I'd say it was singing Ian but not the full repertoire you'd associate with a Reed or Sedge Warbler, it delivered a 4-5 second burst then 2-3 seconds of silence then repeated the same verse over 3-4 times, I was there about 45 minutes, I initially spent about 5 minutes trying to get a view walking around the end of the reed bed looking into the reeds with my bins but didn't manage to locate the bird. I then continued around the site and went back may be 25 minutes later for another try, the bird was still in the same area and still singing, I don't think it was an alarm call being delivered because of my presence and I didn't hear another bird in that reed bed or any of the other 5 reed beds, If you know the site there are 6 reed beds with your back to the canal the bird was in the top right reed bed and in the top left hand corner. I checked Bird Track and there are no reports of either Reed or Sedge Warbler sightings. Very unusual

Worsley Filtration Lagoons 8.45 - 10.00am

Nuthatch
Song Thrush
Buzzard 2
Sparrowhawk
Coot 4
Mallard 6
Teal 2
Grey Heron 2

Numerous Goldfinch, Chaffinch, Great, Long and Blue Tit.

And very surprisingly a Reed Warbler heard several times but not seen despite several circuits of the reed beds, 95% certain it was a Reed Warbler as I have an app on my phone with bird call recordings, If I was mistaken and it was a Sedge Warbler it still begs the same question, Is it a very early migrant or an over wintering bird?


-- Edited by Mark Burgess on Sunday 23rd of February 2014 01:44:16 PM

Worsley woods 11.45 - 1.30

3 Brambling mixed in with a flock of c25 Chaffinch
Siskin 2
Nuthatch 2
Coal Tit
Grey Wagtail 2
Teal c20
Common Snipe 6
Jack Snipe

Early afternoon
Back of the Delph
Treecreeper
Jayx2
Nuthatch
Robinx2
Various Tits
No sign of the Lesser spotted woodpecker
Cheers Jay
Don't twitch and drive

worsley woods today 25 teal .also teal like female duck but greyer with pale cheeks and a darker cap and blue/grey bill did not mix with teal cheers colin

About 1 ish
Kingfisher at the Delph.
Woods at the top of the Delph
Heron over
Sparrowhawk over
Great and Blue tits
Robin
Great spotted woodpecker (f)
Glimpse of a Sparrowhawk flying low through the woods
No sign of the Lesser spotted woodpecker, but I will try and try again.
Cheers Jay
Don't twitch and drive.
Made 2 dog walkers day with the Kingfisher.

lesser spotted woodpecker in the trees at the top of the slope from the new bridge and pool

Wardley woods
Morning run
Great spotted woodpecker
Treecreeper
Robin Wren
Small flock of Long tailed tits
Coot and Mallard on small pond
Cheers Jay
Don't twitch and drive

walk from worsley village along canal to monton then up loopline into worsley woods birds seen as follows
mallard
moorhen
long tailed tit
great tit
blue tit
nuthatch
buzzard
teal
robin
canada goose
carrion crow
magpie
goldfinch
grey heron
tufted duck

-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Friday 22nd of November 2013 04:50:55 PM

13.00- 14.30 ish
Back end of Worsley woods (Delph)
Lots of long tailed tits
Great and Blue in good numbers
Blackbird and a Redwing feeding on berries
Jay
Treecreeper
Nuthatch
Robinx2
Wrenx2
House Sparrow
Cheers Jay
Don't twitch and drive.

Wardley woods
On a morning run around 10 ish
Great spotted woodpecker
Robin
Treecreeper
Great, Blue, Longtail tits all over
Jay
Cheers Jay
Don't twitch and drive

noon ish
In the woods
Jayx3
GS woodpecker
Nuthatch
Blue, Great and long tailed tits all over
Common buzzard over the woods
Robinx3
Wren
Treecreeper
At least 7 Grey heron on the dam
Mallards and Moorhens
Cheers Jay
Don't twitch and drive

not a lot about fledged reed warbler reed buntings but great show of ox-eye daisys and birdsfoot trefoil due to lack of striming this year cheers colin

Little egret flew over N at 20.30 tonight

Filtration Lagoons 7.45 - 8.40pm

Sedge Warbler 1
Reed Warbler 1
Reed Bunting 2
Chiffchaff 3
Willow Warbler 2
Starling 2
House Martin 6
Swallow 3
Carrion Crow 2
Mallard 4
Coot 3

Worsley woods treecreeper jay buzzard over

about 50 redwing in the sheep field next to bridgewater school worsley road cheers colin

Delph 13.30
Goldcrestx2
Wrenx2
Moorhen with chick
Blue titx2
Lots of Carrion crows about
Cheers Jay
Don't twitch and drive

Filtration lagoons
11.30-12.30
Buzzardsx6 over farmland behind the lagoons
Goldfinchx3
Long tailed titsx2
Single reed bunting
single coot
magpiex8
Cormorant over
Great titx2
Robinx3
Cheers Jay
Don't twitch and drive

filtration lagoons 2 bullfinch 3 snipe flushed 12 teal 3 phesant
sheep field 20 lapwing 30 fieldfair
female goosander on the canal behind the courthouse
colin

This morning,

Rather quiet and not much about,

Dam area
Kingfisher flying low over the water
3 Grey herons
At least 20 Teal
Mute Swan
3 Common Snipe
3 Jays

The woods
2 Nuthatch
1 Treecreeper
2 Great spotted woodpeckers
Large mixed tit flock of 20+ birds
Sparrowhawk [f]
6 Robins
Wren
4 Jays
Probable Common Snipe footprints in the mud in the silted area near the stream



-- Edited by Dave Thacker on Wednesday 26th of December 2012 06:44:13 PM

-- Edited by Dave Thacker on Wednesday 26th of December 2012 09:33:31 PM

Filtration Lagoons
Willow Tit site first for me
also 2 Buzzards 1 Sparrowhawk 50 Fieldfair over and about 500 Jackdaws
cheers
colin

We caught one in Dorset in the 1970s and the same year there was a different one caught at Radipole. Apparently they are more common in Scandinavia.
Happy to write an article for the 2012 report!

Steve Christmas wrote:

---

Putative juvenile swallow x house martin hybrid caught and ringed today.
Underparts like a washed-out swallow, legs dark and unfeathered.
Upperparts dark blue with whitish rump with a few dark flecks.
Tail with medium fork, uniform dark blue and no tail spots.

---

What a surprise that capture must have been Steve! I've tried a quick trawl of the internet and looked through a few books to see if I can find anything on these two species interbreeding but as yet have drawn a blank. Your record sounds like the subject of an interesting article for the 2012 GM County Bird Report to me!

Cheers,

Bill.