As I recall, I think Lesser Sand Plover prefers deciduous woodland, so it may be worth double checking when you get there.

But of course Paul; would you mind mega-ing for me then please

Geoff Walton wrote:

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Hide 12-1230pm

1 GSP heard

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GSP????

from the hide
3 Jay, 1 teal male, 2 Goosander female, 2 Nuthatch, Coal Tit, Great Tit, Kingfisher.

The model boat club was also in action annd witnessed them launch a full size rescue rowing boat to retrieve a becalmed model.

-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Sunday 21st of October 2012 06:58:18 PM

-- Edited by Ian Boote on Sunday 21st of October 2012 07:11:16 PM

-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Tuesday 20th of November 2012 11:21:16 AM

Brief time in the hide and then Keg Pool 10am-11-30am

Jays seen and heard on the way. 18 Drake Mandarin behind the wheel house. Usual suspects around. Some larger birds flying in the trees up to the Keg path turn off, but the light was wrong to get a fix. I was hoping they might have been Redwing

Hide - Wren on tree next to the hide

Egyptian Goose swam toward me, and the flew and landed on the bird table by the hide(picture in the gallery sometime I hope please It let me approach within 6 feet. I only had the camera with me.

Possible Kingfisher flying up river

Keg Pool
Another/same Egyptian Goose -probably the other half
3 Little Grebe
Coot
Mallard
Mute Swan

2 Grey Heron
3 Cormorant
14 Mandarin Duck
4 Tufted Duck
No sign of any Kingfishers today!
Egyptian Goose
Male Mute swan (couldn't see the female today)
Great Tit, Blue Tit, Long-Tailed Tit, Coal Tit (several)
2 Wrens
2 Robins
Nuthatch (several)
1 Treecreeper
2 Great Spotted Woodpecker
5 Jay
1 Sparrowhawk (perched opposite the hide for 20 minutes before being chased off by a Jay)
1 Buzzard soaring over Ernocroft Wood


-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Sunday 14th of October 2012 08:09:47 PM

Afternoon/evening through the park 16:00 - 19:00 luckily missing the showers, though by the time I was coming back I couldn't really see anything.

20+ Long Tailed Tit's
7+ Goldcrest
4 Jay, 3 of which were carrying acorn's.
2 male Great Spotted Woodpecker
1 Buzzard
4 Wren
2 Nuthatch
20 + Mandarin
11 Comorants
7 Tufted Duck (4m, 3f)
2 Little Grebe

1 Tawny heard

Mark

1 Dipper
1 Goosander (f) followed a few seconds later by a Grey Heron
2 Cormorant
33 Mandarin
2 Tufted Duck
Egyptian and Mute swan both ate out of my hand today.
Canada, Greylag, Embden
Moorhen, Coot
Nuthatch (several)
2 Treecreeper
Great tit, Long-Tailed Tit, Blue Tit, Coal Tit
Pair of Chaffinch
1 Chiffchaff
7 Jay
1 Raven
1 Hawk flying through the woods but didn't get a good enough look at it. I just know it was brown and not a kestrel. It had narrow pointed wings.

2 birds I need advice on please

The first was spotted in the log pile on the way up to the Hide. I watched it a meter away for 1/2 hour. It was difficult to see at first but did begin to reveal itself more. It was about wren sized but much paler. It did have grey stripes over it's eye. I have lots of wren in my garden and I'm pretty sure it wasn't a wren. It didn't have a tail and just a stump (it just came to a point at the base of its body. It was like a mouse scurrying about in the logs. It had a pretty face. It didn't have much colour to it. A pale beige/grey. It was there on the way back from the hide too. It did make a harsh tch tch-tch sound.

The other bird was spotted in between the hide and the cormorants favourite perch. At first I thought it was a Diver as it had a slender neck. It had a bright orange beak which curved downwards slightly. It was next to the Mandarin and bigger than them. It had white under tail feathers and a light patch on the back of its head. I watched it through my bins for a good 20 minutes. I didn't get as good a view of this as the latter bird as it was further away. Any ideas?

It could have been a water vole because it was shorter and stumpier than a water rat. They were both out of the water close to the fishermen. I'm not too sure now!

Thanks I manged to find the hide and spent an hour there today.

From the hide:

2 Nuthatch
3 Treecreeper
1 Great Spotted Woodpecker (seen twice)
2 Robin
Great Tit
Blue Tit
1 Jay
I'm sure someone will advise me but not sure whether the other bird frequenting the bird table near the hide was a coal, marsh or willow tit. It was smaller than the Blue tit and similar to a great tit in appearance but a lot paler.
3 Cormorant
1 Hawk being mobbed by Crow but I didn't get a close enough look at it.

Elsewhere:

30 Mandarin
2 Tufted Duck
2 Mute swan (one has got a nasty cough/croak so not sure if it's swallowed something that it shouldn't)
The Egyptian Goose that seems to follow the swan everywhere
Canada, Embden, Greylag plus some hybrids of the latter
Mallard and Aylesbury Duck
Coot and Moorhen with young
1 Grey Heron
1 Dunnock
2 Wren
Long-Tailed Tit

2 Water Rat ran across my path *shudder*






-- Edited by Vicky Sumner on Monday 8th of October 2012 07:16:30 PM

Hi I have only been once a few years ago but have found this which will help

http://www.worldbirds.co.uk/etherow.aspx?key=207

Regards

Mike

Could somebody tell me where the hide is please. I've been there all day today but didn't come across it!

Just getting out on a pleasant afternoon really, so not too much expected. Best were 4 dabchick on the Keg pool, and a couple of ravens which flew in down the valley from the west quite high and were then over Ernocroft. Everything else as expected (e.g 6 buzzards), with no sign of migration ongoing.

Morning visit today.

Treecreeper
Moorhen
Jay
Rook
Carrion crow
Magpie
Robin
Blue tit
Great tit
Coal tit
Nuthatch - numerous
Mandarin 21, 17 at pump house - 4 from hide. Males in full plumage
Mallard
Cormorant
Kingfisher

Weir is spectacular with amount of water. Path to hide is relatively dry but the short length of board walk up to the hide is treacherous - so be very careful.

Phil

Just a further update;

Realised after getting home that my directions might not be the best, so.........after turning left onto the path before the normal path heads up to glossop rd follow it through the shallow valley where its very muddy, follow the path up and to the right a bit where it gets a little muddy again with fir trees on the right and deciduous trees on the left, the bird was in the fir trees on the right.

Another surprise was a Garden Warbler on the path to the hide where the long grasses are, seen on the way into and then leaving the hide, i'm hoping this one will be easier to see.

Other than those two;

2 Jays
3 Nuthatch
1 Goldcrest
2 Treecreeper
1 Wren
Several Comerants
1 Grey Heron
A few of the Mandarins beginning to look like normal drakes.

My first visit to the Country Park this afternoon found 28 Mandarins in the hour or so that I was there. They were in groups on the canal and river and included 6 young male birds. Also of interest 2 Grey Wagtails feeding on the side of the river below the weir and 2 very noisey young Jays in the trees along the canal.

Decided to have a short walk around the park yesterday evening;

Called in at the hide first and found the gate to the field very strategically placed to allow cows passage to the path and surrounding area's but in a position to make sure sure they didn't get onto the road, subsequently the cows have done there usual business on the path.

2 Nuthatch
1 Coal Tit
1 Chiffchaff on the far side of the river
Several Mandarin flybys
3 Comerants that I could see in the tree
1 Grey Heron

Outside the hide in the field were 30+ mandarin.

Keg Pool had;

1 Tufted + young
2 Little Grebe
What I presume to be a Great spotted woodpecker near the bench, I only heard a bird pecking on the tree there and while I tried to see what was making the noise I failed.....seemed to loud though to be anything else.

Geoff,

I hope I'm not stating the obvious here, but had you considered that the sexes of mandarin duck are almost identical at this point of the year? I think the major (perhaps only outward) identifying factor is bill colour. If you already knew this, I apologise. Only trying to help.

Geoff Walton wrote:

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Nipped up at 9.30am

2 Little Grebe on Keg Pool + young Tuffties,young Coot and on the canal young Mandarin Duck. Not a drake Mandarin in sight.

-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Thursday 26th of July 2012 02:59:15 PM

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Chris Harper wrote:

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Geoff, the Little Grebe was on Keg Pool, nearer the 'weir' end rather than the 'top' end. Tufted duck and young there too.

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Thanks Chris, will try and get up tomorrow, I really like Little Grebes

Do Ringed Teal have an eclipse period ? There's been a male hanging around Fletcher Moss area since April; unfortunately,
it's been in hiding for the last few weeks so I can't tell you one way or the other.

Chris Harper wrote:

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Small strange duck with bluish bill and orange legs, near boating shed??

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Try Ringed Teal (a regular escaped/dumped captive bird), though their legs should be pink

Visitor Centre-hide-Sunny Corner-Keg Pool 8.30-11.30
A lovely saunter around the reserve and CP
Highlights:
Green Woodpecker(heard)
4 GS Woodpecker
50+ Mandarin Duck
Tufted Duck + young
4 Blackcap
4 Chiffchaff
Juvenille Goldcrest
14 Swallow
8 House Martin
Pied Wagtail
10 Nuthatch
4 Bullfinch
Great Crested Grebe
Little Grebe
2 Cormorant
Grey Heron
2 Mute Swan
2 Black Headed Gull
Small strange duck with bluish bill and orange legs, near boating shed??

8pm Evening stroll

Dipper on the rocks down from the weir.
Loads of female mandarin Duck behind the Pump House.
Nothing else around,and could not find the GCGrebe

First trip to Etherow in several weeks mainly due to Holidays and stuff.

1 Great Crested Grebe
1 Great Spotted Woodpecker
1 Grey Heron
Small flock of 8 or 9 young Chiffchaff
Followed by a small flock of various Tits
2 Nuthatch
Plenty of Mandarin around the back of the pump house