Stott Drive to Green Hill and return via Jack Lane. Highlights from morning walk.
Pink footed Geese 150+ heading west. Goldcrest 2...Dutton's Pond area. Goosander 2 male, 2 female...River Mersey near Mile Road. Chaffinch 6 Coal Tit 2 Willow Tit 1...good views, south border of Jack Lane NR, along the track. Raven 1...on high pylon south of ETW. Jay 3 RN Parakeet 2...wood, south edge of Wellacre College. Mistle Thrush 2 Nuthatch 1...in garden. Better be there next weekend.
-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Sunday 22nd of January 2023 04:43:35 PM
Mixed tit flock in Wellacre Wood included two goldcrests, a nuthatch and a great spotted woodpecker with a large family of long-tailed tits and a few blue tits and great tits. The mixed tit flock at Jack Lane was goldcrests, blue tits and great tits. A heron was hunting in the reedbeds at Jack Lane and a flock of four fieldfares passed low overhead.
Red Kite. Calling from a tree in Willow farm at the end of Southgate off Church Road Flixton. Cross the metal bridge over old Eae brook and it was in the field on the left. Been in the vicinity for at least a week. Very vocal.
RN Parakeet 20+ towards Wellacre Wood. Pink-footed Geese 60+ over heading east at 1000. Willow Tit 2 Goldcrest 5 Skylark 2 Great Spotted Woodpecker 1 male. Water Rail 1 calling Jack Lane NR. Treecreeper 1 south-east entrance to Green Hill. Jay 3 Grey Wagtail 2 (1 Dutton's Pond, 1 near River Mersey). Chiffchaff 1 singing Green Hill plus 2 elsewhere.
Spotted Flycatcher 1 along the main path between Ambleside Road and Vale Avenue east of Dutton's Pond at 53.443629, -2.392035 Pink-footed Goose 24 east at 09.11
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Must have just missed the Tern this morning but saw 6 juvenile Moorhens and 2 adults.
At Jack Lane were 5 singing Reed Warblers, short songs only of course and 2 singing Reed Buntings. Also 1 Water Rail heard, 6 Swallows, 2 Swifts and a fleeting Kingfisher.
Highlight at the ETW and Canal was a Hobby, interested in the 20+ Sand Martins and 4 Swallows. Also 30+ BH Gulls, 1 Oystercatcher, 5 Cormorants, a Great Crested Grebe and 2 Grey Herons. Other highlights were 2 Kingfishers and a sizeable count of House Sparrows of 60+. Difficult to count though, as they fly in and out of the bushes.
2 Common Tern - 1 flying around upstream of the locks and the other mostly just perched on the end of one of the brick structures 1 Sparrowhawk in hunting mode causing mayhem amongst the Swallows and Sand Martins
House Martin 4...looks like 2 nests under the eaves of shops on the north side of the circle. LBB Gull 4 adults on Woodsend Park. BH Gull 30+...as above. Rook 20+...as above. Herring Gull 2
Blackcap- 12 singing plus 3 seen only. Chiffchaff- 14 singing plus 2 seen only. Willow Warbler- 3 singing Green Hill and 1 behind Stott Drive. Whitethroat- 3 singing Green Hill. Reed Warbler- 1 singing Jack Lane. Sand Martin- 2 Green Hill and 3 Flixton ETW.
plus:
Willow Tit- 1 calling Green Hill. Reed Bunting- 2 males Jack Lane. Water Rail- 1 calling Jack Lane. Nuthatch- 1 in Stott Drive garden.
A Willow Warbler singing south of "Jack's Farm" on the main track. Otherwise 18 singing Chiffchaffs, 3 singing Goldcrests, plus 2 Linnets and a Lesser Redpoll over Green Hill. 1 Little Grebe seen from the Hill. Plenty of etcs.
Water Rail 1 heard Jack Lane NR Oystercatcher 5 (3 from Fly-ash Hill, 2 Irlam Locks) Lapwing 1 Sand Martin 1 between Wellacre Wood and Jack Lane Chiffchaff 18 Blackcap 3 Goldcrest 1 Treecreeper 1 Redwing 3
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Wellacre CP 2:55 - 4:35
Highlights: at least a dozen singing chiffchaffs around; a water rail and a ring-necked parakeet at Jack Lane; a willow warbler on the railway embankment by Dutton's Pond; and a heron fishing by one of the "members only" signs on Dutton's Pond.
Walk from Stott Drive, behind Arundel Avenue, to Jack Lane only.
Jack Lane NR:
Chiffchaff 2 on the west side. Water Rail 2 calling. Reed Bunting 1 male, 1 female. Song Thrush 1 Magpie 30+ etc.
En route:
Lesser Redpoll 1 behind Arundel Avenue. Greenfinch 1 as above. Chaffinch 6 as above. Goldfinch 6 as above. Collared Dove 2 as above. Meadow Pipit 4 Pied Wagtail 8 etc.
Jack Lane 13:50 - 14:15: a snipe was flushed by a passing hedge-trimming tractor, a Cetti's warbler in the reeds by the path through the reserve (a site first for me) and there was a couple of teals whistling from the pool hidden in the reeds on the West site.
The mixed tit flock working along the railway embankment included two goldcrests.
Just the one willow tit on Fly Ash Hill today.
Pied Wagtail- 130+ on the sewage beds and the field behind. Grey Wagtail- 1 Jack Lane. Meadow Pipit- 2 Greenfinch- 1 RN Parakeet- 2. Oh and the "usual" Superb Parrot. Jackdaw- 25+ Rook- 20+ on Wellacre College field with the Jackdaw. Cormorant- 9 on the canal. Gadwall- 2 male, 2 female on the canal. Grey Heron- 1 ditto. BH Gull- 60+ on the sewage beds. Herring Gull- 1 adult. Redwing- 5 Moorhen- 10 Dutton's Pond Chaffinch- 1 ditto. etc.