40th visit to the patch this year and pretty quiet for the time of year, distinct lack of wheatear, but the habitat has changed so much that it's not quite as good for them now.
of note
Goosander- 1st summer male
Grey heron- 3
Chiffchaff - too many to count
Lots of Skylark and meadow pipitnon territory
Mute Swan - pair that's been with us all winter still hanging about
Great Crested Grebe -'1 Pair
Lapwing - 40
I have still to hear Blackcap this year, not even a sand martin in perfect weather .
Plus the usuals
-- Edited by JOHN TYMON on Monday 24th of March 2025 07:17:31 PM
Don't usually do Sundays, too much disturbance but needed some fresh air & exercise & stayed around the northern pools only. Always some activity even if it is the regular species!
Canada Goose - 1, only the lonely, looked healthy enough but strange to be by itself
Mute Swan - 2, hoping to get their leg codes to check if they are the same birds, but they are not very obliging!
More or less same as Wednesday today with the addition of 2 Wigeon, and a pair of Greenfinch , but Pochard down to 7. Also of note about 20 Skylark ,500 Woodpigeon and 150 Lapwing.
9.30 - Noon A brighter day but that cold easterly wind persists. Around the northern pools only where there was a good bit of activity in response to longer days perhaps?
Great crested Grebe - 2, in summer plumage. Are they the same pair as last year & will they be as successful, we shall see?
Little Grebe - 2
Cormorant - 4, 3 in breeding plumage
Wigeon - 15
Gadwall - 11
Teal - 7
Mallard - 14
Pochard - 8
Tufted Duck - 27
Coot - 21
Buzzard - 2
Oystercatcher - 1
Black headed Gulls - 50
Herring Gull - 1
Woodpigeon - 300+
Great spotted Woodpecker - 1, male tapping away
Song Thrush - 5, a light influx of these birds together in the undergrowth
Raven - 1, for 15' kept calling & flying around the area with several display dips but couldn't see a 2nd bird that it was trying to impress!
Very quick lunchtime circuit from the motorway junction round the pools over the landfill. Generally very quiet, two Skylark, one Kestrel, few Goldfinch, single numbers of Blue, Great and Long-tailed Tits. Black-headed Gull, Canada Geese, Little Grebe, Tufted Duck, Mallard, Cormorant and Oystercatcher looked to be the highlights.
Nothing on the Capped Tip.
Dropped down from the Tip summit on the zig-zag path towards the gas plant and came across the best finch flock in the Alders I have ever seen. 40-45 Siskin, two Greenfinch, male Brambling, 40+ Redpoll (no large or pale ones, not that they'd stay still long enough for a full look at the flock), two Nuthatch, one Chaffinch, 3-4 Linnet, 50+ Goldfinch. Very flighty. One of the better lunchbreaks I have had in my life .
Single male Bullfinch on Silver Lane back to the motorway.
-- Edited by Andy Slee on Tuesday 4th of February 2025 06:38:01 PM
Nice today to see the Male Great Crested Grebe return early for the hopefully another sucessful breeding season , apart from that pretty quiet on the pools , with 5 Gadwall and 4 Teal only other things of real note .
In the last week there have been irratic Redpoll numbers ,up to 60 one day then 6 the day after and none today , the odd Marsh Harrier passing through from Woolston to Little Wooldon moss . Siskin also noted most days up to 20 but again down to 2 today. Mute Swans have moved on after spending the last few weeks in a 20 foot bit of unfrozen water, maybe they will be back later in the week .
Today as Yesterday , but Peregrine on eastern arable and 30 Redpoll present along with 10 snipe, 10 Yellowhammer and some of the most frozen landscapes ive seen since 2011.
-- Edited by JOHN TYMON on Saturday 11th of January 2025 08:05:30 AM
Today all pools frozen solid apart from a 50 yards by 3 yard strip in the middle of west poool which contained
Wigeon - 23
Mallard - 40
Teal -7
Coot 20
Shoveler -2
Little Grebe -4
Mute swans unfortunate have had to move on as the east pool is solid today . I fed them every day for the last 3 days but they must have managed to fly off last night.
Usual at Silver Lane last few days of note 20 Wigeon, Mute Swan Pair still present and good numbers of winter Thrushes about ,apart from that most of the pools frozen with the odd redpoll small flock around the site and a chiffchaff heard once.
9.30-12.30 walk about on north pool area. pink footed geese 400 circling over Holcroft road before dropping down in that vicinity - mute swan 2 - cormorant 6 - wigeon 31 - Teal 7 - kingfisher 1 - fieldfare 45 - female blackcap with tit flock
39 Wigeon of note this morning plus noted from the summit
C1000 Pink Footed Geese circled over Little Wooldon Moss and Irlam Moss then came west and landed west of LWM and slightly east of Holcroft Lane at 12pm
01.01.2025 - As flooded as I've ever seen the area today but that helped to bring a few unusual visitors in the for of the big gulls down on the eastern side
At last, back on my feet and patch after several weeks of not being able to walk anywhere! Of interest among the 32 species recorded this morning were:
Pink footed Geese - 327, in 3 skeins (145/140/42) flew east & appeared to drop onto farmland in that direction
Mute Swan - 2
Cormorant - 6
Wigeon - 10
Teal - 11
Pochard - 2
Black headed Gull - 120, on pools and east side field
Common Buzzard - 1
Kestrel - 1
Kingfisher - 1, east pool
Song Thrush - 4, singing birds bringing a touch of early spring!
Mistle Thrush - 1, also in song
Stonechat - 1 pair
Meadow Pipit - 12
Long tailed Tit - 15+, spread across 3 small flocks
No real Change today been Deja Vu most of the Autumn and Winter so far , pools have the lowest population of Waterfowl ive seen here , the big west pool
the most noticeable with about 7 Cormorant and 6 Tufted Ducks the only birds on there today , which is shocking really compared to the norm at this time of