Female red-breasted merganser flew west over the Flash this morning, at about 9:30am. Also today, two white wagtails in horse paddocks just east of Sorrowcow Farm.
Other sightings from 3 hours round the flash this am.
354+ Meadow pipit South (very conservative count of birds mainly seen with naked eyes whilst doing normal route)
74 Swallow South and West
12 House Martin west
c. 20 Chiffchaff in with mixed tit flocks around site
22 Chaffinch south
2 Redpoll south
5 Skylark south
21 Pink footed goose west and 7 East
2 Snipe high south over flash.
In the gull roost this evening a first-winter Mediterranean Gull, also counted 806 Lesser Black-Backed Gull, 131 Herring Gull, 1 Great Black-Backed Gull. Cettis Warbler singing Sorrowcow Pond
First calendar year Yellow-legged Gull in the evening gull roost, along with just under 1300 mainly Lesser Black-backed Gulls, but also containing some Herring Gulls and a single adult Great Black-backed Gull
First winter drake Scaup with Tufted Duck flock off the main car park
Cetti's warbler singing from Sorrowcow Farm pond and 2 Kingfisher on and around the pond too
Distant mobilephonescoped images of Yellow-legged Gull attached.
Very quiet this morning. A single Black-tailed Godwit was on the spit and this with a single Common Snipe were the only waders (barring Lapwing) seen. A single Garganey was in Ramsdales Flash but too far out to determine if it was the eclipse male or the female bird that has been around. A Little Egret flew south east over the flash and a single Common Tern was present. The only sign of any migration was a small number of swallows passing south in small groups. Even this was very limited though with less than 50 birds counted.
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No one on their death bed ever said they wished they'd spent more time at work. http://bitsnbirds.blogspot.co.uk
A small warbler flock on Ramsdales Ruck contained 3 juvenile Willow Warbler, at least 6 Chiffchaff and a Garden Warbler along with Great and Long-tailed Tits.
Good numbers of water birds made easy to count due to sailing boat disturbance but nothing out of the ordinary amongst them.
1 Blackcap and singing Cetti's Warbler at the western end.
To add to the above Goldcrest- 1 ,Cetti's Warbler also on the north Bank,along with 3 Chiffchaff, 2 Kingfisher,and has Ian said good numbers of waterfowl in Ramsdales and 36 Teal round the reserve.
A small warbler flock on Ramsdales Ruck contained 3 juvenile Willow Warbler, at least 6 Chiffchaff and a Garden Warbler along with Great and Long-tailed Tits.
Good numbers of water birds made easy to count due to sailing boat disturbance but nothing out of the ordinary amongst them.
1 Blackcap and singing Cetti's Warbler at the western end.
Oystercatcher - 1 Juvenile that seems to like feeding on bread with the Ducks at the car park ,someone told me it had been dropped off there after being taken into care at an earlier time ,my guess it would be better caught again and dropped off at Marshside.
Swallow- 25
Treecreeper- 1
Cetti's Warbler- 1
Snipe -2
Coot -900+
Great Crested Grebe- 82 (full count)including young
Looking at pictures I have seen posted elsewhere seems there has been 2 Garganey about at Pennington in the last few weeks ,as hinted by Colin Davies last week the Eclipse/imm Male by the spit and a bird that looks like a Female/Juvenile thats been in Edmonson and also by the spit at times which has added to the confusion over the sex of the Garganey. Over 800 Coot also today,and a Snipe were on note .
Cant comment on the Female type, but the photo taken by Karl earlier in the thread looks to me to be an adult male in eclipse - difficult with the wing at the angle it is but the greater coverts look broad rather than narrow and pointed and the white tips look square rather than the grey protruding down the shaft. Speculum colour is a bit confusing as it looks blue rather than green, but its not exactly dull. But as I said - not easy from that angle and I've never really examined a Garganey in eclipse before. Happy to be told otherwise
-- Edited by Craig Higson on Monday 3rd of September 2018 06:20:53 PM
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No one on their death bed ever said they wished they'd spent more time at work. http://bitsnbirds.blogspot.co.uk
Looking at pictures I have seen posted elsewhere seems there has been 2 Garganey about at Pennington in the last few weeks ,as hinted by Colin Davies last week the Eclipse/imm Male by the spit and a bird that looks like a Female/Juvenile thats been in Edmonson and also by the spit at times which has added to the confusion over the sex of the Garganey. Over 800 Coot also today,and a Snipe were on note .
4 Black-tailed Godwit flew through east early this morning, a nice if minor movement of hirundines south over the flash with some stopping to feed and 11 Chiffchaff were on and around Ramsdales Ruck.
Late news for yesterday, the eclipse garganey was still present from Horrocks hide, near the tern raft. Also the Egyptian goose still around the car park.
Perhaps of interest, this morning I had an escaped falconers bird on a telegraph post at home which is about half a mile from the flash at most. It looked like an adult and was like a slim peregrine with a rufous crown, in my opinion from the photos it is most like a Barbary falcon or a small lanner, though could equally be a hybrid. Maybe worth bearing in mind if anybody sees an unusual falcon at the flash.
Egyptian Goose still present, near kiddies sandpit. No more/less wary than the Canadas. Wings not clipped, but right primary slightly more worn than left. Legs not seen. As good as any other UK Egyptian Goose, in my book