I was in the forest from 10:30 to 14:30. I didn't know all the car parks would be open. It soon became very busy, like a Bank holiday. There were many, sometimes large, groups of people, often not observing any kind of social distancing either amongst themselves or with other people. It was actually quite stressful at times. My advice: if you want to visit Delamere Forest, go very early. Otherwise, AVOID (especially during the hot weather).
Headed back to Barnsbridge car park again today after a report yesterday of singing Pied Flycatcher near to there. After a short walk and keeping our ears pricked we picked up the distinctive song & were soon watching a cracking male Pied Flycatcher up high in the canopy of an oak. A prolonged watch never saw the bird come down, it was always up in the tops of the trees, but what a fabulous local bird
A really interesting diversion from Newchurch today for me (although I did get my walk in!) albeit only about 3 miles away from my local patch as the bird flies.
It all started with a message on our grapevine from Frank Duff who lives in, and watches Delamere regularly. He had found a Chifchaff that was singing Iberian Chiffchaff type song consistently and responding to Iberian playback too. I headed over there and thanks to his directions and knowing Delamere quite well I soon found the area where he had been and immediatley picked up the distinctive singing. No-one else was there whilst I was there but it was easy to locate the bird, given its Iberian-type song. The phrases didn't match perfectly the full repertoire of a classic Iberian Chiffchaff but it sang probably 80-90% of it. I played an Iberian Chiffchaff call on my phone and the response was incredible. The bird shot over to me, perched a couple of feet above my head, adopted a head down, tail up pose and went into a manic drooped-wing quivering display. This all allowed me to get cracking views and the bird showed good pro-Iberian features. It looked more lik a Willow Warbler than a Chiffchaff, having green upperparts, pale underparts with a lemon wash, a noticeably pale beak, strong fore-supercilium and pale-ish brown legs. As I said, all pro-Iberian features! Given that the Iberian Chiffchaff in Cheshire was only a few miles away last year, could this be the same bird returning, and has its song been influenced by being in the company of 'collybita' Chiffchaffs in the interim period?
The best directions I can give are to park in the Barnsbridge car park at SJ542716 and walk to Black Lake, go past it and turn right at Post 55 on a track labelled 'Baker Way', head to where the path takes a sharp turn and if it is still there you will hear it easily. The approx grid ref of the bird is SJ534710. It's definitely worth a look, well found Frank
At Eddisbury Fruit Farm today were large numbers of Fieldfare, couldn't get a real idea of how many as they were spread out around the orchards and only a fraction were visible from the roads at any one time, i prob saw about 200 - 300 in the air at one point as a fem Sprawk went over but suspect there were many more. Green Woodpecker flew in and landed just behind one of the old cottages and called loudly. About 4 Bullfinch and a handful of Redwing too.
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Timperley life list c. 89 (ish). Barn Owl 4.11.19, Green Sand 27.8.19, Little Egret 13.2.19, ringtail harrier sp 20.10.18, Fawn Yawn 15.10.18, Grasshopper Warbler 15.4.16, Tree Pipit 13.4.16, Yellowhammer 5.4.15, Hobby May '11, Wigeon Dec '10
1 juvenile Great Spotted Woodpecker, 1 singing male Greenfinch and 1 Raven.
Delamere Forest (N.E. section) :
1 pr of Bullfinches, 1 Sparrowhawk, 1 Buzzard, a family of 4 Treecreepers plus 2 other adults seen nearby, 1 Nuthatch, a newly fledged family of Blackcaps in a bramble patch
and 4 Song Thrushes. Chiffchaffs (4), Blackcaps (3) and a single Willow Warbler were still singing.
This is a belated report as I was asked to keep news quiet until now, I still can't name exact locations but I am itching to share my news, so forgive me for not being specific, but the bird has departed now and isn't a rare species!
A friend of mine who sometimes works on Abbots Moss on my patch offered to take me to several restricted areas that he has access to with his job, but which are strictly no entry for anyone else. I jumped at this of course and we headed off in the general 'Delamere Forest area'. Some of the sites were reminiscent of Dorset & Hampshire heathland and pine forests and were fabulous with massive potential. One site we went to though was to come up trumps for me.
We headed in and he was a bit disappointed as it had quietened down since his last visit a couple of days earlier when he had had a Whinchat, several Wheatears and a few interesting waders. We saw good numbers of Lapwings, Skylarks and Meadow Pipits, all in breeding habitat so fabulous news. I scanned a nearby slope with my bins and couldn't believe what I saw, "I've got a Ring Ouzel" were my next words, expecting the reply, that it had been there for a day or two. But no, this was a new bird for this patch and I'd found it We then scoped the bird, a cracking male, as it fed on short grass on the slope some distance away. Two people 'do' this patch so the other one was rung & they duly left work to twitch my find!! The other birder arrived and we watched the ouzel, I took a couple of record shot pictures at a distance & we left it in peace. The two patch watchers tell me it stayed for a couple more days but is now long gone. Three Wheatears were still present too, but the Ring Ouzel was the star of the show.
All this happened on April 26th and it's a cracking record for this part of Cheshire, now followed by the female at Elton Hall Flash, Sandbach Record, low res picture attached.
Yesterday Monday 24th brief visit on way to hospital appointment, at 2pm were 6 Waxwings on opposite side of road to entrance to Eddisbury Fruit Farm and c. 50 yards uphill (south). After a couple of minutes they flew low SW over the orchards. Strong smell of decaying apples!
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Timperley life list c. 89 (ish). Barn Owl 4.11.19, Green Sand 27.8.19, Little Egret 13.2.19, ringtail harrier sp 20.10.18, Fawn Yawn 15.10.18, Grasshopper Warbler 15.4.16, Tree Pipit 13.4.16, Yellowhammer 5.4.15, Hobby May '11, Wigeon Dec '10
Nine Waxwings at 6.45pm at top of sycamore behind car park at Eddisbury Fruit Farm before appearing to go down, possibly to the ivy bush at Blackcurrant Cottage then heard overhead 200m along Delamere Loop - going to roost?
Delighted to catch up with these, had looked for them 2 1/2 weeks ago but turned out I wasn't quite far enough along the lane.
At least one, prob two Garden Warbler in birch regen behind oaks and beech along the Delamere Loop.
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Timperley life list c. 89 (ish). Barn Owl 4.11.19, Green Sand 27.8.19, Little Egret 13.2.19, ringtail harrier sp 20.10.18, Fawn Yawn 15.10.18, Grasshopper Warbler 15.4.16, Tree Pipit 13.4.16, Yellowhammer 5.4.15, Hobby May '11, Wigeon Dec '10
hundreds of black headed gulls on blakemere with 12 Mediterranean gulls, 5 common gulls, 3 lesser black backed gulls & 5 herring gulls. 9+ crossbills seen in flight, 2 seen briefly perched on top of pines. 4+ buzzard 4 treecreeper 3 nuthatch lots of goldcrest around 5 tufted duck 2 gadwall 2 shoveler 1 great crested grebe.
3 Mediterranean gulls amongst the many hundreds of black headed gulls, few common & lesser black backed gulls. at least 12 crossbills 2 singing male blackcaps, 1 seen 2-3 chiffchaffs 4-5 buzzards 1 male mandarin 2 shovelers 8 tufted ducks 2 wigeon lots of siskins around several lesser redpolls nuthatches, treecreepers, goldcrests & great spotted woodpeckers.
Had a nice morning at Delamere Forest today,with the main focal point being a full circular walk of Hatchmere. There wasn't a great deal on the water itself,with only Coot,Mallard and Moorhen present,but the woodlands that surround the lake itself held both Lesser Spotted Woodpecker and Marsh Tit,although I could only manage to hear both calling,as opposed to seeing them physically. Apart from those 2 good birds,there was a very good selection of all of the common woodland species,and I eventually managed to complete the morning with 33 species noted. The forest has turned up some great birds over the years,and I'm really surprised that no one reports any sightings from here on a regular basis.
A short visit to Blakemere Moss in Delamere Forest today with John Barber gave us excellent views of a single Mediterranean Gull amongst the thousands of Black-headed Gulls present.
On the way to Merseyside this morning a slight detour gave us a few hours in Delamere Forest Park and for a change we approached from the southern side (A54) with the intention of looking for the reported Waxwings at the Yeld Lane car park (near Kelsall).
Found 6 shortly after we arrived despite being assured by the 5 birders - well people with binoculars - already in the car park that they were gone. The birds were actually about 50m away in a tall leafless tree but none of those already there were looking further than the trees in the car park - by the time we left we were counting 12 birds present.
As well as taking berries they all spent some time flycatching from the tall trees.
Given the number of berry trees in the area - there is a nursery growing them as well as the wild ones - it could be that the birds will stay for a while.
Had a couple of hours at Delamere today - no sign of the Firecrests reported over the last few days and only brief flyovers of the 20+ strong flock of Crossbills. Still it was quite pleasant "down in the woods" with lots of Great Spotted Pecker activity.
We then scoped the bird, a cracking male, as it fed on short grass on the slope some distance away. Two people 'do' this patch so the other one was rung & they duly left work to twitch my find!! The other birder arrived and we watched the ouzel, I took a couple of record shot pictures at a distance & we left it in peace. The two patch watchers tell me it stayed for a couple more days but is now long gone. Three Wheatears were still present too, but the Ring Ouzel was the star of the show.
The birds were actually about 50m away in a tall leafless tree but none of those already there were looking further than the trees in the car park
- by the time we left we were counting 12 birds present.