Wet week

XXXXXUpper Foulridge Reservoir

XXXXX Lower Foulridge Reservoir

XXXXXXXXXXJuvenile Grey Heron, Lower Foulridge Reservoir

XXXXXXXXXSandwich Terns, Rhos Point


XXXXXXXXXRed Knot with Turnstone, Seaforth

XXXXXXXXXVery dark Black-tailed Godwit with the Knot flock, Seaforth

XXXXXXXXXCommon Tern, Seaforth


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This week has been wet and windy and more like late Autumn than mid summer. Nice to see the Met Office have revised their prediction of a long hot summer and are now opting for more wet and windy. Might as well get the wellies out!
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HGF has been relatively quiet this week. The Coot numbers have gradually crept up to a peak of 72 birds with Tufties and Pochards fluctuating between 25-35 and 3-6 respectively. 7 Little Grebes, 3 Black-necked Grebes and 12 - 14 Great Crested Grebes have been present all week along with the ever present Mute Swans and drake Wigeon. Highlights include two Common Sandpipers on Monday (adult plus juvenile), Little Ringed Plover and a Teal on Tuesday and Wednesday and male Sparrowhawk cruising down the road just a few inches above it on Thursday. This evening 78 Black-headed Gulls flew over heading in the general direction of the Mersey - the first significant flock of gulls here for months.
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The garden has remained quiet - partly thanks to the juvenile Goldfinches sussing out what the feeder is for. Otherwise nothing of note. This evening on Waterworks Lane a couple of Yellowhammers were perched in the top of a recently trimmed hedge along with three Linnets and five Goldfinches. I also flushed 12 Mistle Thrushes out of a small tree as I walked past - another sign that the breeding season is almost over for many birds.
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Thursday was an interesting day. Working in Wales I managed to get 20 minutes at Rhos Point while I had my lunch. The tide was well out and the sea flat, however it was nice to be by the seaside, as the song says! A group of noisy Sandwich Terns (approx 130) were the highlight until some tosser decided to walk on a section of beach with signs everywhere saying do not enter. Yeah - you guessed it, he flushed the birds! Also present were 30+ Curlew, 20+ Turnstones and 3 Ringed Plovers. Offshore the only birds present were a single Gannet, 6 or 7 Guillemots and around 10 Kittiwakes.
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On the way home I nipped in to Frodsham. Sadly I spotted a Lapwing hobbling up the track with a broken wing - when I caught it I found it was a right mess - it looked like a raptor had been eating it alive. I put the bird out of its misery and felt rotten again. Around 60 Dunlin were present on No. 6 tank with a large group of Lapwings. Four Ruddy Ducks also present and a few Reed Warblers squeaking around. On the track were two juvenile Grey Partridges while six Kestrels were observed, a family group of four at the western end and a pair at the eastern end. I didn't stay long as the workmen were busy with the new road they are constructing.
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In the evening I paid a swift visit to Hope Carr. Seven Green Sandpipers on the hidden pool with an eighth on the main lake. A Grey Wagtail was also on the hidden pool and a partridge flew off from near here - I was too far away to ID the species. This evening I paid a quick trip to Foulridge Reservoirs after work having been in the area this afternoon. Two Black-tailed Godwits were the only birds of note and were soon flushed by some idiot who decided he could walk across the reservoir bed right up to them. Lots of Black-headed Gulls but no Med Gull.
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Earlier in the week at Seaforth around 2200 Knot were present on the pool nr hide tide. Just a few were still in brick red breeding plumage though most were in the familiar winter grey with some showing shades in between. Around 50 Black-tailed Godwits were there including one very dark individual along with 27 Curlews, 400+ Oystercatchers and 1 Common Sandpiper. Around 25 Turnstones, all still in stonking breeding plumage were asleep on the causeway. The Common Tern numbers were down to around 220 with no sign of any Roseates.
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Won't be long now before migration kicks in though in reality it is already underway. Many warblers will be disappearing now with new arrivals from northern europe providing a seamless transition. Also waders moving through now in large numbers - I would love a Buff-breasted Sandpiper this autumn or the White-rumped Sandpiper that regularly visits Skipool Creek. We need a few days of hot weather so that the farmers can drop the cereal crops - I can then find out how the local Grey Partridges have fared this year!

Splash of colour on a grey day

xxxxxxxxxxxRoosting Bar-tailed Godwits, Tagg's Island

xxxxxxxxxxxxMore Barwits!

XXXXXXXXXXJuvenile Sandwich Tern, Aimsdale Beach, Southport

XXXXXXXXXSanderlings, Ainsdale Beach

XXXXXXXXXXSanderling

LXXXXXXXXLesser Black-backed Gull

XXXXXXXXXXJuvenile Lesser Black-backed Gull. Note the size compared to the juvenile XXXXXXXXXXGreat Black-backed Gull in the background!

XXXXXXXXXXXLesser Black-backed Gull. I have a bit of a fascination with gulls!

XXXXXXXXXXGrey Plover, Taggs Island

XXXXXXXXXXXGreat Black-backed Gull, Ainsdale

XXXXXXXXXXJuvenile Great Black-backed Gull

XXXXXXXXXXDunlin, Ainsdale

XXXXXXXXXXXCommon Gull, Ainsdale

XXXXXXXXXXXThe usual drake Wigeon at HGF - well into moult

XXXXXXXXXX Cormorant, HGF

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A very wet day today - bloody weather! Anyway it provides me with a convenient excuse for the dodgy digiscoping!

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I started off this morning sitting in the conservatory, staring out of the window and wondering whether the rain would stop at all today. The garden was very quiet for a while, all of a sudden the juvenile Great Spotted Woodpecker appeared on the peanut feeders, followed shortly after by the male Bullfinch. The rain didn't stop until lunchtime, as soon as the last drop had fallen I was off out to HGF. Nothing much new there though. Yesterdays visiting drake Wigeon had left, leaving the resident bird alone again and the only bird on view near Midhops was a Skylark. Very quiet morning all round.

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Mid afternoon and I decided to wander up to Southport for a couple of hours, primarily for sea watching which is the one thing I didn't do when I got there. Consequently I missed the only Arctic Skua on show. Next a bit of irony. Yesterday I was admiring a Sanderling photo on John Dempsey's blog and I took note of his comment that the birds would approach close if you sit and wait quietly for them. I decided to try this and after 15 mins of kneeling in wet sand and watching the Sanderling apporach painfully slowly, they suddenly spooked and flushed just when I thought I would get some snaps. I turned round to see what had made the noise behind me which was responsible - it was John Dempsey right behind me in his Land Rover!

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On the beach at Ainsdale were approx 2500 Sanderling and a similar number of Dunlin though carefull scanning did not produce any scarce waders or even the ringed Sanderling that John had come to advise me on. Around 30 Ringed Plovers, 26 Common Terns and at least 40 Sandwich Terns were also present on the beach. I spent a good hour just watching the little waders scurring around - I still can't get over how many different shapes, colours and sizes Dunlin seem to appear in.

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Out at sea three Gannets were the only birds of interest - not even a Scoter today. I decided to head up to Tagg's Island (Weld Rd) next and this is where the splash of colour comes in. At least 1800 Bar-tailed Godwits and around 200 Knot, most of them in breeding plumage, were roosting on the marsh. At least 6 Grey Plovers were also there. This sight alone was worth the trip up - I do love Barwits and Knot in their breeding colours - they cheer up any day!

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I am currently watching Gryff Rhys Jones doing his programme on rivers - tonight he is doing the River Tummel which runs through Lochs Rannoch and Tummel. This where we have spent out Scottish holidays for many years now - watching the programme makes me feel a little homesick in a way - probably because for the first time in years we are not going there this year!

Bits and bobs birding

Small White, garden

Gatekeeper, Neumann's Flash

Speckled Wood, Neumann's Flash

Small Tortoiseshell, garden

Painted Lady, garden

Painted Lady

Painted Lady. The Budlea in the front garden is now proving popular with seven species of butterfly on one bush this afternoon!

Mallard with brood, HGF

Green Sandpiper, Haydn's Pool

Goldfinch, garden. Two adults were present today with four newly fledged juveniles in tow begging for food. They gave the Starling flock a run for its money in the noise stakes!

Garganey - drake in eclipse plumage, Brockholes Quarry

Gathering of Coots, HGF

Common Tern chicks, Doffcocker Reservoir courtesy of David Edwards

Juvenile Common Tern, Pennington Flash. I photographed this bird in mid June - it is one of the three chicks ringed by David Edwards (above) at Doffcocker.

Male Bullfinch on feeders in garden. Dodgy photos through two windows again!

Male Bullfinch on lookout in garden!

Juvenile Black-necked Grebe, HGF

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The last few days have comprised a few short birding sessions here and there - essentially grabbing ten minutes when I could.

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On Thursday morning the usual trip to HGF found the Black-necked Grebes back up to seven birds and the Little Grebes up to six. The Common Sandpiper was still present with a Willow Warbler singing in the east hedge - the first for a while. A female Yellow Wagtail flew up nr Midhops, calling and headed off high to the NE. Not seen a Yellow Wag since. At home the juvenile Great Spotted Woodpecker, a Stock Dove and a male Bullfinch were the highlights in the garden.

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I managed a swift trip to Frodsham in the afternoon on my way back from N Wales. Another hybrid Ruddy Shelduck was present - a different bird to the previous one. This one looks like it has a lot of Cape Shelduck in it - the body was OK but the head and neck were solid, uniform grey. The previous bird looked good for Ruddy Shelduck except for too much white on its face - todays bird had none! Around 500 Black-tailed Godwits were in the water, many of them stunning Islandica (Iceland) birds. Around 300 Lapwings and 230 Dunlins were also there, however careful scanning of the flocks failed to produce a hoped for Curlew Sandpiper or Little Stint.

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Also on Thursday a swift drive down Hollybush Lane produced a nice male Sparrowhawk and nothing else and at Hope Carr five Green Sandpipers were the highlight along with a Bullfinch and a Jay and again nothing else. The Green Sands were on the hidden pool - it is virtually impossible to approach without being spotted and all five birds duly flushed and disappeared.

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Friday and the grebes had started disappearing with all three species down on previous counts. No sign of any waders either. A Great Spotted Woodpecker in the south hedge was a nice change though - I still see these birds rarely on this patch. In the garden the Stock Dove was back and a bit of a catastrophe in the evening. The cock Feral Pigeon which has been hanging around the garden for several years was caught and badly wounded by a cat. Unfortunately I had to put the bird out of its misery - I felt horrible for the rest of the day and I still fucking hate cats!

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Worked in Blackpool yesterday and I decided to have my lunch at Brockholes Quarry on the way back home. I was only there for ten minutes, however as soon as I arrived the Lapwings spooked and flew up high. Seconds later a very large juvenile Peregrine drifted over the main pool and headed off north. The drake Garganey is still present along with a couple of Common Sandpipers. Late in the evening I wandered over to Moore - nothing much except for a few singing Yellowhammers and a Little Owl which entertained while hunting. No sign of any Barn Owls and I also missed the Little Egret which flew into Lapwing Lake to roost.

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Garden early am this morning and the Great Spotted Woodpecker and male Bullfinch on the feeders. Later in the day the garden became very noisy with the presence of 45+ juvenile delinquents (Starlings) and a very noisy young brood of Goldfinches. At HGF a surprise when I found two drake Wigeons present - the new bird is a lot further along in the moult compared to the resident bird - perhaps this is the Pennington Flash drake. The Black-necked Grebes were down to three birds - two juveniles and an adult. The other two grebe species were back up to normal numbers with a juvenile Great Crested Grebe present for its second day. 93 Lapwings were in the field nr Midhops.

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This morning I had a mooch around Neumann's Flash. I walked down the path bewtween the pool and Ashton's where I met a bloke who had walked there every day for several years and had never seen a woodpecker. Five minutes later, three juvenile Green Woodpeckers playing on the fence and two Great Spotted Woodpeckers flying over having a tiff and I left him shaking his head! The other highlights were a couple of Dunlin in amongst 400+ Lapwings, 2 Green Sandpipers on Haydn's and a reeling Grasshopper Warbler opposite the hide at Haydn's. I also found a Nuthatch and a Willow Warbler in a tit flock, another GSW and various other warbler species.

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In the garden this afternoon there were loads of butterflies. On one particular Buddlea bush I found several Painted Ladies plus Peacock, Red Admiral, Large White, Small White, Small Tortoiseshell and Comma. Plus a Brimstone in the back garden. At Neumann's there were literally hundreds of Gatekeepers - a good day for the insects!

Grebes, grebes and more grebes

Grey Heron, HGF

Pair of Cormorants at HGF - adult left and juvenile (browner with whitish belly) right. The moulting drake Wigeon is in the background.

Cormorants drying out

Juvenile Black-necked Grebe, HGF

Juvenile Common Sandpiper, HGF

Buzzard, Rixton Moss

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The story of HGF the last few days has been the grebes. This morning I recorded 17 Great Crested Grebes on the pool - the most I have recorded here. The Little Grebes seem to flit in and out with 3 or 4 birds present each day but the mix between adults and juveniles different. The Black-necked Grebes are also flitting in and out with a maximum of seven birds present on Monday - 4 adults and 3 juveniles - only five birds present today.

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Yesterday an adult Little Ringed Plover was present with two juveniles - this morning both adults present with three juveniles. Looks like they have bred successfully in the area - superb! A juvenile Common Sandpiper seems to be resident at the moment. Elsewhere pretty much as was with a couple of Cormorants dropping in now and then to make a change, nine Stock Doves incuding a few juveniles were in the bare field nr Midhops yesterday. Perhaps the juvs have come from the Barn Owl box in the dutch barn east of Highfield Lane - I noticed a few weeks ago that Stock Doves had occupied it. Not a chance of Barn Owls in the box - there being no suitable hunting habitat locally.

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Rixton mosses on Monday was very quiet - even gulls seem to be missing from the tip. Two singing Corn Buntings and a Buzzard perched on the stay wire for a telegraph pole were the only birds of note. Yesterday evening the female Great Spotted Woodpecker was present in the garden, as was a gang of Long-tailed Tits. And that's all folks!

Brockholes

Juvenile Mediterranean Gull, Brockholes Quarry

Drake Garganey in eclipse plumage, Brockholes Quarry

Brockholes Quarry

Little Owl, Lady Lane in Croft

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Last night on my way home I popped down Lady Lane in Croft. One of the Little Owls was perched in the tree next to the usual one, a second bird was in the hollow of the usual tree but tucked up behind a splinter of bark and very hard to spot. I decided to check out the harrowed field that Jonathan was watching the other day while I was in the area. 14 Stock Doves and the same number of Black-headed Gulls in the field plus a pair of Grey Partridges. I then noticed a female Kestrel - she was running around on the ground and snapping up worms and beetles. She was soon joined by a juvenile bird who hung around begging for food. They eventually flew off towards the church and there incurred the displeasure of the local Mistle Thrushes!

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This morning was extremely wet. The juvenile Great Spotted Woodpecker was back on the feeders, the number of Greenfinches increased with four males, a female and a juvenile being present. Not much else though. I decided to go for a wander around HGF even though it was raining heavily - the visit paid off with three juvenile Black-necked Grebes having joined the three adults present yesterday. These are the first juveniles this year dispersing from Woolsten Eyes. A Cormorant and a Common Sandpiper were present at the pool along with the usual suspects. On the bare field by Midhops mum and dad Yellow Wagtail were just ambling along with a pair of Grey Partridges also present.

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This morning I also had a quick wander around the back lanes. On Waterworks Lane a female Kestrel was perched on a water tower at the treatment works and was calling. I thought she must be calling to a juvenile but I couldn't see one - the male was perched on a nearby pylon. I then spotted a family group of four Kestrels flying around together at the far end of Waterworks Lane - this was what was bothering the female. Presumably this was an intruding family of birds from around Hermitage Green. Three male Yellowhammers were singing, a Buzzard was perched on a pylon off Highfield Lane and a backish looking hen Pheasant was nestled in long grass near the end of Waterworks Lane. She had one well grown juvenile with her and was relaxed when I moved the car on the lane near her - she simply settled down to sleep!

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This afternoon I decided to have a quick hour at Brockholes Quarry. The drake Garganey was still present - it seems to be hanging around with a female Teal. Also there were at least three Kestrels, a Hobby, a Buzzard, a juvenile Med Gull, a Green Sandpiper and three Common Sandpipers. This seems to be a busy little spot with birds moving around a lot - I think it needs to be watched carefully. The Med Gull was only in for around 10 minutes and the Green Sand simply flew in, landed and then took off again!