Best sighting today was a juvenile Green Woodpecker with another unseen bird calling nearby (near Windybottom Farm)
Main Lake : Mallard broods down to 2 & 5 (from 2 & 7) 4 Great Crested Grebes (2 ads & 2 juvs, down from 3) 45 adult and 20 juv Coot 1 adult Little Grebe 25 House Martins 1 Sand Martin 1 Sparrowhawk over
1 Kingfisher flew up-river 1 Buzzard with missing central tail feathers giving impression of forked tail
148 adult Mallard (record number?) but only 2 broods of 7 & 2 ducklings 2 adult Great-crested Grebes tending 3 young 38 adult Coot and 12 young 1 Buzzard
My first visit for 5 weeks and the gates at Main Lake were shut so birding was through thick foliage which hampered views. But a couple of surprises.
My first Kingfisher at the site this year. Hovering as it hunted. Lovely. 1 Adult Great crested Grebe was feeding 3 half grown chicks. I didn't see a second adult but it could well have been present. (The odd thing is that 5 weeks ago there was only 1 fairly well grown chick. If they lost this could they have raised a second brood to 1/2 size of adult in only 5 weeks? I'm sure there weren't 2 pairs nesting here) 1 female Goosander 1 Grey Heron on the bank 1 Adult Little Grebe 2 Chiffchaffs
Overhead were 11 Swifts, 5 House Martins and 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls.
Cheers, John
-- Edited by John Rayner on Wednesday 31st of July 2013 09:41:45 PM
Forgot to post that there was a common sandpiper (and a very confiding one at that) on Monday 15th, which is probably quite unusual for here? Also common whitethroats were in noisy family party, with at least 4 birds seen.
The Great Crested Grebe chick is now almost the same size as the adults. 1 Adult Little Grebe. 2 New Coot nests under construction Juvenile Carrion Crow
On the river a juvenile Dipper, a pair of Grey Wagtails collecting food and 3 juvenile Long-tailed Tits.
At Linnet Cough Res a male Tufted Duck and 3 Mallards.
Not been down for over a month so don't know how many chicks the Great Crested Grebes started with - they currently have 1. Tufted Duck - 1 pair. Mallard with brood of 9 Canada Geese 28 Coot - broods of 4, 2, 2, and 1 with another bird still sitting. Great Spotted Woodpecker Blackcap 2
North Lake
Tufted Duck - 1 pair (may be from Main Lake)
Linnet Clough Reservoir
Canada Goose pair with brood of 5 Willow Warbler and Chiffchaff singing But not a lot else.
... managed to read all 3 Darvics on the Mute Swans
Blue 7HPV Blue 7HNZ Blue 7HJH
I'm told these are not Cheshire or Lancashire codes.
Cheers, John
I have just found out that these were ringed as part of a brood of 8 on 12/09/2012 at Newport, Shropshire. They were at Roman Lakes from 27th Oct 2012 - 4th Jan 2013.
Many thanks to Steve Christmas and Kane Bridges for managing to track down this information when I was only hitting brick walls.
Main Lake held 2 Great Crested Grebes and 1 male Tufted Duck among the usuals. 1 Buzzard over. 1 Dipper (unringed) and 2 Grey Wagtails on the river. 2 Male Pied Wagtails in a claw-locked fight.
Great-crested Grebes are displaying Coot numbers are down to 22 but now 4 sitting birds The single male Tufted Duck now joined by 2 more males and a female In the woodland fringe GS Woodpecker was drumming, Nuthatches calling and a Treecreeper feeding.
A few decent birds today - mostly on or over the river.
Main Lake - now 2 Great-crested Grebes again. I've not seen more than 1 since 15th March. Apart from the regulars the male Tufted Duck remains.
On the river there was a ringed Dipper (metal), a pair of Goosanders, 3 Grey Wagtails and a nice flock of 8 male Mandarins displaying to a single female. Overhead 3 Buzzards called loudly with a stooping display. After some debate on-line about aging birders losing the ability to hear Goldcrests I am pleased to say that I heard 3 today
Wigeon (2m, 2f) Gadwall (1f) Tufted Duck (2m, 1f) 1 Great-crested Grebe (a different bird quite well advanced into summer plumage) Dipper (Unringed. On River Goyt at Bottoms Bridge) + Usuals
Main Lake: 4m Tufted Duck female Gadwall had re-appeared 2 Wigeon were new in (1ad m, 1 1st w. m) Signs of spring with one of the 2 Great-Crested Grebes adding material to a nest then a Coot showed interest and ended up standing on the nest. One of the 3 Cormorants was a male in full breeding dress and a vocal Dipper was on the river.
Also 1 Great-crested Grebe Gadwall (f) Mute Swans 3 Treecreeper 1 Sparrowhawk (male perched, female on the ground plucking Woodpigeon) Noisy flock of 41 Carrion Crows in the crown of a single tree.
Cheers, John
-- Edited by John Rayner on Tuesday 1st of January 2013 12:58:09 PM
85 Coots 65 Mallards (increase) 59 Canada Geese 3 Mute Swans (still not heard anything about their origins despite reporting it months ago) Black-headed Gulls 35 Moorhens 14 Wigeons (male now joined by a newly arrived female) Gadwall (1, f) Great-crested Grebe 1 (new in)
Main Lake: Wigeon (m) Gadwall (f) has returned unless I've overlooked it the last few visits. Tufted Duck (1m) Mute Swan (3) Coot 85 (minimum - side channels not checked) BH Gull (40)
Main Lake: Usual numbers including:- Cormorant 4 Wigeon (m) - still no sign of Gadwall Tufted Duck (2m) Mute Swans (3 juv) Great-spotted Woodpecker almost joined me in the car.
Male Wigeon still being closely tracked by female Gadwall. Seldom more than a foot apart. 3 Juv Mute Swans still 82 Coot 33 Mallard 2 Goosander overhead