Few hours from dawn, parking at the Yellow Gate to the Manchester Ship Canal, along the Canal at the West End of the patch at Halfway House, back via Owens Wood, Upper Moss Side, Lapwing Lane (North) as far as Birchwood Pool then back to retrieve the car.

Raptors: Kestrel, Peregrine (Stobart Building), Buzzard.

Waders: Double figure Oystercatchers on the Mersey at Halfway House. Lapwings increasing on the Banks as the tide went out - some circulation of birds between banks by Wigg Island and Penketh Bar but 110+ including juveniles (-1 perhaps to Peregrine....;). Single Green Sandpiper on the canal "beach" East of Randall Sluice.

Small numbers Shelduck (6/7) on the River. Plenty Canada Goose inc young (30+).

Two birders popped out of Owens Wood when I was at Round Cherval and put me onto a Spotted Flycatcher at the South Bank of the wood, watched for a few minutes then it flew South towards Oxmoor at 8:14.

Path round Norton Marsh to Upper Moss Side too brambly to bash through - stupidly I had put shorts on and forgot Cleg spray anyway! 

Garden Warbler in the usual corner by the Yellow Bar Gate off Lapwing Lane and one in the wood by the old canal. Lots of Whitethroat along the ship canal. Chiffchaffs in equal numbers to Lapwing (edit: Whitethroat), many fewer Blackcaps than recent years (by guesswork / judgement / feeling of juju; not from records).

All Hirundines present along the Ship Canal (10s+ Swallow, 2/3 Martins) - tending South with Swifts (8/9) overhead as well.

Bullfinch, Linnet, Blue, Coal and Great Tits together with Song Thrush made up the best of the rest. (Plus a few of the usual gulls, corvids and ducks and grebes, but nothing unusual in amongst).

 

 

 

 

-- Edited by Andy Slee on Thursday 23rd of June 2022 06:39:26 PM

Thought on the way home I better sneak an afternoon visit in as the last for the month and was rewarded with a 2022 patch tick of House Martin, of which there were six on Pumphouse Pool with eight Sand Martin.

Present with young were Great crested Grebe and Coot. Kingfisher, Little Grebe, Pochard, Swift, Song Thrush, Lapwing, Jay, Pied Wagtail, Pochard, Tufted Duck, Mallard, Gadwall, Canada Goose, Carrion Crow, Jackdaw, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Whitethroat and Willow Warbler made up the rest of the supporting cast visible / audible from Colin's Hide between 15:00 and 16:00.

Ten visits in the month, 64.6 miles walked - much time was spent sitting this month at Halfway House either a) cursing my ability to read tide tables with respect to GMT / BST b) accepting the randomness of the tide on the Mersey whilst waiting for Penketh Bar to flood / clear.

Year foot mileage total 514 now, no other sources other than walking employed for travel this month and no video trail cameras deployed this month. Eight new patch avian species in the month and two species converted from Video only to Mk1 Eyeball. 

-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Tuesday 31st of May 2022 04:55:20 PM

Two Commic Terns East down the Ship Canal early morn; they looked to cross over to the Mersey around Round Cherval but I couldn't find them when I got there. A few Black headed but mostly Lesser black-backed gulls on the mud (~28) from all CYs.

Interesting "chocolatey Pintail like" white breasted Mallard / Muscovy hybrid with young on the Ship Canal at Randal Sluices.

Several Grey Herons about, Greylag and Canada with Goslings.

Single Kingfisher going West down Ship Canal. Cormorant, Coot, Gadwall on Ship Canal.

On the river only waders were Lapwing and Oystercatcher.

Raptor - Buzzard only.

5 Swallows on the Ship Canal.

Skylark family on Norton Marsh.

Warblers much quieter now, though still not heard / seen Lesser Whitethroat this year at Moore.

Bullfinch seemed very ascendant, at least 5 pairs as I walked the loop today from the Crossroads to HWH over the Marsh and back via the farm track.

Yellow Wagtail in corner field of Lapwing Lane by Bobs Bridge.

 

2hrs at Moore today, feeling again it might be good for waders if Woolston would be kind enough to send a few West from todays passage there (ha-ha).

Half Way House was my first place to aim for.

Four species of Gull were on Stobbies Warehouse roof observable from the walk down the MSC path on the way to Half Way House - Common, Black-headed, Lesser-black Backed and Great Black-back.

Scanning the ever expanding Penketh Bar as the tide fell three Ringed Plover and five Dunlin were observed. A Swift also flew overhead and thus three year patch ticks were gained. 

Kestrel, Reed Bunting, Stonechat, Buzzard, Skylark seen over / on Norton Marsh, with a Kingfisher flyover.

 

Back to the car to scoot to the other [east] end.

Black Fields Pools held Lapwing, Pochard, Teal, Canada Goose, Buzzard, Redshank, Coot (+brood of three), Moorhen, Grey Heron.

Pumphouse Pool held Oystercatcher, Common Sandpiper, Lapwing both Grebes and Shoveler.

When I totted up my list for the whole two hours, given I didn't spend any time in the Woods at the centre of the reserve so missed a few tit species, I was surprised my list was 76 species for the wander, my highest single patch list to date for Moore. I wonder if sometimes one is "blind" to the everyday species and one forgets to count them. Had 69 in a winter period without Warblers but with Winter Duck, more Gull species, more Tits and winter Thrushes etc.

Full list....

• Collared Dove
• Common Gull
• Common Sandpiper (1)
• Coot
• Cormorant
• Crow
• Cuckoo (heard on tip from Lapwing Lane)
• Dunlin (5)
• Dunnock
• Feral Pigeon
• Gadwall
• Goldcrest
• Goldfinch
• Grasshopper Warbler (3 all Norton Marsh)
• Great Black-backed Gull
• Great Crested Grebe
• Grey Heron
• Grey Partridge (1 - Triangle Field, Lapwing Lane)
• Grey Wagtail (1)
• Greylag Goose
• Herring Gull
• House Sparrow
• Jackdaw
• Jay
• Kestrel
• Kingfisher
• Lapwing
• Lesser-black Backed Gull
• Little Grebe
• Magpie
• Mallard
• Moorhen
• Mute Swan
• Nuthatch
• Oystercatcher
• Pheasant
• Pied Wagtail
• Pochard (m+f)
• Raven
• Redshank (1)
• Reed Bunting
• Reed Warbler
• Ringed Plover (3)
• Robin
• Rook
• Sand Martin
• Sedge Warbler 
• Shelduck
• Shoveler
• Skylark
• Song Thrush
• Sparrowhawk
• Starling
• Stock Dove
• Stonechat (1)
• Swallow (12)
• Swift (2)
• Teal
• Tufted Duck
• Water Rail
• Whitethroat
• Willow Warbler
• Wood Pigeon
• Wren
• Yellowhammer

 

-- Edited by Andy Slee on Thursday 12th of May 2022 06:47:43 PM

-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Thursday 12th of May 2022 08:56:43 PM

Thought the weather and tide looked good for potential waders on the River at Moore and was treated to a Greenshank and a fly over Whimbrel but little else. Shelduck, Lesser-black Backed Gull, Black-headed Gull and Canada Goose on the River also.

Cetti's, Sedge, Grasshopper (3 off) and Reed Warbler on Norton Marsh with Reed Bunting, Whitethroat and Stonechat (pair). Yellowhammer heard but not seen near "Tree Sparrow" corner on the upper Moss Side path.

Buzzard in the Lapwing Lane woods and few of the common tit species, Robin and Nuthatch.

-- Edited by Andy Slee on Wednesday 4th of May 2022 09:46:15 PM

Short route round the west end of the patch today. Parked at Bens Bridge, down to Halfway House, back via Norton Marsh and Lapwing Lane.

Year ticks; Ruff (Halfway House on northern mudflats of Mersey), Garden Warbler (Bens bridge), Grasshopper Warbler (reeds by Quay on Manchester Ship Canal opposite Stobart's Warehouse) and Whitethroat.

Grey Heron, Tufted Duck, Gadwall, Mallard, Cormorant, Common Sandpiper, Great Crested Grebe, Mute Swan on the Ship Canal.

Cetti's Warbler, Reed Warbler, Skylark, Great Tit, Long Tailed Tit, Bullfinch, Pied Wagtail around the farm fields.

Sparrowhawk soaring over the raptor viewpoint with two Buzzards. Heart wants to say Goshawk, but despite being almost 2/3rds the size of the Buzzards, neat square tail and pale contrasting under barring, just couldn't get a good view on chest size as bird rose higher. Have seen a very large female Sparrowhawk over Lapwing Lane a month or so ago so will go down as one of those enigma sightings, a bit like the light morph Buzzard often seen near the Eastern Reedbeds which always makes one start to think Honey Buzzard??????.

First clegs of the year came out in the afternoon sun and started biting down the Norton Marsh end! First tim I've had clegs bite me before seeing a swallow!

A Lesser Whitethroat was singing, close to the junction of Lapwing Lane and Moss Side Lane, at around midday on Saturday 23 April.

Crossroads to Halfway House (HWH)

Chiffchaff, Blackcap, one Shelduck on the Manchester Ship Canal, bit of an unusual sighting given it was low tide on the estuary.

Looking over the estuary a single Lapwing, four Curlew, two Great Black-backed Gulls, Cormorants, Gadwall and Mallards, Shelduck distant towards Widnes. Canada Goose on Fiddlers Ferry Marshes, Corvids a plenty.

Six different Skylarks singing coming back from Round Cherval, past Penketh Bar, Norton Marsh (ex) Hide location back to Lapwing Lane.

Down to the East end by car then walk back into the reserve. Coot, Teal, Canada Goose, Kestrel, Eight Lapwing and one Redshank on Back Fields Pools; getting to Colin's Field (by Pumphouse Pool) the Buzzards are up in the air with the Gulls at something...Western Osprey over Arpley Tip heading North.

Pumphouse Pool, two Lapwing, one Little Ringed Plover, Willow Warbler, Merlin through left to right in front of Colin's Hide, caught something small off the scrape, not sure what (amphibian?). Supporting cast of Little Grebe, Coot, Moorhen, Mute Swan, Black-headed Gull, Shovler, Gadwall and Tufted Duck.

 

-- Edited by Andy Slee on Sunday 10th of April 2022 05:53:55 PM

Using a couple of one way transport links (*), somewhat repeating last weeks recuperative walk, took 5hrs hrs for what is usually a 2.5hr double traverse of the reserve on foot, water and rubber.

Was hoping for Blackcap but failed though did meet other birders whom had heard them.

Norton Marsh, Meadow Pipit, 6 Snipe and a pair (m+f) Stonechat were observed, plus a very large pale Grey Heron. No waders, got my tide times wrong and there was no Penketh Bar visible. Hightailed past the back of Richmond Bank (now also obscured by tide) back via the main pools. Single Goldeneye (m) left on Birchwood Pool. Tufted Duck and two Black-Headed Gull.

Two Pied Wagtail Pumphouse Pool; supporting cast of two Greater Black-backed Gulls, Pochards, Little Grebe, Gadwall, Mallard, Tufted Duck. Then on the scrape created late 2021 (or at least enlarged and cleared of vegetation) from Colins Hide, two Little Ringed Plover, one Redshank, two Oystercatcher, three Lapwing and 5-7 Sand Martin.

Back Fields Pools (anyone correct me I have heard Black Fields Pools recently as a term also; as well as Back Fields) held Green Sandpiper, plenty of Teal, five buzzards including one very pale one - a regular here which always makes you look twice and thrice, Starling, two Grey Heron, Canada Geese, three Cetti's warbler on territory and Chiffchaff everywhere.

Siskin in Alders by Phoenix hide.

(*) left a car at the east end of the reserve, drove second car and portaged into the Mersey at Wigg, coming back out at WCML at Lower Walton to bicycle back to HWH and back to the WCML before going back to get the car we went to Wigg in! Not sure we actually saved any carbon footprint c.f. just driving from site to site, perhaps next time we will stick to bikes!

#BigLocalYear, 39 visits in 2022, 93 species so far (only two summer migrants in the 93 so I expect 100 will be broken in the next few weeks). Main omissions from usual species seen by now years in the past are two Owl species, Yellowhammer, Linnet and Grey Partridge. White Winger gulls and overwintering Bittern seem lost from Moore these days post 2016 as well. 229 miles walked. 13 miles cycled. 26 miles canoed up and down the Mersey.

 

-- Edited by Andy Slee on Wednesday 30th of March 2022 06:52:03 PM

-- Edited by Andy Slee on Wednesday 30th of March 2022 06:52:59 PM

Recuperative walk at a slow pace whilst getting through some health issues, actually a slow pace is good for observation, but not so good when two hours into a route that usually only takes me 2 hrs in total I'm only only half way around!

Went West from the Crossroads at the car parks. Chiffchaffs every 100 yrds it seemed on territory singing away up until Half Way House, three separate Cettis Warbler in the area along the MSC by HWH. Eight Grey Herons visible in a 360 from HWH and two Little Egret.

No waders at all on the Mersey despite Penketh Bank and Bar being exposed to the returning tide, three Great Black Backed Gulls and a few Black Headed Gulls.

Returned over the back fields to Norton Marsh, still a few Redwing, one Tree Sparrow, female Peregrine. Whooper Swan flew along the Mersey.

2 pairs Bullfinch on Upper Moos Side. Met a couple of birders who solved the mystery of the hide disappearing "as too expensive to maintain so FC had removed the asset" Booo. However, did get within eight foot of a little Egret whom also hadn't realised the hide had gone! Be interesting to see if the Warbler that used to reel just outside the hide west window will establish a territory there again this year?

Wigeon seem to have moved off from Lapwing Lane Pool, got too tired and couldn't get further down to Birchwood Pool to see if the Goldeneye were still about. Still 54 species in a few hours wasn't shabby.

Year list stands at 89 on 34 visits, ca 124hrs on patch and 203 miles walked.

Turns out from percomms on social media, the Moore Wader-fest today was down the East End with Snipe, Redshank, Ringed Plover, Lapwing, Green Sandpiper and Curlew all down there!

Morning walk today 08:15-11:15. Gs Woodpecker at least 6x, 5x Treecreeper, 3x Nuthatch, 3x Bullfinch, 1x Brambling, 1x Willow tit, 20x Goldcrest, 7x Siskin, 5x Mistle Thrush, 4x Song Thrush, 7x Redwing

Visit to the West of the reserve today pm.

23 Wigeon on Lapwing Lane Pool.

4 Bullfinch (2m2f) on path to ex Norton Marsh Hide. Remaining screens destroyed and much detritus on Norton Marsh from recent storms / surges. Peregrine sat on an Owl Box on the back field just before before the NM hide. Pair Ravens sky dancing over Norton Marsh.

Forestry Commission screen by Snipe fields destroyed by recent winds. 200m of path flooded. Wear wellies if going down the middle path North of Lapwing Lake.

7 Grey Partridge on fields North of Lapwing Lane.

Feeders held Coal, Blue, Great LT Tit and Chaffinch today in a 30 minute viewing.

Quick wander around before the next few days high winds, don't fancy being near all those trees with the ground so waterlogged, bound to be a few down.

Highlights, Merlin, 55 Siskin, 12 Redpoll (all down East Reedbed end). Singing Marsh Tit between Birchwood Pool and Lapwing Lane.

Birchwood Pool, 4 Goldeneye, and supporting cast of Great Crested and Little Grebe, Gadwall, 2 Oystercatchers, Black-headed Gulls, Shoveler, Shelduck, Tufted Duck, Cormorant and Mallard.

Dawn walk to the Mersey end of the reserve.

In-between showers, plenty of Song Thrush, Blackbird and Dunnock making for an increasingly loud dawn chorus.

Other than that fairly quiet until Randall Sluices where ca. 150 Black-headed Gulls were feeding on what looked like silvery sprat type fish jumping out the surface.

Two buzzards were in the same area.

Turning North to view the Mersey on Penketh Bar were 12 Curlew (some were already leaving the roost as I was walking along to Round Cherval, so possibly 30 or more in total had roosted), 272 Lapwing, 4 Oystercatcher and a solitary Redshank.

 

-- Edited by Andy Slee on Monday 14th of February 2022 09:30:33 AM

-- Edited by Andy Slee on Monday 14th of February 2022 09:38:39 AM

No probs mate, an old school protractor sounds like the most reliable way.

Hi Andy,
looking at your image, personally I wouldnt have said it was leucistic, although bear in mind the pitfalls of judging from images without actually seeing it 1st hand.

Also, I dont know if you are aware or not so Im only pointing out that just because the head was totally white it probably wouldnt have much bearing on it being a Sinensis. Many Carbosis have much white on the heads in breeding plumage and its about the right time for that stage now, plus there are many hybrids in the UK between the 2 subspecies anyway.
The only sure way of determining a Sinensis is to assess the Gular angle around the base of the bill and the bare patch around the gape.

General rule
< 66 deg Carbosis
> 72 deg Sinensis
With the overlap in the middle !!!

Another visit keeping the local patching up. Boy was it windy down there today. 

Was expecting the river to show some sandbanks off Round Cherval around 3pm but the wind was obviously pushing the Mersey up still so the running tide hadn't yet really established itself. A few gulls and a lapwing flock starting to establish as Penketh Bar started to come out the water.

Couple of nice additions to the year list, Snipe (Upper Moss Side) and Goldcrest.

6 Bullfinch (4 Upper Moss Side, 2 Lapwing Lane). Three flocks of 5-8 Long-tailed Tits.

Smattering of winter thrushes but other than Corvids and Woodpigeon and a single Sparrowhawk.

Wigeon, Pochard, Mallard, Coot, Moorhen, Gadwall, and a Water rail from Lapwing Lane hide.

Also from Lapwing Lane hide 17 cormorants roosting. However one bird choose to stay away from the remainder of the roost on its own. Badly bino-zoomed iphone photo attached. As well as white patches above the legs, the head was almost completely white, no dark at all apart from a possible crest and the nape yellow area appeared more extensive that the other birds behind (none of the other birds showed the transition to breeding plumage). I'm going to go back in the morn with my 'scope as the light was going on me, and I was viewing against the setting sun so I've can't conclude either was Sinesis or Leucistic. I'm 99% sure though this bird flew past me at Wigg Island in March 2021 as I was a bit stuck by a totally white headed cormorant in flight, with the white side patches. Would a Sinesis stay in the NW all year or just come here to winter at the same spot?

 

 

-- Edited by Andy Slee on Tuesday 1st of February 2022 05:28:06 PM

-- Edited by Andy Slee on Tuesday 1st of February 2022 06:33:54 PM

Late afternoon.

Snipe flushed from ditch on back path from feeders to Birchwood West Hide.

2 Oystercatcher on Pumphouse pool. 27 Black-headed Gulls, two with smart hoods already (were these the two I saw three hours previous at Gateworth Sewage works)? Other wildfowl included Gadwall, Shovler, Wigeon and Pochard.

4 Goldeneye Birchwood Pool. Grey Heron. 17 Tufted Duck. 2 Little Grebe.

Bramblings with Chaffinch at feeders.

Usual Tits but no Willow or Marsh.

Siskin by car park (1 f).

Very pale under winged Buzzard seen twice at the eastern end of site. Didn't have the "pigeon head" appearance of a Rough-Legged but was worth an investigation anyway!

 

 

I enjoyed a short trip to Moore this morning and had a few good birds for my yearlist

I started at the Feeding Station screen and within the first 5mins had a Willow Tit whiz in and out taking seed from the near table. Thereafter 3-4 individuals visited this table but with close scrutiny I have to say that all were Willow Tits, some more obvious than others but all the same species nonetheless. A female Brambling stayed on the table filling herself up for a lot longer, showing really nicely. A group of 6 Long-tailed Tits clustered on the fat ball feeder over to the left. Also using the feeders were a Nuthatch, Coal Tits, Great Tits, Blue Tits, Chaffinches and a Robin.

A walk around on the other side of the path was productive as I first heard and then watched a large feeding flock up in the alders. This consisted of good numbers of Lesser Redpolls, Siskins, mixed tits and a couple of Goldfinches. These soon moved through and the only other bird of note was a Great Spotted Woodpecker.

Lapwing lake 35 tufted duck 20+wigeon 1little grebe  large flock of redwing big hand ranch 8 curlew over 2 jay car park 6 pheasant in field near farm upper moss side

Visit 04/01. All the pools from Eastern Reedbed and then Lapwing Lane loop and feeding stations.

40 species. No woodpeckers. Paucity of gulls, though a new bank almost up to HT level seems to be forming at the Mersey Gateway bridge with an increasing population (2,000+ on 1st estimated from Wigg Island), perhaps they are no longer coming to Richmond Bank on the higher tides. Single Curlew in fields next to the Ship Canal. Nice to hear two of the three Cetti's that have been present round Eastern Reedbed still.

Ended last year on 115 species for the patch (highest previous patch list in "good wader years" and when the tip was still open with "gulls", that I can find on the internet / blogs seem to be 149). "021 was very poor for waders though, hopefully this year will be better!

a.m.

Brief visit to Big Hand Ranch fields (no Curlew for the first time in ages), Lapwing Lane hide (Wigeon singing the highlight), feeders (Brambling, Chaffinch, Robin, Nuthatch, Blue, Great, Coal and Marsh Tit; no Willow Tit, fellow birder a couple of days had both Willow and Marsh simultaneously "his first time in decades") and round Lapwing Lane (279 Lapwing over, a most Aptronymic moment), as far as the location of the ex Norton Marsh Hide (three Buzzards, four Bullfinch 2m+2f).

In the evening (16:05) i was coming back out of town along the Chester Road bordering the Eastern Reedbeds, ca 1,800 to 2,000 Starlings left the pylon wires and headed toward above the vicinity of the Eastern Reedbed (or perhaps slightly North to the lagoon at the end of the tip fenced areas) and briefly appeared to Murmurate before dropping out of sight from the Chester Road.

 

Pleasant mooch round this afternoon.

Interesting goldcrest seen on path to the (now gone) Norton Marsh Hide. Looked to have an eye infection and the white ring around they eye on the side I could view appeared "swollen" and enlarged, the ring depth being almost the same as the eye diameter. Goldcrest like in all other features though (no white supercilium, no black edging to custard yellow crest).

Smattering of Redwing and Fieldfare. Plenty of coot and a single Moorhen on the Manchester Ship Canal (MSC). Interesting "avian" observation from Halfway House, six linesmen up in the Gods repainting the pylon, which was making an interesting buzzing noise. No birds on the Mersey there so backtracked the 300m to where you can step down to the banks of the Mersey at Round Cherval to be greeted by the mudflat to the NE being chocka with birds:

890 lapwings

56 Golden Plover

12 Black-tailed Godwit

40+ Curlew

1,000+ gulls, which I had just started to sift through when I spot a large totally white backed gull with it's head tucked in in the middle of the. Slightly bigger than a Lesser-black Backed Gull in front of it. I start to get excited, then the little Egret lifts its head out the gutter and steps out the gutter it was in behind the gulls. Drat  though it might be my first white winger of the winter. So back to searching the gulls, but the flocks all take to the air in alarm. I cannot locate any raptor in the flock nor see boats or humans going near the bank. Then I pick up on a loud noise of a boat passaging on the MSC. Strange that that would cause disturbance on the River itself, but interesting to watch the discrete flocks of waders form in flight, the lapwings "sky-danced". Curlew went high, swooped around and came back down first. Gulls headed west down the estuary. Blackwits re-joined Curlew next, Golden Plover flew towards Curdely Marsh and the Lapwings split into two flocks one back down on the river and one flock heading North.

And then on the way home, sat at Walton lights and 12 Common Scoters fly over SE (16:48). Would have almost certainly flown over Moore a few minutes before and been a nice patch tick. 

 

No Gulls on pools at East end. Little Egret on Pumphouse.

Huge Corvid roost and low hundreds Woodpigeon coming in as well. All observations below from Phoenix Hide at 4 - 5 pm.

Again no Starling Murmuration.

Single Great Spotted Woodpecker over. 

Three different Cetti's Warbler calling as dusk came, two to east of hide, one to west.

Grey Heron flew past hide at ground level, brilliant view.

Kingfisher over the bund at hide between the two lakes.

Smattering of Gadwall, Shoveler, Teal, Mallard and Tufted Duck.

Water Rail calling.

Reed Bunting showed briefly.

Raven landed on path on return to car park at the Railway Bridge, just a few feet in front of me, great view.

Another birder reported female Smew with Tufted Duck on the Anglers Quarry to South of the Manchester Ship Canal; I don't have a permit and was at wrong end of reserve so couldn't check this out on todays visit.

-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Sunday 7th of November 2021 09:03:58 PM