Pretty quiet around the flash this morning, nothing out of the ordinary but at least the now resident Oystercatcher was actually probing up and down the spit rather than waddling about the car park with the ducks!
Not much late on either ,and what Gull roost there was which was really small ,was constantly disturbed by 2 boats going back and too across the flash , 8 Goldeneye,1 Kingfisher, and 10 Goosander were the only things of note. All the Gulls this winter seem to be coming in from the SW in the main so seems out Northern feeding area that they have been coming from the last few years is no longer there,and the gulls are thousands down on previous years in the roost .
I called up to the Viridor site in Atherton a couple of times last week and there wasn't a single large gull in the area including the roofs of adjacent buildings and Poundstretcher (where there'd been at least a couple hundred large gulls previously),so maybe the reason why gull nos.have dropped off?. Couldn't see any obvious reason why the gulls had disappeared,maybe they're just not bringing any food waste into the site?
Pretty quiet around the flash this morning, nothing out of the ordinary but at least the now resident Oystercatcher was actually probing up and down the spit rather than waddling about the car park with the ducks!
Not much late on either ,and what Gull roost there was which was really small ,was constantly disturbed by 2 boats going back and too across the flash , 8 Goldeneye,1 Kingfisher, and 10 Goosander were the only things of note. All the Gulls this winter seem to be coming in from the SW in the main so seems out Northern feeding area that they have been coming from the last few years is no longer there,and the gulls are thousands down on previous years in the roost .
Pretty quiet around the flash this morning, nothing out of the ordinary but at least the now resident Oystercatcher was actually probing up and down the spit rather than waddling about the car park with the ducks!
There is a cattle herd at Lightshaw Meadows placed there by the Lancashire Wildlife Trust as part of the site management. The site was checked and watched for quite a while last Saturday after the Pennington Flash fly-through by the Cattle Egret.
-- Edited by dave broome on Friday 2nd of November 2018 10:53:55 PM
-Just wondering if there are any cattle presently at/near Lightshaw as it is twice in less than a week that a Cattle Egret has flown west over Pennington. Any info would be appreciated please.
Cheers,
Mike P.
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A single Mediterranean Gull was in the gull roost this evening but the highlight was undoubtedly a Cattle Egret, picked up by Phil Rhodes, which flew west across the flash and headed off in the direction of Lightshaw.
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Two adult Mediterranean Gulls in the roost this evening.
Adult Whooper Swan still present.
Cetti's warbler showed well around Sorrowcow Pond, initially scolding a cat which was wandering past and then alert calling in flash-side shoreline trees.
Water Rail calling from the outflow by Sorrowcow Farm
A single Chiffchaff was around the western end this morning, along with the usual Cetti's Warbler there. The flock of Meadow Pipit on Ramsdales Ruck still numbered just over 80 strong.
The roost was a bit poor tonight with relatively few large gulls in,only things of note was an adult Mediterranean Gull picked out by Phil and a couple of Argentatus Herring Gulls.
-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Saturday 27th of October 2018 07:21:12 PM
Tern sp. adult on the Flash this morning, looks like Arctic. It was still present when I left at 13.05. I don't think I've ever seen either common or arctic this late before.
Full circuit of Pennington Flash 19th October 10:30 - 14:30 hrs.
Redwing x 5 (first of the autumn for me - in trees in field next to Sorrow Cow Farm) Snipe x 7 (see photo attached) Kingfisher x 3 different sightings Willow Tit x 2 Wigeon x 4 Teal x 5 Shoveler x 15 Gadwall x 8 Pink-Footed Geese x 250 flying eastwards Buzzard x 3 Kestrel x 2 Oystercatcher (still there in the car park!) Coal Tit x 1 Great Crested Grebe x 5 Cormorant x 25 Lapwing x 20 Lesser Black-Backed Gull x 1 Black-Headed Gull x lots Mute Swan x 7 Wren x 1 Dunnock x 1 Blackbird x 5 Little Grebe x 2 Grey Heron x 4 Pied Wagtail x 1 Canada Geese x 40 Coot x lots Moorhen x 10 Tufted Duck x lots Mallard x lots Robin x 4 Chaffinch x 2 Great Tit x 1 Blue Tit x 1 Starling x 50 Woodpigeon x 40 Mute Swan x 9 Jay x 2 Magpie x 10
-- Edited by Steve Judge on Saturday 20th of October 2018 08:57:32 AM
Another circuit of the Flash this morning again failed to produce yellow-browed warbler, but there was a decent passage of pink-footed geese with around 600 mainly heading east / south east in flocks of around 70. Redwings continue to pass over mainly south west, but perhaps less than yesterday. Also a small passage of meadow pipits and woodpigeons. A Cetti's warbler showed well at the western end. Two wigeon were on the Flash. Highlight of the day, my first sighting this autumn of yellow-legged gull, a cracking 3rd winter bird sitting on one of the bouys from Horrock's hide. This bird has apparently been present since at least the 6th so hopefully will remain for the rest of the winter. Thanks to Bill Harrison for the loan of his scope to allow me to take the photos which helped clinch the identification.
A circuit of the Flash this morning failed to produce the hoped for yellow-browed warbler, but plenty of redwings passing over mainly south west. Highlight for me was a swallow flying east over Ramsdales and the bizarre sight of a 1st winter oystercatcher coming to bread and seed thrown down for the ducks on the car park. The latter has been present here for a month or so at least.
-- Edited by colin davies on Tuesday 16th of October 2018 07:40:32 PM
Full circle of the flash this afternoon produced very little of note apart from the following
Kingfisher-4
Grey Wagtail-2
Redwing - 30+ on the south side
Goldcrest-1
Redpoll -2
Cetti's Warbler-3 (1 sorrowcow/1 west end/1 Ramsdales reedbed)
plus the usuals :)
I am Surprised a bit with the total lack of Goldeneye at the flash ,I would have expected some to be in by now, and Goosander also seem to be missing at the moment.
-- Edited by JOHN TYMON on Monday 15th of October 2018 07:52:21 PM
3310 Woodpigeon moved through S/SE (in 76 flocks) promtly between 07:45 and 08:30, mainly just off to the west of the flash with virtually none moving through to the east of it
117 Redwing (5 flocks) and a single Fieldfare S
33 Chaffinch and 14 Greenfinch over S (mainly singles or very small flocks)
722 Pink-footed Geese moved east in 5 skeins from the Mersey area (moving through south of the flash) and 340 in 1 skein east from the Ribble area (moving through north of the flash), with a further 7 birds over low north!
22 Linnet feeding on the grassy area of Ramsdales Ruck and 24 Goldfinch feeding along the edge of it in one flock
Not much more I can add to previous posts this aft/eve apart from good views of a cettis warbler in ramsdale reed bed, water rails heard, 2 skylarks over whilst stood at the posts there. 1 blackcap 2 goosander