Highlights around midday today:

10 singing Chiffchaff

2 singing Cetti's Warblers

1 Willow Tit

14 Tree Sparrow

2 Oystercatcher

3 singing Treecreeper

4 Bullfinch

 

Late post got yesterday 2 x Shelduck 30 x Gadwall 3 x Goosander 22 x Shoveler 37 x Teal 34 x Tufted 20+ Siskin 20+ Tree Sparrow 1 x Brambling 1 x Meadow Pipit 6 x Little Grebe 1 x Cettis Warbler

Mid-afternoon’s main highlights from today:

33 Tree Sparrow along Pennington Brook and the garden feeders

10 Bullfinch including a flock of 8

2 Willow Tit

17 Siskin around the UU carpark, most unseen until the flock flew off north

2 Cetti’s Warblers, a usual singing male and a nervously calling bird

1 Chiffchaff

Saturday am. 19 x Tree Sparrow 3 x Brambling 40+ Siskin 2 x Willow Tit 1 x Green Sandpiper 10 x Greenfinch 1 x Great Spotted Woodpecker 3 x Goosander 120+ Pied Wagtail 4 x Meadow Pipit

Great to meet Phil 3 x Brambling 22 x Tree Sparrow 1 x Woodcock 7 x Siskin 1 x Water Rail 2 x Mistle Thrush 12 x Shoveler 3 x Goosander 32 x Gadwall 3 x Grey Wagtail 70+ Pied Wagtail

-- Edited by Keith Williams on Sunday 16th of January 2022 08:03:02 AM

I had an hour's walk around the site this morning. It was good to meet Keith Williams (thanks for telling me a lot about the site that I didn't know). Birds of note were 1 or 2 vocal Cetti's warbler at the lagoons, 1 grey wagtail and good numbers of pied wagtail on the sewage works and a mixed finch flock at the UU Training Centre including 1 brambling, 3 siskin, 2 greenfinch and 10+ chaffinch.

Afternoon walk, of note: 1 x Snipe 1 x Woodcock 3 x Grey Wagtail 75+ Pied Wagtail 6 x Meadow Pipit 3 x Bullfinch 32+ Siskin 3 x Tree Sparrow 5 x Shoveler 6 x Gadwall 26 x Teal

2 hours mid afternoon

Very quiet round the reserve with the best sightings on the main lake which included :-

2 flighty Cormorants; 2 Mute Swan; Grey Heron; Little Grebe; 4 Shoveler; a few Tufted & Gadwall & at least 50 Canada Geese.

Around the reserve :- Willow Warbler; Goldfinch; Long-Tailed Tit; Kestrel mobbed by crows & the usual blast from a Cetti's Warbler

along the path from the United Utilities Training Centre.

Ongoing work at the sewage works meant there were no Gulls or Crows but a dozen Grey Wagtails & a couple of Pied Wagtails were

seen hitching a ride on the filter bed stirrers.

Also a dark looking Buzzard size raptor with a long slim tail that flew over but was unable to get a decent pic for identification.  

Afternoon visit for a couple of hours.

Willow Warblers calling all around the reserve brightened up a rather dull day.

The main lake was very quiet with only a juvenile Little Grebe of note with three calling juvenile Kestrels circling the trees. 

Plenty of Swallows & Swifts screeching overhead & a Cetti's Warbler belted out a song very close by but unable to locate.

Workmen on the sewage works meant there were hardly any Gulls but a Pied & Grey Wagtail were seen with a Jackdaw.

Also seen :- Kingfisher flying down Pennington Brook; Tree Sparrow; Greenfinch & Goldfinch.

 

 

1 x Mediterranean Gull still present, same filter bed as last week

-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Saturday 26th of June 2021 11:19:21 AM

Late news for yesterday when a pair of Mediterranean Gulls were on the filtration lagoons, one of which was ringed, and two singing Cetti’s Warblers

Info thanks to Phil Rhodes

Morning mooch 8.15am - 11am, 47 species including:-

2 x Tree Sparrow
Little Grebe with chick
Willow Tit family party
2 x Sparrowhawk
2 x Bullfinch
1 x Oystercatcher
5 x Chiffchaff
6 x Blackcap
4 x Willow Warbler
3 x Cetti's Warbler
2 x Sedge Warbler
2 x Reed Warbler
11 x Common Whitethroat

Excellent 'swarm' of feeding hirundines over the filtration beds within the sewage works this afternoon, obviously a good hatch of insects, with 180 Swallow, 220 House Martin, 30 Sand Martin, 110 Swift and also c80 Jackdaw and plenty of Black-headed Gulls joining in.

2 singing Cetti's warblers

5+ Tree Sparrow

Nice to see a healthy looking population of a variety of young birds emerging too.

Ruddy shelduck still present early afternoon, calling a lot and chasing off the drake of a pair of shelduck. I'm not sure if the female shelduck is impressed or not, she seems to be sticking to her mate but the new guy is pretty persistent and a lot bigger.

I've started a thread on the status of ruddy shelduck on the birding discussion forum.

Also raven over, Cetti's warbler singing 2 goosander (m&f) and 8 tufted ducks.

 

-- Edited by colin davies on Thursday 13th of May 2021 03:49:49 PM

Sightings from around midday today included:

1 Hobby drifting slowly over north

1 Raven flying over low south

2 Shelduck

8 Tree Sparrow

20 Tufted Duck

2 Greylag Geese

2 singing Cetti's Warblers

10 singing Reed Warblers

3 singing Sedge Warblers

17 Blackcap, including 13 singing males

 

 

Late post for Saturday - 48 species amble including:-

2 x Common Whitethroat - first of the year
2 x Willow Warbler
3 x Blackcap
2 x Cetti's Warbler
12 x Chiffchaff
32 x Gadwall
23 Tufted Duck
2 x Teal
2 x Shelduck
5 x Tree Sparrow
3 x Oystercatcher

Sunday morning walk - 48 species inc.

Willow Tit x 1
Tree Sparrow x 4
Willow Warbler - 1st of the year, in the same tree as last year
Blackcap x 3
Cetti's Warbler x 1
Oystercatcher x 3
Mediterranean Gull x 2
House Martin x 3 (very early in the morning).
Sand Martin/Swallow x mixed flock of approx. 100 bird
Little Grebe x 3 (different pools)
Greylag x 4
Shelduck x 2
Tufted Duck x 21
Gadwall x 22
Teal x 4

17.00
pair of Mediterranean Gulls on the filter beds
Pair of Shelduck
3 Blackcap

Today:

pair of Mediterranean Gulls on the filter beds

Pair of Shelduck

100+ Sand Martin

2 Swallow

4 Tree Sparrow

Info thanks to Phil Rhodes

29 Whooper Swans flew over Bents and hope Carr North at 10.55 this morning 

Saturday am, 46 species including.
2 x drake Shoveler
40 x Tufted Duck
19 x Gadwall
1 x long staying female Pochard
7 x Goosander
Definitely 3 but up to 6 Oystercatcher
At least 1000 Black headed Gulls, most Ive seen on here. All lifted with a great racket and would not resettle, no idea why.
2 x Buzzard
2 x singing Cettis Warbler
7 x Chiffchaff
4 x Little Grebe
8 x Tree Sparrow

Couple of hours late afternoon when the weather picked up :- of note

Only 1 of the resident 4 Mute Swans today on main pool.

Also 2 Oystercatcher on the island, 2M + 2F Goosander, a few Teal & Gadwall plus a Buzzard very low over back pool with a Cetti's Warbler singing nearby.

Never seen as many Long-Tailed Tits - they were everywhere, at least 50 seen unless the same gang were following me around!

Also seen M & F Bullfinch, Goldfinch, Tree Sparrows, 15 Linnet & a Grey Wagtail on Pennington Brook plus a Pheasant heard.

Quite a few singing Chiffchaffs dotted around the site also.

 

-- Edited by Lez Fairclough on Tuesday 16th of March 2021 10:27:06 PM

But it is a gem of a site when you get to know it, has given me 90 species since lockdown, not bad for a run down little looked after site just a stones throw from Leigh Town Centre.

Late post for Saturday am, 48 species incl.
First singing Chiffchaff of the year though at least one has been present over winter.
2 x Oystercatcher
3 x Goosander
6 x Tree Sparrow
2 x Grey Wagtail
1 x Meadow Pipit
1 x Pochard
37 x Tufted Duck
1 x Water Rail flushed from the path
3 x Cetti's Warbler in full voice

-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Sunday 7th of March 2021 08:12:29 PM

Unfortunately, this site merely hangs on to its ‘nature reserve’ title for prosterity only, it is no longer, nor has been for years now, any form of nature reserve.