Drake Common Scoter all day on the Elton Hall Flash/Pumphouse Flash complex. Originaly found by Ian Barber. Also the 2 drake Garganey still present along with the drake Mandarin

I agree, there is a small group that text each other but that tends to be the regular, core, patch-watchers. If I get any good stuff from them I could always put it out on the Marbury email group, as the 2 sites are pretty close & news from Sandbach would probably be of interest to many folk who get the Marbury news. I will ask folk from the Sandbach text group if they would be kind enough to do this.

What do you think, Patrick, worth doing?

An amazing day down at Sandbach Flashes yesterday with several scarce patch birds turning up. The list included Whinchat and 2 Tree Pipits at Maw Green Tip. the Tree Pipits being particularly elusive but the Whinchat was succesfully twitched by patchers. Back at Elton Hall Flash & Pumphouse Flash in the afternoon and things were looking better with 6 Ringed Plover, 2 Dunlin, 2 Common Sandpiper, 2 drake Gadwall and a drake Mandarin. Swift is on the Sandbach list this year but as Patrick says it is by no mean as common as just up the road at the Marbury CP/Neumann's/Ashton's area (sightings per D.Robinson & the Focalpoint Bird Leagues).

Visit to Elton Hall Flash yesterday evening produced:

Common Sandpiper
26 Black-tailed Godwit
2 Redshank
Goosander m & f
Tree Sparrow (at least 4)
Buzzard
Stock Dove (at least 8)
Wigeon (still at least 10)
Teal (at least 5)
Shoveler
Tufted Duck
Great Crested Grebe (4)
Great Spotted Woodpecker m
Lapwing (lots)


no hirundines, surprisingly

Quick visit in torrential rain this evening gave the following of note:

2 Little ringed Plover
12 Black-tailed Godwit, some coming into breeding plumage.

13.00-15.30

Elton hall Flash

2 Redshanks,1 Buzzard, 6 Shoveler, 1 Goldcrest & 350+ Wigeon.

Masses of Lapwing (1000+ often moving between EHF & Pumphouse), on EHF they were often harassed by a Carrion Crow

which flushed them, then flew through the flock as if it was looking for a weakling.

House Sparrows seem to outnumber their Tree Sparrow cousins on the feeders now. Lots of Chaffinches, quite a few with badly distorted feet, but no Bramblings.

A male Blackbird with a large white patch across his nape.

An adult Common Gull was harassing flocks of Starlings, it would seperate one bird from the mass then chase it relentlessly, when it seemed to have the Starling within it's grasp,

it would break off the attack. The gull would then perform spectacular aerobatics, it just seemed to be having fun and showing off.

Pumphouse Flash

1 adult Yellow Legged Herring Gull mixed in with the Lesser Black Backs, 6 Great Black Backs & 3 " Argentatus" Herring Gulls.

1 Ruff, 2 Sparrowhawks.

53 Curlew on the flooded pasture across the road from Pumphouse.

In lieu of a North Lancashire jaunt with Jon Bowen (canx due weather - though on reflection, forecast not as bad as predicted

, decided to catch the last hour of daylight at the Flashes as my first birding trip of 2014. Much of the area was flooded but huge numbers of birds about.

Full list for completeness, selected counts only:

Blackbird

Black-headed Gull

Blue Tit

Carrion Crow

Chaffinch

Coot

Cormorant (6)

Curlew (30+)

Great Black-backed Gull (20+)

Great Tit

Grey Heron

Herring Gull (30+ including at least 2 larger birds)

Lapwing (estimate over 400)

Lesser Black-backed Gull (50+)

Magpie

Mallard

Moorhen

Pied Wagtail

Redshank (1)

Shelduck

Shoveler

Starling

Teal

Tufted Duck

Wigeon (huge numbers)

Woodpigeon

I'm sure a more detailed scan of the gull flocks in better light would have revealed something more interesting. I'll be back!

 

 

Elton Hall Flash 15.30-17.30

The Stilt Sandpiper was showing well for most of the time.

It appeared to have a bad limp for a while, but just before I left it recovered and was feeding vigorously just off the furthest spit from the viewing area.

Also 1 Hobby, 3 Green Sandpipers, 1 Common Sandpiper, 1 Ruff and 22 Curlew. 3 Chiffchaffs were in a large group of Long Tailed Tits.

The Hobby attacked a large group of hirundines, including Sand Martins, that were feeding low above the flash, noticeably from the West with afternoon sun behind it.

It may have caught something as it landed in a grassy area and spent several minutes there before off to the North.

Monday 2nd September.

After being unable to get to Neuman's Flash over the weekend due to being away, finally managed to get down to Sandbach Flashes on Monday evening where good but fairly distant views were had of the Stilt Sandpiper feeding amongst the Lapwing flock and 3 Dunlin.

To keep this thread live here are a few sightings from the flashes today, not mine but some cracking birds here & well worth passing on:

A Hobby, 2 Ruff, 5 Green Sandpipers, a Common Sandpiper, a Black-tailed Godwit, 2 Snipe and 30 Curlew, all on Elton Hall Flash. Three Yellow-legged Gulls over the road by Pumphouse Flash. Also in the area a Lesser Whitethroat, Blackcap and Reed Warbler.

Yes, I got a text about it just after the sighting. It was a flyover bird but 100% IDed by very reputable birders & regulars at the flashes. Lots of flash patchers got out & searched the whole area extensively but the bird was not relocated.

14.00-16.00

Really quiet birdwise.

Elton Hall Flash

1 Little Ringed Plover, 6 Grey Herons, 18 Lapwings, 2 Teal plus Mallard, Shelduck etc.

A pair of Collared Doves by the farm.

Pumphouse Flash

3 Wigoen, 2 Shovelers, 2 Cormorants, 3 Lapwing, 1 Black Tailed Godwit plus the usual waterfowl.

The flooded pasture opposite Pumphouse as now largely dried up, however the remaining bit held 1 White Wagtail ( mobbed and chased off by the resident Pieds) and 1 Little Ringed Plover.

Hancocks Flood, opposite Pumphouse flash at 12:30:

2 Little ringed Plover
1 Dunlin
1 Ruff
3 Black-tailed Godwit

Elton Hall Flash

2 Common Sandpiper
1 Little Ringed Plover
40+ Stock Dove
Lots of House Martin and a few Swallow
Still a few Wigeon and Teal about but not many

Yesterday an Iceland Gull & a Med Gull on Elton Hall Flash with 28 Black-tailed Godwits. Upt to 12 Little Ringed Plovers were on the adjacent flooded fields. Today 6-7 Little Ringed Plovers were evident as well as 2+Ruff on the floods. Swallow & House Martins were seen today as well as a Jack Snipe in the Maw Gren Tip area.

10.00-12.30

Elton Hall Flash

2 Ruff, 1 Redshank, 2 Great Crested Grebes, 6 Goosanders and 30 Shelduck.

Still masses of Wigeon and Teal around, although the Shovelers seem to have thinned out.

1 adult Kittiwake reported this morning, and a Med gull seen yesterday.

Pumphouse Flash

1 adult Yellow Legged Herring Gull and 14 Great Black Backs in the gull roost.

1 female Great Spotted Woodpecker on the feeders and masses of Chaffinches around, but no sign of Brambling.

Plenty of Tree and House Sparrows around the feeders too, and the odd hybrid "Treehouse".

This site used to be a mecca for Tree Sparrows, and still is to a lesser extant, although House Sparrows appear to be showing more frequently lately.

Crabmill Flash

2 Great Crested Grebes and a pair of mating Oystercatchers.

2 friendly anglers unlocked the gate and offered me access to what is usually a private site (Can be viewed from road), although they had a whinge about Cormorants too.

Apparently this water holds some huge Catfish.

15.00-16.30

The late afternoon pre-roost gathering of big gulls on Pumphouse Flash just did'nt happen.

On my last visit the regular birders here told me that big gulls are simply not massing the same as they used to on Pumphouse, and todays visit reflected that.

There are still plenty of big gulls to be seen above the nearby Maw Green tip though, they've just obviously found a better place to chill out.

Masses of Black Headed Gulls were resting here though, and on Elton Hall Flash too, with lesser numbers of Common Gulls mixed in with them.

Just as I was leaving an aerial conveyor belt of Black Heads were streaming in to roost on EHF, but very few if any big gulls were with them.

In total Pumphouse held 6 Great Black Back Gulls (recently 50+ have been logged here), 7 Lesser Blacks and a single adult Herring.

A 2nd winter GBB gull stood amongst 3 Cormorants on the bank at Pumphouse, and in size it dwarfed them.

Also on Pumphouse, 7 Black Tailed Godwits and a single Redshank, but surprisingly no Curlews, I can usually find upto 50 around here.

On a more positive note Lapwing were everywhere, massed on Pumphouse, several part flooded pastures and on EHF.

A couple of Ruff had been reported just before I arrived, but I scanned everywhere and could'nt find them.

Mixed in with Lapwing on the stubble by EHF were a surprisingly large flock of Stock Doves. Amongst from the usual waterfowl on EHF was a single Little Grebe.

As is often the case lately the railway embankment side of EMF is not accessable without waders, as the lane is flooded, maybe that's where the Ruff were hiding.

11.00-13.20

Elton Hall Flash

13 Snipe, 2 Black Tailed Godwits, 7 Mute Swans, 3 Shovelers (None to be found last Wednesday) and just 6 Lapwings.

Stock Doves with Woodpigeon and a flock of Chaffinches on the stubble. 2 Buzzards.

Masses of Wigeon, Teal, Coot etc.

2 Redwings and a male Bullfinch at the feeders.

Pumphouse Flash

3 "Argentatus" Herring Gulls amongst the gull roost. Several "Argenteus" Herring Gulls now in breeding plumage displaying and pair bonding.

A pair of Mute Swans appear to be ready to settle in, the cob was showing off and chasing Coots and gulls away.

Nothing rare about but masses of common species, especially gulls, and in the sunshine with cracking visibility and the thaw on, a very pleasant couple of hours.

Unless you've got waders though there's no access down the lane to view the railway side of Elton Hall Flash, the big thaw as caused a flood.

There is an escaped exotic duck moving around with Mallard, usually around the old feeding area near the iron gate, I've checked the field guides and can't ID it.

The local birders I spoke to can't classify it either, it seems quite tame and a bit of a character, I'd love to know exactly what it is though?.

First winter Glaucous Gull seen by local patchers on Pumphouse Flash late afternoon, may have to pay a return visit myself tomorrow as missed it a few days ago!!

I only had the larger of the 2 adult Yellow-legged Gulls but did arrive as gulls were drifting out of the Pumphouse Flash pre-roost gathering, also had a couple of argentautus Herring Gulls. The very mobile Chaffinch flock viewed from the Elton Hall Flash viewpoint was difficult to search but eventually I did find the lone Brambling, so it is still there, a real long-stayer. A pair of Pintail were on Elton Hall Flash also.

10.00-12.00

Elton Hall Flash

9 Cormorants "team" fishing, 1 male Sparrowhawk, 1 Buzzard, 2 Curlew plus masses of Lapwing, Wigeon, Teal etc.

8 drake Wigeon tried to woo the same female, the melee got quite nasty, finally she managed to swim into the reeds looking very bedraggled and stunned.

Quite a few Shoveler and Shelduck around the flash too. Amongst the visitors to the feeders were masses of Chaffinches, plus a few Tree Sparrows and 1 House Sparrow.

Pumphouse Flash

29 Great Black Gulls (27 adult) and 4 "Argentatus" Herring Gulls (2 looked bigger than the GBBs) in the gull roost.

Masses of Lapwing, Wigeon and Black Headed Gulls.

10.00-12.00

Elton Hall Flash

1 female Goldeneye, 1 Redshank, 2 Black Tailed Godwits, 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers (m+f), 1 Buzzard, 26 Shelduck.

Pumphouse Flash

1 adult Yellow Legged Herring Gull amongst the Herring/Lesser Black Back gathering, 2 Great Black Gulls and 5 Common Gulls.

Lots of Wigeon (450+) scattered between the two pools and adjacent pasture, huge numbers of Black Headed Gulls as usual.

30+ Chaffinches on stubble but no sign of Bramblings. Tree and House Sparrows at the feeding station, more of the later seem to appear every I go, I wonder if they ever cross breed?.

10.00-12.00

Elton Hall Flash

1 female Sparrowhawk, 6 Shelduck plus a few Wigeon, Teal,etc. (Water level still high).

Tree and House Sparrows on the feeders, plus the usual tits etc. 6 Redwings feasting on haws.

Pumphouse Flash

1 adult Yellow Legged Gull amongst the LBB flock, 1 Ruff mixed in with the Lapwings, 1 Sparrowhawk and 1 Kestrel.

1 Peregrine sat on a nearby pylon, with 50+ Starlings resting surprisingly close to it.

A steady trickle of Redwings and Fieldfares heading South across the farmland West of the flash.

Despite a bitterly cold wind blowing 1 Drone Fly was still clinging to a dock plant near the farm.

Yesterdays news: a Hawfinch was seen in a Redwing flock & there was a possible Ring Ouzel at Groby Flash in the afternoon. The 2 juv Scaup were on Hancocks floods near Elton Hall Flash.

14-30-16.30

Elton Hall Flash

1 Sparrowhawk, 4 Buzzards, 38 Wigeon, 8 Swallows flying S.E, 2 Southern Hawker dragonflies and a Red Admiral butterfly.

Pumphouse Flash

1 adult Yellow Legged Gull, 1 Kestrel, 1 Peregrine (On nearby pylon) plus lots of Wigeon, the usual gulls and waterfowl.

Flooded pasture opposite Pumphouse

42 Curlew and 1 Snipe.

Also 4 Buzzards along the M6 from junction 17 - 20.

The waterlevel on Elton Hall Flash is still very high and all wader scrapes are flooded, as is the lane along the South bank.