by the Blyth's reed warbler today, after six days of no-show. Just shows what a bit of sun and no wind can do. Highlights for me today:

Blyth's reed warbler 1

Chiffchaff 1 

Peregrine 1

Raven 1

Green sandpiper 1

Willow tit 1

Tree sparrow 5

Mute swan 6

There's a video of the Blyth's reed warbler on my blog where you can hear it call, if anybody is interested, follow the link in my signature below.

Blyth’s Reed Warbler still showing well mid-afternoon.

Info thanks to Mark Rigby

Highlights from this morning, 10:00 - 12:15:

Mediterranean gull 1 ad sum

Little egret 1 

Green sandpiper 3

Grey partridge 4

Willow tit 1

Yellowhammer 4

Tree sparrow 10

Bullfinch 15

Teal 50

Shoveler 30

Tufted duck 7

 

I only spent 30 minutes looking for the Blyth's reed warbler today, but again no sign while I was there.

 

Rob Creek wrote:

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.................

Just one other observation, we noted that the Blyths RW was reported on the info services towards the end of the week as still present but nothing was on the forum. Presumably a non-member of the forum with the sighting.

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There have been three or four sightings of the bird reported on the info services but not on this forum since last Monday which have been described as brief and in some cases have been well away from the areas in which the bird is normally seen. I know that at least two of these sightings referred to poorly seen chiffchaffs, the others I don't know anything about and may well have been the Blyths reed warbler. All I can say for sure is that I have spent several hours on site everyday since Monday 4th and neither I nor anybody I have spoken to has seen the bird. Personally I believe that the bird is still there, but it's hard to know how accurate some of the more recent sightings are since I don't know who reported them or what kind of view they had. The trouble is, in this past week I've spoken to birders who have travelled from Surrey and Suffolk to see this bird based on sightings reported to the bird info services. It's a long way for a poorly seen chiffchaff.......

 

-- Edited by colin davies on Sunday 10th of February 2019 09:20:24 AM

Highlights from today, 10.00 - 15.15

Grey Partridge 2

Goosander 8 (5 males, 3 females)

Tufted Duck 6 ( 5 males 1 female)

Willow Tit 4

Mediterranean Gull ad sum, (found by Colin Davies)

Lesser Redpoll 4

Chiffchaff 1

Tree Sparrow 4+

Sparrowhawk 1 (Male)

No sign between 14:00-16:00 in sunny spells but cold blustery wind

Chiffchaff down perimeter flence in dead brambles behind large concrete silos

-- Edited by Mike Cooper on Friday 8th of February 2019 08:43:38 AM

colin davies wrote:

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Thanks Ian, the habitat looks good for the species.

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 Proving beeeding this year would be nice!

The Cetti’s Warbler is almost certainly the resident bird which goes unrecorded for long periods Colin (not least because so few people visit the site anyway) but I heard It sporadically during 2018 since its first discovery in October 2017.

No sign of Blyth's reed warbler today for me 9:00 - 14:20. However I did see:

Woodcock 1

Pink-footed geese 120 over west

Peregrine 1 adult

Green sandpiper 1

Chiffchaff 4 (two near or in the Blyth's reed warblers favourite bramble, one in the sewage works half way along the solar panels and a fourth at the extreme western corner of the sewage works perimeter fence).

Shoveler 20

Teal 80

Tree sparrow 10

One of the chiffchaffs was singing. Again no sign of any water pipit which seem more elusive than the Blyth's reed warbler. 

Ian McKerchar wrote:

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Blyth’s Reed Warbler showing very well and highly active around 1:45 in the brambles by the small sycamores (and also in the trees too).

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 Continued to show very well until 2:35.

Blyth’s Reed Warbler showing very well and highly active around 1:45 in the brambles by the small sycamores (and also in the trees too).

Blyth's Reed Warbler not seen by me, but it was seen briefly this morning, but I did see:

Black Redstart on the perimeter fence and in the sewage works compound.

Little Egret, flying over

Pererine 1

Kingfisher 1

Fieldfare 2

Tree Sparrow 10+

Plus the usual stuff

Blyth’s Reed Warbler showed briefly at the usual location at 11:15

Info thanks to John Tymon

Some i.D. pictures of the Blyth’s Reed Warbler at Hope Carr NR I hope they help to confirm the species is present in the area. 

No sign of Blyths Reed warbler today by 12pm. Birds seen included Chiffchaff, Peregrine and Green Sandpiper. Black Redstart also reported by another birder in the water treatment area.

Reported on BirdGuides as showing well late afternoon Colin.

No show up to 12 pm of the Blyth's Reed Warbler again today. 

 

 

The elusive and very mobile Blyth's Reed Warbler, looking in good shape and finding plenty to eat, this one has found a spiders summer labour its egg sac

-- Edited by David Shallcross on Monday 28th of January 2019 11:06:34 PM

What a difference a day makes  - after yesterday's windswept three hours peering into the brambles on the works side of the mound the Blyth’s Reed Warbler was seen a couple of times in this afternoon's sunshine. As Paul says it was in the brambles along the edge of the pond around the corner from the mound area.

Blyth's Reed Warbler still showing by early afternoon.

Sunday 27th Jan

Called in on way back from Warrington.

The wind had died down a bit and conditions were a bit calmer but still icey cold. I heard a call a few times resembling the Blyths Reed Warbler call thats been heard recently. 3 times a small brown bird flew across the brambles, it probably was the Blyths but just like yesterday I wasnt entirely happy as there was a Dunnock hanging around again, and a sudden glimpse of a brown flash didnt confirm it for me.

- c35-40 Pied Wagtail on ground at viewing area
- 2 Grey Wagtail
- 1 Merlin came racing through, scattered them all and gave chase to one over the fIlter beds.
- 5 Linnet
- 2 Meadow Pipit

I was on my own at first but then nice to see Alan Patterson and co who turned up a little later. (Alan I think I met you a few years back at Woolston Eyes).

No definite sight of sound of the Blyths Reed warbler for me by 11am. 2 brief flight views of what was probably the bird and also thought I heard it call twice but as Colin says very hard to be sure in the strong wind.