Pink-footed Goose 247. 142 > W 2 08.57, 75 > W @ 08.53, 57 > NW @ 09.02 over Green Hill Water Rail 3 heard at Jack Lane Great Black-backed Gull 1 MSC / Irlam lock Kingfisher 1 Jack Lane Chiffchaff 1 singing at Jack Lane Cetti's Warbler 1 seen and heard singing at Jack Lane Treecreeper 1 Redwing 22 Fieldfare 9 Meadow Pipit 11 Redpoll 4 Siskin 3
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A damp Saturday stroll round Wellacre Country Park 1:55 - 3:25. Highlights: dozens of redwings and blackbirds in the hedgerows; pairs of willow tit, goldcrest and treecreeper in a mixed tit flock at Jack Lane, also a couple of sparring water rails and a cameo by the Cetti's warbler; and 300+ starlings on the electricity pylons by the water treatment works.
Wander round Wellacre Country Park 1:40 - 3:50, highlights: 30+ blackbirds and at least a dozen song thrushes in Wellacre Wood; water rail at Jack Lane, I missed the crowds of redwings but there were still a few with the blackbirds in the hawthorns, a mistle thrush was my first at this site; 32 redwings over Green Hill and half a dozen jays in the oak saplings up top.
Approx 200 Redwing at Jack Lane NR 11am Water rail heard, Buzzard & Sparrow Hawk over Goldcrests mixed in with long Tailed Tits Little Grebe and Kingfisher below on Canal below locks
Wellacre Country Park - Green Hill & Dutton's Pond
Pink-footed Goose 276, 36 > E @ 08.08, 63 > E @ 08.31, 169 > E @ 08.54, 8 > W @ 09.22 Lapwing 1 Willow Tit 1 Green Hill 53.441646, -2.395201 Skylark 1 > S Swallow 2 House Martin 1 Chiffchaff 2 Cetti's Warbler 1 singing from the lagoons Goldcrest 3 Meadow Pipit 49 > S Linnet 2 > S Redpoll 6 > S Siskin 14 > S
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1 Kingfisher this afternoon upstream of the locks flying around and repeatedly shallow dipping into the water. Most likely picking insects from the surface.
Nuthatch 2 Willow Tit 1...heard in trees looking west from Green Hill. Chiffchaff 1 singing plus 7. Crow 9 Buzzard 1 Goldcrest 1 Ring-necked Parakeet 1 Jay 2 Swallow 4 Gadwall 2...from Green Hill. Black-headed Gull 16 etc.etc.etc.
Common Tern 3 BH Gull 60+ LBB Gull 2 Cormorant 3 Grey Heron 3 Mute Swan 2 adults. Mallard 10+ Great Crested Grebe 1 adult. Pied Wagtail 5+ including juveniles. Grey Wagtail 5+ including 3 juveniles. Swift 1 House Martin 4 Sand Martin 15+ Swallow 10+ including juveniles. House Sparrow 80+ etc.
A *very* quiet afternoon's wander round Wellacre Country Park. Even the magpies were few and far between. Two reed warblers singing on Jack's Lane. Also there: a soaring sparrowhawk and a song thrush feasting on a newt.
I walked down the railway path to the canal this morning.Lots of birds but I was sad to see and smell hundreds and hundreds of dead fish along the canal bank. This is obviously going to have a knock on effect on the birds - there were no cormorants
I recall the same thing happening there a few years ago. At the time I spoke to the DoE or UU (or similar - can't recall,) who said it was due to lack of oxygen, rather than poison or agricultural/industrial run off.
When I saw it there were at least 20 cormorants on the woodwork on the Eccles side of the locks and a lot of herons too. Presumably whilst the dead fish were still palatable enough.
I walked down the railway path to the canal this morning.Lots of birds but I was sad to see and smell hundreds and hundreds of dead fish along the canal bank. This is obviously going to have a knock on effect on the birds - there were no cormorants
The Cetti's warblers tend to favour the railway side of the reserve. I'll bump into the singing male perhaps every third visit, most times he's singing from the drain between the reeds and the path alongside the embankment.
Ive spent several hours in the reserve trying to find the Cetti's Warblers & also used Merlin sound ID without success, I did find two Garden Warblers though.
50+ swifts over the waterworks by Irlam Locks 3:30pm, just handfuls of swallows and sand martins. Two singing reed warblers and a pair of Cetti's Warblers on Jack Lane LNR, which I was dismayed to notice wasn't spared the power strimmer in No Mow May. Great tit broods in Wellacre Wood, Dutton's Pond and by the houses at Green Hill.
Mediterranean Gull adult at the ETW before flying overhead and south over the railway 10.12 Willow Tit 1 singing from the railway embankment by Jack Lane Farm 53.440521, -2.404796 Reed Warbler 5, 1 singing from the lagoons, the rest at Jack Lane NR
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Red Kite 1 slowly flying over the Ship Canal, heading upstream @ c 1420. Common Sandpiper 1 on rocks just behind the new turbine building. Grey Wagtail 1 female, as above. Cormorant 10+ Buzzard 2 over the ETW. Grey Heron 1 Swallow 4 Sand Martin 20+ Mute Swan 5 GBB Gull 1 immature. Oystercatcher 2 BH Gull 10+ LBB Gull 3 Mallard 10+ Moorhen 1 Pied Wagtail 2 etc.
Willow Tit_ 1 singing, along the steep path. Chiffchaff_ 5 singing plus 2 seen. Chaffinch_ 1 male. Cormorant_ 1 over.
General Sightings:
Willow Tit_ 1 singing plus 1 seen. Both along track from Jack Lane to Canal. Treecreeper_ 1 singing plus 1 seen. Just south of Wellacre College artificial pitch. Sand Martin_ 50+ at ETW. Swallow_ 10+ at ETW. Oystercatcher_ 2 at Irlam Locks. Cormorant_ 4 at Irlam Locks. Jay_ 1 Greenfinch_ 1 Nuthatch_ 1 in garden. Great Spotted Woodpecker_ 1 in garden. Ring-necked Parakeets. etc.etc.etc. 40 species.
The drake Common Scoter was still present on the north side of Irlam Locks yesterday just after 7:30pm, visible from Irlam Road, Urmston. 1 Great Crested Grebe, 2 Swallow and 18 Sand Martin also present
Wellacre CP
Cetti's Warbler 1 singing from the lagoon heard from Green Hill Blackcap 1 Jack Lane Chiffchaff 15 Willow Tit 4, 1 Green Hill at 53.441361, -2.393151 and 3 together along the railway beyond Jack Lane NR at 53.440453, -2.405093 Sand Martin 56 Raven 2
-- Edited by Pete Hines on Monday 3rd of April 2023 07:14:19 PM
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Highlights from my morning visit to the ETW/Irlam Locks and Ship Canal.
Common Scoter 1 male...had to repeat it as it's a first-time sighting for me on the Canal. Great Crested Grebe 2 Mute Swan 2 adult, 1 immature. Cormorant 6 Oystercatcher 2 Black-headed Gull 160+ Herring Gull 4 Chiffchaff 1 Stock Dove 1