Hi Rob, the adult Herring Gull ring number could well be A:BS9. Nonetheless a good set of ringed Gulls coming your way recently!

Fewer Gulls around the reservoir today, though managed to pick out 4 that were ringed.. 3T0B was a Great Black-backed Gull from 11th November returning ( still awaiting History) and two other Great Black-backed Gull had Black Darvic rings that are nigh on impossible to read when dirty on a black background.. The last was an adult Herring Gull A:B59 and will await history.

4 Goldeneye, 5 Teal, 3 Cormorant and 26 Goosander were on the reservoir and a Golden Plover flew NE towards Knowl Hill.. 2 Skylarks also flew over heading South.

c100 mixed flock of Fieldfare and Redwing on the bushes below Ashworth View

Another ringed Great Black-backed Gull last night but struggled getting all the numbers/letters off the Darvic , which looked dark green/black..Hopefully it will reappear in the future.

Single Brambling flew over south this morning  as did a Greenfinch ..

4 Goldeneye and 2 Teal on the reservoir.  There has been a Lesser Black-backed Gull stationary on the island that is obviously ill .. It's still alive after 5 days now having eaten nothing and now half in the water  but I can't get to it to sort it out .. Tough as old boots .. 

Also 2 Stonechat and a Kestrel on Ashworth Road, 100+ Fieldfare and at least 1 Redwing to the South of the reservoir. Curiously also my first site record of a single Chaffinch!

4 Teal, 3 Tufted Duck. 2 Goldeneye and only 9 Goosander on the reservoir this evening.

44 Great Black-backed Gull but nothing else notable in the roost.

1 adult Peregrine, female from the size and bulk, perched on a fence post to the south west of the reservoir until dusk.

Good sized flock of Fieldfare to the south, possibly 100-200 in size.

Dipper in the overflow 1st thing this morning and 2 Skylarks over south.

Goldeneye numbers now up to 6 ( 3 male) and a single Tufted Duck also present.

Single Whooper Swan flew in at 0955 but did not stay long and 2 Snipe were hiding amongst rocks on the north shore.

An interesting ringed Gull flew onto the reservoir at around 0950 which seemed to tick quite a few boxes for a Caspian Gull..Photos forwarded to Ian for perusal.. 

 ( Speedy reply from Ian to confirm the bird is a Caspian Gull though the possibility of a hybrid cannot be eliminated by these photos)

-- Edited by rob archer on Thursday 1st of November 2018 02:17:13 PM

Merlin this evening flew directly above me whilst sat on north bank and perched up on the same post as a few weeks ago above Croston Close so possibly the same bird ..

5 Goldeneye on the res .. 

Big increase in roosting gull numbers since my last visit, most notably Herring Gull with c380 present. Also 22 Great Black-back Gull and 16 Common Gull.

4 Goldeneye and only 3 Goosander on the reservoir, and 3 Teal on the small pond to the west of the dam.

23 Great Black-backed Gull , 2 Wigeon; 5 Teal and 5 Tufted Duck on the reservoir at last light with a single Wheatear also present along the South wall ..

The Yellow-legged Gull was present again early doors this morning and flew off east at 0815...as did a nice male Hen Harrier coming in from Harden Moor and crossing south of the res and down towards Norden at 0930....7 Great Black-backed Gull present on the shrinking island..

A Coal Tit sheltering behind a wall in the pool by the overflow channel was the best for me this morning and a 1st for me up here ..

Adult Yellow-legged Gull flew in with other large gulls at 0800. 5 Fieldfare flew over west and 3 Cormorant also present.. ( 2 Pintail, 5 Teal and a single Wigeon on Buckhurst Lodge in Lancs just over border)

-- Edited by rob archer on Tuesday 9th of October 2018 10:46:21 AM

Golden Plover flew over west and a single Wheatear on the East Wall this morning . 9 Great Black-backed Gull on the island .

Red-breasted Merganser on the reservoir briefly this morning amongst c40 Goosander.  Great Crested Grebe, the Goldeneye and 26 Tufted Duck also present. 28 Pink-footed Geese over NW and 4 Great Black-backed Gull on the island

39 Tufted duck this evening along with the single Goldeneye. Also 100 Lapwing and 27 Pink-footed geese flew SW.

5 Great Black-backed Gull and 4 Herring Gull among c200 Lesser Black-backed and c150 Black-headed Gull.

-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Thursday 27th of September 2018 08:52:53 PM

c100 Pink-footed Geese over west this morning . Dipper in the overflow and a Snipe on small section of remaining mud .. 16 Skylark , 12 Linnet and a single Redpoll all over south and a Sparrowhawk chasing the many Meadow Pipit on the South Wall. 2 Whinchat still by Cheesden Bar ( Lancs)

18 Pink footed Geese over the reservoir heading East this morning and 3 Whinchat, 4 Stonechat and a Goldcrest by Cheesden Bar just over the border in Lancs .. .

105 Goosander in the roost this evening.

5 Kestrel and 1 Buzzard.

c50 Swallow and 20 Alba wagtails all flew off south.

Adult Yellow-legged Gull flew in with Lesser Black-backed Gulls this morning . A single Dunlin on the big island and Tufted Duck now up to 25...

-- Edited by rob archer on Friday 14th of September 2018 11:37:44 AM

Merlin again this morning in similar area as last week over towards Harden Moor ( Lancs) . Single Golden Plover flew over west and Tufted Duck numbers now up to 23 ..

Best from an afternoon circuit:

2 Pintail, my first site record, 31 Goosander, 21 Tufted Duck and 1 Goldeneye.

4 Lapwing.

4 Kestrel.

1 Wheatear, c20 Alba wagtail and a few Meadow Pipit.

3 Shoveler this morning ( only my 3rd record here) .. 17 Tufted Duck and a Wheatear also present ..

Yellow Wagtail again  amongst the many Pied Wagtail and Meadow Pipit on the South Wall this morning ..