River Weaver

Mark Jarrett · Status: Offline

RE: River Weaver

Mark Jarrett · Status: Offline

Out for an hour or so this morning, walked from Winnington Bridge to outskirts of Weaverham and back. Amongst others, Chiffchaff, Reed Bunting, Stonechat, Jay, Long tailed Tit, Green Woodpecker and Mute Swan (15).

Hazel Rothwell · Status: Offline

Sightings today including 3 Common Buzzard in flight together above Marbury Lane, and by Witton Brook: 4 Goldcrest, good numbers of Long Tailed Tit, 2 Song Thrush, 4 Redwing, 4 Nuthatch, female Blackcap, 8 Chaffinch, Red Admiral butterfly, Common Darter, usual Blue Tits, Great Tits, Robins, Wrens, Blackbirds. Large number of Lapwings and 1 Grey Heron on Neumann's flash.

Mark Jarrett · Status: Offline

Not quite River Weaver but male Peregrine seen above Moss Farm/Greenbank area of Northwich yesterday afternoon.

John Williams · Status: Offline

Thanks Doc, will let you know next time I plan a visit there.

Doc Brewster · Status: Online

John Williams wrote:

It's well worth a visit again Doc, probably in a different season.

It is, I walk it all year round & although summer is the best for all round natural history, it is even mentioned in dragonfly guides such as Twist & Hill and Steve Dudley's, there's interest in other seasons. We had a wintering Bittern last year that showed down to a few metres out in the open!! Winter passerine flocks can get q.large on the farm fields inland too. If you are coming again I can show you the lesser known bits if you like, that only the core patchers know of, just frop me a PM!! But don't tell too many folk, wanna keep it relatively undisturbed lol biggrin

p.s yes mink are a huge problem, they are so cocky & do take lots of stuff, but also due to the heronry nearby there is predation from the large number of Grey Herons too, seen it happening blankstare

The stretch from New Bridge to the locks is the best stretch for wildlife but the meadow on the Winsford side of New Bridge Pool is good for butterflies (p.s. I think what you call Bradford Mill is what we call New Bridge on patch? correct me if you mean somewhere else?).

-- Edited by Doc Brewster on Saturday 5th of July 2014 08:14:59 PM

Mark Jarrett · Status: Offline

We're hoping to move to the Winnington area of Northwich next Spring, possibly to one of the new housing developments backing on to the river. Looking forward to seeking out new birding sites. Seems a lovely area, birding and non birding. Visited many times (daughter lives in Winnington) but not really done any birding in the vicinity....yet! Will miss my daily jaunts on Darwen Moors but am really excited about putting down roots in Cheshire.

John Williams · Status: Offline

It's well worth a visit again Doc, probably in a different season.

The female Mallard with just 1 tiny duckling in tow seemed to indicate high predation, is that due largely to mink?.

I'll explore the area around the lock more next time, biting insects deterred me yesterday.

Between Bradford Mill and the locks seemed much better for wildlife, than the stretch down to Winsford, although that did have it's merits.

I'd recommend it to any birder as a refreshing change to visiting key reserves.

Doc Brewster · Status: Online

My local patch John, just down from where I live & walk it q.regularly & yes I have had several Grass Snakes along there. The old river loop is the best area, with at least 3 different snakes seen there in the last few years. They are by no means easy to see & it is just luck 7 the number of times you are down there. It is teeming with Large Red-eyed Damselflies at the moment which is q.notable and a pair of Kingfishers are feeding young just away from the main river. I watched them catching & killing sticklebacks just last week 7 they posed for full frame photos, brilliant. The Canada Goose population (main group on the old river) is up aver 50 and a bit of a problem with all the droppings & increase in nitrogen content due to this causing extra algal & weed growth in the old river.

In recent years both Mandarins & Wood Ducks have bred in the area but post hatching mortality has meant that no young have ever been proven to have survived to fledge. Green Woodpeckers are reasonably common, Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers have been seen and heron nest in the heronry here every year. Best bird so far was the White Stork which roosted one night on the old river sluice when it was around Barnton Cricket Club several years ago. A small group of us co-ordinate sightings and most go up on the sightings board at Vale Royal Locks thanks to the efforts of Peter, the lock keeper & wildlife expert smile

John Williams · Status: Offline

Vale Royal Locks to Winsford (PM)

I was advised by a nature lover from Northwich that this area is a hotspot for Grass Snakes, alas I didn't find any.

It's a walk worth doing though, no uncommon birds about, but lots of wildlife, and at this time of year a botanical gem, especially the marshy areas adjoining the tow path.

6 Grey Herons, 6 Cormorants, 3 Buzzards, 3 singing Chiffchaffs, 2 family groups of Willow Warblers, 2 Common Whitethroats, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker

and a group of 14 Canada Geese. 2 Mallard broods, but only 2+1, so predation appears to have taken its toll.

4 newly fledged Swallows sat on the fence by the salt works, their parents flying in to feed them every few minutes.

There were masses of low flying Swallows around the lock, and high above the river lots of Swifts too.

A charm of 20 Goldfinches were around the salt works, close by an area crammed with Teasel.

3 Red Admiral, 2 Small Tortoiseshell, 1 Comma, plus in the wooded areas lots of Speckled Wood and in grassland lots of Meadow Brown butterflies.

Common Blue Damselflies in profusion, but only whilst it was sunny. Clegs were a problem near the wooded areas.

The linear marsh that adjoins the towpath, and contains a couple of sizeable pools, holding broods of Moorhen and Coot, was alive with small frogs, and looks promising for Grass Snakes.