Over four and a half hours around the flashes, this morning from 6.35, including Dairy House Meadows and Witton Brook. Fine with sunny spells, light winds, 10-17*c. Highlights :-

Shelduck (12)
Shoveler (3)
Gadwall (6)
Tufted Duck (12)
Little Grebe (3)
Great Crested Grebe (2)
Stock Dove (4)
Water Rail (2)
Avocet (6)
Oystercatcher (2)
Curlew (1)
Sparrowhawk (2)
Buzzard (3)
Great Spotted Woodpecker (1)
Sedge Warbler (5)
Reed Warbler (23)
Willow Warbler (12)
Chiffchaff (18)
Cettis Warbler (9)
Blackcap (10)
Garden Warbler (4)
Whitethroat (14)
Bullfinch (2)
Reed Bunting (9)

A total of 58 species seen.

Eight species of warbler around the flashes, this morning, with three Garden Warbler an increase from the seven over the last few days. Fifty two species in total.

Forty seven species around the flashes, early doors this morning, also taking in Dairy House Meadows, Haydns Pool and part of Witton Brook. Sunny spells, light north westerlies, cold to start with, becoming milder. Bit of a warbler day with :-

- Willow Warbler (13)
- Chiffchaff (24)
- Sedge Warbler (1)
- Reed Warbler (8)
- Blackcap (6)
- Whitethroat (2)
- Cettis Warbler (10)

Three hours around both flashes, this morning, and back to car park via Dairy House Meadows, Haydns Pool and Witton Brook. Weather sunny with light north westerlies, 6-8*c. Highlights :-

- Shelduck (2)
- Shoveler (17)
- Teal (10)
- Tufted Duck (14)
- Great Crested Grebe (2)
- Stock Dove (7)
- Water Rail (6)
- Oystercatcher (2)
- Sparrowhawk (1)
- Buzzard (3)
- Great Spotted Woodpecker (2)
- Raven (2)
- Willow Warbler (1)
- Chiffchaff (42)
- Cettis Warbler (8)
- Blackcap (2)
- Lesser Redpoll (2)
- Reed Bunting (6)

Forty six species in total.

Midday visit

Ashtons Flash : Surprising numbers of waterfowl were to be seen, with the pool at the Western end noticeably swollen,

or more viewable due to vegetation being cleared. 28 Shovelers, 3 Little Grebes, 8 Gadwall and 14 Teal were amongst them.

7 Lapwings and 1 Buzzard were also around the flash.

Neumanns Flash : A further 17 Shovelers were seen here, with 7 drakes trying to woo a single female, eventually 4 of them

gave up and flew off towards Marbury CP. 20+ Teal were also on the flash, plus 9 Wigeon, 2 Great Crested Grebes, 4 Shelducks and

a resplendent pair of adult Herring Gulls. In addition to the numerous Chiffchaffs, a Cettis Warbler and a Blackcap were also singing

along the Eastern side of the flash.

A pair of Stock Doves appear to have taken a liking to an owl box on Dairyhouse Meadows.

09.30-12.00

Ashtons Flash : 12m+2f Shovelers, 6 Gadwall, 1 Little Grebe and 1m Pintail.

Neumanns Flash : 2m+1f Pintails, 1m Wigeon, 3 Great Crested Grebes, 2 Sand Martins, 1 Little Grebe, 4 Shelducks

and 10m+2f Shovelers.

Also seen around the flash were a flock 7 Lesser Redpolls (On birch cones), 1 Kestrel, 2f+1m Reed Buntings (Male seen fly catching),

6 singing Chiffchaffs and a pair of Lapwings.

Dairy House Meadows : A pair of Stock Doves that were sat on top of an owl box, plus 2 Buzzards.

14.00-16.00

Neumanns Flash : 50 Wigeon, 9 Shelduck (Most now paired and highly territorial), 2 Great Crested Grebes,

16 Tufted Ducks, 5 Gadwall and a pair of Mute Swans (Resident swans have been hit hard by bird flu over the winter).

Amongst the usual raft of gulls were 9 Common and a single adult Great Black Back.

Ashtons Flash : 22 Curlew and at least 1 pair of Lapwings. 2 Common Gulls were amongst a small group of Black Headed.

A Buzzard made a number of passes over the flash, and after each flight returned to the same perch, on top a nearby pylon.

10.30-12.00

Neumanns Flash : 73 Wigeon, 7 Shelducks, 1 Great Crested Grebe, 12 Tufted Ducks and 9 Gadwall.

21 Common Gulls amongst the usual raft of Black Headed.

Around a dozen Teal were tucked in close to the reedbed and clumps of sedge.

Several small flocks of Redwings moved through heading East.

Ashtons Flash :1 Buzzard, plus on the pool at Western end of the flash at least 17 Shovelers and 9 Gadwall.

John,

Did we meet at the Eastern end of the bund between Neuman's Flash and the layby watching a pair of Bullfinches at around 12:40 - 12:50. Both of us cold from the biting wind and keen to keep walking? (I had wellies, pale blue jeans and a red coat on as I'd just come from work and hadn't my birding gear outerwear with me).

I saw a second pair of Bullfinch at the Marbury Lane end of the bund 5 minutes later so I think at least two pairs knocking about.

Also a pair Reed Bunting at the Witton Mill Feeders (bushes to the side, not on the feeders).

I returned back to Neuman's / Ashton's Flash after a mooch up to Budworth Mere (two Oystercatcher at the boating club and 17 Heron in the Heronry with a Little Egret being only things of note). 31 Curlew were settling / coming in to roosting on Aston's at around 14:55 pm.

Cheers,

Andy

Two Avocets present mid afternoon

13.00-14.30

Neumanns Flash : 8 Wigeon, 4 Gadwall, 2 Shelducks and 1 Grey Heron.

Ashtons Flash : 1 Shelduck.

Large numbers of gulls were on Neumanns (Mostly Black headed but also Herring, Lesser black back and Common).

However wildfowl numbers were noticeably down, with no swans, geese (Except for a dead Canada), Shovelers,

Teal or Tufted Ducks.

12.00-14.00

Neumanns Flash :

1m Sparrowhawk, 100 Teal, 6 Shelducks, 24 Wigeon, 2 Common Gulls and 8 Tufted Ducks.

A pair of Ravens were seen high above the flash.

Ashtons Flash :

2m Shovelers (On the pool at the Western end of the flash which is difficult to view so likely more Shovelers were hidden there)

Also 1 Common Gull amongst a small gathering of Black Headed.

Brief visit 15.00-16.00

Neumanns Flash : 90 Wigeon, a compact raft of 46 Teal, 1 Shelduck, 7 Curlew, 2 Ravens (1 vocal), 1 Buzzard, 1 Grey Heron,

and 1m Pochard. Water Rail heard squealing near Pods Hide.

Oddly not a single Shoveler was seen on Neumanns, and there was no waterfowl at all in the SW corner of the flash, notably around Stilt Island where

what appeared to be the freshly dead corpse of a Canada Goose lay. The dead goose had been partially plucked and lay in the water just off the island.

At one point several Canadas swam close to their dead comrade, and posed for while watching the deceased bird intensely as if waiting for it to awaken,

behaviour which I have not witnessed before. The pair of Ravens flew high over the centre of the flash, mobbed by a couple of crows. The presence of the

big corvids clearly upset and flushed the ducks, but not the Curlews, until the Buzzard arrived too.

Ashtons Flash : 66 Curlews (Probably including the 7 flushed off Neumanns), 10+ Shovelers and 1 Kestrel.

Neumanns Flash 13.00-15.00

120+ Wigeon, 4 Shelducks, 1 Grey Heron and 1 Kestrel.

2 Greylag Geese amongst a huge gathering of Canadas.

1 Treecreeper moving around with a small flock of Blue and Great Tits.

No sign of the Blue winged Teal again, although a noticeably paler duck was briefly seen amongst a group of Shovelers on

Ashtons Flash. However they were in a part of the flash that is difficult to view, the best option being to check the pools at the

Western end of the site from the overlooking mound.

10.30-14.00

Neumanns Flash : 55 Wigeon, 1 Curlew, 1 Snipe, 2m+2f Pintails, 1 Buzzard and 5 Little Grebes.

No sign of the Blue winged Teal and oddly just 1 Lapwing seen, and that was an overflying bird.

A single Common Gull rested amongst 30 Black headed Gulls on Ashtons Flash.

Cettis Warblers heard by Pods Hide and near the bench overlooking Ashtons Flash.

A Water Rail was also heard calling close to Pods Hide.

Amongst the huge numbers of Canada Geese seen on Neumanns was a single Greylag with a thin band of white at the base of it's beak.

Rob Creek wrote:

---

Cheers for that Doc. Cant go for the LT Stint today (fingers crossed still there tomorrow) but may get opp for this.

---

 Snap re Long-toed Stint as I'm at work all day today!! Blue-winged Teal still present mid morning after the earler pre 9am report 

Rob Creek wrote:

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Reported as present again today.
Presumably easiest access is off Ollershaw Lane, ample roadside parking?

Thankyou for any info.

---

 The layby on Ollershaw Lane plus the few bits of hard standing at the Northwich end of the layby do get full, I got in yesterday at lunchtime on a weekday with only 3 or 4 spaces left!! But also the Witton Mill car park has spaces and usually a few free there. You'd be very unlucky not to find a space over the 2 places. Blue-winged Teal seen from Pods hide looking towards the scrapyard corner this morning, but of course the flock are mobile!

-- Edited by Doc Brewster on Saturday 9th of October 2021 10:51:11 AM

Doc Brewster wrote:

---

The last update was that it left at 1.05pm and hadn't returned by 1.35pm. It will still be in the area and just needs finding again, maybe even when/if it returns to Neumann's Flash.

---

 Still no sign by 3pm but I am reliably informed that the flock circled and landed again on Neumann's Flash so the Blue-winged Teal may be roosing up in cover and will come out to feed eventually.

First visit for a while, ventured out after the heavy rain hoping for waders having dropped in but out of luck. Of note :-

Greylag Goose (c.15)
Canada Goose (c.25)
Shoveler (6)
Gadwall (10)
Wigeon (7)
Pintail (2)
Teal (c.50)
Tufted Duck (4)
Little Grebe (8)
Water Rail (1)
Lapwing (2)
Curlew (1)
Snipe (3)
Great Egret (1)
Buzzard (1)
Green Woodpecker (1)
Cettis Warbler (3)
Long-tailed Tit (15)

Didnt do a circuit of the two flashes, just stayed in Pods Hide at Neumanns. The Great Egret has been present since 7 August. A couple of bridge camera photos from today plus a better one from a couple of weeks ago.

Midday visit

Neumanns Flash : 1 male Chloe Wigeon trying to woo 3 female Eurasian Wigeons. 1 Avocet and 5 Snipe.

Ashtons Flash : 1 Water Rail, 19 Curlews, 9 Snipe and 1 Buzzard.

A brief visit in drizzle prior to Lancaster City's triumphant outing at Witton Albion produced a great white egret fishing on the main flash

Three Common Sandpiper on Stilt Island midday. Two Egyptian Geese on North Island yesterday.

Four hours around the flashes this morning from 7.15 am in fine and clear weather, 9-17*c, light westerly winds. Also walked around Dairy House Meadows, on to Haydns Pool and back to the flashes via the lower section of Carey Park. Sixty two species in total.

The Wood Sandpiper was still present both first thing and at around 10.45 am. The green flag on its left leg is actually a geolocator and, together with two other rings on its legs, confirms that this bird was ringed in northern Scotland in 2016 as part of a ringing programme at that time. It is a returning bird and currently making its way back to Western Africa (Senegal/Gambia) where it will winter and is expected to arrive there by mid July. All interesting stuff and thanks to Greg Baker for this info.

Back to todays sightings, of note :-

Mute Swan (11)
Shoveler (2)
Gadwall (2)
Teal (6)
Tufted Duck (24 incl various broods)
Little Grebe (1 ad, 2 juv)
Great Crested Grebe (5)
Stock Dove (2)
Swift (3)
Water Rail (1 ad, 1 Juv)
Oystercatcher (1)
Lapwing (8)
Curlew (1)
Green Sandpiper (1)
Wood Sandpiper (1)
Buzzard (3)
Kingfisher (2)
Great Spotted Woodpecker (2)
Sedge Warbler (2)
Reed Warbler (6)
Willow Warbler (7)
Chiffchaff (9)
Cettis Warbler (5)
Blackcap (4)
Garden Warbler (1)
Whitethroat (3)
Nuthatch (1)
Bullfinch (1)
Linnet (1)
Reed Bunting (7)

Still working every day at the mo so no birding for me. But couldn't resist dropping into Ashton's Flash on the way home tonight. Earlier in the day Greg Baker had found an interesting Wood Sandpiper on Ashton's, a bird sporting a green 'flag' on its leg. A bit of digging revealed that this could be a bird from a Hungarian marking scheme, something though that I'd never seen previously. On arrival a couple of birders there said that the bird had gone missing, one had seen in just over 30mins before and the other had been there 20mins without a sighting. A bit of scanning reavealed a distant half hidden bird that looked to me like a Redshank. Then I picked up the flag-bearing Wood Sandpiper picking its way along one of the pool shorelines. I got the other two onto it and we had reasonable, if distant, scoped views. Nice to see this unusually marked bird and add it to my yearlist!