Weather not even close to Spring but birding more so this morning

Pied Wagtail (on the E. dam wall)
Curlew x 4 (1 in fields below the Dam, 3 flyovers at W end; much calling)
Mallard x 2 m
Canada Goose x 8 (paired up not in usual flock)
Lesser Black Back Gull (1 x adult, 2 x juv)
Herring Gull (several adult + juv)
Skylark x 2 (S bank display flights)
Carrion Crow
Jackdaw
Meadow Pipit (several displaying + flyovers (NW))
Wheatear 1 f (first of the year at W end on res wall)
Tufted Duck 1 m
Reed Bunting 1 m
Lapwing (display flights over fields below dam)
Black Head Gull (Gardens of big houses at N.side)

Non-birding (Much frog spawn evident in culverts / streams at W end)

Hail, snow wind plagued circuit of the res

V few birds

1 m Stonechat
50+ Lapwing
scattering of lesser black backed, herring and black headed gulls
2 Goldeneye

A quick NYD peek on the way home from Elton Res... c. 12:30pm

About 30 large gulls (mix of Herring, Lesser Black Backed and Great Black Backed) plus more coming in
About 35 Black Headed Gull
3 Goosander (1m, 2f)
1 Goldeneye (m)
2 Pied Wagtail
Large flock of Lapwing 40-50

-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Monday 1st of January 2018 05:45:28 PM

131 Goosander on the Res last light tonight with more still arriving .. 

2 Little Owl, Common Scoter, 10 Tufted Duck and 14 Great black-backed Gull also present ..

Also a very good looking pure white Black-headed Gull with black wingtips amongst the growing gull roost ..

2 Scaup on the Res this evening , along with 62 Goosander, 3 Tufted Duck and a Great crested Grebe.. 3 Black-tailed Godwit flew in from the North, circled twice and continued South . .

Mon 14/8 9:30-11:30 at first dull overcast cools SE breeze but brightened up from 10:30

Cormorant 1 on spit flew off and returned to south embankment bump
G c grebe 1 ad sp
Goosander FF
C goose 1 on res and flocks of 44 and 30 in Deepley Vale

L Bb gull c. 8 ad and 20 juvs/Imms
H gull 1 ad
B had gull 3 ad

Lapwing 63

Buzzard 1 ad with juv mobbed by Crows and Fem Kestrel

Swallow 30-40 in family parties migrating but most stopping to feed Juvs
Sand Martin 1 briefly feeding over res

Grey wagtail ad fem at overflow

My first visit up here for a while and was rewarded with a stunning summer plumage Mediterranean Gull. 20:00 - 20:30

Also around

13 Goosander

3 Great Crested Grebe

1 Grasshopper Warbler

 

Dave

-- Edited by David Winnard on Saturday 17th of June 2017 08:45:10 PM

A walk around the res this morning...

South Bank
Wheatear (2f)
Usual Pied Wagtail and Meadow Pipit
Reed Bunting (2m)

On the res
2 x Canada Geese + 2 gooslings
c. 10 Lesser Black Backed Gull
8 Mallard
6 Black Headed Gull

North Shore
Common Sandpiper
Grasshopper Warbler (reeling)
3 x Curlew (flyover calling)

2 Arctic Tern through NE this morning .. also 2 Dunlin and a Common Sandpiper 

7 Oysterfatchers flew in frin east at 12:30 and settled on southern embankment
Water level dropping hopefully for wader passage latet this spring summer and autumn

Late post for yesterday 17/04/ 1720 - 1810

Canada Goose x 14
Linnet x 5
Magpie x 2
Great Crested Grebe x 1
Tufted Duck x 4
Wheatear x 12
Swallow x 6
Pied Wagtail x 25
Skylark x 1
Carrion Crow x 4
Common Sandpiper x 1
Herring Gull x 4
Lesser Black-backed Gull x 4
Mallard x 3
Meadow Pipit x 10
Reed Bunting x 9

This afternoon,solitary male wheatear on southern edge of reservoir.

A wander round this afternoon between 13:15 and 14:30

Of interest...

Goosander (red head)
Cormorant x 1 (unusual for here)
Great Crested Grebe x 2
Goldeneye 2M 1F
Curlew x 2 (heard a few more)
Oystercatcher x 1
Canada Goose x 2
Pied Wagtails (3 M 1 F)


Still no Wheatear tho'

Lovely still clear evening 5/2 16:30-17:20

Lapwing 130 on north shore edge
Canada goose 23
Goldeneye 2 ad M , imm M and F

Small gull roost but good numbers of larger gulls

B hd Gull c 300
G Bb gull 11 ad 4 Imms
Herring gull 46 ad 69 Imms
Common gull 15 including 2 very dark grey birds (Eastern ??)

Sun29/1 15:40-16:50 cold damp dull, light SE breeze

Goldeneye ad M imm M 3 X F
Goosander MMM 8x F

B hd Gull 1,000+
Common Gull c. 90
L Bb Gull 2
Herring Gull 12

Lapwing c. 150 on north shore stone mound

Grey wagtail at least 1 heard
Mistle thrush on barn conversion lawn

A juv Iceland Gull roosted tonight, a different bird to the one a few weeks back. Numbers of larger gulls are well down from early/mid December with only 30 Herring Gull tonight (1532 only a few weeks ago!).

Cheers

Dave

Scaup still present this morning.. 3 Goldeneye also on the reservoir.. 

2 Stonechat, Grey Wagtail and 3 Meadow Pipit along the North bank..

First thing this morning ...

Scaup still present along with 4 Goldeneye and 2 Tufted Duck..

 

Scaup and 2 Goldeneye first thing this morning

Juvenile Iceland Gull present in the evening roost up until 16.10 at least. Also 42 GBB, 32 LBB, 550 Herring, c50 Common and 1150 Black Headed Gull. Also 18 Goosander and 2 Goldeneye.

A 2 hour stint from 14:40-16:40 in lovely conditions, amazing light - still and cloudless but very cold, -1c on car dash when I got back to the car.

I was expecting small numbers of gulls today but I was wrong, many coming in after sunset.

1532 Herring Gull (half coming in after sunset)

2200 Black-headed Gull

62 Great Black-backed Gull

75 Lesser Black-backed Gull

150 Common Gull

197 Lapwing

31 Goosander

2 Snipe

2 Goldeneye

1 Little Owl

 

Time to warm up so I can feel my fingers and toes properly!

Dave

-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Monday 28th of November 2016 05:29:47 PM

Sun 27/11 15:00-16:30 dull overcast cold ENE breeze with Dave winners clicking the black headed gulls onto the res

B hd gull 1576

H gull c. 800
G Bb gull at least 59
L Bb gull c. 60
C gull c 50

Lapwing 23

P wagtail at least 6
Grey wagtail 1 heard Goosander 13m & 19 f Goldeneye at least 1fem

-- Edited by Mike Cooper on Monday 28th of November 2016 10:55:08 AM

Huge gull roost for the last two evenings, both the records of Herring Gull smash the previously highest count of this species in Rochdale by some margin (previous highest 450).

19th November

1 adult Yellow-legged Gull

980 Herring Gull

102 Lesser Black-backed Gull

78 Great Black-backed Gull

3000 Black-headed Gull

250 Common Gull

 

20th November

1492 Herring Gull

92 Great Black-backed Gull

120 Lesser Black-backed Gull

2100 Black-headed Gull

300 Common Gull Dave

-- Edited by David Winnard on Sunday 20th of November 2016 10:32:58 PM

Last light tonight..

Goldeneye.

5 Wigeon.

62 Goosander.

Large Gull roost containing 61 Great Black-backed Gull and a Black-headed Gull still with a full summer hood which has been roosting for a while now.

181 Lapwing

c100 Fieldfare north..

Little Owl