Thanks Ben,

I've had Orange Underwings in my garden on occasions, they're usually hiding in ivy or other dense foliage. Their bodies seem thicker than most butterflies though.

However, the ones seen around Neumanns were flying 10-15ft above the ground, so there was no way to judge their structure, but they seemed quite delicate and similar in size to Small Copper.

Habitat, season and everything else is spot on for Orange Underwings, so that's a first for 2013 tick, we just need the moth eaters to fly in now and kick start spring.

Hi John
The small brown butterflies will be Orange Underwing moths. Worth looking out for amongst birch trees - the caterpillar's foodplant.
Cheers
Ben

16.00-19.00 ( Also on Marbury thread) 30/03/2013

Sunny but chilly wind, it gave me the flu, hence the late post.

Ashtons Flash

3 Curlew, 4 Common Gulls in the Black Head flock.

Neumanns Flash

2 small brown butterflies around the hide on the south bank, unsure of the species as they did'nt settle, but same size as skipper or Small Copper.

Lots of Winter Gnats dancing near this hide too, so at least the insect eaters have a chance.

22 Mute Swans, 16 Teal and a pair each of Herring and Great Black Backed Gulls. The water level is still high, so no scrape.

Haydn Pool

6 pairs of Black Headed Gulls seem to be settling in, but no sign of hirundines anywhere.

A Buzzard was sat on the Stock Doves, no doubt causing anxiety to the residents, one of whom sat in a nearby tree.

1 Goldcrest near the old screen.

1 Lesser Spotted Woodpecker on the dead tree near the carved bench and barrier on Marbury Lane, it flushed before I could sex it.

At dusk on the way back to the car a Buzzard was very active along the North bank, 2 Greylag Geese came into roost, and Redwings were gathering in the hawthornes.

At least 1 Marsh Harrier present again this morning over Neumann's Flash.

The male Marsh Harrier was seen this morning, firstly by Greg Baker who was on site before 5.30am!! Then by four other core patch watchers and myself, we watched the bird gain height and thought it may leave but it came down and then stayed tucked almost out of view on the ground until we all left. The flash is best viewed from halfway along the path between Ashton's & Neumann's Flashes as the bird ranges across the whole flash & this gives the best panoramic view,and incidentally was dead opposite where the bird went down.

Also on Ashton's Flash this morning was a pristine adult Yellow-legged Gull which showed well on the water before flying off east showing its gleaming yellow legs in the sun shining weakly through the snow falling all around us

10.00-12.00

9 Shelduck, 7 Teal (300+ in January), 12 Shoveler plus Tufted Duck, Coot etc.

Haydn Pool

11 Shoveler plus a few Teal, Gadwall, Tufted Duck etc.

A single pair of Lapwings, whilst a pair of Stock Doves seem to be setting up home in an owl box.

A pool on Dairyhouse Meadows held a single Black Swan together with a pair of Mutes.

THe water level on Neumanns is still too high for waders, with no mud exposed, but the Haydn Pool looks good again.

For info, an adult Med Gull just beginning to moult into breeding plumage was showing well near the north island this morning.

11.30-13.30

Most of Neumanns is still frozen. Gathered at the Northern end were 266 Teal, 5 Gadwall, 4 Shovelers, 2 Shelducks and a single Mute Swan, plus masses of Coot and Black Headed Gulls.

6 Common Gulls with Black Heads on the ice. 1 Buzzard and 1 Sparrowhawk hunting the South bank, whilst a single male Kestrel hunted the edge of Dairyhouse Meadow.

The area recently seeded for finches did'nt produce a single bird, unlike my last visit.

Haydn Pool was largely devoid of life, except for 3 Stock Doves, 1 of which was displaying.

The big flock of Feral Pigeons on the former ICI tower looked very nervous, but I could'nt see a raptor.

Hazel Rothwell wrote:

---

22nd January (11.00am - 2.30pm) Forgive me if I do not give a professional update but I am a newbie to birding and will do my best to relate what I saw yesterday at Neumann's Flash; One female Kestrel, half dozen Long Tailed Tits, flock of 13 Greenfinch, 1 male Reed Bunting, 1 female Reed Bunting in front of Hide (Ollershaw Rd side), 1 male Bullfinch, 1 female Bullfinch, 1 Song Thrush, usual Blackbirds, Blue Tits. Didn't count the various Canada Geese, Teal, B.H.Gull on the Flash but another birder spotted a Barnacle Goose in flight along with the Canada Geese ( 3 x Grey Heron by Forge Pond, 1 white Goose and a 4 Mallard).

---

Nothing wrong with it Hazel

12.30-14.00

All birds were concentrated on the 30% of the mere that was'nt frozen, the North West corner.

Apart from the usual Coot and Black Headed Gulls, 332 Teal, 3 Shelduck, 3 Gadwall and 25 Common Gulls.

Oddly no Shoveler.

2 Kestrels and 1 Buzzard roosting in the North East corner, where 3 Bullfinches were in the Hawthornes.

Alas all the berries have now gone, and with them the thrushes, except for a couple of Redwing.

The newly created winter finch meadow held a mixed flock of around 30 birds, mainly Chaffinches, Reed Buntings and Goldfinches, but a single Greenfinch was with them.

Then a Grey Squirrel ran into the middle of them and scattered the lot.

The Haydn Pool was frozen and lifeless, except for a solitary Woodpigeon.

One look at the former ICI tower revealed it to be teeming with Feral Pigeons, so little point in looking for a roosting Peregrine.

10.00-12.00

Ashtons Flash

210 Lapwing

Neumanns Flash

130 Teal, 5 Pochard, 9 Mute Swans, 11 Shoveler, 2 Ravens, 1 Song Thrush plus the usual waterfowl and gulls.

Several flocks of Lapwing flying over heading South-West totalling 330 birds.

Haydn Pool

1 Buzzard and 2 Snipe.

Waterlevel high on all pools, Ashtons 70% flooded.

Highlights today - 2 Waxwings in flight viewed from Ashton's Flash (sighting as forecast 2 posts ago!!!), 2 Tree Sparrows with House Sparrows at Marston Hall Fam & 8 drake Pochard on Neumann's Flash.

-- Edited by Doc Brewster on Wednesday 21st of November 2012 10:16:54 PM

Still 18 Waxwings this am in Tesco car park and occasionally flying off to the patch boundary, so any patient patch watcher could tick them from Ashton's Flash!!!

08.45-12.00

Neumanns Flash

130 Teal, 8 Shovelers, 18 Mute Swans, 6 Common Gulls plus lots of Coot, Black Headed Guls etc.

40 Fieldfares with large numbers of Redwings and Blackbirds feeding in the Hawthorne thicket along the North East corner of Neumanns.

Also here 2 Song Thrushes, a single flock of 14 Greenfinches feeding on Sorrel with 2 male Bullfinches and 3 Goldfinches.

A huge Buzzard (female) sat in nearby tree watching the passerines, until a crow decided to chase it away.

1 Common Wasp sat on a fence eating lichen.

Dairyhouse Meadows

1 female Merlin sat on a small tree ( The first time I've seen a Merlin here in the 20yrs I've been visiting), 1 female Kestrel, 1 Sparrowhawk and 2 Buzzards.

2 Reed Buntings.

Haydn Pool

6 Stock Doves, 1 Grey Heron and 1 Buzzard

-- Edited by John Williams on Sunday 11th of November 2012 01:11:25 PM

The juvenile Common Tern that fledged on the nearby Marston Fishing Flashes was still over Neumann's Flash today

2 Garganey found by 'patcher' Greg Baker this morning & still present midday at least. At noon they were at the 'scrapyard hide' end.

14.00-16.30

Neumanns Flash

407 Lapwing, 85 Curlew, 2 Cormorants plus the usual waterfowl.

Hayden Pool

32 Lapwing and 2 Goldcrests, no sign of Green Sandpipers.

Budworth Mere

76 adult Great Crested Grebes plus 2 half grown youngsters.

The Common Tern family is still on the nest raft on the Marston Fishing Flashes (20s Club Fishing Pools) just along Olershaw Lane, showing very well in the sunshine. Managed some pictures of the family, junior is getting to be quite a size now, so all the patchers have fingers crossed & great hopes that he fledges The adults have been seen wandering to both Neumann's Flash & Budworth Mere making feeding sorties.

Yesterday patchers watched a juvenile Black-tailed Godwit on Neumann's Flash, present most of the day, an early bird passing back through, adding to the 4 Green Sandpipers that were in the area yesterday too.

Little Egret on Neumann's Flash at 9.30am & an earlier report of a Barnacle Goose at the same location, don't know if the latter lingered or not.

16.00-17.40

Neumanns Flash

1 juv. Curlew, 240 Lapwings, 20 Mute Swans plus large numbers of hirundines and Starlings.

There had been a large hatch of flying ants, the Swallows, Martins, Starlings and Black Headed Gulls were enjoying a real bonanza.

1 Starling flew vertically straight up for about 20 feet from perching on a dead tree, even jet fighters can't do that.

Ashtons Flash

5 Common Gulls mixed in with a large number of Black Heads.

Haydn Pool

4 Green Sandpiper, 2 Snipe and 1 Linnet plus the usual Lapwing etc.

The Sand Martin colony is still going strong with upto 8 birds in the air throughout.

11.30-14.00

Ashtons Flash

No sign of the Crane reported yesterday, just a couple of Woodpigeons.

Neumanns Flash

Drake Red Crested Pochard still showing well with no sign of moult.

Big flock of hirundines and Swifts over the flash, 70% Swifts.

A falcon flying among them turned out to be a Kestrel(f).

32 Mute Swans including a breeding pair. 2 GC Grebe and a Pied Wagtail.

12 moulting drake Mallards quietly roosting on the small island were

chased off by a Coot with a real attitude problem, I hav'nt seen ducks

move so fast.

The Coot did'nt however intimidate a pair of Canada Geese, they just

stood there watching as it charged right past their legs.

2 Oystercatchers, 1 Reed Bunting(m) and 1 Bullfinch(m) both carrying food.

1 Common Blue butterfly.

Haydn Pool

Again lots of moulting Mallard, 2 Oystercatchers, 2 brooding BH Gulls,

1 Lapwing and 1 Black swan. 4 Reed Warblers showing well chasing each

other about right in front of the hide. A pair of Stock Dove on a nest box.


No Lapwings at all on Neumanns.

07.00-11.00

Neumanns

3 Cuckoo, 2 seen chasing each other over the mere whilst a 3rd bird called

from bushes bordering Dairyhouse.

32 Mute Swans, 2pr GC Grebe, 1 LR Plover, 1 Skylark ( Can't recall seeing

one of these here before), 2 Lapwing, 1 Garden Warbler and a Buzzard.

2 very pale Canada Geese, got the wings of Greylag but head pattern of

Canada.

Haydns Pool

1 Red Kite soaring high over towards the former ICI plant with a Grey

Heron, 1 day flying Barn Owl, 1 Buzzard carrying what looked a shrew, 12

Sand Martin, 11 BH Gull brooding, Coot still lunging at mobbing BH Gulls,

Mute Swan pair chased of Black Swan. A Black Swan was brooding on the

island last week but no sign of that today. 2 Cuckoos calling flying over

being mobbed by 2 small birds, 4 Reed Warblers showing well.

Marbury CP

19 GC Grebe 1 Comma butterfly

08.30-11.30

Neumanns

30 Mute Swan, 6 Shelduck, 1 L.R Plover (displaying over mere amongst

Martins etc, but then gave up & flew off North), lots of Swifts, 2 Linnet,

4 Chiffchaff (2 singing & 1 carrying food) 3 Willow Warblers (singing),

1 G.S Woodpecker (carrying food), C. Whitethroats, 2 Stock Dove &

1 Oystercatcher.

Haydn Pool

1 Green Woodpecker, 10-12 Sand Martin, 4 House Martin, 1 Buzzard, 6

Gadwall, 2 Oystercatcher, 1 Reed Warbler & 2 Reed Bunting.

A Coot & a B.H Gull had a quite a fight. The gull trying to drive the Coot

away by mobbing, the rail leapt clear of the water several times to try

and grab the gull. The Coot meant business and attacked the gull on land

too, if it had caught it I dread to think of the outcome. The Coot then

attacked 3 half grown Mallards and chased them into the reeds. If Coots

were the size of an Ostrich they'd rule the earth.



-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Friday 18th of May 2012 05:34:46 PM

Neumanns 17.30-19.30

26 Mute Swans, 1pr GC Grebe, 6 Shelduck, 8 Gadwell, 1m Teal &

1 Oystercatcher.

Masses of Swifts moving through with 30+ H.Martin but very few Swallows.

3m Reed Bunting, 1pr Bullfinch carrying nesting material, 1 Greenfinch

(singing), 3 Goldfinch, family party of 6 LT. Tits, 4 Linnet, 1 Fox,

1 pr Collared Dove.

Ashtons Flash

1 large Fox, 2pr Canada Goose ( One on a nest a few days ago, but isn't

now & no sign of young)

Haydn Pool

1 Oystercatcher 6 Sand Martin 2prs Stock Dove 1 Black Swan being

harassed by pair of Mutes, 1 Teal, 1pr Mistle Thrush