JOHN TYMON wrote:

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A significant area of the patch of Greenbelt and peat moss land on the eastern side of the patch will disappear very soon under the new Motorway Service Station taking up all of the south end of the easter arable land that has been a wintering site for Corn Bunting, Yellowhammer plus many more and  one of the best wild flower meadows I've ever seen this summer . This area will be completely obliterated, an established stream redirected, all the hedgerows removed in fact the area I saw the Wryneck last week will be totally gone.It looks like the building part starts in October. The parking area at junc 11 also disappears so nowhere to park at that end,to even get on the patch. and then more work will start also  by Biffa , putting a massive solar panel farm on top of the landfill removing the area 12 pairs of Skylark normally nest , and the stonechats winter. The Whole area will totally change leaving just the pools of interest in the main . Apparently the area bult on with a hotel and service station will have a 19% net gain of biodiversity according to the ecology reports, not sure how that works when the whole area will be under concrete . Its tragic that we keep losing these significant wildlife sites. We did our best to fight it and initially it was rejected but after they appealed and the council withdrew their objection the plan went through about 3 years ago.

 This is the end of the planning. Work actually started on the site 2 years ago doing the peat and water surveys etc 

If you wish to see the full plans and maps they are here https://online.warrington.gov.uk/planning/

planning application number - 2024/00963/REMM

-- Edited by JOHN TYMON on Saturday 14th of September 2024 08:09:26 AM

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Potentially even worse is the double-whammy of the Service Station opening up access to J11 from the North side and the fact that HS2 isn't going to go through the Linear Park at Culcheth; the 1960s plans for the A580 Leigh - M62 Culcheth / Glazebury bypass (S/ SE side of Culcheth, then NW of Glazebury to join the A580 2 miles west of Bents) are ressurected - a friend has been working on the pre-planning study for a few months. One hopes Warrington BC being skint means that this wouldn't go ahead (nor the Western Bypass which would cut through Moore NR Eastern Reedbeds and Black-fields Pools). The funding sounds though for the capital of the build like it has been kicked to the Road Improvements Scheme Tranche 4 (2030-2035). 

Of note this morning 

Teal - 7

Great Crested Grebe- 6 (2 Ad with 4 Juvs)

Swallow - 10

House Martin - 5

Tree Pipit -1

Lapwing - 60

Tufted Duck - 17 

Pochard - 4 

Willow Warbler-1 

Chiffchaff- 5

Cormorant- 2 

Little Grebe - 8

Grey Partridge - 4

Kestrel - 4

Wryneck at Silver Lane Pools very briefly 9.30 but flew off over the eastern arable and no further sign. Saw it at 3 feet . Great bird first for sight . 

No further sign up to 1pm , but wasn't really expecting to see it again as it flew off originally SE . 

Of note today

Swift - 7 over West pool

Swallow- c70 > S

House Martin c 40 > S

Sand Martin - 2

Kestrel -4 

Buzzard - 4

Great Crested Grebe - Still 6 .young are becoming

Independent, catching fish for themselves today

Canada Geese flock contained 1 Greylag and an hybrid

Sedge Warbler -1 

Blackcap- 3

Willow Warbler- 2

Chiffchaff- 4

Grey Heron - 3 > W

Of note am 

Redstart - 2 (juv male and adult Male seen briefly)

Swallow -  uncountable 1000+ south

Hobby - 1 Chasing Swallow flocks (pic belo)

Great Crested Grebe - 1 Pair with 4 young still

Teal -4 

Pochard - 12

Willow Warbler - 6

Buzzard -4 

This morning pretty average of note

Gadwall - 7

Pochard - 13 

Grey Heron - 2

Buzzard - 6

Kestrel - 2

Great Crested Grebe- pair still with 4 large young in tow 

Little Grebe - 8

House Martin - 15

Swallow - 10 

Sand Martin -1

Swift - 1

Willow Warbler - 2 

Raven - 1 over West 

7.30 - 10am, a cool start to the day, but livens up

Great White Egret - as said not around

Grey Heron - 1

Canada Geese - 44

Great crested Grebe - family of 6 still together in middle of west pool

Pochard - 19, overnight increase, probably dispersing from Woolston Eyes

Mallard - 51, highest total this year so far

Tufted Duck - 29, also highest total so far this year

Gadwall - 1

Willow Warbler - 7, mostly contact calls but some juveniles attempting to sing but not quite getting it!

Chiffchaff - still a few calling

House Martin & Swallow - 5 of each hawking over pool

Swift - 2, overhead & south

Buzzard - 4 juveniles making a racket!

Sparrowhawk - male into tree


Earlier in the week

Tawny Owl - 2

Grey Partridge - 2

Starling - 500+, local fields

Further information on the Great White Egret . It Seems like it was a this year's young one ringed 16th April 2024 Avalon marshes  ..just had the email back from the rspb

This morning 

Great Crested grebe - pair still with 4 young

But only feeding 3 , the other they have washed 

Thier hands of catching more fish on its own than 

The rest combined.

Pochard - 8

Little Grebe - 8

Tree Pipit - 1 

Grey Partridge - pair with 8 young

Hobby chasing Swallows on the east side

Still plenty Swallows, House martin.

Swift - 10 

Sand Martin - 10

Kestrel -2 

Sparrowhawk -1 

Willow Warbler - still a few about

Greylag Geese - 32 flying east 

This Morning

Great Crested Grebe - Still have 4 surviving young

Goldfinch - 60+

House Martin - 300+ over eastern arable 

Friday 1st Aug 9-1300 of note

Cuckoo - 1 Juvenile seen twice flying North west across the Eastern Arable 

Hobby - 1 Male > East

Marsh Harrier - 1 male Flying NE

Great Crested Grebe - Still have 4 surviving young on west pool 

Lots of young Warblers including Juvenile Sedge, Whitethroat, Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, and Reed Warbler 

Of note today

Great Crested Grebe - Pair still actually have  4 young so lost none only noticed from picture as very distant ,hopefully they will be ok and be the first to survive on the pools see attached shots

Tufted Duck - 3 new broods of young with females today - 12 young in total

Marsh Harrier - 2  over east an hour apart  A first Summer Male in heavy moult and a very dark Juvenile both headed towards Little Wooldon Moss

Hobby - 1 large Female heading east towards little Wooldon Moss

Great crested Grebe - 2 adults feeding 2 young, nice to see after previous several years of failures

Mallard - 19,

Tufted Duck - 16,

Pochard - 1

Cormorant - 3

Lesser black backed Gull - 7, adult & 6 immatures

Coot - 20,

Peregrine Falcon - female immature flew low to east

Grasshopper Warbler - 1, reeling on north slope

Reed Warbler - 2, singing males, must be on 2nd or even 3rd brood?

Three separate mixed flocks noted moving/feeding as they flitted along hedgerow with some chasing & competition between species, do they choose which flocks to join or is it a random act??
Flock 1 had - Blackcap x8 - Willow Warbler/Chiffchaff 15+ - Blue & Great tits 5+.
Flock 2 - Long tailed tit 15+ - WW/CC 10+ - Bullfinch - Blue & Great Tit 10+.
Flock 3 - Reed Bunting 10+ - Linnet 5+ - WW/CC 10+

Full sight mooch this morning and seemingly

Despite the aweful weather birds are doing OK

Of note.

Marsh Harrier- Juvenile Male (pic attached)

Gadwall - Adult female with 5 young

Grey Partridge with newly hatched young

Lapwing - At least 20 large flying Juveniles from early broods on the MSS site

Pochard - 1 Male

Lots of fledged young of common species 

Am 

Despite the poor weather there seems to be plenty

Fledging success at the patch this morning with 

newly fledged young of the following seen

Song Thrush

Long Tailed Tit

Goldfinch

Linnet

Little Grebe

Skylark

Meadow Pipit

Willow Warbler

Reed Bunting

Lapwing 

Coot

Moorhen

Chiffchaff

Whitethroat 

Swallow

House Martin

Great Crested Grebe - siiting on eggs on a new nest

After losing the first nest to floods.

Quick mooch on the eastern side proved worth it in the end with a new potential breeding species.

Moorhen - pair with 2 fledged young 

Willow Tit - pair with 4 fledged young

Cetti's Warbler - Pair seen ,Male singing in potential breeding area , new site record for me of a pair, only hearing a single bird once before . 

:) 

Of note this morning

Great Crested Grebe - Pair finally have one egg , how they managed to keep the nest above water I'm not sure ,and it's about thier 8th attempt in 5 years and they have never fledged young .Fingers crossed this year.

Gadwall - 5

Mute Swan - 1 pair

Swift - 40 +

Plus the usuals

-

AM

Common Tern pair seem to be Summering on the raft on the west pool , no signs of any breeding ,just seem to be chilling this summer, nice to see after lean years .

Great Crested Grebe the same they seem to stay every summer for the last umpteen years without ever getting young off , both showing no signs of breeding.

Plenty of regular summer visitors and residents to see this morning, looks to be a decent season so far without anything spectacular.

1st May AM Pretty quiet relatively

Of note

2 Ringed Plover

2 Redshank

2 Female Greenland type Wheatear

Plus the usuals.

All regular Summer Breeders now present in good number on the site 

Too much disturbance from the groups of pro Dogwalkers that swarm the area everyday.

Friday 26th 9.30 -1 full site covered 

A bit of of wader fest in silver Lane terms as normally waders are few and far between, the motorway service

Station build not started fully yet, but imminent, means a decent area ,Is at the moment fallow, and disturbance low ,apart from pro dog walkers straying on there. 

Also flooded field is preventing the other farmer from ploughing the Eastern Arable at the moment.

Previous days Cuckoo seems to have moved on , no sign today

 Whimbrel- 3 flying NE at 12.00

Ringed Plover - 1 pair(pic of one below, rare on site)

Oystercatcher- 1 Pair

Redshank - 1

Lapwing - 2 pairs with young, and 2 pairs on eggs.

Yellow Wagtail - 1 disturbed by entrance pool flew south

Yellowhammer- 12 feeding on mss area

Corn Bunting - 2

Skylark - at least 6 pairs feeding young , more nesting but on the site again that will soon be lost to a Solar Panel farm :( 

Sedge Warbler - 3 singing

Marsh Harrier - 1 female through NE

Wary note for anyone on west side of summit ,There is a Tree pipit lookalike with short hind Claws that's a meadow pipit. 

Plus the usuals 

:)