Finally got to Pennington Flash on Saturday for a first visit in 2024. As a "tourist" from Northern Ireland I look forward to ticking off a few species I can't get at home. I normally go to the Bunting and Pengy's hide first and then go from there. Unfortunately limited mobility meant I got no further and I was really disappointed at the state of these two hides. My target birds were willow tit, stock dove, nuthatch and woodpecker. I had already knocked off three of these and only needed stock dove but came up empty. The Bunting hide was a lake and all the feeders were empty. Pengy's hide was overrun with squirrels who were monopolising the feeders to the detriment of the birds. Highlight was the sheer number of reed buntings, possibly 12+. The approach paths were wet and muddy and could benefit from some gravel or quarry dust. I will be back in late March but realistically I may give this site a miss. When I first visited 12/13 years ago I really looked forward to visiting and adding hard to get species, recently it has not delivered and clearly the whole reserve could do with some TLC and a bit of money spent. Appreciate budgets are tight, but I feel birders have been squeezed out by dog walkers, families and selling food at the café. Rant over!! I ticked woodpecker and willow at Elton and nuthatch at my son's garden feeder in Bolton. Thanks to the birders who check the gulls and the spit despite the high water levels, I will still check this out before my March visit and maybe things will have improved.

140 Pink-footed Geese over low west at 07:10 and lots of birds in song including Reed Buntings, Skylarks and Bullfinch all on Ramsdales Ruck and a drake Pochard at the western end.

Let afternoon today up to dusk:

19 Oystercatchers

42 Goldeneye

at least two adult Mediterranean Gulls

232 Lesser Back-backed Gulls

744 Herring Gulls

1 adult Yellow-legged Gull (the seemingly fairly regular bird)

14 Great Black-backed Gulls

Late afternoon up to dusk tonight:

First winter Caspian Gull (photos below but more photos and videos on the website)

Adult Yellow-legged Gull again (photo below)

870 Herring Gulls

48 Goideneyes

21 Oystercatchers present close to darkness, although at c4:15pm there were only 11 present!

By recent standards it was a pretty small gull roost all around again this late afternoon but three adult Mediterranean Gulls contained two new individuals (so six in the past couple of weeks thus far), one of which was following around and displaying to the usual adult off Sorrow Cow, which itself was flying around calling a lot.

Also nine Oystercatchers, 29 Goldeneye and two Little Egrets.

Early this morning Barry Hulme had four Little Egrets though.

This morning, a Woodcock was flushed from near the first car park off entrance road, also six Oystercatchers on the spit.

Info thanks to Bill Harrison

This morning's highlights were a Chiffchaff in the bushes in the western reedbed, Curlew flew north over here, Peregrine west over the western end, small numbers of Siskin in a few locations at least 2 singing Cettis Warbler and Treecreeper in at least 4 locations.also 14 Oystercatcher, 3 Greylag geese and several Water rail heard.

This morning, 

Pink-footed geese 53 over heading west at 11.15

Little egret 2 Mossley Hall farm 

Redwing 80+ Mossley Hall farm 

Pochard 4 drakes off the car park

Also tufted duck with nasal saddle CH1

 

Late afternoon up to dusk tonight:

Two adult Mediterranean Gulls (the usual breeding plumaged bird and the more non-breeding plumaged individual from the 5th)

48 Goldeneyes

13 Oystercatchers

1020 Herring Gulls

254 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

 

 

Mid-afternoon up to dusk today:

Adult Yellow-legged Gull present early on bathing furiously for a while, then flew off SW at 4:04pm (possibly one of the birds from Jan 16th)!

Two adult Mediterranean Gulls, with the usual fine breeding plumaged bird off Sorrow Cow Farm and a new, very patchy-headed bird found by Phil Rhodes. So, four birds in the past few days.

Leucistic Black-headed Gull (photo attached)

16 Oystercatchers

2 Kingfishers off Sorrow Cow

140 Lapwings

10am - 11-30am
Mallard
Gadwall
Shoveler
Teal
Tufted
Goldeneye
Coot
Moorhen
Shelduck
Canada Geese
Mute Swan
Great Crested Grebe
Cormorant
Oystercatcher
Lapwing
Redshank
Lesser Blackbacked Gull
Herring Gull
Black Headed Gull (one with damaged left wing on spit)
Little Gull (single from Horrocks, flew across spit headed NE. Winter adult.)
Robin
Wren
Blackbird
Song Thrush
Great Tit
Blue Tit
Coal Tit
Long tailed Tit
Chaffinch
Reed Bunting

-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Sunday 4th of February 2024 05:58:11 PM

Late afternoon up to dusk today:

Adult Iceland Gull (more images on the website)

Two adult Mediterranean Gulls (both breeding plumaged)

370 Herring Gulls

223 Lesser Black-backed Gulls 

3 drake Pochard

34 Goldeneyes

6 Oystercatchers

Late afternoon wander as the wind got up and the rain started. Two Muscovy ducks on the car park, the car park oystercatcher was on the spit at the Horrocks Hide with seventy-odd lapwings. A couple of drake pochards were on the flash close to the car park, at least three dozen tufted ducks out on the water with eighteen goldeneyes and three drake scoters quite far out. Large gull numbers were building up, a raft of about a hundred each of herring gulls and lesser black-backs with half a dozen great black-backs at the Eastern end of the flash, a larger but unidentifiable raft of gulls was out over by the sailing club; a lot more were coming in as I left. Three goosanders, a drake and two redheads, with the teal and shovelers at Ramsdales where a couple of willow tits were showing well in the company of a family of long-tailed tits. A couple of buzzards were sparring over the Tom Edmondson Hide.

Female Marsh Harrier at the rear of Horrocks Hide at 08:35

Info thanks to Bill Harrison

21 Lesser Redpolls in trees along the canal bank.

Info thanks to Barry Hulme

This morning, 4 Lesser Redpolls along the canal bank, 6 Goosander, 2 Little Egret and 4 Shelduck at the western end.

Info thanks to Barry Hulme

A relatively poor gull roost this late afternoon but highlights included:

85 Great Black-backed Gulls (including proportionately many more first winter birds than usual in the roost)

The usual adult Mediterranean Gull off Sorrow Cow Farm, now very close to a complete breeding plumaged black hood

Also, two Oystercatchers on the spit and a drake Pochard in Ramsdales

Highlights from mid-afternoon today up to dusk:

First winter Caspian Gull, a very advanced bird in moult and certainly new in (a few more images on the website)

620 Herring Gulls

226 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

96 Great Black-backed Gulls

Usual adult Mediterranean Gull showing very well close in off Sorrow Cow Farm/Sailing Club area

1 Curlew though east

2 Oystercatchers

1 Kingfisher off Sorrow Cow Farm

2 Sparrowhawks

1 adult Peregrine hunting over the flash for a while, having a good (but unsuccessful) go at the Lapwings

 

 

This morning, 8:45 - 12:15;

Bittern sunbathing on the edge of Ramsdales reedbed at noon

Marsh harrier 1 immature flew south over the ruck at 9:15

Little egret 7 roosting in a tree at the western end

Water rail 2 calling in Ramsdales reedbed

Goosander 32

Goldeneye 29

Teal 50+

Wigeon 1 male at western end

 

Mid afternoon up to dusk today:

2 adult Yellow-legged Gulls, one of which I almost missed as it was so close inshore off Sorrow Cow Farm!

The regular adult Mediterranean Gull

1940 Herring Gulls

37 Goosanders

97 Teal, including 66 in a single flock off the south side of the spit

109 Cormorants

21 Snipe on the spit

26 Shovelers

3 Greylag Geese at the western end again

346 Canada Geese flew in from the west at 3:40pm and dropped out from the sailing club

2 Sparrowhawks

Highlights from a couple of hours this morning included 2 adult Whooper Swan over heading North east c. 9.10am c.30 Greylag geese at the western end 11 Pink footed geese North just after 8.30 7 Siskin in trees by the leaning posts 61 Cormorant in a large fishing raft off the sailing club 2 Grey Partridge Woodcock Kingfisher Little egret in ramsdales

Early this morning:

Treecreeper in song at the western end

3 drake Pochard (two at the eastern outflow and one in Ramsdales)

Single Greylag Goose over NE

8 Meadow Pipits on Ramsdales Ruck

103 Pink-footed Geese over NW at 09:20

31 Teal with lots of displaying drakes, by the mini spit

6 Goosanders

This morning:

10 Whooper Swans flew west

7 Little Egrets

2 Willow Tits

Info thanks to Bill Harrison

5 Little Egrets, 2 Goosander, 2 Pochard and 38 Cormorants this morning.

Info thanks to Barry Hulme