A good day at the local patch

Little Egret, Houghton Green Flash

Juvenile Little Ringed Plover, HGF

Song Thrush decimating the snail population in the garden

New family addition - a Netherland Dwarf named Jet!

Three Goosanders dropped in to Pennington Flash - 2 females and a drake in eclipse plumage. The latter look very like the females - the white wing patches give them away.

Great Crested Grebe on nest, Pennington Flash

Lower Foulridge Reservoir, nearly drained. In summer it regularly shrinks, however I have never seen the water this low!

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Monday 13th was not a bad day for local birding. I turned up at HGF in the morning and had my usual scan of the pool. Nothing obvious different so I got the scope out and began zooming in on the east bank where waders usually congregate. I immediately found an adult and a juvenile Little Ringed Plover - I hope this is the resident pair having bred successfully. I then turned around and noticed a white blob on the west bank that hadn't been there - it was a Little Egret! Never saw it fly in - patch tick no. 113. I did manage to get reasonably close to digiscope it (I had left my 450D at home - typical) though the light was so bright I struggled to get some decent pics. The bird was still present when I left though the first of the dog walkers had just arrived so I don't think it will have stayed long.

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On the way back to the south bank a Willow Tit called from the east hedge and then flew out. When I got to the south bank, a Common Tern suddenly arrived, dropped into the water just a few yards away, came out with a fish which it promptly dropped and then it flew off west! All action with the usual suspects present including three Black-necked Grebes and 4 Herons. The Ringed Plover and up to four adult Little Ringed Plovers have been present on and off during the week plus a single Common Sandpiper. This morning the Little Grebes were up one to four though the aBlck-necks were down one to two. Sounds like the hit parade!

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There has been no sign of Yellow Wags for ten days now and I think that's it for the year. In every one of the last four years the birds have left the area shortly after the juveniles have become mobile - the third week in July is the latest I have seen a resident bird. Also gone, I suspect, are the Oystercatchers. I don't think either of the local pairs bred successfully (again) and I have seen only one sighting of a single bird in the last fortnight. Again my records show these birds being gone by the third week in July at the latest.

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A female Sparrowhawk has been around the pool and the Skylarks appear to have bred successfully, as do the Linnets and Reed Buntings. The Starling flock has moved off towards Peel Hall and there is nothing much on the ploughed field nr Midhops except for Lapwings and an adult Heron which doesn't appear to move for three days! Someone has released a domestic rabbit by the pool - it is a big, dark beige bunny which is twice the size of the locals but already a bit wild. Not sure how long it will last.

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In the garden the Stock Dove, a Song Thrush, the Jay and both female and juvenile Great Spotted Woodpeckers have been in and out plus the usual sprinkling of finches. Juvenile Coal Tits have also been present on the feeders. A juvenile Little Owl was present on Lady Lane earlier in the week - it looked like it had been kicked out of the nest and was trying to snuggle into a hollow in the front of the tree trunk without much success. I didn't go birding this weekend due to last weeks illness which was compounded by a raging toothache which the dentist has not yet fixed. I did nip into Pennington on Saturday morning where it was quiet with just three Goosanders of note. Last Thursday on a trip back from the dentist I nipped into Lower Foulridge Reservoir which is looking good for waders and did have quite a few Little Ringed Plovers and Common Sandpipers amongst the usual stuff. At Frodsham yesterday on the way home from work one of those dodgy hybrid Ruddy Shelducks was present long with a Black-necked Grebe, 200 Dunlin and 19 Blackwits.