F Great Spotted Woodpecker vocal in trees near Penketh Old Hall
F Grey Wagtail in stoney gutter adjacent to Old Tip
Pair Bullfinch Old Tip
1 Great Crested Grebe on River
Fieldfare over
Gatewarth
Plenty of Redwings in the hedges with Blackbirds and Tits. One Redwing absolutely hoovering up the berries on a hawthorn.
Single Kestrel hunting.
3 or 4 Meadow Pipits on Old Tip.
Gatewarth
Flock of 20+ Fieldfares flying from the hedges ;First of the season for me.
3 Grey Partridge flushed from top of bank.
1 Grey Wagtail in yard of Penketh Hall Stables.
Low tide (0.5m) late morning yesterday and good for waders on the mudflats west of Norton Marsh, totals:- Lapwing 1254 Golden Plover 7 Redshank 36 Black-tailed godwit 11 Curlew 9 Also a steady passage of Skylark overhead with a few meadow pipits and 2 swallows. Red Admiral, Speckled Wood, Common Darter and Migrant Hawker still on the wing.
Few hours this morning over high tide at wigg Island viewing from the tower hide highlights
Along the river Lapwing 45 Curlew 20 Shelduck 53 Redshank 2 Great white Egret 3 on far bank of river along with 4 Little Egret and 5 heron as the tide came up in the same scope view
Buzzard high over
Gull numbers up on River
Toadlet-this year,s young
Fox on far side of River up and down edge of water. Drinking from River at one point
Osprey was present and in full view (although distant) of the hide overlooking Norton Marsh, on a large rock on the far banking of the Mersey, it didn't move from there for approx 1 and half hrs and was still present until we left the hide at roughly 5pm. Other birds from the hide included an increasing number of Great Black-backed, Herring, and Black-headed Gulls gathering on the mud bank not far from the Osprey.
Many thanks to the couple coming away from the hide who told us the Osprey had just landed, and good to meet the 2 Mersey birders in the hide who reported the Peregrines were on show earlier towards the gas towers, but me and Mum missed them. They also saw Tree Sparrows in the vicinity but again we missed them.
Other birds of note: 5 Buzzard 4 Reed Bunting 2 Linnet 1 Yellowhammer (more heard) 1 Whitethroat 1 Jay Plenty of Swallow and Swift.
Some of the sightings seen on way back from the hide to the car.
Went down for the Osprey this afternoon via Moore NR - cracking day of Midsummer birding, with the Osprey turning up fifteen mins after my arrival - flying right down the Mersey - before emerging with a massive fish. It took this to the far bank - on a bit of scaffold - and proceeded to pick at it lazily, as seen through my scope. A good tick and a lifer for me.
There was a Shelduck on the mudbank, plus a Kestrel hunting Upper Moss Side. Pretty sure I had a singing Corn Bunting, but definitely circa 3 Yellowhammers, with one seen.
Good scope views of the osprey as it sat on the far bank opposite the Norton marsh hide, after a while it flew further away to the left, still present when I left at 3.20pm.
Osprey showing well this morning for a couple of hours. Finally took to the air as we were leaving but didn't move too far and was still in view. Good views of yellowhammer and linnet also.
Cheers Sid, yeh that flower meadow has been busy recently, Yellowhammer seem to like the area - and I've have a few Tree Sparrow sightings this year although their numbers have dropped in recent years. Your Corn Bunting may have come from the farmland just to the North - where there is no access, it's a good record (I'm going to try and catch up with it tomorrow).
Finally caught up with the Osprey, sat in a tree opposite the UMS hide. Thanks to the eagle-eyed couple who pointed it out to me as it wasn't easy to see, being sat side on with very little white showing! Nice to see one relatively close and in Cheshire too!
Other birds of note, at least 3 Yellowhammer, all male. 5 Mistle Thrush (at least 3 were juveniles), 3 Whitethroat, Buzzard, Kestrel, 2 Jay and what very much sounded like a Grasshopper Warbler reeling. Isn't this a bit too late? I guess it could have been an actual Grasshopper, as I didn't see the bird itself.
Sid whereabouts was the corn bunting? It's been several years since I had one on the patch..
Mike the Corn Bunting was on the overhead wire, on the road near the wooden bridge onto the flower meadow as I was arriving at 06.50.
PS Mike I have gone back through my records for the area for the last 10 years and although I am not as frequent a visitor as yourself I have not recorded seeing Corn Bunting there either. Could it be that the relatively new flower meadow has attracted the species especially with all of those tall grasses in there. Just a thought.
-- Edited by sid ashton on Monday 7th of July 2014 04:21:05 PM
Watched the Osprey land on a log on the river bank at Norton Marsh at 08.20 this morning. It sat preening and wing stretching in the sunshine and was still there when I left about an hour later. At one point a fox walked close to the bird but didn't seem to bother it.
Other birds of note around the flower meadow:- Common Whitethroat, Bullfinch, Kestrel and Corn Bunting. Also lots of Martins (House and Sand) over the lagoons at the power station.
Hot and sunny
Not much birdsong, Whitethroats still singing and 2 Blackcaps
2 Bullfinch seen in bushes at top of Bank
1 Grey Partridge
Most Marsh Orchids almost over-more Northern Marsh looking ones over completely Bee Orchids seemed to be over..Single Common Spotted Orchid out. Pyramidal Orchids c50 fully in flower.
Gatewarth yesterday 8.30am
2 Lesser Whitethroat still singing
1 Grasshopper warbler reeling from fiekd with Bee Orchids in. First I've heard here since April.
2 Lesser Whitethroat Both singing continuously.
One, showing v well, nr entrance /wooden bridge, The other v mobile along bushes along river bank.This bird got as far as path down to Ferry as it moved around, quite close to the other LW, both could clearly be heard singing at once.
Lots of other warblers singing-Willow , Sedge, Reed, Chiffchaff,Whitethroat
Gatewarth
1 Lesser Whitethroat singing continuously in hedges/trees near entrance to reserve, by wooden bridge. Mobile, singing all the time as it moved round. So close at one point, in hedge on main path, I couldn't focus the bins down !
3 Grey Partridge the first I've seen here this year.
Butterflies on wing inc Peacocks. Bit earlier at Oglett shore/Hale, loads of Green Veined Whites seen.
Grey Plover is a very good record Brian! I can only recall a couple of records over the last twenty years or so. I noticed over the weekend there were more Dunlin around and heard Whimbrel, also had a stunning male Whinchat.
A stunning Grey Plover with 6 Dunlin in tow on the river mudbanks this evening after the gulls had gone to roost. Amazingly a fox ran close behind them as I was watching without disturbing them and I got great scope views.
Gatewarth
2 Lesser Whitethroat singing on site today.
One from bramble choked hawthorns on top of the River Bank opposite Richmond Bank one from trees and hedges near wooden bridge at entrance to reserve.
Both skulking I did manage to see one pretty well.
Gatewarth 6.30-7.30pm
I couldn't locate Cetti's this afternoon, didn't hear Lesser W.either tho lots of Common Whitethroat singing.
1 Grasshopper Warbler reeling from close to Wind Pump.
Two youths trying to kill a pair of Gadwall on the canal with a large log. Depressing.
A Lesser Whitethroat was singing/rattling from the top of a hawthorn bush, on south side of the hedge, and level with Richmond Bank this afternoon. A site tick for me.
Several Common Whitethroats, Willow Warblers and Chiffchaffs were also in full flow.
No sight or sound of the Cetti's, but I did not venture down the bank (and I had not seen John's previous post prior to my visit).
Up to three Common Sandpipers have been seen this past week.
Cetti's Warbler singing again. Only briefly and the bird was in deep cover (massive bramble patch on top of bank where River bends...almost as far as the Wind Pump) and not moving.
Just before this, from hedge bordering main path, a female Redstart flew out as I approached. Third site tick of the week ! Lots of Blackcaps feeding along this hedge too.
A least 4 prob 5 Grashopper Warblers reeling in Old Tip area. Numerous Warblers singing. Single Whitethroat. 2/3 Swallows.
M Kestrel hunting. Two Buzzards in air together, one calling repeatedly.
Gatewarth
8-30 - 9-30pm
No sign of the Cetti's from yesterday but I was a bit later on site..
Grasshopper Warblers seem to have relocated a bit, all 5 heard reeling tonight spread out on the Old Tip area, none on the field where they've been singing from up to now.
Another site tick for me today when a Cetti's Warbler heard singing loudly and repeatedly from bushes on top of riverbank.
Very mobile, moving constantly along brambles and trees as it sang.
Skulking but after about 20 minutes I did get a pretty decent sight of it .
Maybe the same bird that was present a couple of years ago at Sankey Bridges?
Gatewarth
At least 3 ,probably 5 , Grasshopper Warblers reeling in small area of brambles and reeds in field sloping down to the Ferry pub.
One glimpsed.