An adult winter-plumaged Little Gull is at Elton Hall Flash today for its second day and showing well from the viewpoint. It was still present until 11.20am at least.
Another visit to Sandback Flashes today, cold but fine.
Spent the time at the viewpoint at Elton Hall Flash. On the saltpan were at least 9(7drk) Pintails, really nice to see. A Black-tailed Godwit flew over and 2 Snipe showed well. At least 6 Goosander pottered around at the back. Later on, as the sun went down a huge number of gulls dropped in. The star bird was an adult Yellow-legged Gull but there were also good numbers of Herring Gulls, Lesser Black-backed Gulls and a few Great Black-backed Gulls, Black-headed Gulls were in huge numbers too.
Another birding mate who joined us at the viewpoint passed on that there was a Great White Egret at Railway Flash.
Had the chance to go around a part of the flashes that I wasn't as familiar with today in the company of Patcher-extraordinaire Andy G. many thanks to him for a fabulous morning.
The single massive highlight was our self-found adult Iceland Gull, we think the first one for Cheshire in 2022. The bird was with a big flock of loafing gulls on Railway Flash No.2. As quickly as we found it it took to the air and it headed off high over towards Elton Hall Flash. Weirdly it was the only gull to depart, such a shame as I was just starting to try to phonescope it!! Also on here I picked out a couple of brutes, 2 argentatus Herring Gulls, these being as big and bulky as the accompanying Great Black-backed Gulls. There were at least 20 Great Black-backed Gulls on there and flying over too.
We also had 2 Little Egrets, 2 Bullfinches and a Cetti's Warbler here as well as commoner stuff like Redwings. A nice sight was 2 Ravens in display, beak tapping in a tree not far from Pumphouse Flash. Near here a Grey Wagtail was in a damp field and flew towards a farm settling tank.
A distant record hand-held phonescoped shot of the adult Iceland Gull is attached, rubbish but proof of a cracking self-found bird
A brief visit to Elton Hall Flash en route (sort of!) to Newchurch Common revealed that one adult Yellow-legged Gull was still on Elton Hall Flash. It was on the shore on the furthest spit out on the left hand side from the viewing area.
Other birds reported from Elton Hall/Pumphouse Flashes were 1 Green Sandpiper, 7 Pintail, a pair of Stonechat, 201 Greylag Geese, 50 Shoveler, 168 Wigeon, 227 Teal and 3 Gadwall.
After my long, tiring day on Saturday I needed an easy local site. So Pumphouse Flash was my choice, given that a couple of good birds had been reported there this morning. No walking involved was the clincher for me and being just a few miles away I headed over mid morning.
Immediately the most obvious bird was a new find today on Pumphouse: a Ruddy Shelduck, standing out like an orange sore thumb on the nearest pool! Further away on the far shore of the back pool, but later on the same pool as the duck, was a near summer-plumaged Spotted Redshank, always a nice bird to see. Just 50m down towards Elton Hall Flash a report had 3 of us searching. By pishing I tempted the bird out and it showed well every time that I did this - a Sedge Warbler. It even clambered down to the waters edge, had a drink and then a thorough wash!! It showed very well to all.
After a catch up with all and a bit of Focalpoint advice for some I headed home, an easy morning behind me, just what The Doc ordered!
-- Edited by Doc Brewster on Sunday 25th of April 2021 09:50:49 PM
Had a brief visit to Pumphouse Flash late morning when news broke on one of our Whatsapp Groups. I left Newchurch in bright sunshine with lots of blue sky and arrived at Sandbach Flashes in a heavy sleet shower. It was almost unbelievab;e that the wtaher could be so different. The good news was that by viewing from the car I picked up 3 Yellow Wagtails on the Pumphouse Flash shoreline. earlier 3 Yellow Wagtails had been seen across on Railway Flash on the other side of the tip. Presumably the birds had moved over the short distance to be on Pumphouse. A great sighting in horrid weather conditions.
The good run continues with a great find by Ange Goodwin this morning. An Avocet was on Elton Hall Flash, out on the most distant spit of land on the left looking fron the Viewpoint. Also here several Black-tailed Godwits with some in smart orange garb and a close-up Little Egret with head plumes.
Andy Firth found a group of Golden Plovers amongst the Lapwings on Pumphouse Flash this morning, initially counted at 36 birds the final total was 38 Golden Plover as counted by Ian Barber, cheers guys
News from Sandbach Flashes : A Green Sandpiper was found and watched all afternoon on Pumphouse Flash (the first report that was put out on the grapevine erroneously had the bird as on Elton Hall Flash according to a patcher that contacted me).
News from the flash this evening has my final sentence possibly coming true sadly. The Gannet is laying on the bank and birders are currently planning on how to take it into care and get it to a wildlife centre such as Stapely Grange or Moss Wood.
-- Edited by Doc Brewster on Tuesday 7th of July 2020 09:20:04 PM
A sighting came out yesterday that as tempting as it was I just couldn't justify heading out again after getting home from a 538ml twitch in East Lothian!! But as it was still present today I popped down in the pouring rain to have a look.
The bird in question was a Gannet, sitting on the back pool at Elton Hall Flash, viewed from down the side lane. The bird is a second summer and on the face of it looks fine. It flapped a few times and patchers have seen it fly round the pool. But the longer it stays the worse its prospects.
Had a few mins late morning so popped down to Elton Hall Flash, my nearest site other than Newchurch Common!
A few large guls were loafing and washing and in the group which had mostly Lesser Black-backed Gulls with a few Herring Gulls was a near adult Yellow-legged Gull. The gulls were moving in and out to wash and soon afterwards it was gone but I never saw it actually leave. This movement was illustrated really well when after 45mins an adult Mediterranean Gull was spotted, I never saw it fly in and it definitely wasn't there earlier, amazing how gulls do this!! Not a lot else was on the flash, a Redshank and several Lapwings were the only waders present.