I fancy trying for the singing Marsh Warbler here tomorrow but I'd have to go at dawn's crack and their website says it doesnt open till 9. Does anyone know if this just means the hides and reception like some similar reserves, or the whole place?
Thanks, Mark

31/07/11 AM to PM

MARSH SANDPIPER still there right in front of the hide (as you approach the visitors centre its the furthest on the right - if you havent seen it - but most people seem to have been already). The hide was absolutely heaving and there was a pretty big queue for a seat.

7 Marsh Harriers (m,m,f,f,f,f,f)
1 indestructible Avocet chased one of them out of the lake, pecking it in the air. Great stuff.
40+ Teals
30ish Spotted Redshanks
8 Dunlin
3 more Avocets plus 2 very young avocets
8-10 Green Sandpipers
6 Greenshanks
2 Redshanks
30+ Black Tailed Godwits
3 BEARDED TITS (Xerox Hide in the reeds on the shore line opposite)
1 Little Grebe
4 Linnets
2 Reed Buntings
20+ Little Egrets
1 Peregrine
1 Kestrel
3 Sedge Warblers (heard)
1 Reed Warbler (heard)

happy birding,

Rob

Despite my best efforts to try and ignore the Marsh Sandpiper at Blacktoft Sands, reading reports from fellow Manc Birders finally tempted me to fill up the petrol tank on my over worked Hyundai and head east across the Pennines.

Apart from a young female driver in a mini trying to commit suicide by over taking us on the slip road to the M56 - she almost turned her car over and ended up facing oncoming traffic - us ! the journey was speedy and uneventful.

Looking to load the odds in my favour I enlisted the assistance of Blacktoft expert Sid Ashton. Sid had already seen this bird two weeks earlier and has visited the reserve on several occasions.

Arriving before the crowds at 8am we had the place entirely to ourselves. The first question, with no one around to ask, was which way to go ?

It's seems inexplicable that when you bring along an expert for guidance, one chooses to ignore that advice - and yet that's exactly what I did. "The birds probably up at the left hand end of the reserve said Sid" No, according to a report on the reception bulletin it was last seen yesterday at the Singleton Hide, lets go that way I said. That mistake was going to cost us most of the morning.

Of course, the Marsh Sandpiper was no where to be seen from the Singleton Hide, despite there being plenty of waders around, including several Greenshanks, which, try as hard as I might, Sid wouldn't allow me to turn into a MS - it's a pain sometimes when you have an expert with you ! One consolation at this stage was the sighting of a young family of six Bearded Tits flitting around the edge of the reeds, marvellous stuff.

Reluctantly we eventually decided to move back up the reserve checking every hide as we went along, seeing plenty of birds along the way, including more Bearded Tits, several Marsh Harriers, more Greenshank, Black Tailed Godwit and Green Sandpiper amongst many others.

Arriving at the Marshland Hide to find a few birders inside we were dismayed to learn that the bird had been feeding there early on but had moved on, probably to the scrape at the Ousefleet Hide. Off we went.

No luck there either, things were beginning to feel like Henry Cooks experience earlier in the week. So we split up, one covering one end of the reserve and one the other. Three and a half hours, and several mobile phone calls later, I eventually got on the bird - just the briefest glimpse - back at the Singleton Hide: huge relief nonetheless. Sid soon joined me and a very full and excited hide were eventually treated to extensive views of the bird as it fed in the margins in front of the hide.

Having found the target bird we were able to relax and take full stock of the birds around. More Marsh Harriers - at least seven seen we think and Sid counted fourteen Bearded Tits in total.

And that was the end of our day, time to head home - but not before Sid rescued his glasses from the roof of the car having driven several hundred yards down the road ! Just a day in the life of a North West birder I guess.



-- Edited by John Barber on Friday 29th of July 2011 09:38:18 PM

26/07/2011 - Marsh Sandpiper still present in the afternoon but a bit of a nightmare to track down. Took 4 hours of scuttling the kilometer or more between hides, regularly being told "you should have been here a minute ago" after the bird had been chased on a couple of occasions by Avocets. After the initial relief of finally seeing it at the Marshland scrape it was great to get close views of this rare and rather delicate wading bird amongs the wader-fest at present. Also about were:

3 Little Egrets
28 Greylag Geese
1 Pochard - plus 3 young still
3 Marsh Harriers
1 Kestrel
2 Curlew Sandpipers
9 Dunlins
14 Ruffs
15 Spotted Redshanks
2 Greenshanks
8 Common Snipes
40+ Black-tailed Godwits
4 Green Sandpipers
3 Avocets - plus young
3 Yellow Wagtails - plus 8 or more youngsters
4 Reed Warblers
2 Sedge Warblers
1 Bearded Tit

first time here with phil kelly,good day. 53 species seen.
at least 8 marsh harriers at one time,mostly juveniles. been reported there is 16 juveniles fledged this year.
marsh sandpiper did one on thursday, no spoonbills either
12+spotted redshanks
3 greenshanks
6 green sandpipers
6 ruff (all looking different from each other, plumage wise)
5 little egrets
4 avocets + 3 chicks
1 garganey
1 bearded tit (m) good views whilst feeding on the mud on marshland pool.
1 yellow wagtail (juvenille)
8 dunlins
50+ black tailed godwits
1 snipe
redshanks
1 pochard (f) + 3 chicks
1 linnet
2 buzzard
3 kestrels
2 grey herons
1 little grebe + 2 chicks
reed warblers, sedge warblers, blackcaps, willow warblers, whitethroats,
mallards, coots, moorhens, shovelers, lapwings, teals, b-h-gulls, l-b-b-gulls
canada goose, greylag goose, pheasants, magpies, crows, starlings, feral pigeons
wood pigeons, collared doves, tree sparrows, dunnocks, wrens, blackbirds
reed buntings, goldfinches, chaffinches, blue/great & long tailed tits
swifts, swallows, sand martins & house martins.

thanks again phil for a great day out





-- Edited by steven burke on Saturday 23rd of July 2011 08:46:59 PM

16th/17th july 2011
Spent two days on the reserve with Mrs G and were treated to some memorable birding highlights , Marsh sandpiper being the main event which looked very much like a greenshank to me but with obvious more slimmer bill. Female Garganey still showing well along with 2 wood sandpipers,2 green sandpipers and 2 common sandpipers. Other birds included ,2 dunlin,2 ruff,2 spoonbill,4 avocet ,several redshank,7 marsh harriers 7 spotted redshanks 7 going in my lottery numbers,kestrel , hobby,barn owl,bearded tit, grasshopper ,sedge,reed warblers. A great weekends birding and still one of the best reserves ive visited and met some very friendly birders.juv Marsh harriers landing no more than ten yards infront of singleton hide and basking in the evening sun and eating I think baby toads hundreds of them about.Great for photos

-- Edited by Gary Gorner on Monday 18th of July 2011 08:58:47 PM

We visited yesterday and were rewarded with some fantastic views of the Spoonbill having a bath and preening. Also present were

Spotted redshank
Sedge warbler
Reed warbler
Reed bunting
Redshank
Greenshank
Shovler
Shelduck
Mallard
Coot
Marsh harrier
Avocet
Tree sparrow
Black tailed godwit
Whitethroat

Annual trip to Yorkshire for the Nightjar at Hatfield Moors. Also called in at North Cave Wetlands. Amongst other stuff at Blacktoft :-

Spoonbill (2)
Marsh Harrier (c.8)
Avocet (75+)
LRP (1)
Snipe (2)
Black tailed Godwit (c.15)
Spotted Redshank (1)
Greenshank (1)
Sedge Warbler
Reed Warbler
Whitethroat
Blackcap
Tree Sparrow (c.12)
Yellowhammer (c.8)

There was a sign up stating the pools by the most northerly hide had completely dried up due to the dry weather and words to the effect that there was nothing to see. We didn't walk up there but it's where the Barn Owl nest box is and where you get a usual tick. It's a different world, weather wise, east of the Pennines!

-- Edited by Mark Jarrett on Sunday 12th of June 2011 10:43:20 AM

sunday visit

just one thing of note other than the usual suspects, 2 long earded owls sat in the tree 10ft from the xerox hide, thankfully roped off to avoid disturbance to the birds but what a interesting position to roost, so close to everyone walking by all the time

Good wader action at Blacktoft today. Well worth a visit. Decent stuff included:

Curlew sandpiper (ridiculous amounts)
Little stint (2)
Wood Sandpiper (1)
Dunlin
Spotted Redshank (4)
Redshank
Black tailed godwit
Greenshank
Little Ringed Plover
Ringed plover
Snipe
Yellow wagtail
Marsh Harrier
Sparrowhawk
Kestrel

Loads of those mini toad things aswell. Fascinating.

The Spoonbills werent about sadly. The sheer number of Curlew sand was quite impressive. Its not often they re the most common wader when you re in a hide and all the views were really close up. Good stuff!

Thanks Mark

late 3pm mooch


fifty snipe all in the long grass, usual ducks, teal, shovelar, single goldeneye, lots of dunlin, lapwing, from the singleton hide was merlin, barn owl and at one point 8 marsh harriers

11 july 2009

What a brilliant place to visit lots of different habitat for the birds and therefore lots of different birds .It was one of those days when you just didnt know which way to turn.Barn owl hunting over the reeds ,marsh harriers up in the air and perched in trees,bearded tits picking about in the mud,spotted redshanks doing battle with greenshanks,common redshank and blacktailed godwits for prime feeding positions.Green sandpiper having a go at the ruff and lots of warblers about sedge,reed,blackcap and whitethrote.I realy didnt want to leave this place but Bempton was calling and one of Vernons CAKES back at the car.
6 marsh harrier
6 bearded tits
2 greenshank
6 spotted redshank
1 greensandpiper
8 ruff
1 barn owl
1 kestrel
plus lots of the more common birds

Well done to all who saw this bird and no surprise in not identifying it as an Amur. The Amur has only recently been recognised in its own right anyway, as it was formerly the Eastern Red-footed Falcon. I remember seeing the Black-eared Kite last year in Norfolk, which was very far from its wintering grounds of South East Asia and Indonesia. At least this Amur Falcon was going in almost the right direction, seeking its wintering grounds in southern Africa, who knows what might turn up next!?

Does anyone else find it odd that all the discussion is about whether people could/should tick/list/whatever this particular bird, rather than the how and why of its' re-identification, together with the implications, if any, for sightings of non-adult red-foots in the future?

As an advocate of find-it-yourself birding I'd have thought that would have been of interest to you, Ian? Maybe we need another i.d. guide for the articles section. Field sketches only, of course, no photos

Ian McKerchar wrote:

---

But i just wonder how much satisfaction comes from a tick with those circumstances?

---

Not much satisfaction in the slightest Ian, but ive seen the bird and if its accepted as an Amur all well and good and im glad i went to Tophill Low when i did, i enjoyed watching the bird as a Red Foot at the time.. as for satisfaction? That came im massive amounts from yesterdays morning at Elton, a morning which i will remember for a long time and was much better than any Armchair tick.

-- Edited by Simon Warford at 13:22, 2008-10-19

i do remember simon remarking on the light underwing coverts...

Don't know about Simon's, but "slap" OML!

If I send a photo taken when it was thought to be a Red-foot how would you caption it on the Website?!

-- Edited by Rob Smallwood at 22:55, 2008-10-18

-- Edited by Rob Smallwood at 23:16, 2008-10-18

Simon Warford wrote:

---

Sat 27th - visited Blacktoft with Paul Cliff and Melanie Beckford. Possible distant Honey Buzzard flying west late am plus definate Hobby, Merlin, Marsh Harrier, male Sparrowhawk with prey and several Kestrel. A nice group of 9 Bearded Tits gave excellent views both on the mud and perched on the tops of reeds from Marshland Hide, also water rail but few waders just Spotted Redshanks and Ruff of any note.

Then on to Tophill Low for another raptor. This time a sparkling 1st summer male Red Footed Falcon performed on and off for us all afternoon and gave wonderful views hunting dragonflies sometimes just above our heads. With several Buzzards here and more sparrowhawks it turned out to be a decent raptor day

On the water several Pintail amongst the hundreds of tufteds and the adult winter Black Necked Grebe remained, all in all an enjoyable outing.

t'was a great day out,a proper Raptor-fest,the Bearded Tits were a lifer for me but the display the Red Footed Falcon put on had us all stunned,never dreamed or hoped to see such a show......brilliant!! and the company was good too

---

Hi Simon

I try to get over there a couple of times each year - unfortunately missed this year so far. Looks like you had a superb day.

Definitely one of my favourite places for birding.

Rgds

Mike

sue and I are going on Wednesday - be nice to see a few more waders.