Adult female Scaup still present at the western end late morning today.

Just a quick visit this morning, 8am - 9.30am

Scaup 2, 1st winters at west end still

Wigeon 4, male & female at west end, 2 females in middle

Goldeneye 18+ including 4 adult males & 1st winter male

Pochard 7, including 6 males, still off the car park 

Late afternoon today up to dusk:

266 Herring Gulls

74 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

14 Great Black-backed Gulls

340 Lapwings

350+ Starling circling around Sorrow Cow Farm Pond just before dusk, then settling into the tall conifers there before eventually heading off west

29 Goldeneye at dusk split in three flocks at the Western End, Ramsdales and off the East Bay Reedbed

Jackdaw roost near Sorrowcow Farm building nicely

Additional highlights this morning included:

A single Jack Snipe, presumably the same bird seen twice amongst Snipe about half way along the spit

48 Snipe on the spit but undoubtably many more

1 Rook over north

6 Greylag Geese (4 at the western end joined later by a further two from the east)

This morning 8:30am - 11am,

Greater scaup 2 1st winter males still at the western end

Wigeon 3 (2 males, 1 female) at the western end

Lesser redpoll at least 12 still on the ruck

Meadow pipit 10 on the ruck

Goldeneye 11 (3 adult males, 1st winter male & 7 females / immatures)

Pochard 7 (6 males, 1 female) off the car park

This morning, 7.45am - 10.30am,

Wigeon 2 male and female on flooded horse field at Mossley Hall farm

Goldeneye 10 including 1 male

Pochard 6 including 5 males

Tufted duck 170+ including bird with nasal saddle

Pink-footed goose 80 flew east

Goosander 2 flew over the canal

Redwing 50

Fieldfare 1

Meadow pipit 12 on the ruck

An interesting morning, 8:30am - 11:15am,

Cattle egret 2 flew low over Sandy Lane at 8:30. They didn't appear to have come from or be going to the flash and judging by their flight it appeared to be a local movement rather than just passing over, almost as if they were just jumping the road. I walked the fields between Sorrowcow farm and Liptrot farm but could find no further sign of them during the duration of my visit.

Dunlin 2 flew over the flooded horse field at Mossley Hall farm and appeared to be heading for the boat club shore but there was disturbance there from dogs and people so presumably they just carried on since there is currently no other shoreline anywhere at the flash.

Chiffchaff 1 singing male in the woods behind East Bay reedbed. Quite a strong song, not just a feeble effort as is sometimes the case at this time of year.

Egyptian geese family party of 4 still on flooded field at Mossley Hall farm.

Wigeon 1 female from Tom Edmondson hide.

Five Little Egrets roosted tonight.

Info thanks to Phil Rhodes

Two visits today, 8am - 11am & 2pm - 4:30pm:

Adult yellow-legged gull came in presumably to roost at about 4:15pm

Goosander 3 females

Goldeneye 7 inc. 2 males

Pochard 2 males off the car park

Egyptian goose family party of 4 still at Mossley Hall farm

Willow tit 2 at Mossley Hall farm

Treecreeper at Mossley Hall farm

For those who don't know, Mossley Hall farm is at the west end of the flash, accessed off Byrom Lane. 

This morning, 8am - 10:45, partly with Bill Harrison,

295 pink-footed geese all heading north west in 7 flocks

8 goldeneye all females / immatures

3 pochard, 2 drakes 1 female

3 lesser redpoll on the canal bank at Ramsdales

This morning's highlights from first light:

5340 Pink-footed Geese were seen from Ramsdales Ruck from 07:25 up to 09:44 in a total of 41 skeins, with the usual two flight lines, west/east from/to the Mersey which fly just south of the flash and NW/SE from/to the Ribble which fly just to the north or directly over the flash, continuing to be patently visible. 2237 birds flew east in seven skeins; 1918 west in 20 skeins; 963 flew NW in 10 skeins; 222 SE in four skeins.

2264 Fieldfares over W/SW in 13 flocks, with a largest flock of 680 west at 08:18 and another 120 which flew in from the west and dropped into trees along Byrom Lane.

385 Redwings over W/SW in 12 flocks.

8060 Woodpigeons flew S/SE in 89 flocks, three of which just exceeded 500 strong.

34 Whooper Swans low SE at 07:47. 

46 Chaffinches over south mainly as singles.

26 Meadow Pipits actually down on Ramsdales Ruck, along with four Skylarks.

5 Raven over, with one east at 07:10 and four together north at 07:57.

A flock of 9 female/immature Goldeneyes in Ramsdales.

174 Tufted Ducks

9 Goosanders, with two drakes north at first light, flooded later by another two drakes north, two females in from the NE dropping in around the Ramsdales/nature reserve area and three (one drake) at the very western end (inflow area).

Male Cetti's Warbler singing on his usual territory at the very western end.

2 Kingfishers. 

A small (but significant) flock of six Coal Tits making their way east through the trees on the top of Ramsdales Ruck.

31 Cormorants.

2 singing Mistle Thrushes, one in the south side and one around Ramsdales.

(a few record shots of geese skeins and Fieldfares)

Yesterday, 1 kingfisher from ramsdales, approx 400 pinkfooted goose westward bound,at least 40 cormorant on the spit,5 goldeneye, several great crested grebe on the Flash ,2 muscovy duck and 1 oystercatcher in the car park area.

This morning,

13 pink-footed geese flew over north west at 9am

8 goldeneye all females or 1st winters

2 pochard, both drakes

1 Goosander female at Charlie Owen hide

Seven Whooper Swans flew east this morning as did c220 Pink-footed Geese. Six Goldeneyes and c80 Fieldfares also seen.

Info thanks to Bill Harrison

No further sign of the cattle egrets this afternoon, though I didn't go past Mossley Hall farm so could be there. Also today,

70 snipe

4 goldeneye (females / juveniles)

1 goosander

3 pochard all drakes off the car park

2 Egyptian goose flew across the flash

30+ teal off the end of the spit but probably a few more out of view.

Cattle egrets seem to have gone at 10.25 but may still be elsewhere at the flash. Mossley Hall farm might be a good bet.

Highlights this (wet) morning included:

41 Shoveler

148 Tufted Ducks

3 Goldeneyes

2 drake Pochard

At least 37 Snipe on the spit

A flock of 180 Fieldfares flew only just above treetop level SE across Ramsdales at 08:30 prior to the onset on heavy drizzle

This morning, 8:15 - 11:15,

A dull, misty, murky morning making viewing difficult at times, occasionally I couldn't even see the far shore of the flash. However...

Goldeneye 7 including 5 together at the boat club

Pochard 1 drake off the car park

Little egret 1 in front of Horrock's hide

Egyptian geese family party of 4 in horse paddocks at Mossley Hall farm

Pink-footed geese 50+ heard flying over in a generally westerly direction. Not seen.

Plenty of goldcrests and tits around the ruck.

This afternoon, 1 Wigeon, 2 Siskin, 37 Snipe, 73 Lapwing and a Redshank which passed straight through.

Info thanks to Phil Rhodes

An adult Yellow-legged Gull roosted again tonight.

Info thanks to Phil Rhodes

This morning's highlights from very first light to c10am, mostly avoiding the early morning fog high above the clouds on the top of Ramsdales Ruck 

5892 Woodpigeons S/SE in 97 flocks with 70% of that total passing over in the first half hour after sunrise!

68 Redwings over west in small flocks

18 Fieldfares west on a single flock

6 Song Thrushes over west in a single flock

29 Chaffinches over south mainly in singles

1 Linnet over low north

14 Greylag Geese over east together at 9am

22 Pink-footed Geese over SE at 09:05

2 Goldeneyes in Ramsdales, at least one other seen flying around the flash early morning but poor visibility prevented a proper look over much of the water

88+ Snipe on the spit, probably many more hidden in the grass and many of those counted disturbed by the resident Oystercatcher aggressively striding along the edge of the spit!

1 drake Pochard at the very western end, not checked the eastern end due to poor visibility and light

This morning 9.15 - 11.15,

Yellow-browed warbler calling on the ruck in birch woodland near big wooden lock monument on canal. Not seen. Possibly with long-tailed tits.

152 pink-footed geese west at 10.30

12 fieldfare over SW at 10.30

Mandarin Plank Lane marina 

5 pochard off car park 

4 Egyptian geese off car park

4 goldeneye Ramsdales 

Late afternoon/early evening today:

400 Pink-footed Geese over, all birds heading SE, with 130 at 17:00, 160 at 17:30 and 110 at 18:05 (the final flock seen well north of the flash)

7 Mistle Thrushes feeding on the grass by the sailing club

108 Redwings coming/going to roost just prior to dusk with 60 in a few small flocks dropping into trees around the northern edge of the 'nature reserve' area, 30 dropping into trees at the western end in a single flock and 18 dropping into trees and bushes around Sorrow Cow Pond in a few flocks but then departing east (maybe to roost elsewhere around the flash) just before dark

2 Fieldfares over west together

180 Lapwings on the spit

4 drake Pochards

Goldeneye still in Ramsdales (roosting there at dusk)

Cetti's Warbler still singing in shoreline bushes by Sorrow Cow Pond and later around the pond itself

Kingfisher around the Sorrow Cow shore

Very small gull roost of all species although two particularly conspicuous agentatus Herring Gulls were the first of the 'winter' here for me

The family party of 4 Egyptian geese still this afternoon, on the flooded horse field between Mossley Hall farm and Slag lane. Also today, 4 drake pochard off the car park. 

Unsurprisingly, the flash is very flooded again with a lot of the spit under water.