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BACK TO THE MANCHESTER BIRDING WEBSITE HOMEPAGE -> Manchester Birding Forum -> Cheshire and The Wirral -> Cheshire River Mersey Sites (north of the river)
Post Info TOPIC: Cheshire River Mersey Sites (north of the river)
John O'Neill


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Cheshire River Mersey Sites (north of the river)
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Fiddlers Ferry - Gatewarth

1 colourful f Grey Wagtail in canal side reeds.

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John O'Neill


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Gatewarth AM
Icy. Canal frozen over.

1 Common Sandpiper by Windpump creek.
Flocks of passerines in hedges included Bullfinch, Greenfinch, Linnet and Reed Buntings.

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John O'Neill


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Gatewarth
AM
10 plus Bullfinch with a couple of Chaffinch in a mobile flock.

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John O'Neill


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Gatewarth
PM

1 Kingfisher on River (perched on ground at main outflow near Wind Pump)
Mobile flocks of Tits and Finches still have a few Chiffchaff mixed in with them
1 each of Buzzard, Kestrel and Jay.

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John O'Neill


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Fiddlers Ferry - Gatewarth
AM
1 juv m Stonechat by the pub car park
1 M Bullfinch
1 Great Spotted Woodpecker
1 Kestrel
Small Flock of Reed Bunting feeding in hedgerows

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John O'Neill


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Gatewarth AM

Same distinctive ad M Marsh Harrier hunting the River banks putting up flocks of Lapwing from Richmond Bank. (Only 50 or so, and no Golden Plover this morning)
6 Snipe flew down onto River
Single Fieldfare over first here this Winter for me


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John O'Neill


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Gatewarth
Ad M  Marsh Harrier very low over River then moved to quartering the reed bed on opposite bank. Pale individual.
1 Little Egret on River
150 ish Golden Plover with about half that number of Lapwing.
1 Great Spotted Woodpecker
1 Jay

 

 



-- Edited by John O'Neill on Wednesday 6th of November 2024 07:12:17 PM

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John O'Neill


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Gatewarth
AM
100 plus Pink Footed Geese in an untidy skein moving upriver towards Warrington.
Soon followed by a much larger number moving over towards Moore .
Prob 500 birds in total.

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John O'Neill


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Gatewarth
3 long skeins of Pink Footed Geese over 11.00AM ish.
Very vocal.
At least 200 birds in total.
First of season here for me.

1 Jay
1 Great Spotted Woodpecker

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John O'Neill


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Gatewarth
Golden Plovers still present with Lapwing flock on River. 5 Redshank too.

1 juv m Stonechat flycatching on Old Tip area.

2 juv Little Grebe on canal.

Skylarks over in 1s and 2s

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John O'Neill


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Gatewarth

Big flock of Plovers on River.
200 plus Lapwings and 60 or so Golden Plover.

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Andy Slee


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Gatewarth Sewage Work / Memorial Wood - one Yellow-browed Warbler, take path in opposite Sunflower Drive and it is about 35m in.

Edited to add this bird was unringed. (See Oct British Birds or Birdguides a week or two ago before the influx on the ringing project for YBWs).

 



-- Edited by Andy Slee on Tuesday 8th of October 2024 09:15:57 PM

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John O'Neill


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Fiddlers Ferry - Gatewarth

Steady stream of Skylarks over.
1 Kestrel
2 Buzzards
1Swallow still over River

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John O'Neill


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Sankey Bridges-Gatewarth

Still a few warblers (chiffchaff/willow warblers) feeding in loose flocks in bushes and hedges.

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John O'Neill


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Gatewarth

Big increase in warbler numbers in the passerine flocks roaming the hedges.

30 plus birds. Most very actively feeding, fueling up for for their journeys. Most (all?) Chiffchaffs. Mainly adults.

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John O'Neill


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Gatewarth
1 juv Little Grebe on canal
1 Little Egret on River.
Mixed flock of tits and a few young warblers (chiffchaff and/or willow warblers) in hedges.

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John O'Neill


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Fiddlers Ferry - Gatewarth
6.00pm ish

1 Whinchat (juv/f) in horse paddocks, flitting between fences and ground.
1 Swallow.

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John O'Neill


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Gatewarth
6pm ish

Juv M Marsh Harrier hunting over fields on far side of River.
2 as Little Grebe with 2 fully grown young on canal.
10or so Swallows, adults and jus, over.

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John O'Neill


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Gatewarth
PM
1 Common Sandpiper on the River.

1 juv Little Grebe on the canal.

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John O'Neill


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Gatewarth
PM
Canal

Pair of Little Grebe energetically feeding two very small, very vocal and very cute fledged chicks .

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John O'Neill


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Gatewarth
PM Yesterday
3 Little Egrets on River.

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John O'Neill


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Gatewarth AM

Grey Wagtail Horse Paddocks

Fledged / young birds on site included several Swallows, 1 Kestrel (m) , 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker


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John O'Neill


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Sankey Bridges - Gatewarth
Mute Swan pair at Sankey Bridges had 4 fledged young.
The only Swift nest site locally I am aware of, behind the Sloop Inn, also had young birds fledged.
Other fledglings on site included Goldfinch, Willow Warblers and/or Chiffchaff , Reed Warblers.



-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Monday 8th of July 2024 08:41:12 PM

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John Williams


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Gatewarth

A Spotted Flycatcher was seen in woodland near the wind pump this afternoon.



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John Williams
John O'Neill


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Sankey Bridges - Gatewarth
PM
high tide
1 Common Sandpiper by main outflow channel near wind pump
2 Buzzards
Pair Mute Swans nesting by car park at Sloop Pub


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John O'Neill


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Gatewarth
yesterday PM

1 Little Egret on River
1 Kestrel
Small post breeding flocks of Starling and Goldfinches.

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John O'Neill


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Gatewarth
Lesser Whitethroat particularly vocal today, flitting across the main path into various bushes as it moved. Showing well briefly..

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John O'Neill


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yesterday 730pm ish

No Grasshopper Warblers heard, seem either late or lacking this year
Second site tick in a month. a sole Avocet on River
Pair Grey Partridge

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John O'Neill


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Gatewarth
Swallows nesting at Penketh Hall Stables
1 possibly 2 Lesser Whitethroat singing

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John O'Neill


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Gatewarth
AM
Lesser Whitethroat and a Cettis Warbler both showing surprisingly well (ie, at all) when singing

Tawny Owl heard . Sounded like a young bird.

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John O'Neill


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Gatewarth
yesterday pm
Warbler sps for year here reached eight with several Whitethroat singing from bushes on grassed over tip area.
Numbers of Reed Warblers and Blackcap into double figures. Six m Blackcaps all together in one of the taller willows seemingly vying for the tree as their territory, all singing and chasing others off.

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John O'Neill


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Gatewarth
"Site Tick" yesterday PM
M Goosander in main creek by Windpump

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John O'Neill


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Gatewarth
yesterday PM

1 Common Sandpiper feeding in main creek close to Windpump.

At least 1 Grasshopper Warbler reeling from field sloping down to the Ferry pub.
2 Blackcaps singing brought warbler count for the year to date to 7

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John O'Neill


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Fiddlers Ferry - Gatewarth
yesterday PM

First Swallow of year
Lesser |whitethroat still present, singing a lot more and moving up and down the main hawthorn hedge at top of riverbank. Hopefully settling up territory.

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John O'Neill


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Fiddler's Ferry - Gatewarth
AM
Not been able to get down here for a while so, despite typical Spring conditions (Hail, Rain, Wind) not surprising that the number of warblers seen / heard were up on previous visit...

1 Reed Warbler
1 Lesser Whitethroat
4 or 5 Willow Warblers
At least 10 Chiffchaff
4 Cetti's Warblers

Also one or two Skylark sighing

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John O'Neill


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Sankey Bridges - Gatewarth
yesterday AM

First Willow Warbler of year
At least 10 Chiffchaff .


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John O'Neill


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Gatewarth
Yesterday
7 Chiffchaff seen and/or heard .

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John O'Neill


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Gatewarth

At least 2 Chiffchaff singing on site this PM

Mute Swan nest had M and F birds in / around it on canal

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John O'Neill


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Fiddlers Ferry - Gatewarth
AM
20 plus Golden Plover on River
A few Curlew on far side fields
1 Kestrel hunting. The only raptor present despite high tide.


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Terry Long


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The cattle Egret was also distant but I have ticked that one for the year

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Terry Long


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On further reflection I don't think it was a wood sandpiper. I do have it on video but it's a weird acting muddy legged redshank

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John O'Neill


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Fiddlers Ferry - Gatewarth
AM
Bit of a Red Letter Day as the last of the paths still closed for the now completed works was finally re-opened. Access to the site now unrestricted.

4 Little Grebes together on canal (2ad 2 juv)
1 Kestrel
1 Jay
Relatively large loose flock of finches along hedges, Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Chaffinch 100 plus birds.

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Terry Long


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Both Cattle and Little Egret on the marsh between warf and spikey today. Cattle Egret patch tick for me. Cetti's warbler and Raven other highlights

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Andy Slee


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I have added a post onto the Richmond Bank thread as you can get down to the river and get good views over the bank now the filter station works have finished.



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Terry Long


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No other sign of the large robin on the bongs but decent flock of redpoll there. No pale ones though

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Terry Long


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Sorry lock gates at spike island and the old jubilee bridge on the snig side

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Andy Slee


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Terry Long wrote:

Wood Sandpiper by the lock gates on sandbank today. Unseasonal I know. Also Rock Pipit by bridge

 Which bridge Terry? Ta, Andy



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Terry Long


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Wood Sandpiper by the lock gates on sandbank today. Unseasonal I know. Also Rock Pipit by bridge

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John O'Neill


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Fiddlers Ferry- Gatewarth
PM
F Grey Wagtail at horse paddock midden piles. Looking beautiful in bright Winter sunshine. (The wagtail...not the middens.)

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Terry Long


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Nice one Andy great stuff. Unfortunately I've not been able to do it for a couple of years. I used to do Widnes waterfront to spike island

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