Highlights from a late afternoon visit:

Common scoter 1 female

Green sandpiper 1

Tufted duck 26 (14 males, 12 females)

Goosander 12 (5 males, 7 red heads)

Gadwall 20

Chiffchaff 6 singing

Oystercatcher 2

13:00 - 15:00 today:

Green sandpiper 1

Goosander 15 (inc. 7 males)

Tufted duck 30 (inc. 22 males)

Kingfisher 1

Peregrine 1 adult

Shelduck 2 (male & female)

Tree sparrow 10

Willow tit 1

3 Chiffchaff were together by the perimeter fence brambles this morning and a flock of 8 curlew flew over low north.

Info thanks to Andy Makin

Just a quick visit for me today produced a singing Cetti's warbler and drake pochard, along with 11 tufted ducks and three goosander.  The Cetti's warbler was well away from the area in which I heard one singing previously on 6th Feb so potentially a different bird I suppose. The pochard was species number 82 for me at the site this year.

Popped in again this afternoon to see if any news for my mate. About 6 birders who had been there since 8am hadn't seen the bird. I decided to walk along the edge of the works to check the small trees and almost immediately found the bird feeding fairly high up in the trees along the banking about 200m along there from the original area.There was also a Chiffchaff in the general area feeding fairly high up as well. Obviously it's food supply has dispersed due to the hot weather and the midges etc were no longer sheltering in the brambles. 

Tim Wilcox wrote:

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 We decided the Blyth's Reed Warbler must've departed sometime on Wednesday as it warmed up. There was no show anywhere at any of the patches of bramble where it had previously been seen.

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 Perhaps unlikely to depart just yet Tim, not only as the bird probably thinks it's on its wintering grounds but more, certainly up to a couple of weeks ago, it was still completing its primary moult.

Having been lucky enough to see the Blyth's Reed Warbler a couple of weeks ago I have made a couple of visits now to try and see the Black Redstart. I honestly didn't expect many people to be there today but there were a good 10-15 birders when I arrived at 12 ish. I didn't manage to see the Black redstart (or the warbler) but did get Peregrine and Green Sandpiper as well as catching up with some friends, including a couple from across the Pennines

Blyth’s Reed Warbler showing this morning in the usual brambles by the metal fence.

Info thanks to Simon Gough

Good to see Rob Creek and Andy Makin there too, kept me entertained chatting for the hours that I spent trying to get a second look at this bird. All to no avail. Andy and two visiting birders had seperate heard only recordsof the bird today mid afternoon. I'm not sure whether this is what made it onto the pager as reports saying that the bird was very elusive, rather than a confirmed sighting. Still worth the visit with yearticks of Mediterranean Gull and Green Sandpiper, whereas the Blyth's Reed Warbler wouldn't have even been a yeartick!!

Andy Bissitt wrote:

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It now ought to be a formality () for anyone yet to see it in the coming days. Good luck.

Andy

Very nearly the kiss of death Andy, but a late afternoon report on RBA saved your bacon.

Cheers John

great views of the Blyth's reed warbler this morning after 9am in the small patch of brambles near the gate, only took me 6 visits thanks to ray for calling me over on my first arrival. I watched it in that bramble patch for at least 30 minutes feeding & calling, also seen in the fence line east of the gate & finally seen around 4pm in the usual large bramble patch by the gate where I also heard it making a rattling call several times.
other birds seen...

black redstart, on big green silo in the sewage works.
1 green sandpiper
1 chiffchaff
2 goldcrest
numerous pied wagtails, several meadow pipits, few grey wagtails in the sewage works.
2 oystercatchers
2 buzzards
6 tree sparrows
4 bullfinch

colin davies wrote:

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Looking back at the multi-observer sightings since the Blyth's reed warbler was first found, I'm pretty sure that this is the first time that the bird has shown on consecutive days, in fact it's now shown on 3 out of the past 4 days after going missing for the previous 6 days. Interestingly (to me at least!) the black redstart has now also shown for 3 consecutive days after going missing for the previous 8 days. Just shows what a difference some pleasant sunshine can make.

-- Edited by colin davies on Thursday 14th of February 2019 07:44:03 PM

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Colin,

Just to give an accurate representation of its comings and goings. I alone saw the bird on the rather cloudy (but totally calm) day of 6th February. I was not 100% sure until it reappeared (for certain) on the 11th and I was able to see the new photos and video which confirmed it was certainly the bird I saw. It was interesting to see its behaviour today which completely matched that which I had experienced on the 6th (when it disappeared after others had responded to my alert and was trackable by watching for the twitching stems of the reeds). It now ought to be a formality () for anyone yet to see it in the coming days. Good luck.

Andy

Rob Creek wrote:

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Much appreciated Ian.
I noticed the bed numbers on the forum site map and then it was relocated 20/30 yds away so was just making sure I wasnt going to be stood in wrong location.

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Rob Creek wrote:

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Hopefully trying again for this at weekend, presumably the Blyths Reed Warbler is in roughly the same location? The reason I ask is because now pit numbers are being mentioned whereas they werent before. From what I can gather its still the brambles around the gate where its always been?
Cheers

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 The numbers of the sludge beds were used on initial directions shortly after the bird's finding as they provided the most accurate pinpointing and access for its location used in conjunction with the site guide map. It does however, remain in the same location as it has been the vast majority of the time.

Looking back at the multi-observer sightings since the Blyth's reed warbler was first found, I'm pretty sure that this is the first time that the bird has shown on consecutive days, in fact it's now shown on 3 out of the past 4 days after going missing for the previous 6 days. Interestingly (to me at least!) the black redstart has now also shown for 3 consecutive days after going missing for the previous 8 days. Just shows what a difference some pleasant sunshine can make.

Could any visiting birders please not park along the road leading up to the sewage works as we have previously. We have been now asked not to park there and some cars today have been asked to move.

This was of course made worse by the stupid actions of the few who double parked and blocked the road!!

Blyth's Reed Warbler showing well this morning 

Blyth's Reed Warbler showed (well?) this morning. Total of maybe 2 minutes during 2 hours of observation! Always on the move and seldom out in the open, but worth coming back to see.

An early morning visit produced the following highlights:

Black redstart 1 1st winter / female

Mediterranean gull 1 adult with virtually complete black hood

Green sandpiper 1

Oystercatcher 4 on the sewage works

Shelduck 2 flew over

Willow tit 1

Tufted duck 13 (10 males, 3 females)

Chiffchaff 1 singing

Predictably no sign of the Blyth's reed warbler today. The black redstart was on the roof of large a green silo right at the back of the sewage works, near the building that looks like a house. Through the telescope I could see that there were lots of flies on and around the top of the roof and the bird was picking these off with a few pied wagtails. Unfortunately it's so far into the sewage works that when it drops down it's just impossible to pick up because it's lost amongst all of the machinery and pipe work. I managed to get Ray Banks onto the bird but I'm not sure how many other people saw it because I had to leave. Ten days ago it was performing well on the perimeter fence, so hopefully there is a chance that it will become easier in the coming days.