Additional to Ian's evening post 30th, 2 Great White Egret were in Ramsdales reed bed/lagoon area with 4 Little Egret. On my way back from doing the Gull roost after dark, 6 Little Egret were on the island in Ramsdales and presumably 1 of the 2 Great White Egret flew up from the ditch below the canal footbridge!
63 Great Black-backed Gulls, though at least 17 flew off SW before dusk
3 Yellow-legged Gulls in the roost, with two adults including at least one new bird (the other bird probably one of the visiting adults of late) and a third calendar year bird; records photos of all on the website
Usual adult Mediterranean Gull
2 Kingfishers around Sorrow Cow Pond
Cetti’s Warbler around the shore by Sorrow Cow Pond
Late evening today saw the juvenile Garganey still present, Great White Egret at the western end, Little Egret by the spit and the adult Mediterranean Gull roosted again.
4 Whooper Swans (at least one an immature) flew SE at 08:16
744 Pink-footed Geese over, with 524 SE in six skeins and 220 W in two skeins
2 Greylag Geese over W
2 drake Pochards off the car park
3 Goosanders, including a drake, off the car park
1 Little Egret flew in from the west early morning
6+ Snipe on the spit
11 adult Great Black-backed Gulls remaining from the gull roost at first light
6819 Woodpigeons over SE in 123 flocks from 08:10 to 09:50
4 individual Skylarks over south and two still down on the ruck
8+ Meadow Pipits down on the ruck and a small handful over south
77 Redwings over S/SW in 9 flocks
1 Chiffchaff on the ruck
33 Goldfinches over south in small flocks
17 Chaffinches over south in ones and twos mainly
4 individual Greenfinches over south
Many more finches in small flocks over south, probably into three figures and many with the bulk of the Woodpigeon movement/flocks but all way too distant to identify!
A morning of high disturbance with ducks flying everywhere. Virtually no usable shore anywhere for waders due to water levels, swimmers and sailing club. One particular member of the sailing club seems determined to flush everything, constantly taking her canoe right into every nook and cranny and seemingly only happy when everything flies off. This is despite reassurances from the person in question and the sailing club that it will not happen again, it just doesn't seem to sink in. Oh well, despite the best efforts of people to disturb everything, I managed to see the following at this "National Nature Reserve" between 8:00 - 11:00;
Pochard 5 inc. 4 males
Wigeon 2 females / 1st winter off the remnants of the spit
Mandarin 1 female on what's left of Ramsdales scrape
Egyptian goose 1 adult at the sailing club
Teal 20 Ramsdales scrape
-- Edited by colin davies on Saturday 19th of October 2024 03:38:54 PM
The birds I just reported as black-necked grebes are being put out on the birding apps as Slavonian, which I must admit I thought they might be when I first saw them. In the photos, the right hand bird especially seems to have the head shape.
Please excuse the quality of the photos. I was battling with pouring rain, mist and soaked optics.
-- Edited by colin davies on Wednesday 16th of October 2024 05:14:31 PM
Great white egret 4 all in view at the same time from Green Lane. One in the western reedbed, two on the spit, one at the entrance to Ramsdales scrape.
Drake Mandarin circled the ruck before flying off back towards the canal basin. Judging by the amount of Mallards flying around at that point too it would seem they'd all been disturbed off there.
2 Great White Egrets
4 Little Egrets
53 Snipe circled the ruck at 08:25 before flying off NW. There were a few Snipe visible on the mini spit earlier but it is unknown if this flock was disturbed off the Ramsdales area or came in from elsewhere
24 (all adult) Great Black-backed Gulls, with 14 down on the water and the rest flying over NE
22 Meadow Pipits down on the ruck
748 Redwings over east in 24 flocks up to 09:30 (record shot of one of the flocks attached)
Great White Egret fishing close to Sorrow Cow Farm, then flew across to the south shore of the ruck and then flew back across to the south shore of the flash, all within the space of 10 minutes!
Adult Yellow-legged Gull
First winter Caspian Gull (more photos and videos, taken at dusk, on the website)
36 Great Black-backed Gulls
1 Cetti's Warbler calling and briefly in song around the shore by Sorrow Cow Pond
2 Great White Egret this morning, 1 was on the Rucks at dawn and then flew over to the South side a 2nd bird flew in from the West just after 8am and landed on the South side where both them fed c.25 Metres apart.
Other birds seen were at least 2 Little Egret, 8 Siskin south over in flocks of 5 and 3. 209+ Woodpigeon South, 29 Redwing in 4 flocks, the largest of 11 headed East the rest South. 8 Song Thrush west in 2 flocks, 11 Meadow Pipit south and at least 4 lingering on the Rucks. 2 Swallow south at 8.55 and 2 Greylag Geese West.
This morning from first light, saw the first 'proper' visible migration watch of the season from Ramsdales Ruck up to just after 9am:
1006 Pink-footed Geese in five skeins all moving south of the flash heading east and coming from the direction of the Mersey; c60 at 07:55, 140 at 08:05, 310 at 08:20, 56 at 08:30, c440 at 08:41
407 Canada Geese, with 364 coming in from the east in a single flock at 08:47 and dropping down off the main car park, then a further 43 flew in from the NW at 09:15
2 female/immature Wigeon on the main flash
1 female/immature Pintail flew straight through NW at 09:15
1 redhead Goosander
1 immature drake Goldeneye (associating with the Goosander!)
1 Great White Egret flew south over the ruck, from the direction of Bickershaw, at 09:25 and dropped onto the south shore of the flash somewhere
2631 Woodpigeons SE in 74 flocks up to just after 08:30 when they abruptly all but stopped moving
41 Skylarks in a single flock once again flew in from the SW at 07:56 and low north over the ruck; a roosting/feeding area movement? A further 2 birds flew high west at 09:17
21 Pied Wagtails in a single flock flew south over the ruck at 07:52
79 Meadow Pipits flew over south in 20 small flocks
345 Redwings flew over mainly E/SE in 33 flocks, the largest of 33 (which was also the latest at around 09:30 just as I was making my way off)
27 Song Thrushes on the ruck, including four dropping high out of the sky and into cover on the top of the ruck and another couple calling amongst the grass on the side of the ruck itself
This evening, a second winter Caspian Gull was in the roost, along with 41 Great Black-backed, 84 Herring, 107 Lesser Black-backed and almost 3000 Black-headed Gulls. A flock of 27 Pied Wagtails flew S/SE over Sorrow Cow Farm near dusk and a single Chiffchaff was around the pond there in a tit flock, along with a single Treecreeper.
This early morning's highlights and a couple of nice surprises included:
252 Canada Geese in a single flock flew in from the west at 08:32 and landed on the flash
Juvenile Garganey still present on Ramsdales but could not be relocated a little later
316 Tufted Ducks
814 Woodpigeons over mainly S/SE in many flocks up to 9am, though their generally low altitude and rather long straggly flocks would indicate more local(ish) movements perhaps
A remarkable (for here at least) 73 Skylarks in two wonderfully noisy flocks very low (barely tree top height) north up and over Ramsdales Ruck, with the first of 56 at 08:46 very closely followed by a further 17
4 Redwings together west over Ramsdales Ruck at 08:17, great to hear their calls once again
5 Chiffchaffs around the ruck, including one singing in shoreline bushes
4 individual Jays very high south over the ruck through the early morning
Goldfinch flock feeding on the ruck has increased to 54 birds
Water levels around the flash now expectedly very high
Last afternoon today, a female Mandarin was in Ramsdales, juvenile Garganey still, 26 Shoveler, 18 Teal, 6 Snipe, Common Sandpiper, plus adult Yellow-legged Gull and adult Mediterranean Gull roosted
This afternoon, a juvenile Garganey was on Ramsdales Scrape (video on the website), five Wigeon flew west and the Great White Egret (or one of them anyway) was still present.
Stonechat 1 first-winter on the ruck. My first at the flash since 29/11/1981!
Great white egret 2-3. Two in view at the same time on the south side and at the western end reedbed. A few minutes later probably a third bird flew in high from the north and landed on the side of the ruck. By that time I couldn't see the other two.
Little egret 2
Common sandpiper 1 at the sailing club
Swallow 2
Great black-backed gull 1 adult
Pink-footed geese 10 heading east
Shoveler 28 including 18 at the western end.
Chiffchaff 2 on the ruck.
Skylark 1 on the ruck.
-- Edited by colin davies on Wednesday 25th of September 2024 11:04:46 AM
1 Redshank flew in from the west and then lost to view behind trees so no idea if it landed at all
1 Common Sandpiper
1 adult Great Black-backed Gull
1 Swallow very low west over the ruck
Only a handful of Meadow Pipits south
24 Song Thrushes around Ramsdales Ruck was a large increase in numbers and the first real sign of their migration here, which included five birds (a two and a three) dropping high out of the sky from the north and into cover on the top of the ruck
Generally a lot quieter this morning than of late with not one egret of any species. Main highlight for me was also a Hobby, this one an immature which appeared to be hunting dragonflies , c.9.05 -9.15 over the grass fields along Slag lane which were sheltered from the brisk Easterly. Other birds of note, Common Sandpiper on the sailing club shore then later on the main spit. 2 Siskin over south, 78 Meadow pipit alos south and at least 25 Goldcrest. A female Wigeon was sat on one of the islands at the entrance to Ramsdales.