17.30
1 Green Sandpiper - middle pool
2 Shoveler - back pool (now viewable as a result of vegetation clearance)
9 Teal
4 Mallard
2 Pheasant
5 Moorhen

The only things seen on the huge barren wasteland at the back of pools were 3 Magpies.

18.00
The land north of the pools has been completely cleared of vegetation including trees and bushes covering a large area stretching from the perimetre fence of the pools, the trans pennine trail and the northern most footpath/track (except a small patch of Japenese Knotweed that has been surrounded by red tape). A much bigger area than I envisaged. But on the plus side it's allowed a clearer view of the pools!

Sightings:
4 Shoveler
7 Teal
5 Moorhen
1 Kestrel in a skirmish with a Magpie

5pm
1 Green Sandpiper - first pool
1 Snipe - middle pool
5 Moorhen
2 Teal
1 BH Gull

Green Sandpiper 2 on first pool.
Shoveler 12
Teal 30+
Moorhen 5
BH Gull 1
Linnet 1
Song Thrush 1
Pied Wagtail 1

17.00 - very quiet

2 Green Sandpipers on middle pool
1 Grey Heron

No Hirundines. Looks like a big clear out since last weeks large numbers.

Green Sandpiper 5 this afternoon. Did some major pruning the other day with Tony so the path should stay clear for a bit

Doesn't surprise me Sid, not been up there much this year due to having 2 major ops on my ankle...
First time since May...
Saying that think I maybe due another one after today :(

After last night's rain of last night I decided an early morning mooch was in order so got up here for 0600 just prior to sunrise.
Once I had managed to navigate the Jungle like trail to view the middle pool and did a but if gardening to give me a clearish view. Plenty of mud on show on both pools 1 & 2.

Pool 1 held only 2 young Moorhens

Pool 2 held 6 Green Sandpipers in 2 groups of 3, one group seemed a bit flighty.
Also 1 teal, several Gadwall and 1 Little Grebe.

A quick visit before the rain set in produced quite a few juveniles.

Linnets 1 ad, 2 juvs
Pied Wagtails 6 ads, 20 juvs
Lapwings c25 including c12 juvs

17.30-17.45

1 Curlew over SW (heading for the coast perhaps?)
A number of Lapwing heard from the middle pool but couldn't see due to high vegetation
1 Kestrel
1 Sedge Warbler seen with a beak full of food
5 Chiffchaff including 1 bird with a strange purple patch covering most of one side of it's face!
2 Blackcap singing
2 Whitethroat
1 Grey Heron
1 Tufted Duck flew in
1 Moorhen
4 Coot - pair plus 2 half grown chicks

17.00-17.30
Very quiet and difficult to view the middle pool due to high vegetation.

1 Oystercatcher flew in
30+ House Martins over the pools and ETW
10+ Swallows
10+ Swift
3 Whitethroat
1 Blackcap
2 Greenfinch
1 Pied Wagtail
2 Mallard - pair were the only ducks visible
1 Song Thrush

Plenty of Sedge Warblers Blackcap and Whitethroat plus Hirundines otherwise quiet.

With Tony Darby 11.25 on. Good mumbers of warblers but not the sightings we were after:

Whitethroat 14
Willow Warbler 5
Chiffchaff 6
Blackcap 8 including 2 females
Sedge Warbler 9 at least 4 of which were within only feet of where I had seen them a week ago. Tight territories.
Reed Warbler 2 at the easternmost pool
Garden Warbler heard only in the most dense scrub inside the fenced off area west of the Trans-Pennine Trail
Still no Grasshopper Warblers here at this traditional site.
Also the resident Kestrel, Buzzard and a female Sparrowhawk which ascended rapidly on a thermal from only 30 feet up initially to 300 feet or more

-- Edited by Tim Wilcox on Thursday 7th of May 2015 08:18:53 PM

Reed Bunting Gadwall, Common Whitethroat, Sedge Warbler, Willow Warbler, Yellowhammer, Goldcrest, House Martin, Swallow, Chiffchaff Blackcap, and a Little Egret launched itself from the Sewage works opposite the farm and flew South West low but could not relocate.

-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Sunday 3rd of May 2015 04:27:29 PM

Garden Warbler 1 singing in area north of ETW.
Little Grebe 2
Gadwall 8
Sedge Warbler 2 singing.
Reed Warbler 1 singing.
House Martin 20+
Sand Martin 2
Swallow 2
Song Thrush 2 singing.
Oystercatcher 1
Yellow Wagtail 1 female.
Buzzard 1
Kestrel 1 male.
Grey Heron 1
Reed Bunting 1 singing.
Willow Warbler 1 singing.
Whitethroat 2 singing.
Blackcap 1 singing.
Greenfinch 1 singing.
Coot 4
Moorhen 2
Canada Geese 6
Mallard 10
Chaffinch 2 singing.

17.20-17.40
Rather quiet but sightings as follows:

2 House Martins over north - my first this year
1 Little Grebe
4 Gadwall
2 Teal - pair
2 Canada Geese
2 Coot
1 Moorhen
6 Pied Wagtail
2 Willow Tit
1 Chiffchaff
2 Willow Warbler
2 Blackcap
1 Song Thrush singing
1 Bullfinch
5 Linnet
Plus the usuals!

2.00-4.00pm with Tony Darby and others

Yellow Wagtail splendidly bright male moving around the rims of the concrete tanks with a Pied Wagtail
Oystercatcher 1
Little Egret 1
Buzzard 3
Orange-tip 1
Brimstone 4
Peacock 6
Small Tortoiseshell 2
Comma 2

otherwise oddly quiet

1 Yellow Wagtail still around this morning
1 Little Egret in the trees at the back of last horse paddock
Many Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs, plus a couple of Willow Warblers in the area
c250 Sand Martins feeding over the filtration beds this afternoon

Just a quick one...full report later.

am visit.

Yellow Wagtail 1m in horse paddock.
House Martin 2

Little Egret, Sand Martin, House Martin and Swallow

This morning:

12 singing Chiffchaff
3 singing Blackcap

0930 - 1000hrs Easter Monday.

Extremely quiet here yesterday, due to the fog.

Plenty of Coots round and many more in the flooded fields.
2 Teal on pool 1.
2 Oystercatchers in the fields also.
2 Swallows sat in a tree on pool 1 also.

1 Pied Wagtail in the Donkey Paddocks.

Several more Swallows around the stables area...

16.30
1 Oystercatcher
2 Buzzard - pair coppulating in a tree!
1 Mute Swan
2 Little Grebe
2 Shoveler
4 Gadwall
7 Teal
2 Tufted Duck
2 Mallard - including a female sat in a tree!!!
3 Canada Geese
6 Coot
2 Moorhen
1 Reed Bunting - singing
3 Chiffchaff
1 Bullfinch

Also: a Weasle ran across the path.

-- Edited by Steven Nelson on Thursday 2nd of April 2015 07:46:27 PM

10 Pied Wagtails
8 Meadow Pipits
1 Chiffchaff