Moore NR

Andy Slee · Status: Offline

Moore NR

Andy Slee · Status: Offline

Very similar to last week on the Marsh or Eastern Reedbeds except for stayover(?) Siskin singing in the alders near the Eastern Reedbed. Not usual for them to stay to the breeding season.

Willow Warbler numbers seem very low as do Chiffchaff - Blackcap equalling Chiffchaff for territories down the Eastern End and no Chiffies up the Marsh end. Still no Whitethroat (either spp.) or Grasshopper Warblers or Reed Warblers on the Marsh at the West End, three Reed Warblers round the Eastern Reedbed / Black-fields Pools.

Andy Slee · Status: Offline

East End today. Morely Common a couple of times a year has big numbers of Wagtails and today was no different with approx. 32 Pied and nine White Wagtail.

Moving round to the Black Fields Pools where the water is being pumped out a Common Sandpiper was flitting about. Star birds though were 29 Sand Martin dropping over the pool calling away. One Little Egret was present, Canada Geese, Mallard, Tufted Duck, Little Grebe and Grey Heron.

Pumphouse Pool conversely the water is getting higher and higher. A second Common Sandpiper was here - a much paler individual than the one on the the Black Fields. Further Sand Martin, single Black-headed Gull, Cuckoo heard calling towards East entrance to Capped Tip, two Pochards, Tufted Duck, and single Mute Swan. Flyover Oystercatcher.

Eastern Reedbeds held at least three Reed Warblers to make up for the dearth in the marsh at the West End. Seven Cetti's Warblers on the loop around the East End and a Tawny Owl watching from a roost spot near one of the paths. Blackcaps almost outnumbering Chiffchaff at the end of the reserve.

Andy Slee · Status: Offline

Started at the canal crossroads and went over the boardwalk past the new aquatic scrape where a Garden Warbler was showy and singing, first for year anywhere and thus patch first for the year. Two Blackcap, Willow Warbler and five Chiffchaff also in the glade around the scrape.

Carried up Lapwing Lane to more Blackcap, three Swallows, Greenfinch.

Ring-necked Parakeets feeding at the bird feeders of a house on Lapwing Lane.

Taking the back paths to Norton Marsh apart from Chiffchaff and Blackcap these were very quite, a couple of Blackbirds and a Great Tit made up the other birds.

The Marsh is still a scene of destruction from the floods last week. Many of the reedbeds have been flattened or broken / beaten down by the high tide, which judged by the detritus line topped out only just below the bund top, meaning some parts the Marsh would have been 2-3 metres under water. Lots of detritus (plastic mainly, bottles, croc shoes, footballs - Liverpool balls in excess of any others!!!) etc trapped in the broken down reedbeds, but at least new shoots are already showing so regrowth will be quick. The lack of Reeds probably explains lack of Reed and Grasshopper Warblers which I'd usually expect here at this stage of Spring / Migration. Four Skylarks were seen, one Meadow Pipit, three Reed Bunting and two Snipe, with a Buzzard overhead and a Kestrel drifting over from fiddlers Ferry.

Three Whimbrel flew calling over North looking to drop in on Penketh Bar but deciding not to and carried on over Fiddlers Ferry. A Single Redshank was on the river. A Curlew was also calling but unseen under the banks. Seven Shelduck, a few Mallard, Gadwall and Canada Geese made up the ducks, whilst the Gulls were 11 Lesser Black-backed and three Great Black-back - including one of very large size towering over the other two. A few Cormorants hung about drying their wings.

Greenfinch and Cetti's Warblers seen on the walk back to Lapwing Lane Pool, the clearances along the north bank of the canal now give good views into the old Snipe Fields from the south edge - scrub looks good for Whitethroats when they arrive. Willow Tit pair near the old Forestry Commission hide in the wood. Lapwing Lane Pool held seven Tufted Duck, male Pochard, two Little Grebe, three Gadwall and a Great Crested Grebe and a Reed Warbler flew across the hide between the adjacent reedbeds.

Andy Slee · Status: Offline

Today, Eastern End, still very muddy. Curiosity being in the small Heronry at the East End of the reserve there look to be Egrets in the same tree area. Four Mallard ducklings on the Black Fields Pools, Reed Warblers on Black Fields, and Eastern Reedbed.

Late report for Tue am just gone. Parked up at the Crossroads intending to go to Halfway House for the Big Tide - then seeing the storm surges hitting the Welsh coasts decided for once rather than watch the action on the Marshes as raptors and Corvids find prey to come down the Eastern end and see what gets displaced to the Eastern Pools. (Possibly a good decision as the 6.5ish metre floods in Feb/Mar I watched almost blocked off return paths, this storm surge put the gauge at Fiddlers to 7.12m which will have been very close to the bund wall overtopping on Norton Marsh).

Pumphouse Pool, nothing apart from two Shelduck, eight Tufties and 92 Black-headed Gulls. Very quite.

Nothing on Millbrook Pool or Eastern Reedbed.

Glad I left my car at the centre of the reserve as I walked towards Eastford Road to go to the Bridgewater Canal to walk back to Moore, the Mersey burst its banks (the 7.12m flood is second highest ever recorded at that modern station!) and trying to go through Eastford Road Bridge I was getting toward welly deep in flood water at the end of the track to Eastford Road so 180degree turned at the Ethylene Station and walked back past the old canal to Pumphouse Pool (canal and Eastern Reedbeds now backfilling from the Mersey).

Typically I get a text to say Harrier sp. on the Marsh and Little Gull over the Mersey at Halfway House/Astmoor!!! Wrong end again.

PS - re flooded water and walking on roads - one safety aspect drummed into us at work is when rivers burst their banks, drains tend to burst also. There have been a couple of really unfortunate drownings in the last few years when people have walked into floods thinking "only knee deep" and then stepped where a burst manhole cover was and get sucked into a drain, stuck and drowned. Be careful out there folks in floods.

Andy Slee · Status: Offline

To Halfway House from the centre of the reserve, Willow Warblers and Blackcaps now adding to the morning chorus, with Tits, Song Thrush, Bullfinch (my favourite finch song) and gronking Ravens. Five Cetti's Warblers between Yellow Gate and Round Cherval and a distant hint of possible Reed Warbler from Oxmoor direction.

WEBS Count on Norton Marsh / adjacent Mersey.

Canada Goose 32, three Curlew, one Lapwing, 1 Mute Swan, five Shelduck, two Coot, three Gadwall, six Little Egret, two Oystercatchers, six Teal, six Cormorant, three Grey Heron (plus another six on the Ship Canal), four Mallard, two Redshank and three Tufted Duck.

Additional birds over the rier / Marsh. 42 Black-headed Gull, 17 Lesser Black-backed Gulls (3 imm, 14 Ad), one Great Black-backed Gull, three Herring Gull. Three Buzzards, one Kestrel and four more Raven.

Not a bad count but quiet wonder if Moore is giving me JuJu after quite a few visits to Woolston in the last two weeks to see their Quaternate of special duck species and adding nicely to my Cheshire list whilst ignoring my Moore year list during migration.

A male Wheatear on Moss Side farm field refuted any thoughts of bad JuJu though the rains started to come in on the return walk. Reed Bunting, Skylark, Yellowhammer (male again, hope they are hanging on) all flitting about the path back to Lapwing Lane then from Lapwing Lane back through the reserve, three great Spotted Woodpecker and two Willow Tits made up the rest of the day.

Andy Slee · Status: Offline

The numbers are going up on patch, five patch year firsts today (in bold). Early trip before the rains round the Eastern Reedbeds, Black-fields and Pumphouse Pool. At first from Firecrest Alley, very faint Cuckoo call from over the Capped Tip from Black-fields. Walked over via the dog walker path towards Gateworth / the Bridge over the Mersey - the call sounded like it was coming from the scrubby area by the Capped Tipp Gas Plant (no public access - look for the NOx brown fumes for the gas plant if viewing from South).

On the return to the path North the Eastern Reedbeds the Black-fields had seven Sand Martin hawking about. A single Little Ringed Plover (patch and also year tick) was on the usual pool. A few Teal, Shoveler, single male Pochard left on Pumphouse Pool, 52 Black-headed Gulls, seven Lesser Black-backed Gulls came in for a wash, male and female Blackcap by the borehole at the East of Pumphouse Pool and three Willow Warblers calling in the woods, south of Birchwood Pool which held a few Teal two Little Grebe and four Great Crested Grebe (2 pair displaying).

Early Hobby reported passing through over Eastern Reedbed this morn by another regular.

-- Edited by Andy Slee on Monday 1st of April 2024 08:07:35 PM

Mark K Jones · Status: Offline

Another visit to Moore today brought my first Blackcap of the year. A male. GS Woodpecker, Nuthatch, Treecreeper, Mistle Thrush, Dunnock, Chaffinch, Coal Tit, Blue Tit, Long-tailed Tit and Great Tit, as well as a Jay.

Mark K Jones · Status: Offline

Late post for yesterday Afternoon.

A walk down to the river to look out for any passing Osprey. Reports of one being on Frodsham Marsh gave me hope of a sighting over the marsh on the site of the now demolished hide. No Osprey but I did get four other raptors: Kestrel, Sparrowhawk, Buzzard and a Peregrine sitting on top of one of the cooling towers. Usual birds in the woods on the walk down and back included Nuthatch, Treecreeper, Chaffinch, and Goldfinch.

Andy Slee · Status: Offline

A visit to the river, marshes and farmland noticeably not as many Chiffchaff as last year - they seemed to be every 100yrds apart down the back path and canal shore last year - this year every 300-400 yards. And no Blackcap or Willow Warbler (yet), first sightings previous four years have been around 1st weekend in April and given a seemingly early push this year of migrants strangely absent?

2m+f Bullfinch at Yellow Gate, four Cettis Warblers between Yellow Gate and Round Cherval, and three Greenfinch at Round Cherval.

Coot, Moorhen (unusual), Great Crested Grebe, Gadwall, Mallard, Grey Heron and Kingfisher on the Ship Canal with a Common Sandpiper (patch year and year tick) on the sandbank by Stobarts m Stonechat on fence in Stobarts field.

On the river on the falling tide very little wildfowl just a couple Canada Geese, couple Mallards and a fly through Cormorant. Single Oystercatcher, three Curlew, one Black-tailed Godwit (patch year tick 100), three Lesser Black-backed Gulls, 17 Black-headed Gull and four Herring Gull.

Two Snipe, four (m) Reed Bunting, three more Cetti's Warblers, unusual number of Wren (12), Kestrel, Carrion Crow and Raven on the Marsh.

Farmland / scrub / woods / hedges all absolutely sodden - wettest ground I have ever seen and very quiet apart from Blackbirds, Song Thrush, Blue and Great Tits and Dunnock until virtually back at Lapwing Lane a male Yellowhammer was singing away in a field hedge - could they still be holding on?

Wigeon still on Lapwing Lane Pool - if they hold on a day moore they will be my first April tick on patch! Or they won't.....

Doh! Edited to add when re-reading last years joys of spring....on 4th April 2023...a lonely Wigeon was still on Lapwing Lane Lake

-- Edited by Andy Slee on Sunday 31st of March 2024 07:36:06 PM