Saturday am. 19 x Tree Sparrow 3 x Brambling 40+ Siskin 2 x Willow Tit 1 x Green Sandpiper 10 x Greenfinch 1 x Great Spotted Woodpecker 3 x Goosander 120+ Pied Wagtail 4 x Meadow Pipit

Great to meet Phil 3 x Brambling 22 x Tree Sparrow 1 x Woodcock 7 x Siskin 1 x Water Rail 2 x Mistle Thrush 12 x Shoveler 3 x Goosander 32 x Gadwall 3 x Grey Wagtail 70+ Pied Wagtail

-- Edited by Keith Williams on Sunday 16th of January 2022 08:03:02 AM

I had an hour's walk around the site this morning. It was good to meet Keith Williams (thanks for telling me a lot about the site that I didn't know). Birds of note were 1 or 2 vocal Cetti's warbler at the lagoons, 1 grey wagtail and good numbers of pied wagtail on the sewage works and a mixed finch flock at the UU Training Centre including 1 brambling, 3 siskin, 2 greenfinch and 10+ chaffinch.

Afternoon walk, of note: 1 x Snipe 1 x Woodcock 3 x Grey Wagtail 75+ Pied Wagtail 6 x Meadow Pipit 3 x Bullfinch 32+ Siskin 3 x Tree Sparrow 5 x Shoveler 6 x Gadwall 26 x Teal

2 hours mid afternoon

Very quiet round the reserve with the best sightings on the main lake which included :-

2 flighty Cormorants; 2 Mute Swan; Grey Heron; Little Grebe; 4 Shoveler; a few Tufted & Gadwall & at least 50 Canada Geese.

Around the reserve :- Willow Warbler; Goldfinch; Long-Tailed Tit; Kestrel mobbed by crows & the usual blast from a Cetti's Warbler

along the path from the United Utilities Training Centre.

Ongoing work at the sewage works meant there were no Gulls or Crows but a dozen Grey Wagtails & a couple of Pied Wagtails were

seen hitching a ride on the filter bed stirrers.

Also a dark looking Buzzard size raptor with a long slim tail that flew over but was unable to get a decent pic for identification.  

Afternoon visit for a couple of hours.

Willow Warblers calling all around the reserve brightened up a rather dull day.

The main lake was very quiet with only a juvenile Little Grebe of note with three calling juvenile Kestrels circling the trees. 

Plenty of Swallows & Swifts screeching overhead & a Cetti's Warbler belted out a song very close by but unable to locate.

Workmen on the sewage works meant there were hardly any Gulls but a Pied & Grey Wagtail were seen with a Jackdaw.

Also seen :- Kingfisher flying down Pennington Brook; Tree Sparrow; Greenfinch & Goldfinch.

 

 

1 x Mediterranean Gull still present, same filter bed as last week

-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Saturday 26th of June 2021 11:19:21 AM

Late news for yesterday when a pair of Mediterranean Gulls were on the filtration lagoons, one of which was ringed, and two singing Cetti’s Warblers

Info thanks to Phil Rhodes

Morning mooch 8.15am - 11am, 47 species including:-

2 x Tree Sparrow
Little Grebe with chick
Willow Tit family party
2 x Sparrowhawk
2 x Bullfinch
1 x Oystercatcher
5 x Chiffchaff
6 x Blackcap
4 x Willow Warbler
3 x Cetti's Warbler
2 x Sedge Warbler
2 x Reed Warbler
11 x Common Whitethroat

Excellent 'swarm' of feeding hirundines over the filtration beds within the sewage works this afternoon, obviously a good hatch of insects, with 180 Swallow, 220 House Martin, 30 Sand Martin, 110 Swift and also c80 Jackdaw and plenty of Black-headed Gulls joining in.

2 singing Cetti's warblers

5+ Tree Sparrow

Nice to see a healthy looking population of a variety of young birds emerging too.

Ruddy shelduck still present early afternoon, calling a lot and chasing off the drake of a pair of shelduck. I'm not sure if the female shelduck is impressed or not, she seems to be sticking to her mate but the new guy is pretty persistent and a lot bigger.

I've started a thread on the status of ruddy shelduck on the birding discussion forum.

Also raven over, Cetti's warbler singing 2 goosander (m&f) and 8 tufted ducks.

 

-- Edited by colin davies on Thursday 13th of May 2021 03:49:49 PM

Sightings from around midday today included:

1 Hobby drifting slowly over north

1 Raven flying over low south

2 Shelduck

8 Tree Sparrow

20 Tufted Duck

2 Greylag Geese

2 singing Cetti's Warblers

10 singing Reed Warblers

3 singing Sedge Warblers

17 Blackcap, including 13 singing males

 

 

Late post for Saturday - 48 species amble including:-

2 x Common Whitethroat - first of the year
2 x Willow Warbler
3 x Blackcap
2 x Cetti's Warbler
12 x Chiffchaff
32 x Gadwall
23 Tufted Duck
2 x Teal
2 x Shelduck
5 x Tree Sparrow
3 x Oystercatcher

Sunday morning walk - 48 species inc.

Willow Tit x 1
Tree Sparrow x 4
Willow Warbler - 1st of the year, in the same tree as last year
Blackcap x 3
Cetti's Warbler x 1
Oystercatcher x 3
Mediterranean Gull x 2
House Martin x 3 (very early in the morning).
Sand Martin/Swallow x mixed flock of approx. 100 bird
Little Grebe x 3 (different pools)
Greylag x 4
Shelduck x 2
Tufted Duck x 21
Gadwall x 22
Teal x 4

17.00
pair of Mediterranean Gulls on the filter beds
Pair of Shelduck
3 Blackcap

Today:

pair of Mediterranean Gulls on the filter beds

Pair of Shelduck

100+ Sand Martin

2 Swallow

4 Tree Sparrow

Info thanks to Phil Rhodes

29 Whooper Swans flew over Bents and hope Carr North at 10.55 this morning 

Saturday am, 46 species including.
2 x drake Shoveler
40 x Tufted Duck
19 x Gadwall
1 x long staying female Pochard
7 x Goosander
Definitely 3 but up to 6 Oystercatcher
At least 1000 Black headed Gulls, most Ive seen on here. All lifted with a great racket and would not resettle, no idea why.
2 x Buzzard
2 x singing Cettis Warbler
7 x Chiffchaff
4 x Little Grebe
8 x Tree Sparrow

Couple of hours late afternoon when the weather picked up :- of note

Only 1 of the resident 4 Mute Swans today on main pool.

Also 2 Oystercatcher on the island, 2M + 2F Goosander, a few Teal & Gadwall plus a Buzzard very low over back pool with a Cetti's Warbler singing nearby.

Never seen as many Long-Tailed Tits - they were everywhere, at least 50 seen unless the same gang were following me around!

Also seen M & F Bullfinch, Goldfinch, Tree Sparrows, 15 Linnet & a Grey Wagtail on Pennington Brook plus a Pheasant heard.

Quite a few singing Chiffchaffs dotted around the site also.

 

-- Edited by Lez Fairclough on Tuesday 16th of March 2021 10:27:06 PM

But it is a gem of a site when you get to know it, has given me 90 species since lockdown, not bad for a run down little looked after site just a stones throw from Leigh Town Centre.

Late post for Saturday am, 48 species incl.
First singing Chiffchaff of the year though at least one has been present over winter.
2 x Oystercatcher
3 x Goosander
6 x Tree Sparrow
2 x Grey Wagtail
1 x Meadow Pipit
1 x Pochard
37 x Tufted Duck
1 x Water Rail flushed from the path
3 x Cetti's Warbler in full voice

-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Sunday 7th of March 2021 08:12:29 PM

Unfortunately, this site merely hangs on to its ‘nature reserve’ title for prosterity only, it is no longer, nor has been for years now, any form of nature reserve.

Afternoon walk around the site. Of note:-

Tree Sparrow

2 Oystercatcher at main lake

Goosander 2 female, 1 male on main lake

1 Chiffchaff calling 

 

2:30 to 5:15pm - a very pleasant spring-like afternoon.

Main lake - Gadwall; Teal & Tufted Ducks. The resident family of Mute Swans came off the lake & stood right beside me begging!   

Also a single Little Grebe & 3 Fieldfare in the nearby trees which is a site first for me.

 

Elsewhere on the reserve :- 3 Buzzard; 4 Sparrowhawk one of which was soaring very high (thanks to Dave Shallcross for I.D.)

Jay; Female Pheasant; Song Thrush; 2 flushed Woodcock within 10 yards of each other; Male Chaffinch; M & F Bullfinch; 

Goldfinch; Female Linnet; Tree Sparrow; Long-Tailed & Willow Tit & a blast from a Cetti's Warbler from a pool reedbed.

 

Sewage works - Hundreds of mostly Black-Headed Gulls with a few Jackdaw & Pied Wagtails mixed in. 

15 Tree Sparrows present along the western edge by the Pennington Brook today, 2 Willow Tit, 2 Bullfinch (1 singing) and 3 Goosander on the main lake. Plenty of birds singing, especially Dunnock and Great Tit, around the site. Also, around 500 Black-headed Gulls feeding on the filter beds in the works.