Out of County Bits, Bobs, Odds and Sods!

Rob Creek · Status: Offline

RE: Out of County Bits, Bobs, Odds and Sods!

Rob Creek · Status: Offline

Couldnt find a relevant thread so this one is probably ok.

Travelling on the M6 southbound near Leyland this afternoon when a cracking Hobby flew out just beyond the works van, circled and flew back over the field at the side.

Karen Foulkes · Status: Offline

27/10/19

10 Red Kite seen along the M1 between Luton Airport and and Boreham Wood. Also a Red Kite being mobbed by a Sparrowhawk over the football stadium at Boreham Wood.

Shannon Llewellyn · Status: Offline

Schlep around the beach and mudflats off Fairway in Southport (as per below) this morning. Pretty productive:

10+ meadow pipit
4 pied wagtail
5+ skylark
72+ shelduck
c20 golden plover
50 - 100 grey plover (mixed in with knot, and difficult to get an accurate estimate, but a good number)
2 lapwing
100+ knot (again, difficult to get an accurate estimate)
7 or 9 snipe
40+ redshank
10 curlew
2 little egret
1 common gull

Shannon Llewellyn · Status: Offline

Beach and mudlfats at the bottom of Fairway in Southport this morning:

50+ goldfinch
20+ meadow pipit
2 pied wagtail
1 wheatear
10 skylark
35+ shelduck (distant)
46+ golden plover
3 grey plover
21 knot
2 snipe
6 redshank
1 curlew
5 little egret

-- Edited by Shannon Llewellyn on Sunday 24th of September 2017 11:07:45 PM

simon ghilks · Status: Offline

8/2/2017

Last night at about 2am from the front of the Adelphi Hotel in Liverpool City Centre a Blackbird could be clearly heard in full song. Because of the location it immediately brought to mind the famous Beatles song.

-- Edited by simon ghilks on Wednesday 8th of February 2017 12:58:36 PM

Shannon Llewellyn · Status: Offline

Beach and mudflats at the bottom of Fairway (as below) this morning yielded:

c50 twite (ended up with some cracking views, and a new one for me)
1 meadow pipit (the only one seen or heard all day!)
c10 skylark
2 pintail
c100 shelduck
2 grey plover
10+ dunlin
c30 knot (best ever views of these, too)
100+ redshank
300+ oystercatcher
1 curlew

It's been a fabulously enjoyable day, in perfect weather.

Shannon Llewellyn · Status: Offline

Same area as below, mid morning:

50+ linnet
5+ meadow pipit
20+ skylark
1 wigeon
3 pintail
120+ shelduck
50+ pink-footed geese
3,000+ (guess; big flock of them) dunlin
60+ redshank
3 snipe
200+ oystercatcher
7 curlew
9 little egret

Shannon Llewellyn · Status: Offline

Mudflats at the bottom of Fairway in Southport (as below):

20+ grey plover
15+ dunlin
c30 knot
15+ redshank
1 oystercatcher
25+ curlew
5 little egret
2 great black-backed gull

Doc Brewster · Status: Offline

No thread for this so:

Little Owl showing really well in Banks on Gravel Lane just 200m before the microbrewery (where predictably I bought a few bottles!!).

Shannon Llewellyn · Status: Offline

Around the grass and sands at the bottom of Fairway in Southport (as per post from September)

2 skylark
105 oystercatcher
1 redshank
132 shelduck
300+ pink-footed geese
30+ cormorant
c10 great black-backed gull

Matt Pitt · Status: Offline

Driving south on the M6 this evening my wife and I spotted a barn owl stood on the hard shoulder just before junction 23 seemingly untroubled by passing traffic!

Shannon Llewellyn · Status: Offline

Walking from Southport town to Marshside, had a wander down onto the sands before turning onto Marine Drive to see what was on the mudflats there:

c2,000 knot (who flew off quite quickly, jinking and shimmering in the sun)
c80 grey plover
20+ redshank
15+ curlew
10+ oystercatcher
2 dunlin
1 sanderling
14 little egret
Black-headed gulls, herring gulls, 3 lesser black-backed gulls and a few great black-backed gulls.

-- Edited by Shannon Llewellyn on Sunday 13th of September 2015 10:58:38 PM

Ian McKerchar · Status: Offline

Originally posted today by Roger Baker:

Just reflecting on what a difference a bit of good weather makes. Saturday Aug 8th was a great day in good company.

Cumbrian Bee-eaters and Ospreys in the morning/early noon.
Leighton Moss .. had brilliant views of Water Rails with chicks late afternoon .. well worth seeing.
Preston Docks for the Ring-billed Gull and the Common Tern colony in the evening.

Fish n' chips washed down with a couple of pints of Thwaites Wainwrights bitter outside the dockside bar as it went dark ... great being chauffeured for a change !

Slept like a log !

Roger.

Nick Isherwood · Status: Offline

A Barn Owl flew straight over me on the East Lancs road near where the M57 crosses yesterday evening. Quite surprised to see one in this area.

Jon Bowen · Status: Offline

2-3 Crossbills @ Royal Birkdale Golf club ( 25 reported by another birder)
also
4 displaying Buzzards
1 displaying Sparrowhawk
Pair of Kestrels
Coal Tit
Long Tailed Tits
lots of finches

Ian Woosey · Status: Offline

22/1/11

Tawny Owl perched on a metal gate at the side of the road in Grimshaw Green, near Parbold, mid morning (on the way back from an abortive journey to Hesketh OM). I pulled over to take a closer look as one of its wings seemed to be hanging, but as I approached it flew off low into some trees

Rob Smallwood · Status: Offline

They were still in the area late this morning, on Coniston Drive

Adam Jones · Status: Offline

Saturday 12.30

Apologies for the late posting.
Not too far out of the county, but there were 22 Waxwings on Pinewood Road in Wilmslow on Saturday afternoon. They seem to have stripped most of the berries that are there, so not sure how lonmg they will hang around now. They have been in the area for nearly a week now.
These are a lifetime first for me, so I was delighted that are such an accommodating bird and even allowed me to get some very good photos. Fantastic.

Sean Sweeney · Status: Offline

A colleague of mine had a male Blackcap feeding on berries at the Gadbrook Business Park, Northwich this morning.

paul brady · Status: Offline

http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=119717&page=66

"Update - A busy old day today given how quiet its been recently - escaped White Stork at Sandbach Flashes this evng showing well (bird is unringed but known to have come from a local collection of 4 birds); Lapland Bunting, 3 Scaup, 2 Little Egrets & 15 Red-throated Divers at Hilbre; "

More info regarding our M56/M6 sightings .... ?

John Barber · Status: Offline

They wouldn't see the promotion !

Nick Isherwood · Status: Offline

Maybe Spec savers need to do a promotional offer for all short sighted birders.

Rob Smallwood · Status: Offline

Quality - we've all done similar, my speciality is stopping for Cattle Egrets that turn out to be plastic carrier bags!

Matt Potter · Status: Offline

I was tootling down the M56 this morning when I 'saw' a possible large herd of Swans or was it a flock of sheep in fields by the M56/M53 interchange. the light was bad and they were in fields a good few hundred yards from the motorway.

As I was in the wrong lane/going too fast to come off at Ellesmere Port, I carried on, but the inquisitiveness got the better of me and I came off at the Wirral, drove back East Bound to Junction 14 and then back on the M56 West bound.

I spied the herd/flock and slowed to 60 in lane 1, and eventually got into the hard shoulder for a mini stop.*

Eyes squinting, the herd was no longer Swans of a Whooper or Bewick nature, but a flock of sheep!

The pull of birding eh?? haha!

* I do not condone stopping in the hard shoulder to look at birds, nor do I think its legal either. But it is a lot safer than driving past and looking left or right for periods long enough to ID a bird!!

Chris Dunn · Status: Offline

Driving up the M1 in the Wetherby area last Fri (22nd) Red Kite flew over. Nice.

paul brady · Status: Offline

A nice surprise wen looking out of the window this afternoon - 2 waxwing on a neighbours TV aerial :)

Pete Welch · Status: Offline

I was in the middle lane but for a split second thought about the hard shoulder then carried on! What I should have done is just go round the junctions back to Lymm services and then crawl past in the inside lane at 65mph...

paul brady · Status: Offline

Matt Potter wrote:

paul brady wrote:

Nick Isherwood wrote:

Pete Welch wrote:

Yesterday saw a large long-legged black and white bird standing in a field near to the M6/M56 junction ... it looked so not like a heron that I took a detour to try and get a positive ID but no road went anyway near the bottome of the field ... but I did manage to find a couple of wheatears - a good trade off???

That's familiar - two weeks ago in a downpour I saw a large bird with beak up-pointed in the ploughed [know greening] fields with the horse racing type rails at the back of them - just after the M56/M6 junction and before the BUPA hospital junction and I was so sure it wasn't a heron I spent an hour driving and walking the area to try and get back for another look. By the time I found the track to the fields in question back over the M56; the buzzards and gulls where still there but the mystery bird had gone.

What got me was that most herons I've seen in the rain have sat hunched up and this was anything but...

Another one of those "what might have been..." birds then!

Could've been a White Stork. I had two on Anglesey earlier this year just stood around in a field as you said.

Hmm the plot thickens ...

I pass that part of the motorway several times a week. I will keep an eye peeled! I often see the buzzrd sat in the field by the gallops!

If I see a White Stork, I hope my manourver to the hard shoulder is not impeded!!

I wonder how legel this is ... ? No doubt I'll get arrested for it!

Matt Potter · Status: Offline

paul brady wrote:

Nick Isherwood wrote:

Pete Welch wrote:

Yesterday saw a large long-legged black and white bird standing in a field near to the M6/M56 junction ... it looked so not like a heron that I took a detour to try and get a positive ID but no road went anyway near the bottome of the field ... but I did manage to find a couple of wheatears - a good trade off???

That's familiar - two weeks ago in a downpour I saw a large bird with beak up-pointed in the ploughed [know greening] fields with the horse racing type rails at the back of them - just after the M56/M6 junction and before the BUPA hospital junction and I was so sure it wasn't a heron I spent an hour driving and walking the area to try and get back for another look. By the time I found the track to the fields in question back over the M56; the buzzards and gulls where still there but the mystery bird had gone.

What got me was that most herons I've seen in the rain have sat hunched up and this was anything but...

Another one of those "what might have been..." birds then!

Could've been a White Stork. I had two on Anglesey earlier this year just stood around in a field as you said.

Hmm the plot thickens ...

I pass that part of the motorway several times a week. I will keep an eye peeled! I often see the buzzrd sat in the field by the gallops!

If I see a White Stork, I hope my manourver to the hard shoulder is not impeded!!

paul brady · Status: Offline

Nick Isherwood wrote:

Pete Welch wrote:

Yesterday saw a large long-legged black and white bird standing in a field near to the M6/M56 junction ... it looked so not like a heron that I took a detour to try and get a positive ID but no road went anyway near the bottome of the field ... but I did manage to find a couple of wheatears - a good trade off???

That's familiar - two weeks ago in a downpour I saw a large bird with beak up-pointed in the ploughed [know greening] fields with the horse racing type rails at the back of them - just after the M56/M6 junction and before the BUPA hospital junction and I was so sure it wasn't a heron I spent an hour driving and walking the area to try and get back for another look. By the time I found the track to the fields in question back over the M56; the buzzards and gulls where still there but the mystery bird had gone.

What got me was that most herons I've seen in the rain have sat hunched up and this was anything but...

Another one of those "what might have been..." birds then!

Could've been a White Stork. I had two on Anglesey earlier this year just stood around in a field as you said.

Hmm the plot thickens ...

Nick Isherwood · Status: Offline

Pete Welch wrote:

Yesterday saw a large long-legged black and white bird standing in a field near to the M6/M56 junction ... it looked so not like a heron that I took a detour to try and get a positive ID but no road went anyway near the bottome of the field ... but I did manage to find a couple of wheatears - a good trade off???

That's familiar - two weeks ago in a downpour I saw a large bird with beak up-pointed in the ploughed [know greening] fields with the horse racing type rails at the back of them - just after the M56/M6 junction and before the BUPA hospital junction and I was so sure it wasn't a heron I spent an hour driving and walking the area to try and get back for another look. By the time I found the track to the fields in question back over the M56; the buzzards and gulls where still there but the mystery bird had gone.

What got me was that most herons I've seen in the rain have sat hunched up and this was anything but...

Another one of those "what might have been..." birds then!

Could've been a White Stork. I had two on Anglesey earlier this year just stood around in a field as you said.

Pete Welch · Status: Offline

Yesterday saw a large long-legged black and white bird standing in a field near to the M6/M56 junction ... it looked so not like a heron that I took a detour to try and get a positive ID but no road went anyway near the bottome of the field ... but I did manage to find a couple of wheatears - a good trade off???

That's familiar - two weeks ago in a downpour I saw a large bird with beak up-pointed in the ploughed [know greening] fields with the horse racing type rails at the back of them - just after the M56/M6 junction and before the BUPA hospital junction and I was so sure it wasn't a heron I spent an hour driving and walking the area to try and get back for another look. By the time I found the track to the fields in question back over the M56; the buzzards and gulls where still there but the mystery bird had gone.

What got me was that most herons I've seen in the rain have sat hunched up and this was anything but...

Another one of those "what might have been..." birds then!

Sean Sweeney · Status: Offline

Raven over M56 from Frodsham Marsh direction towards Frodsham Hill this morning on return from Mold!?!?

paul brady · Status: Offline

Matt Potter wrote:

As I was driving west bound down the M56 this morning, I saw a large flock of pigeons rise out of a field just near Daresbury, junction 11. Closer inspection as I neared the flock revealed a Peregrine Falcon turning to make another attempt (presumably) to fly back at the flock.

I felt like Marty Feldman with one eye on the carriagway and one eye on the birds!!

I know how you felt after two incidents in two days (and 3 in a week after a potential Marsh Harrier flew over near to Frodsham Marsh).

Today saw a large flock of lapwings and starlings get up I didn't spot the spooker but did pick out a small wader that I reckon was a snipe!

Yesterday saw a large long-legged black and white bird standing in a field near to the M6/M56 junction ... it looked so not like a heron that I took a detour to try and get a positive ID but no road went anyway near the bottome of the field ... but I did manage to find a couple of wheatears - a good trade off???

Mark Rigby · Status: Offline

Matt Potter wrote:

I felt like Marty Feldman

Felt like? - You looked in a mirror recently

Matt Potter · Status: Offline

As I was driving west bound down the M56 this morning, I saw a large flock of pigeons rise out of a field just near Daresbury, junction 11. Closer inspection as I neared the flock revealed a Peregrine Falcon turning to make another attempt (presumably) to fly back at the flock.

I felt like Marty Feldman with one eye on the carriagway and one eye on the birds!!

Simon Warford · Status: Offline

60+ Common Scoter reported on Wayoh Resr(north Bolton but a mile into Lancs) early evening, unfortunately not a Scoter in sight by the time me and Senior got up there at 8pm!

If anyone knows who the observer was please let me know. Thanks.

-- Edited by Simon Warford on Wednesday 21st of July 2010 09:16:12 PM

Raymond Ashcroft · Status: Offline

Sun 20th June

Not birding, just walking - did the Ingleton Waterfalls walk in North Yorkshire but took the Binoculars just in case and was rewarded with good views of Spotted Flycatcher on the way back down the River Doe

Sean Sweeney · Status: Offline

Been my usual travelling about self over the last few days and manageed to get a little birding done in between other engagements:

Sunday 30th May - Hesketh Outmarsh (further NE from Marshside)
Shelduck 30+
Avocet 2
Med Gull 1 (adult in summer plumage)

Monday 31st May - Chester (River Dee Board walk, near Racecourse)
Lesser Whitethroat 1
Garden Warbler 1 (in song and in full view)
Teal 2 (odd record for this time of the year on the river!?)
Grey Wagtails with chicks
Sparrowhawk 2
Buzzard 1

Tuesday 1st June - Mount Snowden, North Wales (walked up and down in the drizzle)
Wheatear
Meadow Pipit
Raven
Ring Ouzel 5 (4 males, 1 female)

Ring Ouzel were very vocal, perhaps due to mountain being empty and me being there so early, but also showed well, with 3 birds together quite close at one point, best views I've had of them up there on the breeding territory for a few years.

Steve Christmas · Status: Offline

Newly fledged Mistle Thrush in Liverpool today. Must have been hatched in February.
Steve

Sean Sweeney · Status: Offline

Just completed a few days out on surveys in South Yorkshire and North Yorkshire respectively, with lots of birds of interest as ever.

A site I have surveying for the last 7 months in Barnby Dun, South Yorks has now clocked up 88 species since begining there in September 09. The site is between the River Don and the Dun Navigation, with open grassland, sheep fields, winter crops, with surrounding edges of mixed forest, open ponds and ox-bow lakes here and there. Since the late migrating birds passed through of Wheatear, Swallows, House Martins, Sand Martins, Yellow Wagtail, Blackcaps and Whitethroats etc back in September/October they were replaced with wintering birds from November to March.

Winter brought a Whooper Swan in with the local Mutes, PF Geese flying overhead, Gadwall, Wigeon, Tufted Duck, Teal, Goosander and Shoveller on the surrounding ponds & rivers, even found a small population of Water Voles. Local RL and Grey Partridge can be found in amoungst the field edges and Peregrines, Kestrels, Sparrowhawks and Buzzards patrol their patches, while a Barn Owl or two can be found quartering the fields edges on occasion. Waders have included Golden Plover, Lapwing, Ringed Plover, Curlew, Redshank, Woodcock, Snipe and Green Sandpiper (two wintering since Sept). Large flocks of Yellowhammer, Stock Dove, Reed Bunting, Fieldfare and Redwing have occupied the bushes, fields and woodland throughout the winter, with smaller numbers of Tree Sparrow, Lesser Redpoll, Bullfinch and Siskin feeding and passing through too. The area also has all three woodpeckers, of which I see both Green and Great Spotted regularly, but had a lovely surprise late last month with a Lesser Pecker flying over my head into a nearby tree!!

Over the last couple of weeks breeding birds have been returning gradually with Shelduck and Oystercatcher the most obvious to take up territorys. But also the pairing up of birds such as Goosander and Teal, while Little Grebes are now coming out of their winter coats and shining beautifully in the spring sunshine with their rustic necks (hence the origin of their latin name tachybaptus ruficollis - ruficollis meaning red necked!, but won't bore you with my love of latin!

).

I'll be back over the coming week and am looking forward to the spring very much on this site, as many other birds will pass through this area and are breeding locally, so bring on the migrants!!

As for my other site, near East Heslerton, North Yorks, cracking day yesterday with Lapwing and Golden Plover overhead, still plenty of Tree Sparrows, Yellowhammer, Linnet and Corn Bunting flocks about, but much more singing from the tree tops and hedge rows this week. Birds of the day, were a female and male Hen Harrier that were hunting over the field boundaries throughout the day on seperate occassion, although the local Rooks weren't as appreciative as myself

Well, another week and another few birding tales from my travels!!

-- Edited by Sean Sweeney on Wednesday 10th of March 2010 02:40:12 PM

Sean Sweeney · Status: Offline

Cracking days survey work in South Wales yesterday. Having driven down to Baglan, near Port Talbot, on Monday evening I completed several vantage point surveys and a walkover survey in the hills along the Afan Valley on Tuesday.

Goshawk

soared through early morning, with many pairs of Siskin flitting by here and there. A large flock of mixed Fieldfare (50), Redwing (45), Starling (200) in fields, while Crossbill singles

flew in and out of the forest several times (I suspect they are probably already nesting now). Buzzards and Ravens all over the place, with 8 Ravens together at one point (most I've seen together for a while).

One pair of Raven were duelling in the sky in display, joining their tallons and falling 100m in spirals directly to the ground before breaking 10m from the ground and swooping back to the skies, great birds to watch, so much character and all manner of different gutteral calls.

On the tops were plenty of Skylark, many in song, and the odd Meadow Pipit. In the acid grasslands I put up a Golden Plover, possibly a returning breeder, as it is ideal habitat for them, where not overgrazed. Sunshine encouraged all raptors in the area to glide about, with up to 8 Buzzards in the area, a single adult Red Kite and a few Kestrels too.

It was my first time in the "Valleys", but was quite impressed by how quiet it was and how much good habitat is available for upland birds whether in the forests or on the moors/grasslands. Only issue being it is a long 4.5 hour drive home!? Did get a party of 5 Woodcock fly over the M4 on way home though

-- Edited by Sean Sweeney on Wednesday 3rd of March 2010 01:18:35 PM

Sean Sweeney · Status: Offline

Completing more survey work over at East Heslerton on Wednesday this week (Feb 24th) on a foggy day from the outset and up to 2ft snow drift in some fields!!

Despite the weather some areas had clear spots in the fields and gave small parties of Golden Plover (one or two with black bellies beginning to show through

) areas to feed.

3 large flocks of Tree Sparrow, with 20, 30 and 25 respectively, several flocks of Linnet 20-30 strong, Yellowhammer across most of the area in odd pairs and small groups, but one exceptionally large number of 70+. Corn Bunting all appeared in one field, with between 40 and 50, hard to see in fog at times, as they were constanting flitting around in and out of sight

.

Little Owl calling at midday, and a short walk through an area of woodland produced drumming GS Woodpecker, a Tawny Owl calling at 2pm

and a Woodcock up from the leaves

. Partridges (all Red-legged) and Pheasant all over the place, but none hang around long enough for a good look, despite groups of 25+ Red-legs.

On the mammal front had a Badger crossing the road in front of my car in the evening, a Bank Vole run in front of my feet, a fox in the snow and more brown hares than I can remember seeing anywhere else I've ever been in the UK. Happy days despite the cold and fog

.

Sean Sweeney · Status: Offline

I stayed in Filey on the East coast on Wednesday evening, cracking place for seawatching by the looks of it and from what read in the Yorkshire guides etc. Unfortunetely I was only able to get a quick pre-dusk scan of the bay, so not much about apart from a floatilla of Wigeon 300 strong, several fulmar flying by and some gulls roosting.

I was staying there before completing survey work in East Heslerton, which has lovely rolling countryside with bushy hedges and small woodlands here and there. Fields full of Yellowhammer, must have counted over 100 at one point. A 40 strong flock of Corn Bunting, lots of Skylark (200+), Tree Sparrow (30+) and small parties of Golden Plover in the fields here and there.

A Barn Owl flew alongside my car on my approach to the location at first light, allowing me fantastic views up close before it landed on a tree and stared me out for a minute or two. Not to be outdone a Little Owl made a brief appearance, while trump bird of the day was a spanking adult Male Hen Harrier

, that I think I may have flushed inadvertantly from a midday roost site that I walked past, as wasn't expecting it at all

.

Great to get out and about in a random area for work and find some treats out of County!?

Matt Potter · Status: Offline

A flock of around 50 Pink Feet flying over the M6 this afternoon heading towards Thewall viaduct.

mark evans · Status: Offline

3 jack snipe at taggs island, birkdale yesterday

Jonathan Platt · Status: Offline

A yellow-legged whooper swan has turned up on the Shotwick fields on the Dee estuary, according to the North Wales Birding forum. Apparently, this is a sign of leucism in trumpeter swans - I presume the same may hold true for whoopers?

http://www.trumpeterswansociety.org/juvenile-swans.html

Pete Welch · Status: Offline

Went on what turned out to be an interesting winters walk over Kinder Scout today and due to the gale force winds on the tops and white out conditions didn't see much apart from several small parties of grouse - what was interesting was that where people had walked through drifts and left boot depressions of about 30cm deep the grouse had appeared to use them as shelter - given the quantity of grouse droppings in some I guess they were overnight shelters from the elements? Nice light form buzzard on the M56 on the way home with a pale bib that made me do a big double take!

Ian McKerchar · Status: Offline

Flew off west I heard, sorry...