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Irlam Locks Brief Visit

9 Sand Martin

58 Cormorant flew east in one flock @ 1045

1 Grey Wagtail

Irlam locks..

300+ black-headed gulls
2 great black-backed gulls
2 lesser black-backed gulls
4 Herring gulls
2 oystercatchers
1 kingfisher
2 chiffchaffs, singing
2 ring-necked parakeets
2 stock doves
4 Gadwalls
2 mute swans
18 cormorants
3 grey wagtails
5 pied wagtails
2 peregrines over, headed towards Carrington.

Jack Lane nr/ welacre c p/green hill...

5 chiffchaffs, singing
2 goldcrest
1 bullfinch
3 treecreepers
1 ring-necked parakeet
Water rail & cettis warbler heard only
Numerous redwings
12 siskins
No signs of the stonechat on a big mooch around.
4 redpolls
3 chaffinches
4 jays
1 kestrel
1 buzzard
Seen distantly over Carrington moss 6 buzzards were seen in the air together.
2 pheasants in horse paddocks.
Plus usuals around.

Flixton ETW/Ship Canal.

Great Crested Grebe 1
Mute Swan 3
Gadwall 6
Mallard 12+
Canada Geese 4
Grey Wagtail 1
Pied Wagtail 5
Oystercatcher 2
Herring Gull 5
LBB Gull 2 adults.
BH Gull 180+
GBB Gull 2 adults, 1 2nd cy.
Siskin 1
Skylark 1 over.
etc.

29 species.

Flixton ETW/Ship Canal...Saturday, January 17th.

Mallard 20+
Tufted Duck 1 female.
Gadwall 2 male, 1 female.
Mute Swan 1 adult.
Cormorant 20+
Grey Heron 1
Grey Wagtail 2
Pied Wagtail 5+
RN Parakeet 3
Goldcrest 2
BH Gull 250+
GBB Gull 2
LBB Gull 4
Herring Gull 4
Common Gull 1 adult.
Moorhen 1
House Sparrows

28 species.

Great White Egret flying along the canal in a downstream direction at 09:45

Late report for Saturday. December 20th. Wellacre Country Park.

Redwings 70+
Fieldfare 1
Mistle Thrush 1
Song Thrush 8 singing.
Pied Wagtail 80+...field behind ETW filter beds.
Siskin 1
L. Redpoll 1
Linnet 1
Buzzard 1
Goldcrest 2
Nuthatch 2...in garden.
etc.etc.etc.

40 species.

A morning walk down to the ETW and Ship Canal.

Sparrowhawk 1 female.
Grey Wagtail 2
Pied Wagtail 5
Grey Heron 1
Cormorant 6
Redwing 30+
Pinkfeet Geese 35 heading east.
Starling 25+
Mute Swan 1 adult.
Mallard 20+
Great Crested Grebe 2
BH Gull 200+
LBB Gull 6
GBB Gull 1 3rd cy.

etc. 27 species.

151025 

Ship Canal from Boundary Road to Salteye Brook

8 Mute Swan

14 Cormorant

16 Gadwall

66 Mallard

4 Little Grebe

33 Teal

1 Cetti's Warbler

4 Ring-Necked Parakeet

2 Grey Wagtail

Wellacre Country Park including Green Hill, highlights.

Nuthatch 5
Redwing 20+
Raven 1
Jay 3
Rook 15+
Jackdaw 10+
RN Parakeet 4
Collared Dove 1
BH Gull 10+
Woodpigeon 150+
etc.

Only 30 species.

Highlights from Wellacre CP.

Tawny Owl 1 heard on Green Hill.
Redwing 1 over Green Hill south.
Meadow Pipit 4 Green Hill.
Chiffchaff 1 Jack Lane.
Goldcrest 3
RN Parakeet 5 Wellacre Wood.

Just 32 species.

Spotted flycatcher currently at jack Lane nr.

Wellacre CP

80+ Pink-footed Geese south over Green Hill 07.52
Cetti's Warbler still singing from the lagoons

18th Sept Green Hill pm

2 Hobby
1 Sand Martin
209 Swallow
27 House Martin
Cetti's Warbler singing from the lagoons

1 Little Egret at Irlam Locks on the rocks below the hydro plant

-- Edited by Martin Whittam on Tuesday 16th of September 2025 12:26:48 PM

Flixton ETW/Shipp Canal.

Kingfisher 1
Grey Wagtail 3
Pied Wagtail 4
Great Crested Grebe 5
Cormorant 15+
BH Gull 80+
LBB Gull 7
Herring Gull 1 adult.
Mallard 30+
Grey Heron 1
House Martin 10+
Sand Martin 10+
Swallow 10+

etc.etc.

Green Hill this morning

Greenshank heard calling at 08.57
Wheatear 1 Lafferty's Farm horse paddocks
Willow Tit 1
Cetti's Warbler singing from the lagoons

Irlam Locks am 1 Peregrine 4 Chiffchaff

Willow Warbler singing in the trees behind Arundel Avenue 9am

Irlam Locks

Shag - 1 juvenile close in below the locks, on it's own. Picked out swimming towards the locks, then it fished in the froth of the outflow in the left hand corner below the gabions, even went into the hole under the wall, then swam close to the left bank and lost to view under the trees. Photographed between 14.28 - 14.33
Cormorant 15+, one with an orange darvic
Great Crested Grebe 6
Great Black-backed Gull 2 immatures
Swift 1

Flixton ETW/Ship Canal.

Great Crested Grebe... 7 adults, 2 juveniles.
Gadwall... 1
Mallard... 20+
Grey Heron... 3
Mute Swan... 2 adults.
Canada Goose... 1
Cormorant... 12
Oystercatcher... 2
Swallow... 6+
Sand Martin... 6+
BH Gull... 130+...just 2 juveniles.
Herring Gull... 1 adult.
LBB Gull... 2 adults.
GBB Gull... 1 2nd year, 1 3rd year.
etc.

25 species.

Common Sandpiper and female Mandarin at the locks on the rocks immediately below the hydro plant. 10:30

Delayed report for Friday from Wellacre Country Park.

Willow Tit 1 heard from North-West corner of Green Hill.
Raven 2
Goldcrest 3
Water Rail 1 heard at Jack Lane.
Treecreeper 1
Reed Warbler 1 seen Jack Lane.
Reed Bunting 1 singing Green Hill.
Kestrel 1 over Flixton ETW.
Whitethroat 3 singing Green Hill.
Chiffchaff 9 singing.
Blackcap 13 singing.
Coot 2adults, 4 juveniles.
Mallard 30+ and 6 juveniles.
Moorhen 2 adults and 1 juvenile.
Herring Gull 2
LBB Gull 10+
BH Gull 22...all adults on Wellacre College field.

Just 38 species but good number of butterflies!

Flixton ETW/Irlam Locks/Ship Canal.

Grey Wagtail 4
Pied Wagtail 2
Cormorant 6
Grey Heron 2
Oystercatcher 1
Great Crested Grebe 4 adults.
Mute Swan 2 adults.
Moorhen 2
Swift 6
Swallow 10+
Sand Martin 20+
Mallard 8 plus a female with 9 juveniles.
Herring Gull 1
GBB Gull 1 2nd cy.
LBB Gull 10+
BH Gull 6
etc.

29 species.

Hi Phil, house Martins are there at woodsend just earlier on I witnessed an adult fly into the nest where chicks were heard in the nest.

Wellacre Country Park.

Ring-necked Parakeet 5+
Willow Tit 1 calling off Green Hill.
Willow Warbler 1 singing.
Blackcap 11 singing.
Chiffchaff 14 singing.
Reed Warbler 4 singing Jack Lane.
Reed Bunting 1 singing off Green Hill.
Whitethroat 10 singing Green Hill.
Song Thrush 3 singing.
Buzzard 1
Kestrel 1 male.
Swift 2
Swallows Flixton ETW.
Sand Martins Flixton ETW.
Jay 2
Stock Dove 1 in garden.

41 species.