Brief visit at lunchtime today.

Highlights : 2 full grown Great Crested Grebe youngsters in front of the Coward reedbed screen.

Too tricky to try and count the adult GCGs as the path by the mere was a little crowded.

Also noted were a pair of Mistle Thrushes relaxing on a big dead tree in Big Wood and a Sparrowhawk in Hopyards Wood.

The only life on the spit at Kid Brook was a herd of Friesians, and no Curlews were on the adjoining meadow, although one was heard

calling above Big Wood.

19.00-20.00

Still 2 Common Terns hanging around Kid Brook.

13 adult + 2 juvenile Great Crested Grebes.

10 Long Tailed Tits with 2 Willow Warblers and a Robin engaged in short fly catching sorties from the big dead alder alongside the mere.

Still two Common Sandpiper, Oystercatcher, min 15 Curlew, Little Egret, several Lapwing and one Common Tern on or around Kid Brook Spit this morning. Now nine Pochard on the Mere and three Little Grebe plus other usuals.

Three Common Tern on Kid Brook Spit fence posts this morning.

Nice find by Greg Baker this morning in the form of a Wood Sandpiper on Ashtons Flash. A Ruff has been present for a couple of days and also a Green Sandpiper reported today. Ashtons quite often plays second fiddle to Neumanns (Siberian Stonechat aside) but is currently coming up trumps.

Brief viit at lunchtime :

Kid Brook area : 1 Black Tailed Godwit (In reslendant brick red summer plumage, possible "islandica"), 6 Curlew and 30 Lapwings.

Budworth Mere : 2m Wigeon, 30 Great Crested Grebes plus large numbers of Sand Martins with lesser numbers of House Martins.

Also 1 Buzzard over the meadow.

A possible Hobby was also noted in flight high above Marbury Lane, although I could'nt be 100% sure. The long narrow wings, Swift like

silhouette and flight pattern certainly indicated Hobby, but I only glimpsed the bird for a couple of seconds.

Two Dunlin on Kid Brook Spit 6.30 am. Had a wander in to Big Wood to try and find our sole pair of Spotted Flycatcher, without luck.

As part of my early morning walk. Dunlin and two Common Sandpiper on or around Kid Brook Spit, Sparrowhawk by the Fishermens Path. Also a Reed Warbler in a small patch of reeds on the south shore, not sure if Ive ever had them here before.

Early morning walk along the south shore of Budworth Mere produced three Common Sandpiper in the bay, west of Kid Brook Spit and a Yellow Wagtail on the fence posts at the spit. John Gregory had seen a number of Whimbrel earlier.

Taken from our WhatsApp group today at Budworth Mere.

Black Tern (2)
Common Tern (2)
Arctic Tern (1)
Little Gull (2)
Swift (1)

Looks like I chose the wrong day to take a walk down the River Weaver!

Todays walk was late afternoon along the mere side path as far as the slipway. An initial Common Tern was subsequently joined by a second on buoy F, whilst a third was on one of the buoys at the far eastern end. A pair of Oystercatcher and a Common Sandpiper were present on Kid Brook Spit. A male Whinchat was a welcome patch year tick, nearby on the grassy shoreline.

Apparently, there were two Common Tern here this morning early on, before one departed. This afternoons birds were possibly the Winsford birds plus this mornings lingering one.

2019 Bird Report covering Marbury Country Park and Budworth Mere plus Neumann's Flash etc is now avialable in pdf format. If anyone would like a copy who hasn't received one aleady please PM me with your email address.

Greg

Three hours from 9.30 starting at the slipway, then along Forge Brook in Big Wood, back to the slipway and finally at the Screen Hide overlooking Coward Reedbed. Weather fine, dull and cold. Of note :-

Great Crested Grebe (4)
Little Grebe (4)
Canada Goose (220)
Canada x Greylag (1)
Mute Swan (2)
Tufted Duck (51)
Goldeneye (pr)
Goosander (2m, 2f)
Lapwing (204)
Curlew (33)
Oystercatcher (2)
Mediterranean Gull (1)
Water Rail (1)
Redwing (130)

One of the patchers had what he was fairly sure was a Dipper on Forge Brook a few days ago. Would be an excellent record for Marbury. Had a look today but no luck. The Mediterranean Gull was a different bird to the one I saw on 3 February, this one very advanced with an almost perfect hood and blood red bill. Ringed on both legs but way too far to see any details. One hundred and twenty Redwing feeding on the grass by Garden Warbler Corner with a few others here and there.

Adult Mediterranean Gull present mid day on Budworth Mere, around one hundred yards out from the slipway.

Two hours from 10.10 this morning in fine and cold weather. First from the slipway, then spent three quarters of an hour in the screen hide, amongst others :-

Great Crested Grebe (9)
Little Grebe (2)
Canada Goose (306)
Pink-footed Goose (1)
Canada x Greylag Hybrid (1)
Mute Swan (2)
Tufted Duck (59)
Wigeon (4)
Gadwall (1)
Goosander (4)
Lapwing (153)
Curlew (51)
Oystercatcher (2)
Water Rail (1)
Kingfisher (1)
Raven (4)

14.30-16.00

No sign of the Bittern, but at least a fine looking adult winter Mediterranean Gull turned up

amongst the huge gathering of Black Headed Gulls that were massed around Kid Brook.

Also of note on the mere were 12 Common Gulls, 3m+2f Pochards and 1f Goosander.

45 Curlews roamed around the pasture on the North Bank, and a single Treecreeper turned up

in Big Wood. 12+ Redwings were feeding on Holly berries near the visitor centre. 2 Buzzards were seen around the park whilst a male Sparrowhawk made a breathtaking dash across the mere side feeders.

-- Edited by John Williams on Monday 20th of January 2020 07:42:37 PM

Steve Costa wrote:

---

PInk-footed Goose - 50+ flying NNW at 15:20

---

 I saw the same flock and estimated c50 over Neumann's. Luckily I managed to photograph them. There were 55 when I counted the photos. 

Also Bittern showed well at the mere roosting at 4.45pm

Budworth Mere viewed from the slipway, then the screen hide, two and a half hours from 10.20. Weather fine, sunnyish and cool. Of note :-

Goldeneye (1st w male)
Tufted Duck (42)
Wigeon (9)
Goosander (2m)
Great Crested Grebe (22)
Little Grebe (1)
Curlew (1)
Lapwing (11)
Green Sandpiper (1)
Little Egret (1)
Cormorant (15)
Grey Heron (10)
Canada Goose (157)
Greylag Goose (41)
Canada/Greylag Goose Hybrid (2)
Mute Swan (4)
Water Rail (2)
Raven (1)


Bullfinch (1)

First visit to this beautiful park yesterday 23rd December 14.00 to 16.30 highlights :-

In the park :- C.50 Redwings enjoying a plentiful supply of red berries & 6 Siskins in tops of conifers feeding.

Also 4 Nuthatches, 3 Treecreepers, 2 Goldcrests, 2 Fieldfares & a Buzzard.

On the mere :- 1 Male Goosander, 3 Cormorants & a Little Egret.

But undoubtedly the stand out was a first ever view for me of a Bittern in very poor light at 16.20 on left side of Coward Reedbed from viewing screen (very poor shot attached)

 

-- Edited by Lez Fairclough on Tuesday 24th of December 2019 12:00:04 PM

Budworth Mere viewed from the slipway, then the screen hide, two hours from 9.50am in fine but dull and cold weather. Of note :-

Goldeneye (1f)
Tufted Duck (124)
Gadwall (2)
Goosander (3m)
Shelduck (3)
Curlew (9)
Lapwing (91)
Green Sandpiper (1)
Great Crested Grebe (66)
Little Grebe (4)
Cormorant (12)
Greylag Goose (55)
Canada Goose (145)
Kingfisher (1)
Water Rail (1)

Good to see the Bittern on show, preening in the partly flattened reeds across from the screen hide. Was in full view for at least 45 minutes. A nice surprise was the Green Sandpiper that did a quick fly round in front of the hide before departing.

The Bittern was present in Coward Reedbed at 15.30 hrs this afternoon with a Starling murmuration of just one thousand birds.

Bittern again showed at around 4.15 this afternoon in Coward Reedbed. Starling murmuration perhaps c.10k with one Sparrowhawk in attendance.

The evening dog walk was an excuse to return to the screen hide overlooking the western end of Budworth Mere and Coward Reedbed. Upon arrival at 4pm there was a Starling murmuration of around 2-3k. This built up over the next quarter of an hour, then chunks of birds broke off an dropped into the reeds to roost. Others continued to arrive until after 4.30 and could be heard dropping in whilst it was virtually dark. Probably 10k in total. Meanwhile, the Bittern was giving superb views, moving in the reeds, wing stretching, flapping and attempting to catch Starlings. At one point, it flew past the small inlet into the far rhs reeds before flying back to its usual spot ten minutes later. Best views of a Bittern for a long time.

-- Edited by Mark Jarrett on Monday 2nd of December 2019 05:16:15 PM

Budworth Mere, two hours from 9.30 in cold and clear weather, -2 to start with but no part appeared to be frozen over.

Goosander (1m, 2f)
Goldeneye (1m, 1f)
Wigeon (2)
Teal (2)
Little Grebe (1)
Water Rail (1)
Curlew (c.25)
Lapwing (c.20)
Kingfisher (2)

Plus all the usuals, Cormorant, Tufted Duck, Great Crested Grebe, Canada & Greylag Goose etc.