Whinchat in the allotments. Also 24 Mute Swan. Six Common Tern are back. Two of the rafts have had to be repaired, one is now back on the water, the other one should be back on next week. But they can nest 2 or 3 pairs to a raft, ten pairs bred last year and only five rafts were used.
I had some business in Swinton so I called in here on my way from Yorkshire. Birds seen were as follows. Herring Gull x1 Woodpigeon x4 Starling x4 Mallard x10 Blackbird x4 Carrion Crow x2 Magpie x3 Canada Goose x8 Mute Swan x6 Tufted Duck x6 Lesser Black Backed Gull x2 Sparrowhawk x1 Feral Pigeon x4 Common Buzzard x1 Shoveler x2 Robin x4 Common Tern x2 Great Black Backed Gull x1
Female Brambling feeding on the ground with a Chaffinch in the Woods under the Reservoir dam. Willow Warbler singing behind reservoir and 23 Mute Swan some people going on with bags of bread for them , not a good idea.
3 Ring necked Parakeet flying west toward Walkden Town Centre. Also around were 75 Lapwing and 150 Starling on Linnyshaw Moss, + 60 Siskin feeding in Alders by the Reservoir.
Spotted Flycatcher with a flock of Long tailed Tits in the Nature Reserve, also in the flock were 2 Juvenile Goldcrest, 2 Coal Tit, Willow Tit, Nuthatch and Treecreeper. + 3 Shoveler on the Reservoir.
A Water Rail in reeds under the wall on Visitor Centre side of Reservoir. Showed quite well and was calling a lot. Shoveler numbers which reached 46 in January, down to 9.
31 Common Tern on the Reservoir which included 14 juveniles, some weren't quite fully fledged but getting there. Also 2 Reed Warbler and a Sedge Warbler.
Willow Tit fledglings around Linnyshaw Garden centre area was a nice sight to see. Hopefully they were from the adults that came to the garden feeders over winter.
Peregrine Falcon on pylon on Linnyshaw Moss, looked like a one year old female, going off plumage and size. Also 2 Skylarks, 3 Linnets and 35 Chaffinch feeding on the ground. On the Reservoir were 16 Shoveler and a drake Wigeon. There were also 7 Gadwall on the flooded part of the allotments.
A male Brambling and two Skylark feeding on the ground on Linnyshaw Moss with around 20 Chaffinch, 40 Goldfinch and 4 Linnets , they were 50 metres West of Linnyshaw Garden Centre, I could only spot them with a cope. Also 25 Shoveler on the Reservoir.
Woodcock flew up just 3 feet in front of me on the loop line by the Reservoir, it flew into the Nature Reserve. Two adult Great Black backed Gulls landed on the water with an Herring Gull. 14 Shoveler, 10 Gadwall, 2 Little Grebe and 27 Mute Swans.
Walk from Linnyshaw garden centre to the reservoir and back.
Of note:
2x singing Willow Tits
2 flocks of Siskin, one containing around 20 and the other 10
1 Greenfinch calling
Bullfinch pair
2x Song Thrush singing
1 Goldcrest
Sparrowhawk over
On the reservoir was 5 Gadwalls, a great crested grebe, around 8 cormorants plus usuals.
I saw a post on Facebook that a swan had died of suspected bird flu at Blackleach. There are around 30 swans on the reservoir now so hopefully this does not spread to the others.
A walk around the country park around midday. Grey Wagtail x 1 Starling x 5 Feral Pigeon x 8 Magpie x 4 Black Headed Gull x 40+ Moorhen x 3 Tufted duck x 21 Little Grebe x 1 Coot x 50+ Canada Goose x 12 Mute Swan x 16 Mallard x 10 Herring Gull x 2 Gadwall x 4 Shoveler x 1 Blue Tit x 3 Wood Pigeon x 4
Short visit this morning around 10.00 am Wren x 1 starling x 5 Black Headed Gull x lots Feral Pigeon x 5 Carrion Crow x 3 Magpie x 7 Collared Dove x 1 Blackbird x 8 Wood Pigeon x 4 Robin x 6 Song Thrush x 1 Great Black Backed Gull x 1 Mute swan x 9 Coot x lots Tufted Duck x 6 Cormorant x 2 Wigeon x 1 Moor hen x 1 Gadwall x 4 Teal x 4 Bullfinch x 3 (m) Chaffinch x 2
Water Rail at the back of Reservoir this morning, also on there were. 3 Teal, Wigeon , 3 Shoveler, 23 Gadwall and 29 Mute Swans. There was also a male Mandarin on a flooded field on Linnyshaw Moss two weeks ago, only just found out.
7 Whooper Swans, 6 adult and one juvenile, were on the reservoir this morning, but they flew off to the west at 10 20a.m.. A Peregrine Falcon on a pylon on Linnyshaw Moss, near the Garden Centre.
15 Brambling feeding together in a Rowan tree on the loop line near the cross roads of paths, 200 metres east of the reservoir. Also 2 Whooper Swans flew over the reservoir to the south-west. 20 Redwing around and a Swallow flying south.
A Garden Warbler in trees by the wooden benches behind the Visitor Centre. It wasn't doing much warbling, but was showing really well. Also a Yellow Wagtail on a raft, Oystercatcher and 6 Common Tern.
1:35 - 2:45
Two knot flying about the reservoir during the downpour, occasionally landing on one of the rafts then taking flight again. Fifty or so sand martins and swallows hawking low over the water, which helped enormously to get a sense of scale!
Also three common terns.