Late post from yesterday, getting a bit overgrown to see much so only birds of note around the bridleway/pools were a hunting kestrel, a grey heron, and a pair of jays. Also the usual moorhens and mallards. Sure I heard a red-legged partridge on the walk back (on the footpath past Dainewell Woods) but couldn't locate it - are they at all common around here?
3 Little Ringed Plover (2 flew off high SW) 1 Sedge Warbler- seen carrying food 1 Reed Warbler - showed well than sang briefly 3 Blackcap 6 Chiffchaff singing 4 Whitethroat 1 Greenfinch 1 Kestrel 1 Jay 1 Yellowhammer - singing 1 very young Coot
5.30pm 1 Oystercatcher 9 Lapwing 10 Black-headed Gulls including 2 juv 2 Chiffchaff both singing 2 Bullfinch (pair) 2 Whitethroat 1 Reed Bunting singing 1 Kestrel over causing panic amongst the Hirindines 2 juv Coot 1 juv Moorhen Also- Possible singing Grasshopper Warbler - very faint and distant. Difficult to be 100% due to a breeze rustling the leaves!
About 20 Lapwing circling around when I arrived, and landed on the pool away from the main bridleway. Other birds on the pools included 2 Oystercatcher, 1 juvenile Black Headed Gull, and Canada Geese, Moorhens and Coots all with fairly well-grown chicks. 1 Reed Bunting heard and one seen, too.
1 Reed Warbler by the solar farm showing well, and further up the bridleway, two Buzzards over, a pair of Jays, and a Yellowhammer. Plenty of Whitethroat, Blackcap, and Chiffchaff about.
2 Reed Warblers behind the solar farm, and at least two on the pool nearest to the bridleway. Also spotted a Yellowhammer behind the solar farm.
Both the Oystercatcher and the Ringed Plover from the other day were still present, although the Ringed Plover flew off in the direction of the recycling centre just as I was leaving.
Couldn't locate the garden warbler(s) unfortunately but did find 2 very vocal reed warblers, one by the entrance to the solar farm and one at the bottom of the pool by the horse fields.
Other birds seen included a single oystercatcher on the main pool near the bridleway and a ringed plover on the second pool further back from the path, as well as a whitethroat on the bridleway.
Also lots of tufted duck, gadwall, moorhen, and coot on the pools, along with two grey herons, a couple of pied wagtails and plenty of house martins and swallows.
4 Garden Warblers singing this afternoon between 16.30-17.15. 3 birds singing near the mobile telephone mast on the eastern side including 2 have a singing 'battle' either side of the path. A 3rd bird nearby. The 4th bird on the northern side behind the solar farm. Nightmares to see though! I managed a few brief views of 1 bird as it flew between bushes. Also: 3 Reed Warblers singing- 1 seen 2 Blackcap singing 3 Whitethroat - 2 singing 1 Chiffchaff singing 2 Bullfinch 1 Yellowhammer (m) 3 Gadwall 4 Tufted Duck 1 Little Grebe A few Swift, Swallow and House Martin over.
4 Garden Warblers singing this afternoon between 16.30-17.15. 3 birds singing near the mobile telephone mast on the eastern side including 2 have a singing 'battle' either side of the path. A 3rd bird nearby. The 4th bird on the northern side behind the solar farm. Buggars to see though! I managed a few brief views of 1 bird as it flew between bushes. Also: 3 Reed Warblers singing- 1 seen 2 Blackcap singing 3 Whitethroat - 2 singing 1 Chiffchaff singing 2 Bullfinch 1 Yellowhammer (m) 3 Gadwall 4 Tufted Duck 1 Little Grebe 2 Reed Bunting A few Swift, Swallow and House Martins over
a good haul of 37 species on an hour long walk from the tip to the woods by field 5. Highlights included a garden warbler singing briefly by the pond and on the opposite side a reed warbler and sedge warbler. A buzzard frightened the life out of me in the woods by flying straight in front of me. Other species included 2 whitethroat, 2 willow warbler, 6 stock dove, skylark, reed bunting, about 8 swift, 20 house martin, swallow and an overflying oystercatcher as well as common passerines, wildfowl, crows, lapwing, Woodpigeon and the usual pheasants.
-- Edited by Chrisshaw3479 on Monday 15th of May 2017 09:41:44 PM
-- Edited by Chrisshaw3479 on Monday 15th of May 2017 10:07:39 PM
200+ sand Martin 6+ house martin 5 + swallow 2 oystercatcher 6 blackcap 4 chiffchaff 2 willow warbler Pretty sure I heard a garden warbler near the solar panels
1 Garden Warbler singing really well (in the rain) in the bushes near the phone mast at 5.30pm this evening. I managed a few brief views of it. 1 Sedge Warbler 1 Reed Warbler - heard only 3 Whitethroat 1 Willow Warbler Lots of Swallow and House Martins plus a few Sand Martin and Swift feeding low over the ETW 1 Buzzard over 1 Coot feeding 2 newly hatched chicks 2 Gadwall - pair 2 Mute Swans 6 Canada Geese
Garden Warbler showing reasonably well (for a Garden Warbler) in the area around the phone mast. Also a Common Sandpiper in the flooded horse paddocks (thanks to Tony O'Mahony for that one).
Of note: 2 Reed Warblers, heard only 2 Sedge Warblers, one seen in the 2nd overgrown bed on the left, and the other past the pylon towards the estate. Not as many of the other common warblers, on what's left of this site, after the solar farm was sneaked in by United Utilities.
16.45 2 Reed Warbler - heard only 8 House Martin Lots of Swallows 1 Sand Martin 8 adult Canada Geese plus a brood of 9 goslings 2 Mute Swan 3 Tufted Duck 1 Gadwall 1 Willow Warbler
8.15am 1 Reed Warbler singing from the overgrown bed on opposite side of path to solar farm. But it remained out of sight! 1 Grey Wagtail (m) by the large grey tanks. 2 Mute Swans
Finished our day out here with 5 Yellow Wagtails. Initially 1 in the first horse paddock, giving very good views, 1 part way along the bank in front of the spinners and three at the far end of the field below that bank. 10+ Pied Wagtails, mainly at the far end of that field with the Yellows and a pair of Grey Wagtails flew over towards the stables.
Swallows, House and Sand Martins, Meadow Pipits, etc.
One of the 5 Yellow Wagtails - taken through chain link fencing:
Finished our day out here with 5 Yellow Wagtails. Initially 1 in the first horse paddock, giving very good views, 1 part way along the bank in front of the spinners and three at the far end of the field below that bank. 10+ Pied Wagtails, mainly at the far end of that field with the Yellows and a pair of Grey Wagtails flew over towards the stables.
Swallows, House and Sand Martins, Meadow Pipits, etc.
Little Egret (1) - Quick scan as I passed through on the bike - Little Egret on the flooded paddock along with teal and moorhen. 20+ pied wagtail on the paddock opposite.
17.00 26 Teal in flooded horse field - probably disturbed by the heavy machinery that had been operating within the 'pools' compound between front and middle pools.
Front pool: 2 Mute Swan 4 Shoveler 2 Teal 2 Gadwall 1 Goldcrest in bushes next to path