Of note this morning

Pochard - 9 (8m,1f) pic below 

Goosander - Pair 

Wigeon -1 Male 

Teal - 1 Pair

Great Crested Grebe - 1 

Cormorant - 4 ( all sinensis race , which now seems to be the norm here ) pic below 

Grey Heron -2 

Gadwall -6

Tufted Duck -21 

Very quick lunchtime circuit from the motorway junction round the pools over the landfill. Generally very quiet, two Skylark, one Kestrel, few Goldfinch, single numbers of Blue, Great and Long-tailed Tits. Black-headed Gull, Canada Geese, Little Grebe, Tufted Duck, Mallard, Cormorant and Oystercatcher looked to be the highlights.

Nothing on the Capped Tip.

Dropped down from the Tip summit on the zig-zag path towards the gas plant and came across the best finch flock in the Alders I have ever seen. 40-45 Siskin, two Greenfinch, male Brambling, 40+ Redpoll (no large or pale ones, not that they'd stay still long enough for a full look at the flock), two Nuthatch, one Chaffinch, 3-4 Linnet, 50+ Goldfinch. Very flighty. One of the better lunchbreaks I have had in my life .

Single male Bullfinch on Silver Lane back to the motorway.

Nice today to see the Male Great Crested Grebe return early for the hopefully another sucessful breeding season , apart from that pretty quiet on the pools , with 5 Gadwall and 4 Teal only other things of real note .

In the last week there have been irratic Redpoll numbers ,up to 60 one day then 6 the day after and none today , the odd Marsh Harrier passing through from Woolston to Little Wooldon moss . Siskin also noted most days up to 20 but again down to 2 today. Mute Swans have moved on after spending the last few weeks in a 20 foot bit of unfrozen water, maybe they will be back later in the week . 

Today as Yesterday , but Peregrine on eastern arable and 30 Redpoll present along with 10 snipe, 10 Yellowhammer and some of the most frozen landscapes ive seen since 2011.

Usual at Silver Lane last few days of note 20 Wigeon, Mute Swan Pair still present and good numbers of winter Thrushes about ,apart from that most of the pools frozen with the odd redpoll small flock around the site and a chiffchaff heard once.

39 Wigeon of note this morning plus noted from the summit 

C1000 Pink Footed Geese circled over Little Wooldon Moss and Irlam Moss then came west and landed west of LWM and slightly east of Holcroft Lane at 12pm 

01.01.2025 - As flooded as I've ever seen the area today but that helped to bring a few unusual visitors in the for of the big gulls down on the eastern side 

Of note 

Great Black-Backed Gull - 3 (shot of 1 below )

Herring Gull - 5 

Common Gull - 1 

Lesser Black Backed Gull -3 

Black Headed Gull - 100+

Wigeon - 13

Tufted Duck - 16

Little Grebe -6

Gadwall - 1 Pair

Teal -12

Shoveler - 1 imm Male

Mute Swan- 1 Pair 

Meadow Pipit - 8 

Yellowhammer -6 

Redpoll - 16 (pic below )

This morning little change only things of note

Redpoll -10 

Siskin - 10

Teal -12

Lapwing - 150 about the area usually regularly flushed by Peregrine 

Stonechat -2 

Ive never seen so few birds on the landfill - almost completely bird less 

of note this morning

Goosander - 6 (2 M , 4 f)

Wigeon-4

Teal - 17

Buzzard -3

Little Grebe - 6

Tufted Duck - 17

Coot - 28

Mute Swan - 1 Pair

Skylark - 6 

Goldfinch -40

Redpoll - 10

5 Goosander and 7 Wigeon of note this morning,  also 11 Teal .

Today more or less sane as yesterday apart from Wigeon had dropped to 15 and a pair of  stonechat extra. 

No real Change today been Deja Vu most of the Autumn and Winter so far , pools have the lowest population of Waterfowl ive seen here , the big west pool 

the most noticeable with about 7 Cormorant and 6 Tufted Ducks the only birds on there today , which is shocking really compared to the norm at this time of 

year. 

others 

Shoveler- 1 

Teal -7

Tufted Duck - 11

Coot - 21

Grey Heron-1 

Chiffchaff - 1 

Lapwing -19

redpoll - 8

Goldfinch - c100

Raven - 1 > West

Goldcrest - 1

Bullfinch -6

Redwing - 50

Blackbird - 30+

of note this morning - Pools quieter than I have ever seen them 

Mute Swan - 1 pair

Shoveler-3

Teal -7

Cormorant-7

Grey Heron-1

Siskin-10

Redpoll- 12

Chiffchaff-1

Stonechat - 1 Pair

woodpigeon- 500+ 

Lapwing - 40

plus the regular bits and bobs

Same at Moore John.

Gulls, waders, ducks seem OK (but on the wrong pools per tradition).

Passerines.....last three / four years crashed out. Think it is a bigger thing than just a Silver Lanes Pool issue. Almost no Blackcap at Moore this year (more Garden Warblers for the first time ever for me), Willow Warbler 75% down I'd say but Chiffies were at normal levels. No Wheatear on return passage despite right land conditions. Greenfinch almost totally absent again after a brief revival last year.

Only bucking trends this second winter at Moore are Chaffinch (big influx from flocks of 14ish trad to flocks of 50+ this year), Jackdaw, Woodpigeon and Mallard.

Pretty Quiet this morning of note

Wigeon- 1 Pair

Chiffchaff-1

Shoveler -3

Cormorant-8

Grey Heron -3

Kestrel-2

Buzzard-2

plus the usuals

This morning 

Pretty devoid of birds 19 Teal, 1 goosander only things of note 

12.11.24. 9-12.30

Of note

Stonechat - 4 

Fieldfare - 50

Redpoll - 55

Yellowhammer - 7 ( record pic attached)

Plus the regulars 

This Morning and early afternoon 10.30-14.00 a decent day

Greenland White-Fronted Geese - 10 on the eastern arable after apparently being disturbed from LWM earlier, they turned up strangely in the exact spot the one I found in December 2020 was found, at about 10.50 , I wonder if that bird is a lead bird in these 10?you never know stranger things have happened. They only landed for short while before a bang from possible a gun to the SE flushed them , they then headed onto the far SE of the eastern arable fields, but again only stayed down for about 10 mins before flying over the disused railway and landed again Just South of Holcroft lane , they seemingly didn't stay long there either as by 11.30 they were back at LWM in the regular field . So great to see them on the patch( record shot below) 

Stonechat-1 Male 

Redpoll - c30 (record shot below)

Siskin - c40

Fieldfare - c50 onsite and a further 300 or so over SW

Redwing - 120 over SW and about 30 or so onsite

Willow Tit-1 

Long Tailed Tit - 40+ onsite

Goldcrest-2

Chiffchaff-1

Shoveler- 2 Pair

Common Gull -1 Adult

Marsh Harrier - 2nd cy Male with Grey tail over NE 

Cormorant - 8 including the regular orange ringed bird

Meadow Pipit - 16

Grey Partridge -5

Yellowhammer-4 at the set aside

Goldfinch - 40+ 

Kestrel -2 

Buzzard-4