Dipper back at the place where it was recently seen which is on the south side of the former railway bridge that goes over the brook heading toward St Helens' Road- noticed it at around 15.10 on a walk to the Flash and then again at 16.00 when I returned. Don't know whether there is more than one. Now that the water level has gone down, a number of suitable stones are available.
A small piece of coloured plastic is attached to the upper mandible and secured through the nostrils. It carries a code which permits easy in-field reading of such ‘ringed‘ birds (they also carry the usually metal ring on one of the legs too) and apparently cause no ill effects or discomfor/disablement to the bird itself.
An image of such a bird (not the Pennington one I might add) is attached to give you a better idea.
A Mooch today on my local patch at Pennington Flash ,started off well with plenty birds about ,but unfortunately finished badly when 2 canoeists decided to launch from the car park and go past Horrocks along the main spit and into the top of Ramsdales and at one point over 1200 birds were in the air,even coots were flying high,in the end it was left to me to confront these people again and put them right ,its such a shame that the place does not warrent a full time warden any more as these sort of things would be stopped,and people like me wouldn't have to sort it themselves ,and as me and Charlie discussed it after,it was thought that a few signs ,possibly a post out in the water at the end of the fence near Horrocks with no Boats etc on this side of the flash etc would help in these situations. Anyway the good stuff this is what we counted on our way round the flash today .
Late afternoon into the evening today was pretty productive for a change:
Grey Plover briefly only, over the spit
Single Greenshank
A non-breeding plumaged adult Common Tern
14 Swift
Hirundines almost impossible to count accurately but estimates of 700 Sand Martin, 500 Swallow and 220 House Martin
360 Lesser Black-backed Gulls in the roost along with a few dozen Herring, 3 Great Black-backed Gulls and 3100 Black-headed Gull
A nasal saddled female Tufted Duck amongst the couple of hundred present which, subject to confirmation, looks to have come from a French project
That Tufted Duck with what looks from a distance like a Mute swan ring stuck round its bill ,is a saddle then?, its been present at the flash about 6 weeks now ,putting Nasal saddles on ducks bills to me just doesn't sit well ,bit like the neck rings on Greylags ,there comes a point where you have to stop and look at the Ducks welfare, thats my thought anyway.
It wasn't always in view and at first I walked past this bridge because it seemed an unlikely place for a dipper.
Maybe not as unlikely as we may think as the last flash record was on exactly this stretch of water although it also got up as far as the bypass bridge itself. Rumours of potential breeding in Leigh this year coupled with these birds (and the last record) may well hint at a previously undiscovered pair or indeed lowland population. One wonders how many go unnoticed.
Following Jons directions in the previous post I was able to locate the dipper this afternoon at about 3pm. For those who don't know the area that well, it's the bridge nearest Leigh college. Walk under the road bridge near the car park, then turn left at the next bridge and walk along the line of the old railway for about 100m until you come to a third bridge. As John commented in his post, the bird was mainly frequenting a rock on the southern (or right hand) side of the bridge. It wasn't always in view and at first I walked past this bridge because it seemed an unlikely place for a dipper. However I had a second look and spotted the bird through some vegetation. Then suddenly a second bird flew towards the first and they flew around for a bit and then under the bridge before returning, There was quite a lot of interaction between the two and it made me wonder (amazing as it may seem) if it was a new arrival and had not been present this morning because surely in the hour Jon was there he would have seen the two together at some stage?
I couldn't get a photo of the two birds together, but I think I have them individually in the attached photos. If you notice the white fringes to the terials on the photograph of the bird through the vegetation, they look more prominent than on the bird on the rocks. I assume that the pale fringes to the tertials and greater coverts make them young birds, though clearly not juveniles, first winters I guess. Also today, a juvenile common tern and at least 5 swifts.
-- Edited by colin davies on Wednesday 6th of September 2017 05:01:23 PM
Dipper seen from the bridge this morning, that goes over the brook, which is on the path of the old railway line from the Flash to St. Helens Road. Observed for over an hour, favouring a stone on the south side although, at times, flying under the bridge to the north.
Single Tree Pipit heard and seen flying South over Byrom Lane c.7.50 this am. Other birds seen, little egret at west end, Garden Warbler again around Sorrowcow pond and still 2 Greylag geese
2 Tree Pipits calling and flying around low over the Lapwing Hide area at around 08:40 this morning while I was warming up for the parkrun. Another, probably different Tree Pipit heard overhead near the Common Lane canal bridge a little later on.
- Spoonbill just been reported (seen at 8.02am today) on the salt marsh at Butts Lagoon, Pennington Flash CP, anyone familiar? Might visit after work if I get chance. Cheers
They mean Pennington Marshes, Lancashire. I've notified Birdguides and they are aware of the error .... and relax.
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- Spoonbill just been reported (seen at 8.02am today) on the salt marsh at Butts Lagoon, Pennington Flash CP, anyone familiar? Might visit after work if I get chance. Cheers
Day spent here today (supposed to go to Little Woolden Moss, but the train was cancelled; ah, well, nothing to see there today, anyway...); lovely day, some of the highlights:
Lots of chiffchaff, but no willow warbler; the only other warblers 3 blackcap and a single calling reed warbler. 3 willow tit (one Bunting Hide, one calling behind Ramsdale's Hide, the other calling amongst a mixed flock in the wooded part of the ruck). 4 house martin 10 swallow 1 wheatear 1 kingfisher (bringing up a pellet right in front of Ramsdale's Hide) Moorhen with very young brood. 21 teal 52 gadwalll 7 shoveler 50+ tufted duck 7 little grebe 30+ great crested grebe (including a juvenile begging a fish from parent) 70+ lapwing 1 little egret (western end) 8+ grey heron 1 common tern 1 common gull 1 buzzard heard
Spotted Flycatcher in trees near bridge over brook on south side this am also Garden Warbler amongst good numbers of commoner warblers around Sorrowcow farm 2 Yellow Wagtail in cut fields between western end and Slag lane, little egret at west end. Other birds seen around flash drake Pochard, notable increase since last weekend of tufted duck, shoveler, and teal and still c.15 Swift over rucks.