Yesterday saw the first Grasshopper Warbler of the season with one reeling & showing on & off in the brambles between Neumann's Flash & Dairyhouse Meadows.

A single Ruff on the spit from Bund Hide as well as about 8 Curlew, worth checking the Curlew from now on for Whimbrel :)

Hope it wasn't one of smaller the Rostherne sub-species!

Walked around Neumanns on Saturday

Dunnock
Chaffinch
Wrens
Blackbird
Song Thrush
White throat
Goldfinch
Blue tits
Reed Warblers
4 Mute Swans
1 Black Swan
Cormorants
Herons
2 Ringed Plover
30 - 40 Lapwing
32 Curlews

plus Mallard Canada's Black Headed Gulls Lesser Black backed

11.30-4.30pm also at marbury (see marbury post also)
1 common sandpiper
1 garganey (hadyns pool)
2 oystercatchers (4 at hadyns pool)
2 pochard
lotts off lapwings, coots,
tufted ducks, mute swans, mallards & canada goose
plenty off reed warblers + juvenilles
also whitethroats, blackcaps, willow warblers + chiffchaffs all over
buzzards and kestrels over
house martins & swifts over
+ all usual birds about
also heard only grasshopper warbler

Patch Update:

18th Cuckoo around Dairyhouse Meadows, not seen or heard today.

19th several reeling Grasshopper Warblers, mainly in Uplands area (between Haydn Pool & Canal) mostly heard early & late in day, Garden Warbler near 'pipe bridge' by Neumann's Flash, Green Sand Haydn Pool, Whitethroats & Reed Warblers v.numerous. 6 Whimbrel 3.55pm on flash.

sid ashton wrote:

---

Rory Newton wrote:

---

Also, to again add to Joeys sightings,

and also some quite bemused Trout!

---

Rory, were these trout actually in the water at Neumanns

---

they may have been at Moore...

Also, to again add to Joeys sightings, here are some small passerines that we also saw. Blackcap Goldcrest Reed Bunting Sand Martin and also some quite bemused Trout!

There were two Sparrowhawks displaying and also a Black Swan. Oystercatchers were seen here but no LRP.

A trip to Marbury with Iain Johnson this morning. Superb 10 minute views of Lesser Spotted Woodpecker Also present: Several Brambling House Martin Swallow Sand Martin Blackcap Chiffchaff Great Spotted Woodpecker 3 Oystercatcher over Only Green Woodpecker let us down with a no show here and Dunham

did the same as luke and walked from northwich train station around nuemans and then marbury park. had 63 species, around nuemans... oystercatcher,lapwing,redshank,2 dunlin,tufted duck,goldeneye,teal,wigeon,shoveler,shelduck,gadwall,great crested grebe,reed bunting,bullfinch,goldfinch,redpoll and chiffchaff everywhere you walked really,also 2 buzzards on fence post mating. at haydns... got the 2 wheatear and 1 snipe,no signs off green sandpiper. resident ravens on the way too marbury park & mere around here saw all the usual woodland birds,chiiffchaff all over,nuthatch,treecreeper,g.s.woodpecker also found 1 brambling with 2 chaffinches,only 1 tawny owl in roost tree, on the mere usual stuff pochard,tufties,g.c.grebe,shelduck,gadwall had a cormorant catch an eel not a big one but it still struggled to swallow it also had 1 med gull s/p hundreds off sand martin over the mere,but could not find a swallow but diid find house martin. great day out

Quick look around Neumans Flash yesterday pm ...
birds seen included ..
40 + lapwings
18 mute swans
1 little ringed plover
6 shelduck
3 redshank
canada geese
1 willow tit ....
At least 20 separate chiffchaff heard around Marbury CP , 3 seen !
Also , just 1 tawny owl seen in roost tree,thanks to the bloke who originally found them .
Kingfisher past bittern screen, and great views of a great crested grebe ,working out how to swallow a 6" perch !!!


Cheers Chris

A pair of peregrines have been around the Brunner Mond (ex ICI site) at Winnington for several days - Must be visible from the western edges of the CP

Neumann's 06.30 - 08.30 sunny with a light breeze

As I walked along the path toward the flash big flocks of Canada Geese were leaving - the area was very much alive in the morning sunshine. Searching through the Lapwings on the spit I came upon not just the one Curlew Sandpiper , as on Thursday, but three - giving really excellent views. They were joined by 2 Little ringed Plover. A short time later a Spotted Redshank flew in but didn't stay for long after a Sparrowhawk put all of the birds up and finally a juvenile Golden Plover came in. A cracking couple of hours birding, watching the waders.






-- Edited by sid ashton on Sunday 5th of September 2010 02:33:15 PM

On the way home from a short trip to the Wirral yesterday called in at Neuman's Flash to find a Long-billed Dowitcher on the spit in front of the hide between Neuman's and Ashton's flashes. I have seen this species previously but this was a really nice specimen giving excellent views. Also nice to meet Mike Baron again, I hope Billy gets better Mike.

Marbury Park, 16.00 - 19.00, Warm and sunny

Walked from the main car park through the Big Wood and back and found of interest Garden Warbler, Blackcap, Great Spotted Woodpecker and Goldcrest both feeding young and the target birds two Spotted Flycatchers.

If it is a lesser you want to see then at moore nature reserve at the moment they are highly visible, lots of sightings all day yesterday, check out the moore thread on here for more info,

jason fisher wrote:

---

thankyou dennis, it's only the second time we've ever been.

we didn't find the lessers but we did get greaters on the feeder and one green calling from the top of the trees to the left and behind from the mere hide. plus 5 heard drumming mostly greaters we think.

the 2 black swans on haydens plus a couple of redshank and oystercatchers on there also. plus one male gadwall.
there were 2 buzzard in a tree to the right of the pool and a further 3 visible above riding the thermals at one point though we saw a total of 12 buzzard in the day.

plenty of ravens usually singly and hassling a buzzard if it got low enough to draw their attention.

one flock of c30 sand martins high above newmans flash.

---

Not an April fool but I had 3 fieldfare in some trees at Marbury on Thursday - also saw the black swans with young and circa 7 shovelers on Haydns Pool.

Elswhere, lots of swallows adn a few sand martins on the big lake, chiffchaffs singing in most places too. A few days prior I had 5 goldeneye on here.

Had a wander round Neumans/Ashtons and Haydns pool this afternoon - of note were the Black Swans on Haydns with 4 chicks. On the way, as I joined the M56 at J7 a Red-legged Partridge on the slip road was the only other highlight.

visit today with bolton rspb group, 830 for around 2 hours ish

highlights were, buzzards enjoying the weather, also tree creeper, nuthatch and all 3 woodies, great spotted, green and lesser spotted woodpecker, swallow and chiffchaff singing, also a black redstart had been seen in the area too,

Also managed another manchester birder tick, nice you meet you today Alan

-- Edited by Dennis atherton on Saturday 27th of March 2010 08:22:03 PM

A couple of hours with no rain around Marbury and then to Neumans in the fading light found nothing out of the ordinary at either place - lots of Great Crested Grebe and Cormorants at Marbury with what looked likely to be a sizeable Starling roost building up. At Neumans 100+ Curlew and plenty of Lapwing coming in as the evening light faded. At least managed a couple of hours without getting soaked

A pleasant early morning stroll around Neumans/Haydns Pool produced Green Woodpecker, lots of Swift, Swallow, Reed Warbler, Chiffchaff and of course the Black Swans.

Then over to Marbury in the hope of finding the Lesser spotted Woodies at their nest site - too late the young had fledged over the weekend but had nice views of a circling Peregrine and several Garden Warblers alongside the mere.

Really quiet today

4 Black-tailed Godwits on Haydens Pool. 2 Black Swans on Neumanns. Nothing else of note and no other waders apart from Lapwings.

"We Three" had a good 3 hours today. We saw a Green Woodpecker and a Chiffchaff and a Reed Bunting, plus 3/4 GS Wookpeckers chasing each other around.

Most of the stuff that Phil saw, was also around.