Black-necked grebe present again this morning on Top Pool.

24/2/11

Took up Jonathan Platt`s kind invitation of a guided tour round his local patch:

1 Brambling
1 Green Woodpecker
2 Grey Partridge
2 Oystercatcher
1 Kestrel
3+ Buzzard
3 Little Grebe
10 Gadwall
4 Siskin
2 Greylag Goose
Pochards, Tufted Ducks, Fieldfares, Redwings, Lapwings, Goldfinches etc

Wellington Boots recommended....

My first, brief pre-work wander around the pools this year.

Top Pool: 3 little grebes - my first here since November last year.
25 mallard, 2 gadwall, 13 tufted duck, 2 pochard, 5 coot.

Middle Pool: 21 mallard, 6 tufties, 3 pochard, 8 coot, 1 cormorant.

Bottom Pool: 2 tufties.

Three grey partridge flushed above Middle Pool; a common buzzard flew across Top Pool; 50+ lapwings in fields below the pools; several small flocks of siskins and redpolls buzzing around (five lesser redpoll feeding on birches along Top Path as I walked back to my car).

20th October 7.30-8.30am

Bottom Pool: 2 mute swans, 2 herons. Six grey partridge flew off the landfill and at least one unseen siskin flew over. 15-20 meadow pipits on landfill.

Middle Pool: 6 coot, 3 mallard, 1 cormorant. 400+ pinkfeet (heading east) flew over in five skeins, a grey wagtail flew over and I heard a kingfisher piping - only the second sighting of one this year I think?

Top Pool: 8 coot, 14 tufted duck, 6 mallard, 10 little grebes, 1 great crested grebe (unusual here). Siskins calling from Triangle Wood (mainly alder) above the pool and two foxes were on the footpath to the west of the wood.

Mike Baron wrote:

Perhaps I'll take a leaf out of your book next time and wear waders!

Mike

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A nice Greenshank on each foot

Mike Baron wrote:

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Mike, the camouflage certainly worked, I never even noticed them.

Nice to meet you both this morning as well Jonathan.

I hung around for a while but there was still no sign of the teal. I think you're right, it has probably moved on.

JOHN TYMON wrote:

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And cracking pictures too which proves the find-superb

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and I thought careful observation proved the find

Mike Baron wrote:

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There is no one more deserving of a cracking find like this - also a difficult bird to identify.

Congratulations!

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And cracking pictures too which proves the find-superb

Tom McKinney wrote:

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Spent one of the worst afternoons of my life at Silver Lane today. I did all the pools properly (I even waded through the reeds where it was last seen on the third pool), including the hidden one just below the tip. Nothing. No doubt it will pop up again.

Nearly getting struck by lightning (a bolt hit a lorry on the top of the tip!), sinking shin-deep in mud and ripping my trousers on barbed wire have never been high up on my "must do before I die" list of things to do.

And in which world does John Ketley live if this afternoon's torrential downpour are what he considers to be "showers"?

I don't care if someone finds a Mugimaki Flycatcher there tomorrow, I'll not be going back. I'd rather a dose of herpes than suffer that place again.

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I have to agree with you there Tom. I walked (waded) round the area in hiking boots. By the time I got back to the car I looked like I'd done the front crawl round the place. Full of sweat and mud!!

Saying that, I'll still go back if it turns up again!! Sucker for punishment!! He he!!

Spent one of the worst afternoons of my life at Silver Lane today. I did all the pools properly (I even waded through the reeds where it was last seen on the third pool), including the hidden one just below the tip. Nothing. No doubt it will pop up again.

Nearly getting struck by lightning (a bolt hit a lorry on the top of the tip!), sinking shin-deep in mud and ripping my trousers on barbed wire have never been high up on my "must do before I die" list of things to do.

And in which world does John Ketley live if this afternoon's torrential downpour are what he considers to be "showers"?

I don't care if someone finds a Mugimaki Flycatcher there tomorrow, I'll not be going back. I'd rather a dose of herpes than suffer that place again.

Typically when a rarity isn't present when the hordes arrive, there have been some doubters, though not on here

You genuinely couldn't really miss the bright blue (as per Shoveler coloured) upperwing inner coverts in flight, but for anyone doubting I have put a couple of Jonathon's digiscoped photos on the out-of-county gallery.

I was there at about 10.00am this morning before the big influx of birders got there. No sign of the bird on the top pool but I did see a teal sized duck with coloured wing panels (blue or green, I couldn't tell as it was only a glimpse) circling around looking to land. It dropped down in the area of the 4th pool but when I went down there I couldn't locate it.

I couldn't spend too much time trying to find it either as I had to be somewhere.

Lets hope it re-appears!!

Thanks for the kind words!

Don't have time to draw a more recent map as I'm flat out at work but maybe this might help (click on map to enlarge):

https://s707.photobucket.com/albums/ww80/jonathan_platt/?action=view&current=silver-lane-1.jpg&newest=1

Don't park where it says 'park here', park further back (west) along Silver Lane, towards Risley Prison. The teal was on 3rd (Bottom) Pool this morning.

Has anyone tried the 4th Pool? It's hidden from the footpath and there were mallard on it this morning - we didn't check it but we could hear them.

No further sign by 11.30am this morning.
Willow Tit, Stock Dove and c50 Lapwings also present during my visit.

Please note that access details below were coming in off Warrington Road and now the gate is open half way along Silver Lane the footpath north is approximately half way between Warrington Road and junction 11 M62. It is where the road turns north but there is no parking or vehicular access here.

Henry Cook wrote:

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Great find Jonathon! A well deserved reward for your patching of the pools.
I hope to pop along later on.

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ill second that beltin find,and some reward for all the time you put in on there

Great find Jonathon! A well deserved reward for your patching of the pools.
I hope to pop along later on.

Black Tern still present at lunchtime but it was flying quite high at times and calling a lot before descending back to the pool. I was pleased to see it fishing and frankly amazed to watch it catching dragonflies - I didn't realise terns took them and they seemed to take some getting down! Not much on the paths to the pool as there was a lot of work on the landfill and on the access tracks.

Black tern still present. 22 little grebes on Top (1st) Pool.

Thanks very much for the comprehensive guided tour Jonathan and for arranging the star bird in the shape of that Red Crested Pochard - only my second ever but I bet it doesn't hang around - looked like it was ready to fly at any moment!

Looks like a very good site with good variety of habitat.

6.15-7.30am

1st Pool: 45 coot, 57 tufted duck, 22 little grebes, 2 mute swans and 2 green sandpipers.

2nd Pool: 125 mallard, 2 pintail. The pintail have been present for a week now.

3rd Pool: 2 little grebes, 2 herons, 2 snipe, 30+ canada geese.

Two sparrowhawks - one over the landfill, another along 1st Footpath. Four cormorants circled 2nd Pool then flew on, probably due to my presence. Heard a willow tit on 1st Footpath.

Travellers in residence down Silver Lane.

BN Grebe still present on 1st Pool. Overflying yellow wags at 1st & 3rd Pools. Two birders from Risley had a hobby over 1st Pool when they went to see the bn grebe yesterday afternoon.

A pair of little grebes have been sitting on a clutch of eggs in the NE corner of 3rd Pool recently. This morning I arrived to find the usual brooding grebe absent, but soon found the pair in the SE corner. One of the pair was diving constantly, the other had at least two tiny chicks on her back.

Quiet at the pools this morning, best birds were 17 little grebes (inc. 3 chicks) on 1st Pool, 3 green sandpipers (2 on 3rd, 1 on 1st) and 2 snipe on 3rd Pool.