Worthington Lakes

Another quick look revealed a displaying pair of Great Crested Grebes, a singing Treecreeper and a Nuthatch of particular note.

Worthington Lakes

The only birding done was a quick look at the lakes behind the Catfish Study Group Conference site, featuring a couple of Great Crested Grebes and a Treecreeper.

19-20th March 2017

The weekend was spent with Ingrid up in Wigan for the Catfish Study Group Convention 2017 and the only birding we managed to do was a quick lunchtime jaunt around the adjacent Worthington Lakes, which held only four Great Crested Grebes of any note.

Back at base today, I headed out to Beddington Farmlands as the start of food recycling in the next couple of weeks will bring the site's 'Age of the Gulls' to a rather abrupt end. There were disappointingly few gulls to savour and none of any note. Small gulls were noticeable by their near-absence, with only one Common Gull and around 20 Black-headed Gulls seen. Highlights included my first Little Egret at the site since November 2015 (I was at Dungeness for much of last year but not over the winter months), as well as a pair of Wigeon, five Shelducks, a Green Sandpiper, two Snipe, the Tufted Duck x Pochard hybrid, the Black Swan, a Blackcap, three Chiffchaffs, a Cetti's Warbler and a light trickle of Pied Wagtails and Meadow Pipits seemingly moving overhead.

Black Swan at Beddington

drake Tufted Duck x Pochard with drake Tufted Duck at Beddington

Shelducks at Beddington

Wigeon at Beddington

Some photos

From the last week.

Common Buzzard today in Lambert's Shaw, by Buzzard Field (Canons Farm) - one of two birds, the other individual is a darker bird with almost uniform brown underparts

redhead Smew yesterday at dusk at Holmethorpe Sand Pits

Red-legged Partridge on Thursday in Broadfield (Canons Farm)

Goosanders on New Year's Day at Pennington Flash

First-winter Spoonbill on New Year's Eve at Marshside

Long-eared Owl at Marton Mere on New Year's Eve

End of 2012 - Start of 2013

2012 ended okay with a trip up to Manchester. At least, the birding was okay, the rest of it was pretty uncomfortable. I had to stay in the only available room with my parents, sleeping on an inflatable bed that was half a foot too short, and both the heating and the television volume were always on extremely high for my gran. The best day was that spend with Liam, on New Year's Eve. The two Long-eared Owls at Marton Mere were the highlight. Marshside was also enjoyable with a first-winter Spoonbill, a female Merlin, two Ruffs and numbers of wildfowl and waders including Black-tailed Godwits, Golden Plovers and Pink-footed Geese. A pair of Pintail there was also nice. Seventy-odd Twites nearby was a real treat even though we didn't see them perched, their energetic call as they circled around us was magical though.

New Year's Day was spent at my favourite Manchester birding site, Pennington Flash. A Willow Tit and three Goosanders were the highlights, plus I heard a flock of Pink-feet.

I've been home since the evening of the 2nd. Been at the patch yesterday and today, yesterday producing George the Red-legged Partridge very easily. He clearly wanted to be added to the 2013 yearlist - I hadn't seen him since December 11th, despite looking, and he was the twenty-ninth bird I saw, proudly parading around Broadfield.

I also visited Holmethorpe Sand Pits today, where Gordon Hay kindly put me onto the drake Smew - I later located the two redheads and saw the six Shelducks before they headed towards Mercers West Pit - all on Mercers Lake.

I haven't got any brilliant photos to put up but once I have some time I'll put a record shot or two of the Long-eared Owls up, and maybe one of George or a Goosander.

Happy New Year

I've posted a new page on this blog containing my 2013 patch yearlist in chronological order, as I try to get as near to 110 for the patch this year as I can.

2011's northern finale

I usually visit my family up in Manchester with my mum and dad each New Year - apart from last year we've done it each and every New Year that I can remember. Anyway, I spent some time birding up there this time - as usual - including a couple of trips with Liam Langley whom I met on Scilly.

On Friday 30th, the day after arriving I met Liam at Pennington Flash. I am a true fan of this site, even though I've never seen anything particularly fantastic there. As an inland birder it really appeals to me as a site that presents a unique, and I'm sure productive in spring and autumn, environment to find birds in. The weather was pretty naff but we only saw a couple of Willow Tits, a Goosander, lots of Goldeneyes and a few Common Snipe. Sounds like a bit of an anticlimax but I very rarely see Willow Tit and the other two birds are waterbirds so are great rarities for me.

The next day my parents kindly took us to Martin Mere and Marshside RSPB. We failed to see the Green-winged Teal at Martin Mere but were treated to the sight of numerous wildfowl including Whooper Swans and Pink-footed Geese. While we were having a last check of the teals a first-winter Hen Harrier gave a brilliant performance over the wetland, with a couple of Marsh Harriers and Ravens not far away. I was impressed by the area of wilderness at Marshside and the number of birds present; flocks of Golden Plovers and Black-tailed Godwits enlivened the rolling, heavy sky along with swarms of Starlings. Wildfowl numbers were pretty good here, too - a flock of about a dozen White-fronted Geese being the pick of the mix. A female Merlin saw the year out.

Raven and Marsh Harrier at Martin Mere

New Year's Day, Sunday, and I was ready to head to Chorlton Water Park, Liam's patch, but he was snookered after a New Year do, and my family was running late so I took a leisurely trip to Pennington Flash. Finally connecting with the drake Scaup was the highlight and I saw Willow Tits and a Goosander again. I moved on to another site (secret) after lunch - I'd never been there before, quite a nice gaff - where I was pleased to see a "top secret duck" amongst other common wildfowl.

Scaup at Pennington Flash

***** duck in hiding

Monday I slept in, I was exhausted from being forced to try to be sociable with relatives and had more to come later in the day before a longish journey home. When I awoke I debated whether to have a brief trip to Pennington, or a look at the water body I spotted on Google Maps a five minute walk from my gran's. Being experimental and groundbreaking, I drove (yes, I did) to the site and was amazed at the inland birding wonderland that lay before me. Blackleach Country Park, containing Blackleach Reservoir. There were lots of people and lots of dogs but they would make any local patcher's finds there even more rewarding when they came about. It had great habitat, was a pretty big lake and fringed with reeds, shrubs and woodland. I was so glad I went there, I'll certainly be taking it up as a Manchester patch. In that one isolated trip I found what I have researched to be site notables, including a pair of Ravens, a pair of Gadwall and a winter Chiffchaff. There is a guy who watches it quite a bit and he's had things like Oystercatcher, Ringed Plover, Green Sandpiper, Red-crested Pochard, Little Ringed Plover, Whooper Swan, Whinchat, Wheatear, Willow Tit and Pink-footed Goose there.

Blackleach Reservoir, in Blackleach Country Park

Raven at Blackleach

I've got some shots of Willow Tits and things that I'll add later

weekend up north

From the 23rd to 24th I was up in Manchester and took the opportunity to add a few birds to the year list that would be tricky in the south east.Martin Mere; with skeins of Pink-feet flying in while Whoopers rest up
On Saturday I made my way to Martin Mere for the wildfowl there including Whooper Swans and Pink-footed Geese.Whooper Swans flying in

Even on driving up to the reserve I added Pink-foot to the year list as streams of birds landed on a nearby field. Whooper Swans were more than easy to see and were an impressive sight especially in the grand numbers in which they occur at the site. Other year ticks at Martin Mere were Pintail, Ruff, Black-tailed Godwit and Barnacle Goose.A Tree Sparrow at the main feeding station was nice to see as were the large numbers of commoner wildfowl, and a Common Buzzard.Whooper Swan
Skein of Pink-footed Geese

Whooper Swans

Pink-footed GooseBlack-tailed Godwits
Ruddy Shelduck x Mallard?
Ruffs
Pintail
Barnacle GooseTree Sparrow

Reed Buntings
Great Spotted Woodpecker

Sunday was spent closer to the hotel, at my northern patch Pennington Flash, a brilliant place. I got two nice year ticks here, Willow Tit and Goosander which both afforded excellent views. 2 of the former were at the feeding station and I counted a total of 22 Goosanders. 8 Goldeneyes including 5 drakes was a treat and 103 Lapwings were startled by something.Willow TitGoosander
Goosander


Goldeneye
Bullfinch
Reed Bunting