29/05/2022 Bickershaw Country Park, Leigh

White-tailed Plover: WOW....I never thought I'd see a white-tailed plover in Greater Manchester, or in Wigan no less, and definitely not 4 miles away from my front door!

Gordon Newman, local birder who regularly patches Bickershaw expertly found the bird  on the eastern side of the site on New Water Flash. By the time I arrived there were already a gaggle of local birders enjoying the local mega. 

There has been some records in the north west including Seaforth in 2010 and Leighton Moss in 2007, a very rare bird indeed. 

28/05/2022 Worth Marsh, Kent

Eleonora's Falcon: It seems like every year when the hoby returns there are unconfirmed sightings of Eleonora's, almost to a point where I've just stopped taking notice.   

Missed identified and over enthusiastically called out only for it to be confirmed as an Eurasian hobby or just reported as a fly over. We've all be waiting, hoping and in some cases praying that a bonyfied, nailed on Eleonora's gets pinned down and crucially photographed!

Reports came out on Thursday while I was surveying in Shrewsbury and reluctant to take the trip post survey on Friday morning on my own, without other folk in the car to share the fuel, I had to wait until Saturday. 

The decision was made to leave at 5.30am and to arrive between 10 and 11am, although I was skeptical and keen to get here for fisrt light our plan worked well as the bird remained stationary all morning at a distance until it was warm enough to hunt for flying insects.    

As soon as we arrived the bird was hawking over our heads coming within 20 meters or so, we were blown away! 

This nature reserve is outstanding, firstly let me give a big thank you to the RSPB staff and volunteers who organised the traffic, opened up new car parking areas and were calm and friendly even when booking two selfish toggers who took it upon themselves to jump over a fence into a restricted area.

Red-footed Falcon: Worth Marshes is a huge area of reclaimed farmland dominated by open landscapes and wetland habitats, containing small wooded pockets and wet marshy areas, ideal for dragonflies the main food source of these small falcons. 

A female red-footed falcon was also here feeding on the dragonflies, this was a spectacular individual, with a pale head.  The RFF was perched on nearby telegraph wires flying off and catching its prey before coming back to feed. 

Really nice to see. 

Hobby: Several hobby were about too, and it was great to see some side by side  views of the Eleonora's and the hobby. The Eleonora's being a larger bird with longer wing compared to its small cousins.  Thanks to Malc Curtin for the driving and the other lads for the company. this day will love long in the memory.  

15/05/2022 Elton Reservoir, Bury

Spotted Sandpiper: I couldn't resist another visit to Elton res and with another sunny day in the forecast and the baby out with Dawn for the day I thought I would have another go at the spot sand. 

With a full car park and dozens of dog walkers  and day trippers out in force I wasn't holding out much hope, especially when many of the dog walkers were allowing the dogs to run across the shore and into the water.  

Eventually I tracked down the group of birders who were watching the bird foraging on the western shoreline.  The bird would get regularly flushed, disappears and then return. 

I managed to crouch down hidden behind the trees and waited while the bird walked right past me within a few feet. 

Definitely worth a second visit. 

13/05/2022 Elton Reservoir, Bury

Spotted Sandpiper: Great find my Simon Warford, a top bloke to regularly patches Elton res. This was the third spot sand there is at the moment in the north west, with one in Cumbria and one turning up today in Cheshire. 

These distinctive shorebirds have bold, dark spots on their undersides during the breeding season., but during the winter months they lose most of their spots. So having a nice summer plumage bird is a real treat. 

Common Sandpiper: The spot sand gave us the runaround, having disappeared just as I arrived (typically) and it took awhile to relocate it and even longer to wait before it came closer.  

The bird was associating with a couple of common sandpiper feeding along the western sore line of the reservoir.   Some spot sands migrate short distances to the southern United States and Pacific Coast, but others travel as far as South America so to have this vagrant turn up in Bury is a big thing.  

It a bit of patience I managed to allow this common sand to approach me giving me a rare chance to get some point blank pictures.   

There were a few locals with dogs wading into the water and flushing everything along the shore, but in time they would return. 

Turnstone: Another great bird was this turnstone, usually they are found singly or in small groups along the coastline and only occasionally inland. 

Ringed Plover: Elton res was also playing host to a small flock of dunlin, turnstone, little ringed and ringed plovers as well as common sandpiper. 

It's a really nice time to go, not only to see the waders but there were also a ton of common swift feeding above the water.   

07/05/2022 Cadishead and Little Woolden Moss, Salford

Yellow Wagtail: I've recently discovered this gem of a reserve and have tried to put in some time birding here. 

On a day like today with lots of bright sunshine and fluffy clouds, the black peat peppered with white cotton grass makes the whole place look even more spectacular.

Grasshopper Warbler: The first thing you notice about Little Woolden Moss is the sheer enormity of the place. 

In the distance, you can see Winter Hill and Rivington but the vista is flat in between so the 114 hectares is all that your eye can take in. Then, there is the sky.

The mosses between Salford, Liverpool, Wigan and Warrington, are known locally as Big Sky Country. 

Willow Warbler: Lancashire Wildlife trust, local groups and the Lancashire Peatlands Initiative intends have done a fantastic job bringing this place back to life by covering ditches, planting vegetation, and creating bog pools.

In recent days ring ouzel, whinchat, hobby and marsh harrier have all been observed. Today I had a gropper which gave me the runaround, never fully showed itself and five yellow wags in the fields to the west of the site.  

02/05/2022 Pennington Flash

Arctic Tern: Seeing an early report of a little tern at penny I decided to pack up the family in the car and spend the morning locally. 

With Dawn, my mum and Autumn in toe we set off and publed into John Tymon and were soon joined by Colin Davies. 

 

Before the baby got bored we set off with the bribe of an ice cream and a ply on the park (while I go togg some tern). 

These magnificent polar travelers are known to hold the record for the longest migration of any animal in the world, annually making the journey from the Arctic Circle to the Antarctic Circle. 

One particularly committed tern made the trip in nearly 60,000 miles, or more than twice the circumference of the planet. Terns rack up all those miles by meandering across oceans and continents rather than flying directly north or south.

During their summer passage they make regular stops to large inland lakes such as Pennington Flash to feed before moving on northwards. 

Little Tern: The little tern remained pretty distant and before I arrived on the other side of the lake the bird had presumably moved on with a  small group of Arctic tern  around noon. 

30/04/2020 Sankey Valley, Newton-Le-Willows

Whinchat: My target bird to the day as there seemed to be a steady passage of these small, colourful birds, a migratory relative of the stonechat and wheatear. 

They were in the horse paddocks north of Sankey Valley Park, following the path from Penkford Pond.

There were also two grasshopper warbler in full song in the scrubby field in this area.

Also had three yellow wags, two little ringed plover and redshank on the flood off Old Alder Lane, Winwick.

Nice part of the world this, a hidden gem sandwiched between Wigan, Warrington and St Helens. 
 

28/04/2022 Leasowe Lighthouse, Wirral

Bluethroat: Hats off to local legend Allan Conlin who today found the Wirral's first April record and the fisrt one for 12 years. Found this morning along the pathway at the back of the horse paddocks between the kissing gates. 

I turned up pretty quick, before the scrum and crowds descended on to the narrow track and was rewarded with some really nice views of it foraging on the path.  

This small robin-like bird, the male is unmistakable in spring with his bright blue throat, bordered below with bands of black, white and chestnut.

Wheatear: Just like yesterday's broad-billed sandpiper these local twitches are alway good fun as you meet all the usual folk, old friends and new. 
 

I feel like I've had a really good few weeks birding with some really special bird and a lifer yesterday, I'm still out checking my local patches and seeing the new spring migrants arrive. here to more good birding days this summer. 

27/04/2022 Marshside RSPB, Southport

Broad-billed Sandpiper: I think I need to remortgage and move to Southport with the amount of times I've been there in recent weeks! 

This time it was for my fisrt broad-billed sandpiper a marvellous little wader that showed pretty well from Sandgrounders Hide screens. 

During winter, these birds are typically found across eastern Africa, south-east and South Australia, and the Asia.

And during the breeding season they spend their time in Arctic northern Siberia, so to have one locally is something special.

Currently only a one day bird as its not been picked up today, but you never know what tomorrow brings?

26/04/2022 Marshside RSPB, Southport

Black-winged Stilt: I was utterly blown away by this bird while it put on a good show in the shallow pools at the back of marshside. 

This was my third visit to Marshside after seeing it the day it was found last week and once again on the weekend after seeing the wood sand at Newton Marsh when it was so far away it was almost on the moon!

This time however it performed magically, now the birds moved over onto Crossens Inner Marsh its now viewable in better light and comes much closer to the public footpath then when its was on Rimmers Marsh. 

It was a mild, calm soon to be warn day, much like that of the Mediterranean where this rare wader originates. The stilt is now currently rubbing wings with our Arctic winter visitors, who will be on the move northwards to their breeding grounds in the next few weeks.

Hundreds of pinkies remains, the snow goose, and white-fronted geese also remain in the area. 

Another highlight was bumping into Andy Pryce and Steve Young, two top blokes I was more than happy to share this excellent bird with. Cheers lads.