Gatewarth
Nice to watch an adult Great Spotted Woodpecker busy feeding a young bird. The young Woodpecker 's head fully out of the nesting hole . Both birds vocal. The second adult flew up tp the dead tree the nesthole was in later.
Mixed flocks of fledged birds : tits, finches, house sparrows, in hedges.
Gatewarth
PM lots of warblers singing in the sunshine
1 Lesser Whitethroat on river bank scrub
3 Cettis Warbler , one showing well
1 Sedge Warbler
2 Chiffchaff
Numerous Willow Warbler, Reed Warbler, Whitethroat
Fiddlers Ferry
Walk along canal almost to Gatewarth
2 Cettis Warblers, many Reed Warblers and at least 1 Grasshopper Warbler all heard singing 5.00pm ish
Gatewarth
Atypically good, and prolonged, views of a Grasshopper Warler reeling from atop a bramble thicket. The vibrations of its throat could be seen as it sang and also the distinctive head turning technique to mask its position from hearers.
4 Bulfinch
1 Great Crested Grebe.
6 or 7 Buzzards soaring high joined by a Sparrowhawk.
Hi John. Just a quick observation in that youve only listed 6 Warbler species so far this year, and only 8 last year, those being...
...Cettis Warbler, Blackcap, Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Reed Warbler, and Grasshopper Warbler this year with the extra 2 for last year being...Whitethroat and Lesser Whitethroat. Did you mean 6/8? Cheers
Gatewarth
8-9 pm
2 reeling Grasshopper Warblers heard. 1 seen.
This means seven ninths of regular warbler species that usually occur here seen this year so far.
Gatewarth
Quite sunny but not very Spring like, cold and windy. Fields and paths flooded.
Only warbler singing was a Cettis from the canal side reeds.
2 Buzzards flying v close together calling to each other.
1 m Kestrel
Gatewarth
Cettis Warbler heard singing from cover in field sloping down to Fiddlers Ferry
The hawthorn hedge at top of bank has been flailed back heavily. Not great news for nesting birds this Spring, but at least not grubbed out completely.
Fiddlers Ferry-Gatewarth
pm
Wet. Driving fine rain gusting in off River. The wet weather made a Robin's decision to indulge in a long bath in a puddle on the path seem a bit pointless.
1 Jay in hedge on top of bank.
1 Grey Wagtail on large midden.
1 Fieldfare and 2 Mistle Thrush with small flock of Starlings in fields.
Wet and muddy early morning.
A Buzzard hulking on a small fencepost looked drenched.
Dunnocks and especially Wrens seemded to be singing prominently, presumably establishing or reestablishing territories for next Spring, even if that event seemed far off today.
Fiddlers Ferry-Gatewarth
Horse fields : 1 Buzzard being mobbed enthusiastically by 2 Crows
1 f Grey Wagtail
Old Tip : 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker flying over.
Gatewarth
AM
1 Cettis Warbler heard singing.
1 f Grey Wagtail.
Tight flock of 12+ Reed Buntings feeding methodically along a long hawthorn hedge like a flock of finches.
Fiddlers Ferry
6 30 pm
Reedbed in canal up past Marina was full of roosting Pied Wagtails. Scores of birds and more noisily arriving constantly.
Not surprising that a Juv m Sparrowhawk was attracted, shooting right into reeds, twisting and turning as it pursued the smaller birds.
Gatewarth
Swallows constantly over in small numbers including juveniles noisily begging for food and being fed on the wing by the adult birds.
A sheltered hawthorn hedge near the windpump laden with berries was a magnet for passerines, many juveniles : Blue, Great and Long Tailed Tits feeding with Greenfinch and Goldfinch, Reed Bunting, Willow Warblers and a single Blackcap.
Gatewarth Large loose flocks of post breeding passerines in hedges and copses. Ash trees opposite Penketh Old Hall Stables especially favoured. Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Linnet. Whitethroat, Willow Warbler/Chiffchaff, Dunnocks.
Single Little Egret low over River. Weird that they are so uncommon here, first I've had here all year.
-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Monday 30th of July 2018 01:30:50 PM
Gatewarth Few birds still singing. One Whitethroat and a couple of Reed Warblers gasping out truncated efforts. A Cetti's Warbler still going full belt though. They seem to be in song all year round.
Fiddlers Ferry
pm
Cycle track out of the Ferry Marina running along railway
Several Reed Warblers singing in canal side reed beds
3 Cettis Warblers singing from overgrown elders.
Female Marsh Harrier seen from the Norton Marsh hide midday - initially flying low over the southeast corner of the marsh, it flew towards the river and then headed to Upper Moss Side.
Gatewarth
5 - 6 pm
Warblers seen/heard around site in light rain :
1 Cettis Warbler canal side bushes /reeds and into scrub by wooden bridge. Showing quite well
1 Lesser Whitethroat hawthorns and brambles along river bank
3 Blackcap inc a pair together
3 Grasshopper Warblers Old tip area
Numerous Whitethroat , Willow Warbler, Chiff Chaff, Reed Warbler
Gatewarth
4 - 5 pm
1 Whimbrel showing well and fairly close on River, about level to Wind Pump. Vocal when a hawking Buzzard passed low over.
Warbler species swelled by Whitethroat and Blackcap, several of both species present.
Reed, Willow, Grasshopper, Cettis Warblers and Chiff Chaff also all singing and /or seen.
A seemingly unremarkable bit of path was attractive to a range of birds, Robin, Blackcap, Long Tailed Tit, Linnet, Reed Bunting. I couldn't see anything special but maybe they were after mud for nest building ?
Fiddler's Ferry 1 Chiffchaff singing from trees round Water Plant building. Several Skylarks singing in fields Flooding in the fields attracted Oystercatcher, Curlew, Heron. Pair of Mute Swans nesting on canal.
-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Wednesday 4th of April 2018 07:31:42 AM
Really enjoyable couple of hours this morning at the west end of my patch. Highlight - six Whooper Swans on the River Mersey adjacent to Norton Marsh also 2 Green Sandpipers on the marsh together with 7 Redshank, 5 Curlew, 2 Oystercatcher, 4 Shelduck, 23 widgeon and 17 teal.
Cetti's Warbler heard west of Richmond Bank and one in the Eastern Reedbed at Moore Nature Reserve.
Several Chiffchaff singing in the area and Brimstone, Peacock and Small Tortoiseshell on the wing.