Photos:
HGF under a gloomy sky and an image of the east bank. The thin dark green line of vegetation beneath the two trees on the left is where the water level usually is.
Common Sandpiper and Ringed Plover at HGF late evening
Little Ringed Plover, Chiffchaff and Kestrel at Rixton
Cormorant at Newton Lake
20th June
A Stock Dove was perched in the garden this morning. Quite a bold one too – they usually just skulk about right at the back and bolt at the first sign of a disturbance – this one was perched openly near the windows and generally ignored us.
Rixton after work and the Common Tern is still incubating on Moat Lane pools. Jonathan had e-mailed me about a pair of Tufted Ducks with young (they had five left) and also a singing Lesser Whitethroat – it was behind Moss Side farm somewhere. A single Little Ringed Plover was also around. A single Oystercatcher was on Moat Lane pools with another on the tip pool and a third feeding in a field off Holly Bush Lane. A Yellow Wagtail was also observed taking food into a nest site – same place I found one last year. Later the seep call of an over flying bird was heard.
I wandered around HGF this evening in heavy rain. The first thing I noticed was that the pair Great Crested Grebes which had been incubating for 28 days have had their nest completely flattened. The sad pair were busy trying to rebuild it. I am somewhat stumped as to what or who is systematically flattening these nests – every day it occurs. I can’t imagine a predator or another grebe being so consistent and I am leaning towards some scrote who walks round the place or someone sending their dogs in. I think 28 days is about the limit for incubation so I would have expected the eggs to hatch at any time. The other pair which started incubating yesterday was still sitting. A flock of House Martins, 67 in total, passed through over the pool in the rain, heading generally eastwards.
21st June
Wandered around Moat Lane pools after work today. The Common Tern is still incubating – no sign of the other bird. I must make an effort to find out if it is predominantly the female that incubates. The pair of Tufted Ducks are now down to two ducklings while one of the Coot pairs now has a single youngster. There was a pair of Little Ringed Plovers on pool one and a second pair on pool two and a Great Spotted Woodpecker flew over.
Holly Bush Lane was interesting – around 50 Sand Martins were feeding over the mosses in a flock and generally drifting south. Migration already? A male Yellow Wagtail was part way up the lane – he flew off and seemed to drop down somewhere near the nest site. Three Grey Partridges also there plus 20 or so Linnets including a few juveniles and a Corn Bunting were also on the lane.
HGF this evening was raining again! A couple of waders did brighten up the trip though with a Common Sandpiper and a Ringed Plover present. I read an article that indicates that female Common Sandpipers do start to migrate back in June and this didn’t look like a smart juvenile. A couple of Sand Martins were also feeding over the pool – the first for several weeks.
22nd June
HGF this morning was at least fine and, contrary to the last two nights, I didn’t get wet! There were 18 great Crested Grebes this morning with one bird still incubating and another busy rebuilding yet again. The pair which had incubated for around a month now appear to have given up. The Ringed Plover was still present but there was no sign of the Common Sandpiper. In the south field a Lapwing pair now have a fairly well grown youngster which may be of a size that is beyond most predators. Having said that I found the wing of an adult Lapwing on the south bank – I wonder what happened to that one?
Had a wander around the end of Moss Side lane in Rixton today. I could hear the Lesser Whitethroat rattling away somewhere behind Moss Side Farm as I walked down the road. The tip pool does a big loop around here and I could see small sections of it through the trees. It was relatively full but nothing much on it except for a few Mallards and a Grey Heron. I then took the footpath from Moss Hall Farm which wanders through a bit of a jungle at times in the general north easterly direction of Glazebrook Moss.
This was an enjoyable section with the path alternating between relatively open countryside and at times being lined with trees and bushes. A Goldcrest wandered through the trees at the side of me and a couple of Garden Warblers were present along with several other warbler species. In the open bits were a couple of Buzzards, three Yellowhammers and six Stock Doves. I eventually found a boggy area full of reedmace and watched a Whitethroat with three juveniles and then a cracking Sedge Warbler! I can’t imagine anyone comes here it is so overgrown but it looks like a cracking birding spot!
On the mosses at least one Yellow Wagtail was constantly flitting around and calling while a flock of around 300 Swifts were feeding over the fields and gradually drifting east.
After work I finally managed to find a way to view the second pool at the tip at the end of Moss Side Lane. It looks like a place with lots of potential and I was chuffed to find the pair of Mute Swans from the fishing pools here with their cygnet. They had disappeared a few weeks ago. Three pairs of Coots on the pool, two with young, one on a nest and a Mallard with a largish brood. Three Grey Herons were perched on a small island in the middle.
23rd June
I visited HGF this morning to find the Great Crested Grebe pair still incubating and that two other pairs had built up nests overnight. Came back in the evening to find the two new nests flattened yet again. 20 GCG’s present today plus 16 Tufties, 2 Pochard and 9 Coots. This evening a Buzzard drifted over accompanied by around 40 Swifts. The female Kestrel was perched up in the tree above the nest box.
Nipped over to Newton Lake after work. A Cormorant was busy fishing – it caught one fish which I would estimate to be 2-3 pounds in weight and promptly swallowed it before settling in to preen. A Little Grebe, 5 Tufted Ducks and an overflying Buzzard were the best of the rest. There are some weird and wonderful looking Mallards on this pool, some of which bare only the slightest resemblance to their distant ancestor!
A Stock Dove was perched in the garden this morning. Quite a bold one too – they usually just skulk about right at the back and bolt at the first sign of a disturbance – this one was perched openly near the windows and generally ignored us.
Rixton after work and the Common Tern is still incubating on Moat Lane pools. Jonathan had e-mailed me about a pair of Tufted Ducks with young (they had five left) and also a singing Lesser Whitethroat – it was behind Moss Side farm somewhere. A single Little Ringed Plover was also around. A single Oystercatcher was on Moat Lane pools with another on the tip pool and a third feeding in a field off Holly Bush Lane. A Yellow Wagtail was also observed taking food into a nest site – same place I found one last year. Later the seep call of an over flying bird was heard.
I wandered around HGF this evening in heavy rain. The first thing I noticed was that the pair Great Crested Grebes which had been incubating for 28 days have had their nest completely flattened. The sad pair were busy trying to rebuild it. I am somewhat stumped as to what or who is systematically flattening these nests – every day it occurs. I can’t imagine a predator or another grebe being so consistent and I am leaning towards some scrote who walks round the place or someone sending their dogs in. I think 28 days is about the limit for incubation so I would have expected the eggs to hatch at any time. The other pair which started incubating yesterday was still sitting. A flock of House Martins, 67 in total, passed through over the pool in the rain, heading generally eastwards.
21st June
Wandered around Moat Lane pools after work today. The Common Tern is still incubating – no sign of the other bird. I must make an effort to find out if it is predominantly the female that incubates. The pair of Tufted Ducks are now down to two ducklings while one of the Coot pairs now has a single youngster. There was a pair of Little Ringed Plovers on pool one and a second pair on pool two and a Great Spotted Woodpecker flew over.
Holly Bush Lane was interesting – around 50 Sand Martins were feeding over the mosses in a flock and generally drifting south. Migration already? A male Yellow Wagtail was part way up the lane – he flew off and seemed to drop down somewhere near the nest site. Three Grey Partridges also there plus 20 or so Linnets including a few juveniles and a Corn Bunting were also on the lane.
HGF this evening was raining again! A couple of waders did brighten up the trip though with a Common Sandpiper and a Ringed Plover present. I read an article that indicates that female Common Sandpipers do start to migrate back in June and this didn’t look like a smart juvenile. A couple of Sand Martins were also feeding over the pool – the first for several weeks.
22nd June
HGF this morning was at least fine and, contrary to the last two nights, I didn’t get wet! There were 18 great Crested Grebes this morning with one bird still incubating and another busy rebuilding yet again. The pair which had incubated for around a month now appear to have given up. The Ringed Plover was still present but there was no sign of the Common Sandpiper. In the south field a Lapwing pair now have a fairly well grown youngster which may be of a size that is beyond most predators. Having said that I found the wing of an adult Lapwing on the south bank – I wonder what happened to that one?
Had a wander around the end of Moss Side lane in Rixton today. I could hear the Lesser Whitethroat rattling away somewhere behind Moss Side Farm as I walked down the road. The tip pool does a big loop around here and I could see small sections of it through the trees. It was relatively full but nothing much on it except for a few Mallards and a Grey Heron. I then took the footpath from Moss Hall Farm which wanders through a bit of a jungle at times in the general north easterly direction of Glazebrook Moss.
This was an enjoyable section with the path alternating between relatively open countryside and at times being lined with trees and bushes. A Goldcrest wandered through the trees at the side of me and a couple of Garden Warblers were present along with several other warbler species. In the open bits were a couple of Buzzards, three Yellowhammers and six Stock Doves. I eventually found a boggy area full of reedmace and watched a Whitethroat with three juveniles and then a cracking Sedge Warbler! I can’t imagine anyone comes here it is so overgrown but it looks like a cracking birding spot!
On the mosses at least one Yellow Wagtail was constantly flitting around and calling while a flock of around 300 Swifts were feeding over the fields and gradually drifting east.
After work I finally managed to find a way to view the second pool at the tip at the end of Moss Side Lane. It looks like a place with lots of potential and I was chuffed to find the pair of Mute Swans from the fishing pools here with their cygnet. They had disappeared a few weeks ago. Three pairs of Coots on the pool, two with young, one on a nest and a Mallard with a largish brood. Three Grey Herons were perched on a small island in the middle.
23rd June
I visited HGF this morning to find the Great Crested Grebe pair still incubating and that two other pairs had built up nests overnight. Came back in the evening to find the two new nests flattened yet again. 20 GCG’s present today plus 16 Tufties, 2 Pochard and 9 Coots. This evening a Buzzard drifted over accompanied by around 40 Swifts. The female Kestrel was perched up in the tree above the nest box.
Nipped over to Newton Lake after work. A Cormorant was busy fishing – it caught one fish which I would estimate to be 2-3 pounds in weight and promptly swallowed it before settling in to preen. A Little Grebe, 5 Tufted Ducks and an overflying Buzzard were the best of the rest. There are some weird and wonderful looking Mallards on this pool, some of which bare only the slightest resemblance to their distant ancestor!
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