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BACK TO THE MANCHESTER BIRDING WEBSITE HOMEPAGE -> Manchester Birding Forum -> Cheshire and The Wirral -> Burtonwood
Post Info TOPIC: Burtonwood
malcolm roach


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RE: Burtonwood
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Flooded field opposite fiddle in bag pub.   1 yellow wagtail  



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Stephen Wende


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Paddock opposite Fiddle pub this afternoon

 

2 Yellow Wagtails

1 Redshank

9 Lapwing

2 Gadwall

1 Swallow



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JOHN TYMON


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1 Male yellow Wagtail and 2 redshank on floods opposite fiddle. 1 Snipe,2 Mute swan



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John Williams


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Morning walk

Horse paddocks opposite former the Fiddle pub: 1 Swallow, 1 Gadwall, 2 Oystercatchers, 10 Lapwings

and 1 singing male Blackcap.

Arable land between Sankey Brook and Burtonwood Road : 2 Buzzards, 2 singing Chiffchaffs, 6 Linnets,

1f Sparrowhawk, 1 singing Common Whitethroat, 1 Grey Heron, 3m Yellowhammers, 12 Lapwings and a flock of 8 Stock Doves.


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John Williams
JOHN TYMON


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1 yellow Wagtail and 2 redshank on floods opposite fiddle.



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John Williams


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Afternoon walk

Horse paddocks opposite former the Fiddle pub: 3 Snipe, 6 Teal, 2 Swallows, 1 Buzzard, 6 Lapwings and 2 Oystercatchers.

Sankey Brook (Just North of the M62) : 2f Goosanders and 1 Kingfisher.

Arable land between Sankey Brook and Burtonwood Road : 2 Yellowhammers, 5 Linnets, 1 Buzzard, 4 singing Skylarks,

12 Lapwings (All on territory) and 3 singing Chiffchaffs.

Sankey Valley Trail (Causey Bridge area) : 1 Buzzard, 1 singing Willow Warbler and 2 displaying Lapwings.

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John Williams
John Williams


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10.00-14.00

Sankey Valley Trail (Causey Bridge to Newton Brook) : 1 Buzzard, 2 singing Blackcaps, 4 singing Chiffchaffs,

2 Linnets, 1 Goldcrest (On a conifer, seemed tame, came so close I could almost touch it) and 1 Swallow.

Horse paddocks opposite former the Fiddle pub: 10 Lapwings, 6 Gadwall, 2 Redshanks and 5 Teal.

Arable land between Sankey Brook and Burtonwood Road :1m Wheatear, 8 Lapwings, 1 Meadow Pipit, 10 Yellowhammers,

2 Buzzards, 2 Kestrels, 3 Reed Buntings, 8 Linnets, 2 Grey Herons, 12 Skylarks (Most in song flight) and 2 Song Thrushes.



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John Williams
Stephen Wende


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Horse paddocks on Alder Lane 14:55 - 15:20

 

2 Oystercatcher

3 Lapwing

1 Snipe

4 Gadwall

6 Teal

20+ Woodpigeon



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John Williams


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10.00-13.00

Sankey Valley Trail (Causey Bridge to Newton Brook) :2f Yellowhammers, 2 Buzzards, 1 singing male Reed Bunting

and 4 singing Chiffchaffs.

Horse paddocks opposite former the Fiddle pub: 8 Lapwings, 2 Oystercatchers, 2 Gadwall, 3m+1f Shovelers, 2m+1f Teal

and 1 singing male Yellowhammer.

Arable land between Sankey Brook and Burtonwood Road : 4 Buzzards, 11 Lapwings, 6 Skylarks (2 on song flight),

4 Yellowhammers, 2 Reed Buntings, 3 Dunnocks (All seen in the middle of fields of oil seed rape, 2 singing) and a flock of 12 Stock Doves.



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John Williams
JOHN TYMON


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Winwick floods 2 redshank,4 snipe,6 shoveler,4Gadwall, 2 Oystercatcher



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JOHN TYMON


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Flood opposite Fiddle 10.03.2022 Shoveler -8 Teal-12 Oystercatcher -1 Black Headed Gull -60

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John Williams


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Morning walk

Sankey Valley Trail (Causey Bridge to Newton Brook) : 1 Kestrel, 4 Rooks, 1 Grey Heron and a pair of Lapwings.

A Kingfisher was seen flying along Newton Brook.

Horse Paddocks opposite former Fiddle pub :5 Shovelers, 10 Gadwall, 30 Teal and 1 Mistle Thrush.

Arable land between Sankey Brook and Burtonwood Road : 2 Buzzards, 1f Kestrel, 15 Lapwings, 2 Skylarks,

60 Fieldfares (With a large group of Starlings), 1 Mistle Thrush and a flock of 16 Stock Doves,






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John Williams
John Williams


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14.30-18.00

Walk from Gemini Retail Park around the paths South of Burtonwood village and West of Sankey Brook.

Returned via the Sankey Valley Trail.

A Little Owl was seen at one point (Details and photo sent to County Recorder).

Also seen around the arable fields and hedgerows were :A flock of 80 Fieldfares, 4 Yellowhammers, a flock of 11 Linnets,

2 Skylarks, 3 Meadow Pipits, 1 Kestrel, 4 Redwings (Oddly all 4 were solitary birds) and a flock of 14 Collared Doves.

2 male Goosanders were on Sankey Brook.

The flooded paddock opposite the former Fiddle pub held 7 Shovelers, 7 Gadwall and 10 Teal.

As the sun set the Sankey Valley Trail produced sightings of a single Buzzard, a flock of 9 Jackdaws and 2 more Yellowhammers.





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John Williams
John Williams


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15.00-17.00

Sankey Valley Trail (Causey Bridge to Hollins Lane bridge) : A flock of 15 Linnets in the paddock alongside the railway.

In the very muddy paddock alongside the former "Fiddle" pub were 10 Linnets, 12 Redwings and 7 Pied Wagtails,

which were being watched by a single Buzzard perched in a nearby tree.

The flooded paddock opposite the former pub held 1 Shelduck and 10 Moorhens plus the usual Coots and Mallard,

but no sign of any Shovelers, Teal or Gadwall there today.

Adjoining drier paddocks attracted a huge flock of Woodpigeons, whilst a huge (Probable female) Buzzard with a single Magpie

as a close companion watched from a nearby fence.

Unusually the big raptor and the Magpie appeared totally content in each others company.

Arable land between Sankey Brook and Burtonwood Road : 1 Kestrel. A flock of 70 Fieldfares with what appeared to be equal numbers

of Starlings and a mere 5 Redwings.








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John Williams
Stephen Wende


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30 mins spent by the pool opposite Fiddle i'th bag pub

 

1 Mute Swan

10 Gadwall

9 Shoveler

25+ Redwing flew into trees next to pool.

1 Bullfinch



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John Williams


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10.30-13.00

Sankey Valley Trail (Causey Bridge to Hollins Lane bridge) : 1 Sparrowhawk flying fast and very low across the horse paddocks.

Flooded horse paddock opposite the former Fiddle i'th bag pub : 14 Shovelers (10 drakes), 1 Common Gull and 1 Grey Wagtail.

Arable land between Sankey Brook and Burtonwood Road : At last the big flocks of Fieldfare have arrived, 290 were on very

soggy farmland alongside Tanhouse Lane, in the company of 40 Redwings and around 70 Starlings.

3 Reed Buntings rested together in a bush near Dial Post Farm.

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John Williams
John Williams


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11.00-15.00

Sankey Valley Trail (Causey Bridge to Newton Brook) :

1 1st winter Whooper Swan flying NW. 2 Buzzards and a flock of 11 Rooks.

11 Redwings with similar numbers of Blackbirds sifting the leaf litter in a part flooded birch copse.

Flooded horse paddock opposite the former Fiddle i'th bag pub: 3 Shovelers, 9 Gadwall, 2 Teal and 35 Black headed Gulls.

At least 7 Tree Sparrows in the hedge behind the paddock.

Arable land between Sankey Brook and Burtonwood Road : 2 Kestrels, 2 Buzzards (1 being chased by a Sparrowhawk), 2 Song Thrushes

and a flock of 9 Fieldfares.

In bushes close to Dial Post Farm was a mixed flock of 22 Yellowhammers, 14 Reed Buntings and a single Tree Sparrow.

A Woodcock flushed from the same spot, whilst a flock of 10 Long tailed Tits moved along the hedge too.


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John Williams
Rob Creek


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- Common Buzzard sat in a low tree on north side of M62 approx 1/2 mile west of Burtonwood services (9.25am).

I had to look twice as its breast and head looked almost pure white, almost Osprey-like.

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John Williams


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Midday

Sankey Valley Trail (Causey Bridge to Hollins Lane bridge) : 1m Kestrel and a flock of 15 Meadow Pipits.

Horse paddocks opposite the former Fiddle pub: A flock 12 Tree Sparrows, 14 Teal, 3 Shovelers, 1 Gadwall and a flock of 30 Collared Doves.

Arable farmland West of Alder Lane & Sankey Brook: 2 Kestrels (m+f), 2 Buzzards, 9 Yellowhammers, 1 Song Thrush, 1 Mistle Thrush and 4 Reed Buntings.

Redwings numerous around the hawthorn hedges, Fieldfare numbers building up too now with flocks of 90 and 48 seen.

A skein of 128 Pink footed Geese flew over heading NW.

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John Williams
John Williams


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11.00-14.30

Sankey Valley Trail (Causey Bridge to Newton Brook) : 1m Yellowhammer, 1 Kestrel and 2 Goldcrests.

Horse paddocks opposite the former Fiddle pub : 2 adult+4juv Mute Swans on the flood area, water level really high so no exposed shoreline.

4 Tree Sparrows in a nearby hawthorn hedge.

Arable farmland West of Alder Lane & Sankey Brook : 1f Merlin, 3 Kestrels, 1 Sparrowhawk, 3 Buzzards, 3 Linnets, 3 Yellowhammers, 2 Reed Buntings,

2 Tree Sparrows, 4 Meadow Pipits and 1 Mistle Thrush. A skein of 12 Pink footed Geese flew over heading NW.

Every hawthorn hedge seemed to hold a few Redwings and Blackbirds, but no sign of Fieldfares yet.

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John Williams
Karl Bishop


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Green Sandpiper still present @11.00 hours this morning 28th

-- Edited by Karl Bishop on Thursday 28th of October 2021 09:26:52 PM

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Lawrence Hindley


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Green Sandpiper on flooded field opposite fiddle ith bag.

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L Hindley
John Williams


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11.00-14.00

Sankey Valley Trail (Causey Bridge to Newton Brook): 6 Tree Sparrows, 1 Song Thrush and 4 Swallows.

Partially flooded horse paddock opposite the former Fiddle pub : 1 Green Sandpiper, 2 Gadwall and a group of 8 Moorhens.

Farmland West of Alder Lane & Sankey Brook: 3 Tree Sparrows, 13 Linnets, 3 Yellowhammers, 4 Buzzards, 1 Kestrel,

1 Meadow Pipit, 2 Ravens and a charm of 6 Goldfinches. Also a steady trickle of Swallows in small groups moving West. A flock of 160+ Lapwings.

-- Edited by John Williams on Wednesday 29th of September 2021 05:45:07 PM

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John Williams
John Williams


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Afternoon walk

Sankey Valley Trail (Causey Bridge to Newton Brook): 1 Sparrowhawk. 1 Chiffchaff (Amongst a flock of Long tailed and Blue Tits).

Partially flooded horse paddock opposite the former Fiddle pub : 2 Snipe and 1 Green Sandpiper.

A flock of 30 Tree Sparrows on a hawthorn hedge by stables behind the flooded paddock.

Farmland West of Alder Lane & Sankey Brook : 1 Corn Bunting alongside a flock of 28 Linnets on wires by Phipps Brook, with

at least another 30 Linnets in nearby stubble. 2 Buzzards and 2 (m+f) Kestrels.

A covey of 14 Grey Partridges and a flock of 35 Rooks.



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John Williams
Lawrence Hindley


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Green Sandpiper and snipe at flooded field opposite fiddle ith bag.

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L Hindley
John Williams


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15.00-18.00

Sankey Valley Trail (Causey Bridge to Newton Brook): 1 singing Yellowhammer, 1 Linnet, 1 Buzzard and a group of 4 Pied Wagtails.

Paddocks opposite the former Fiddle pub : 1 juvenile Yellow Wagtail, 7 Pied Wagtails and a flock of 25 Rooks.

Farmland West of Alder Lane & Sankey Brook : 1 Corn Bunting (The 1st one I've seen around here since the 1980s), 1 Kestrel,

2 Buzzards, 17 Tree Sparrows (3 small flocks), 15 Swifts (Appeared to be feasting on the swarms of winged ants in the area) and 22 Linnets.


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John Williams
John Williams


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Flooded paddock opposite the former Fiddle pub

Brief visit at 8.00am.

The pair of Ringed Plovers reported by Rob were still there, and appeared to have a least 1 tiny chick in their care.

They must have been discreetly tucked in somewhere when I visited last Monday as the only waders I found then were Lapwings.

4 adult Lapwings were by the pool this morning, together with 2 near full grown youngsters.

The 2 Mallard broods, still at least 12 small ducklings in total, where finding it hard to keep up with their anxious mothers.

Whereas 2 Coot families appeared far more relaxed, with the tiny youngsters being gently fed by their parents.

Also a single Oystercatcher flew in, whilst a lone Buzzard posed on the fence of an adjacent paddock.

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John Williams
Rob Smith


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This morning on the flooded paddock were:

Ringed Plover - 2

Oystercatcher - 3

Redshank - 1

Lapwing - 6 adults & 4 young

Mallard - 2 females & 13 young

Shelduck - 1 + what looked like a hybrid shelduck x ??

Grey Heron briefly before just about every adult bird escorted it from the premises!

Coot - 6 adults & 8 young

Kestrel - female hovering over adjacent fields


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John Williams


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Afternoon walk.

Sankey Valley Trail (Causey Bridge to Newton Brook):

2 Lapwings and 1 Kestrel.

The previously flooded horse paddock alongside the trail is now completely dry.

Flooded paddock opposite the former Fiddle pub :

1 Little Grebe, 8 adult + 1 half grown young Lapwings, 1 Grey Heron and 7 House Martins.

Farmland West of Alder Lane & Sankey Brook:

3 Yellowhammers (inc 1 singing male), 24 Linnets, 1 Meadow Pipit, 3 Skylarks, 3 Mistle Thrushes and 1 Grey Partridge.




-- Edited by John Williams on Tuesday 15th of June 2021 12:22:32 PM

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John Williams
John Williams


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16:00-18.30

Flooded horse paddock alongside the Sankey Valley Trail (Now being drained) :

1 Ringed Plover, 1 Gadwall, a brood of 6 tiny Mallard ducklings and 2 Pied Wagtails.

Alongside Sankey Valley Trail Causey Bridge to Newton Brook :

1 singing Whitethroat, 4 Lapwings, 6 Linnets,1 singing Willow Warbler and 3 singing Chiffchaffs.

By Sankey Brook a pair of Linnets were trying to tempt a Magpie away from a bramble patch.

Horse paddocks opposite the former Fiddle pub :

4 Yellow Wagtails, 6 Lapwings, 1 Buzzard, 1 Kestrel and 2 tiny Coot chicks with their parents.

Farmland West of Alder Lane & Sankey Brook : 10 Linnets, 5 Reed Buntings, 2 singing Skylarks, 5 Lapwings and 1 Whitethroat.

Oddly no Yellowhammers were seen throughout.



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John Williams
Dave Riley


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Very brief visit to the flooded horse paddocks opposite the Fiddle, sightings included:

1 Whinchat
3 Wheatears
2 Yellow Wagtails
2 Ringed Plovers
Plus all the usuals

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Stephen Wende


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Flooded horse paddock opposite Fiddle pub

 

2 Little Ringed Plover

2 Oystercatcher

2 Redshank

6 Lapwing

4 Stock Dove

2 Tree Sparrow

2 Swallow



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John Williams


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Morning walk

Sankey Valley Trail Causey Bridge to Newton Brook : 3 singing Chiffchaffs, 1 singing Blackcap and 1 Lapwing.

Sankey Brook & surrounding farmland : 1 Little Owl, 47 Linnets (Single flock of 44), 12 Lapwings, 6 Tree Sparrows,

2 Reed Buntings, 2 Grey Herons, 1m Kestrel, 1 Meadow Pipit, 5 Skylarks, 3 Yellowhammers, 30 Lesser Black backed Gulls

and 4 adult Herring Gulls. The large gulls were in a single flock on a recently ploughed field. If an individual gull wandered

from the flock, the resident Lapwings vigorously mobbed it.

Flooded horse paddocks opposite the former Fiddle pub : 5 Shovelers.

No Buzzards were seen throughout which seems odd !!.

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John Williams
John Williams


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Morning walk

Sankey Valley Trail Causey Bridge to Newton Brook : 2 Grey Wagtails by Newton Brook.

2 Chiffchaffs, 1 Grey Heron, 1 Sparrowhawk and 3 Lapwings.

Sankey Brook : 1 Grey Heron and 1 Cormorant.

Flooded horse paddocks opposite the former Fiddle pub : (In addition to John's sightings)

1 additional Redshank, 6 Teal, 6 Gadwall and 8 Lapwings.

Farmland West of Alder Lane & Sankey Brook :

2 Oystercatchers, 2 Yellowhammers, 1 Kestrel, 15 Skylarks, a flock of 42 Stock Doves, 2 Reed Buntings,

a flock of 13 Fieldfares, 13 Linnets and 1 Buzzard.




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John Williams
JOHN TYMON


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Flood opposite Fiddle 11.00 5 Redshank 1 Wigeon 2 oystercatchers 6 shoveler

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John Williams


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Morning walk

Sankey Valley Trail Causey Bridge to Newton Brook: 2 Grey Wagtails by Newton Brook.

2 Buzzards, 1 singing Yellowhammer, a flock of 6 Linnets and 2 Grey Herons.

Flooded horse paddocks opposite the former Fiddle pub : 2 Oystercatchers, 5 Shovelers, 8 Teal,

10 Lapwings, 4 Tree Sparrows and 1 Kestrel.

Farmland West of Alder Lane & Sankey Brook : 4 Buzzards, 1 Tree Sparrow, 6 Yellowhammers,

14 Skylarks (4 in song flight), 6 Linnets, 3 Meadow Pipits, 10 Lapwings (All now on territory), and a flock of 72 Stock Doves.


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John Williams
John Williams


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Morning walk

Sankey Valley Trail Causey Bridge to Newton Brook: 2 Little Ringed Plovers on the flooded paddock alongside the

trail. 1 Cormorant (On pylon) and 1 Buzzard.

Flooded horse paddocks opposite the former Fiddle pub : 2 Oystercatchers, 1 Common Gull, 11 Gadwall, 10 Teal,

20 Lapwings and a pair of Stock Doves. All the Shovelers have now left.

Farmland West of Alder Lane & Sankey Brook : 8 Linnets, 1 Meadow Pipit, 2 Song Thrushes, 2 Buzzards, 4 Reed Buntings,

9 Yellowhammers, a flock of 60 Stock Doves, 1f Kestrel and 5 Skylarks.

All the larks were on a huge mound of rotted manure alongside Phipps Brook.








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John Williams
John Williams


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Morning walk

Sankey Valley Trail Causey Bridge to Newton Brook

2 Oystercatchers with large numbers of Black headed Gulls following the plough on a field alongside Sankey Brook.

1m Yellowhammer, 1 Buzzard, 2 Cormorants (On Pylon) and a flock of 13 Linnets.

Flooded horse paddocks opposite the former Fiddle pub.

5 Shovelers, 10 Gadwall, 8 Lapwings, 6 Tree Sparrows, 3 House Sparrows* and 1 Buzzard.

*Only the second time that I've found House Sparrows here, the site has always been a regular haunt for Tree Sparrows though.

I just hope that their urban cousins don't gradually usurp the Tree Sparrows, a situation that has occurred elsewhere,

notably at Sandbach Flashes.

Farmland West of Alder Lane & Sankey Brook :

15 Yellowhammers, 7 Reed Buntings, 5 Buzzards, 1f Kestrel, 7 Linnets, 28 Lapwings (Many now on territory) and 3 Skylarks.





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John Williams
John Williams


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Lunchtime.

Gave up on my usual walk as the main paths appeared a little crowded, so just briefly checked on the flooded horse

paddock opposite the former Fiddle pub.

I have recently seen people climb over the fence to feed the ducks and gulls, when that's the case there is little point in

searching for any rarer or shyer species. However it looks like word has got out amongst the gulls about the easy handouts,

as lots of them were on the pool today. This included 2 adult Mediterranean Gulls, 8 Common, 2 adult Herring,

31 adult Lesser Black Backs and lots of Black Headed Gulls.

Also on the pool were 1 Green Sandpiper (Flew off towards Sankey Brook), 5 Shovelers, 1 Lapwing and 12 Gadwall.


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John Williams
John Williams


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Midday walk

Farmland west of Alder Lane & Sankey Brook :

10 Linnets, 2 Yellowhammers, 2 Kestrels, 1 Sparrowhawk, 4 Reed Buntings, a pair of Mistle Thrushes, 1 Treecreeper,

a flock 100+ Stock Doves (Unusual as they are normally in mixed gatherings with Woodpigeons here), 2 Song Thrushes,

6 Buzzards and 1 singing Skylark. The real highlight was finding 12 Tree Sparrows on my walk, it's been quite a while since

I last seen any around here. 6 were seen by Phipps Brook, whilst another group of 6 were noted at the horse paddocks alongside Alder Lane.







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John Williams
John Williams


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Morning walk

Sankey Valley Trail Causey Bridge to Newton Brook :A flock of 7 Fieldfares and 11 Redwings.

Flooded paddocks opposite the former Fiddle pub : 9 Shovelers and 7 Gadwall.

Farmland west of Alder Lane & Sankey Brook : : 2 Ravens, 3 Buzzards, 1m+1f Kestrels, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker,

1 Mistle Thrush, 6 Meadow Pipits and a flock of 13 Fieldfares. A single Grey Wagtail was by Phipps Brook.

A skein of 48 Pink footed Geese were seen flying South. The female Kestrel was seen chasing a male Blackbird, which only

escaped by diving into a hawthorn hedge. She appeared reluctant to give up the chase, and after resting nearby for a while she

returned to the hedge, which contained several Blackbirds, and hovered just above it before settling on the ground alongside.



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John Williams
John Williams


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Afternoon walk

Sankey Valley Trail Causey Bridge to Newton Brook : 1 Kestrel.

A huge flock of Jackdaws on the newly manured field bordering the SVT and M62.

Farmland west of Alder Lane & Sankey Brook : 1 Peregrine (Chasing Woodpigeons but not seen to catch one), 45 Lapwings,

2 Buzzards, 4 Redwings, 40 Linnets (Single flock), 7 Meadow Pipits, 2 Song Thrushes, a pair of Collared Doves and 1 Grey Heron.




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John Williams
John Williams


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Morning walk

Sankey Valley Trail Causey Bridge to Newton Brook : 1 Kestrel and 1 Buzzard.

Flooded horse paddocks opposite the closed Fiddle i'th Bag pub : 6 Coots stood together on the ice.

Farmland west of Alder Lane & Sankey Brook : 3 Snipe, 19 Yellowhammers, 1 Meadow Pipit, 2 Reed Buntings, 2 Skylarks,

1 Kestrel, 2 Buzzards, 3 Fieldfares and 2 Cormorants.

A group of 24 Golden Plovers were with 78 Lapwings on a field alongside the M62.



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John Williams
John Williams


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Morning walk.

Sankey Valley Trail Causey Bridge to Newton Brook :

7 Fieldfares, 14 Redwings, 1 Buzzard and 4 Cormorants.

Flooded horse paddocks opposite the closed Fiddle i'th Bag pub :

The Shovelers have now disappeared, only a few Mallard, Coot etc, remain.

Farmland west of Alder Lane & Sankey Brook :

A single flock of 306 Fieldfares mixed with similar numbers of Starlings plus a few Redwings.

2 Buzzards, 4 Meadow Pipits, 2 Skylarks, 2 Mistle Thrushes, 2 Linnets, 10 Yellowhammers and a charm of 16 Goldfinches.

240 Lapwings rested on a very soggy field alongside the M62.

A single Cormorant fished the fast flowing and swollen Sankey Brook.



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John Williams
John Williams


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Sankey Valley Trail Causey Bridge to Newton Brook :

1 Willow Tit, 4 Cormorants (Resting on a pylon), 1 Buzzard and a flock of 22 Meadow Pipits.

Flooded horse paddocks opposite the closed Fiddle i'th Bag pub :

2 drake Shovelers and 1 Collared Dove.

Farmland west of Alder Lane & Sankey Brook :

2 Buzzards, 1m Kestrel, a flock of 5 Meadow Pipits, 2 flocks of Yellowhammers 10 + 36 (They appear to be doing really well here),

1 Reed Bunting, 10 Linnets and a covey of 4 Grey Partridges (The first I've seen around Burtonwood for years).



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John Williams
John Williams


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Today I opted to walk North along the Sankey Valley Trail, which adjoins my home, rather than South to Gatewarth and Moore.


Sankey Valley Trail Causey Bridge to Newton Brook: 2 Kestrels, 27 Redwings and a pair of Collared Doves.

Flooded horse paddocks opposite the closed Fiddle pub.: 3 Shovelers, 7 Gadwall an a 1st winter Mute Swan.

A surprise find was a resplendent Kingfisher seen alongside a ditch swollen by recent rain, just to the South of the paddocks.

Farmland west of Alder Lane & Sankey Brook: 65 Lapwings, 10 Linnets, 5 Buzzards, 1 Kestrel, 30 Fieldfares and 14 Yellowhammers.

A pleasant surprise to find so many Yellowhammers, 10 were in a single flock close to a spot where some grain had been spilt.

108 Feral Pigeons and a pair of Collared Doves were on a barn roof at Causey Bridge Farm.





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John Williams
John Williams


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10.30-14.00

Sankey Valley Trail Causey Bridge to Newton Brook

1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 1 Kestrel, 1 Grey Heron, 1 Cormorant and 1 Grey Wagtail.

Farmland west of Alder Lane & Sankey Brook

2 Yellowhammers, 240 Lapwings, 1m Bullfinch, 1 Song Thrush, 3 Buzzards, 2 Kestrels, 1 Sparrowhawk

plus a winter thrush flock consisting of 25 Fieldfares and 10 Redwings.




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John Williams
John Williams


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10.00-13.00

Sankey Valley Trail Causey Bridge to Newton Brook

2 Song Thrushes, 1m Kestrel and 2 Cormorants. A skein of 125 Pink Footed Geese flew over heading East.

Farmland west of Alder Lane & Sankey Brook

7 Buzzards (All appeared to be focussed on worm catching in the soggy fields, and showed little interest in the large flocks of

thrushes and starlings nearby), 2 Kestrels, 5 Yellowhammers, 260+ Fieldfares, 20 Linnets, 20 Stock Doves and 2 Common Gulls.

Horse Paddocks opposite the former Fiddle pub

1f Sparrowhawk (Shot low across the paddocks and adjoining fields, a noticeably chunky and powerful looking bird that at first gave the

impression of being a large partridge) 5 Tree Sparrows, 1 Kestrel and 40 Black Headed Gulls.



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John Williams


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10.30-14.00

Sankey Valley Trail Causey Bridge to Newton Brook

4 Goldcrests moving around with a flock of Blue and Great Tits. 1 Kestrel.

Farmland west of Alder Lane & Sankey Brook

A single Curlew was a surprise find amongst a group of Woodpigeons on a field by Forest Farm.

Another surprise was a group of 13 Buzzards which appeared to be hunting for worms on a soggy field alongside the M62,

small numbers of Black headed Gulls were doing the same, but noticeably gave the raptors plenty of room.

As on my last visit there were large numbers of winter thrushes and Starlings around, although now they seem to be more

focussed on the hawthorn thickets near Burtonwood services. The Starlings especially were easily spooked and nervous about the

gathering of Buzzards nearby, although just 1 Buzzard showed any real interest in a possible bird lunch.

On several occasions the Starlings formed a small but quite spectacular murmuration.

Also seen in the area were 1 Meadow Pipit, 1 Yellowhammer, 1 Kestrel and 2 Grey Herons.

The flooded horse paddock opposite the former Fiddle pub held 40 Black headed Gulls, a single Goldcrest and 7 Tree Sparrows

were in the nearby hedgerows, whilst a Buzzard rested on a nearby post.

What I initially thought was a Snipe flying overhead turned out to be a Noctule sized bat when viewed through my bins, certainly a daytime

first for me.



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John Williams


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12.00-15.00

Farmland West of Sankey Brook :

500+ Lapwings with Starlings and Black Headed Gulls on very soggy farmland just North of the M62.

Huge numbers of winter thrushes were around the fields and hedgerows too, impossible to count the Redwings as many were hidden

amongst the hawthorn thickets, there appeared to be in excess of 300 Fieldfares though.

The only raptor seen throughout was a single Buzzard, a flock of 18 Linnets was noted, but no sign of the Yellowhammers which can usually

be found around here. A finch flock in hedges near Causey Bridge held 6 Lesser Redpolls in addition to Chaffinches and Greenfinches, but mainly

consisted of Goldfinches, which unusually were seen eating Ash seeds after breaking off the sail part of the fruit.

Elsewhere, a Kingfisher was seen by the Sankey Valley Trail at Newton Brook.

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