An unusual walk on Newchurch coz there were three of us! Myself and fellow patcher Dave were joined by mate Paul Hill and we mainly did the mosslands area. Very warm & sunny mostly.

The best bird was a Hobby hunting over Abbot's Moss where 2 Kestrels and 2 Buzzards were also seen. A really nice surprise was a newly hatched brood of 12 Tufted Duck Ducklings following their mum on Gull Pool. Yellowhammer, Skylark and Reed Bunting were all recorded as well as the usual warblers.

A morning visit, sunny intervals, warm.

Just as I started walking onto patch I had a phonecall asking for help as nearby a Mute Swan was on a fast main road walking towards the town of Winsford! I headed there as fast as possible and was amazed to find a police car and a police van in attendance as they had received 2 calls from the public. I checked the swan over and it was uninjured, so I carried it about 1/4ml to where I knew I could access the R.Weaver, as the road had 12 foot fencing all along it elsewhere. I released it onto the river and it swam away none the worse for its experience! I think the police were glad someone attended  who knew what they were doing and they were really friendly. I doused my hands in copious hand sanitiser afterwards of course! Then good deed for the day done I returned to Newchurch.

Not a lot bird-wise but several young birds seen as proof of breeding, in the company of adults. These included Nuthatch, Blackcap, Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff, Great Tit, Moorhen, Little Grebe, Great Crested Grebe and Mallard. But from a distance it looked like zero Mute Swan Cygnets now with the male swan on Big Pool. A mate told me that he'd only had one a few days ago so this could mean the whole brood has been lost.

On Newchurch am, overcast and warm.

On Small Pool a Great Crested Grebe fed a well grown chick and on Gull Pool a Little Grebe fed a chick. An Oystercatcher was heard over Shemmy Moss whilst an adult Water Rail showed well on South Moss.

A Peregrine was seen flying over the nursery fields with a bird in its talons. Distantly over the mosses 2 Buzzards were soaring with one having central tail feathers missing and looking to have a forked tail!!

On South Moss 2m Bullfinches bathed in one of the shallow pools. The 5 common warbler species were all recorded.

A late report due to being very very busy and at work since!

A Spotted Flycatcher was seen on my patch near the main track between the pools on Thursday 15th June in the afternoon, by myself and Carys my wife. Today I received a report that it (or another) had been picked up approx 1.5km to the west of here. Not a patch lifer or a UK yeartick but a good bird for 2023 on patch.

Back on patch am in hot sun.

The single best sighting was an adult Garden Warbler feeding a well grown chick that was begging for food. I watched this for about 10mins, a privilege when just seeing a Garden Warbler can be hard sometimes! An Oystercatcher flew over Big Pool calling and a Little Grebe called on the pool, not a usual location for this species in the summer months. There are still 3 Mute Swan cygnets but only the male adult seen, worryingly no sign of the female.

Down on my patch am and pm today, am to do management (as I'm the only one doing it!!) and pm for a mooch. Still hot and sunny.

The Cuckoo was still calling am N.of Big Pool in its new area, heard but not seen. A Kingfisher was a nice surprise fishing on Small Pool pm, the first that I've ever seen on my patch in summer. A Great Crested Grebe was seen with a stripey youngster on its back on Small Pool. A tatty male Yellowhammer was on wires above the field N.of Big Pool. The 3 Mute Swan cygnets still survive! Again Sand Martins were feeding over Big Pool pm.

An afternoon visit after 2 days in work. Sunny and warm.

From a great distance it now looks like it's just 3 Mute Swan cygnets with the 2 adults. The family has depleted very swiftly and this isn't good news at all.

Over Big Pool a huge flock of 150 Sand Martins were feeding, could this mean that the nearby Crown Farm Quarry colony now has young to feed? Also with these hirundines were at least 6 Swifts. A Chiffchaff that was one of the first to arrive has resumed singing after a long silent period north of Big Pool, second brood time possibly?

The (or a new) Cuckoo was calling north of Big Pool, the first heard over in this area this year.

A morning on patch in the heat!

Very little as I was concentrating on invertebrates. A Water Rail showed superbly well on Shemmy Moss as Buzzards flew overhead. A Cuckoo was still calling in the distance but didn't show itself today.

Just a brief visit to my patch today to photograph moths in particular.

Whilst I was there it was nice to see both the Cuckoo and the Hobby on Shemmy Moss, both showing really well. Also over were a Sparrowhawk, a Kestrel and a Buzzard as well as 2 House Martins. A Raven was also seen distantly over South Moss.

YESTERDAY 25th MAY 2023 :

Two walks taking all day! Morning around Big Pool area and afternoon on the mosslands, sunny and hot throughout and less breezy than the day before.

The Mute Swan pair on Big Pool have a brood of 7 cygnets, just hatched. Also over Big Pool 2 Swifts and 2 House Martins flew high over. Over on the mosses a Hobby showed very well as it hunted dragonflies over Shemmy Moss. More distant but showing well, calling on top of a tree was a male Cuckoo, in the direction of Nunsmere from Abbot's Moss. Also of note were a Long-tailed Tit near Big Pool and a Great Spotted Woodpecker and 2 Stock Doves over Shemmy Moss. 

On patch all day today, am leading a walk for mates to get pics of Downy Emerald and pm for myself!!

This morning we had superb views of the Cuckoo over Shemmy Moss when I called it in after we heard it calling distantly. I always do this little trick for visitors and it never fails to amuse when I do my cuckoo whistle and the bird responds and flies in. I believe that it provides environmental enrichment for what is possibly a lone male on my patch.

This afternoon I watched the Hobby come into Shemmy Moss a couple of times but even better was a distant Red Kite over the pines at the far side of Abbot's Moss Nursery fields. This was a  patch tick for 2023. Also up in the sunny weather were Buzzard and Sparrowhawk.

A nice morning walk on Newchurch in the sun, most of it with the other main patcher, Dave.

A Little Grebe was still on Gull Pool. A Water Rail called on Shemmy Moss again. An Oystercatcher flew over the Pine Belt. A couple of Lesser Black-backed Gulls flew over the mosses.

The male Cuckoo called constantly on Abbot's Moss and showed very well. Raptors were pretty well represented by a male Sparrowhawk, a Kestrel and a Buzzard. A Raven was over Abbot's Moss and a Jay was near Big Pool. A Yellowhammer was seen on Shemmy Moss and Garden Warblers and Whitethroats were abundant.

An afternoon walk in the sun for inverts rather than birds.

It was nice though to watch a male Cuckoo on Shemmy Moss. Having heard one (possibly the same) the other day it was nice to see one this time as he called for a long period. A Kestrel was also over Shemmy Moss.

Had a morning visit which started in rain and ended in sunshine.

Pretty quiet on the pools again. A drake Teal was on Shemmy Moss. About 150 Sand Martins were feeding with 40 Swallows, a noticeable increase in the latter species. The 2 Oystercatchers were seen over the mosslands area. A handful of Lesser Black-backed Gulls passed over the mosslands at great height.

A Kestrel was over the Whitegate Way near Small Pool. A Sparrowhawk was seen thermalling high up from Shemmy Moss with at least 5 Buzzards up too. A lone White Wagtail was in the former leek field. A Skylark was over the nursery fields and close by at least 4 Linnets and 2(1m) Reed Buntings were on Shemmy Moss. The five common Warblers were again all present and Garden Warbler and Common Whitethroat both showed well.

A leisurely morning wander in dry but dull conditions. Concentrated on the pool area of patch.

No wildfowl highlights at all. A feeding aggregation of hirundines included 200 Sand Martins, 15 Swallows and 5 House Martins. The best of the passerines were 2 White Wagtails in farm field west of Big Pool with 3 Pied Wagtails. But on a patch scale even better was a Greenfinch hear the field edge, my first patch record for 2023.  At least 3 Garden Warblers were singing with 2 showing really well. A less expected species was a Treecreeper near the main track. Two Great Spotted Woodpeckers showed well again.

Had a brief morning visit today, drizzle and overcast skies.

There were still 2(1drk) Gadwall and 3(2drk) Teal on Shemmy Moss. A lone Snipe was still on the pools on Shemmy Moss, showing well. A large flock of hirundines low over Big Pool included 3 House Martins and 5 Swallows amongst at least 150 Sand Martins.

A Skylark was over the Abbot's Moss Nurseries. A party of 4 Long-tailed Tits flew across the track by Shemmy Moss.

A morning walk on my patch in light drizzle all the time that I was out.

Wildfowl highlights were Teal and Gadwall still on Shemmy Moss and 36 Tufted Ducks on Gull Pool. On Shemmy Moss 2 Greylag Geese were again seen. A Cormorant was on Big Pool, the first on here for some time.

A flock of hirundines was predictably low over Big Pool due to the rain, consisting of 70 Sand Martins and 3 Swallows. One surprise was 4 Fieldfare still, this time flying over Shemmy Moss. Also on Shemmy Moss a male Yellowhammer, 3 Linnets and a Skylark were all seen. A total of 8 Stock Doves was recorded whilst 6 Starlings in a horse paddock on Sandy Lane was unusual.

In between and during the showers I decided to check for downed migrants and was glad that I did!

Star birds were 2m Wheatears in a muckspread field to the west of Big Pool, a new patch bird for 2023 and this is the same field as one was in last year! On my return to get a record shot (they were mega-distant) I found a White Wagtail too. This gave a total of 2 White Wagtails as another was in the former Leek Field. During rain early afternoon a flock of 15 Sand Martins and 3 Swallows came down low over Big Pool. On Big Pool 2(1drk) Goldeneye remained. In the former Leek Field there were 34 Fieldfares still.

A good day as I managed a morning and an afternoon visit to my patch, both in sunshine with pm lots warmer and with the company of my wife, Carys :)

On Big Pool a fem Goldeneye was still present, a throwback to winter. On Shemmy Moss it was nice to see 2(1drk) Gadwall and 6(4drk) Teal on the mossland pools. Otherwise 25 Tufted Ducks on Gull Pool were of note for duck sightings. A pair of Greylag Geese were on the mosslands, in flight. A Snipe was in a private area still and 4 Lapwings were in the breeding field by the Pine Belt.

On Shemmy Moss 2(1m) Kestrels were in display whilst a day count of 4 Sparrowhawks was my highest ever total for this species, 3 were over horse paddocks near Dairy Farm and 1 was over the mosslands. A day calling Tawny Owl was near the horse paddocks where I saw the one with the thermal camera at the end of March. Several Stock Doves were seen including 2 in residence at one of the new owl boxes off Novia Scotia Lane. A Collared Dove was near Common Farm as usual.

One of the highlights today was a new species for the year anywhere in the shape of 5 Willow Warblers, all on Shemmy Moss. A minimum of 8 Blackcaps were now singing. A Swallow was still around Dairy Farm. A male Stonechat was on Shemmy Moss, nice to see again. At Common Farm 2(1m) Pied Wagtails were in full display on a barn roof. A Yellowhammer and Linnets were on Shemmy Moss. Always nice to see 2(1m) Bullfinch were seen during the walk.

A total of 50 species was seen, which was excellent given the dearth of winter species and the lack of arrival of many summer migrants!!

A day off in a spell of all work days so spent all day on patch, with a break at home for lunch!! Overcast am, sunny and warm pm.

A good day but quite quiet on the pools. A high count of 35 Tufted Ducks were on Gull Pool in the afternoon. Also pm a total of 6(3drk) Teal constituted 2 pairs on Shemmy Moss and a pair on Gull Pool. A Gadwall was head on Shemmy Moss. Also on the mosslands a pair of Greylag Geese were flying around.On Gull Pool 6 Little Grebes were in 3 breeding pairs. A quick count recorded 6 Common Snipe. A total of 8 Lapwings were seen, scattered across patch in several arable fields.

A Kestrel was seen north of Big Pool and then the same bird was to the south of Small Pool, the second patch Kestrel of 2023! A Green Woodpecker was constantly calling in the Small Pool area in the morning. No thrushes were in the former Leek Field am or pm.

The real highlights were amongst the passerines. The first patch male Blackcap was found singing east of Big Pool am and watched as he actively moved up and down the meadow area here. As I was leaving late afternoon my first patch Swallow was on wires above Sandy Lane, taking off and flying over the horse paddocks as I drove by. Other good birds included a very showy male Bullfinch nibbling buds low down on the main track. A Linnet was singing on Shemmy Moss and a Nuthatch called nearby in Gull Pool Wood.

A very unusual walk today, after waking at 3.40am I decided to head onto patch to carry on field testing a Thermal Imaging Monocular, one of several models we have taken in as stock at Focalpoint. A review will be the result of my tests, but don't think there'll be any more as early in the morning as today! The walk started at 4.20am!

As well as several mammals (see other post) a few birds did feature. The best of these by far was a Tawny Owl, a patch and UK Yeartick for 2023. This was watched through the monocular in the horse paddocks at the end of Sandy Lane at the Novia Scotia Lane junction. The views were fantastic as the owl hunted along a fenceline, perching several times before quartering the paddock again. It was like footage from Springwatch and without the Thermal Imager it was pitch black and the owl was invisible. Other Tawny Owls were heard on the walk too. Also in the paddocks were the distinctive shape of ducks, hard to get to species from the image but I'm sure that they were Mallards.

As I was walking back to the car the time was 6.20am and the cacophony of the dawn chorus had got into full swing, the first time that I have ever heard it on my patch, brilliant :)

An even earlier start to my Newchurch Common Local Patch walk today in cold-ish blustery conditions at first getting warmer and sunnier later.

On Big Pool 2(1drk) Goosander, a pair together, was unexpected and I only picked them up on my second visit to the pool. Another nice sighting was of 6(3drk) Teal, two pairs on Shemmy Moss and one on Gull Pool, all presumably possible breeding pairs given the date. A Grey Heron flew over the Big Pool too. A total of 2 Cormorants were seen, both flyovers and both in smart full breeding plumage, over Shemmy Moss and over Big Pool. On Shemmy Moss 2 Snipe were seen on a marshy area watched from the path, and not flushed as I kept my distance. It was brilliant to see them relaxed rather than shooting off high into the sky as they flush out of a marshy area. A total of 7 Lapwings on my whole walk included 5 in the fields by the Pine Belt still.

A total of 2 Sparrowhawks included a huge female showing superbly at close quarters by Lymm Vale and a male thermalling distantly, high in the clear blue sky. At least 3 Ravens were seen, one was watched being mobbed by Carrion Crows over Big Pool and two over Gull Pool Wood were mobbed by various crows. These huge charismatic corvids are fantastic birds and I never tire of seeing them on patch. Just 30 Fieldfares remained in the former leek field today with 1 Redwing, I suspect that it wont be long before they all depart north. Nuthatches called in Gull Pool Wood and near Common Farm. In all, 3 Skylarks were seen, 1 in song flight over Abbot's Moss Nursery where they breed and 2 off Sandy Lane flying over the horse paddocks. Reed Buntings were heard in song on Shemmy Moss, obviously males, whilst a female was by Gull Pool. In Finch Hedge 4(2m) Bullfinches were destroying the new buds in the blackthorn, Im amazed that any survive to produce the fruits but they do, and I am grateful as they find their way into my Sloe Gin! All the Long-tailed Tits seen were paired up and prospecting for nest sites. Chiffchaffs are everywhere now. Their song filling the air and making it seem like spring has sprung, but no Sand Martins today.

Again more bird species than yesterday, which was so uneventful that I never posted a summary here, but a much longer walk so it was sort of expected, but 46 species was still a decent total.

Had another morning walk, breezy but sun and warm in sheltered areas.

On Big Pool a drake Gadwall was unexpected. Around 30 Tufted Ducks was a reduced number today. A Lesser Black-Backed Gull was amongst almost equal numbers of Common and Black-headed Gulls down on Big Pool. A new species for the year anywhere was seen in the shape of 4 Sand Martins over Big Pool, keeping quite high and never really skimming over the surface. Now only 5 Lapwings remain in the field east of the Pine Belt.

At least 6 Buzzards were up thermalling again. In all 6 Stock Doves were seen, whilst a Feral Rock Dove was a patch rarity! A Raven was over field NW of Big Pool again and a Rook flew over the main track between the pools. In the former leek field around 90 Fieldfares remain and a Redwing was near the parking area. A single Chiffchaff was heard north of Big Pool where 2 Yellowhammers were seen too. In the same fields a flock of 30 Linnets were seen and heard.

Another morning walk with an early start, the weather was fine, cold to start off but warmer later with sunshine peeking through!

The best bird on the pools was a drake Goosander. A pair of Teal was on Shemmy Moss.  Two Greylag Geese flew over near Lymm Vale, a species not seen at all recently. On the pools a total of 5 Mute Swans consisted of the family party of three on Big Pool and two adults on Small Pool. A pair of Little Grebes was watched on Gull Pool from the Whitegate Way. A breeding plumaged Cormorant flew over north of Big Pool. A Common Snipe was seen and 28 Lapwings were in the field east of the Pine Belt.

A pair of Buzzards were in display in an area in which I suspect nesting. As well as skydancing the male was seen offering a rabbit to the female. A new bird for patch for 2023 was a Kestrel, seen near Common Farm above the pheasant feeders. A Raven flew over the fields by Sandy Lane, not my usual area for this species. Both Green Woodpecker and Great Spotted Woodpecker were heard in Gull Pool Wood. A spectacular sight was 400 Fieldfares feeding in the former Leek Field, the chattering racket they made was like I had never heard before. A couple of Redwings were in with this flock whilst another 4 near the entrance blocks gave a total of c.6 Redwings for the walk. A total of just 3 Starlings were seen, 1 on Sandy Lane and 2 near Lymm Vale.

My first spring migrants were found on this sunny day in the shape of 2 Chiffchaffs, 1 singing near Beach Peg, Big Pool and a silent bird N.of Big Pool. These were my first of this species anywhere in 2023. Another patch yeartick was a pair of Yellowhammers, again N.of Big Pool. The pair were watched as the male chased the female in courtship display. Another passerine highlight was 4 Meadow Pipits now on the muck heap near Common Farm. A Skylark was seen and in song over the nursery fields by Shemmy Moss. The only wagtail was a Pied Wagtail on a roof on Sandy Lane, hopefully soon wagtail passage will start and something rarer will drop in. On Shemmy Moss it was nice to see 2 male Reed Buntings on breeding habitat, a further 2 were seen on spilt seed at the Common Farm pheasant feeders. a female Bullfinch was on Shemmy Moss. A Coal Tit was on the Big Pool feeders and 2 Long-tailed Tits were just north of here.

A total of 52 species is the best day total since New Years Day and was made in a half day rather than the full day back then!