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Welcome to the St Helens Birds and Wildlife blog. We welcome your reports from across the borough regarding all forms of wildlife. Please click on the "Report a sighting" tab if you would like to contribute to this blog.

We ask that you refrain from posting exact breeding locations of any species which may be considered scarce or vulnerable, and in particular schedule 1 species. In the context of St Helens, schedule 1 species usually means kingfisher and little ringed plover. Little ringed plover should not be reported at all on this blog between 1st May and 1st August.

Scarce or vulnerable species include but are not restricted to any species of wader, ducks other than mallard, all owls, any birds of prey, grey or yellow wagtails, grey heron, all grebes, Cetti’s warbler, water rail, willow tit, corn bunting etc. If in doubt, please ask.

We reserve the right to edit or delete posts which contravene this rule.


Havannah flash

Feeding station this morning.
Nuthatch 2
Great tit several
Blue tit several
Robin 2
Magpie
Carrion crow
Blackbird
Grey squirrels
SteB

Fwd: Newton Lake

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "David Broome" <dpbwigan@sky.com>
Date: 31 Dec 2015 9:41 am
Subject: Newton Lake
To: "Damian Pendlebury" <damianpendlebury76@gmail.com>
Cc:

Newton Lake Dec 30th: 66 Teal, 135 Mallard, 12 Tufted Duck, 2 Mute Swan, Grey Wagtail, Buzzard

Dave B

Laffak Pond, Chain Lane

27/12/15 One Peregrine high to south at 0820; 4 Siskin.
28/12/15 2 Raven.

Derek Evans

Eccleston mere

I had a look around the mere this morning for the first time in ages...

Shoveler 2 male
Little grebe 1
Teal 1 male
Gadwall 2m 1f
All above on NW side of island
Mute swan 5 + 1 juv
Willow tit 1 heard at dead wood

Damian P


Havannah flash

Birds present at the feeding station this morning,
Carrion crow
Nuthatch
Robin
Great tit
Blue tit
Magpie
Blackbird
Helen the Ranger.

Birds at Laffak Pond, St Helens

15/12/15: 4 Siskin feeding in the alders.
17/12/15: pair of Goosander from 0825-0830.
21/12/15: one Willow Tit; 2 Raven.
22/12/15: one Peregrine chasing Feral Pigeons at 0930.
23/12/15: 3 Teal.

Derek Evans

Havannah flash

Birds present this morning at the feeding station  I set up a few weeks ago.
Magpie
Carrion crow
Chaffinch
Blue tit
Great tit
Robin
Nuthatch
Blackbird
and of course several Grey squirrels.
SteB.

Cormorants

Spotted ten Cormorants over the trout farm near Havannah flash around 8am this morning, but as always , the Flash was very quiet.
SteB.
Sent from my hudl

Havannah flash

Nothing on the Flash this morning as I passed by but around ten Grey squirrels were seen around the bottom of Cooper lane footpath.

Golden Plover

100 +   Golden Plover
Today   07/12/2015  at  10.15hrs 
LOCATION ...In field adjacent to East Lancs Rd , east of Newton Lane and before Golborne Island.
Regards




Sent from Samsung tablet

Havannah flash

Passing through the Flash this morning, the following birds were seen.
Buzzard 2
Nuthatch 1
Moorhen 5
Mallard 2
Fieldfare 10

Stevo.

Lady Hill Plantation, Haydock

This afternoon in fields by Lady Hill Plantation, between Haydock Racecourse and the A580, 16 Buzzard, 86 Lapwing and 6 Golden Plover. Viewed from the Lodge Lane pumping station alongside the A49, half-way between the Holiday Inn and Haydock Island.

Cheers
Dave Broome

Mediterranean Gull Carr mill dam


Tuesday 17th Nov 2015 at 10.15 am       Single Mediterranean Gull amongst black-headed and common gulls on dam. Good views. See photo.
Regards 



Sent from Samsung tablet

Geese

Around 50 Geese spotted over Haydock  at 7-30am this morning, possible Pinks.
Stevo.

Newton Lake

Birds present this morning included 33 Teal, 2 Tufted Duck and Grey Wagtail

Dave B

Haydock

21 Buzzard and 12 Stock Dove today on fields by Lady Hill Plantation, Haydock, viewed from Lodge Lane pumping station

D Broome

New Cut Lane

I had a quick look down New Cut Lane yesterday which was a great place for brambling a few autumns ago. The fields around there don't look very good for finches this year and I didn't see a single finch yesterday although it was getting quite late in the day.

In one of the fields there was a distant buzzard eating something, and one of two raven waiting in the wings for it to finish.

There was also 20 fieldfare and a single redwing in one of the trees near to New Cut Farm...

Fieldfare 20
Redwing 1
Raven 2
Buzzard 1

Buzzard and Raven

Part of the Fieldfare flock

Damian P




Buzzards

30 Common Buzzard by Lady Hill Plantation, Haydock early afternoon. Also a Kestrel an Grey Heron

Dave B

Havannah flash

Around 60 Canada geese over Havannah flash first light,coming down near the trout farm.
Stevo.

Buzzards

22 Buzzard today in the fields between Haydock Racecourse and the A580 by Lady Hill Plantation, also a Grey Heron, Grey Wagtail and min 3 Song Thrush feeding with Blackbirds along Lodge Lane track

Regards
D Broome

Buzzards

25 Buzzard today stood in a field by Lady Hill Plantation, between Haydock Park Racecourse and East Lancashire Road

Sent from my iPhone

Hedghogs

Found these little chaps while out walking my dogs, the mother was killed by farm machine cutting to close to the hedgerow they are now in the safe hands of the local vet. Hedgehogs are now in big decline so hope these two make it.
Stevo.

Havannah flash/Cooperlane

Birds seen this morning.

Fieldfare 10
Redwing 30
Canada geese 40 over
Nuthatch 1
Mallard 6
Woodpigeon 200 plus

Ste B.

Eccleston Mere

Siskin 30+ in the trees along the stream
Bullfinch 1f
Grey Wagtail 1
Mute Swan 9
Goldcrest 1
Kingfisher 1

Damian P


Moss Lane

Redwing 2 over
Tree sparrow 3
Yellowhammer 9
Common Gull 20+
Pied wagtail 25+
Goldfinch 30+
Greenfinch 2
Lapwing 5

A raven flew over my house this morning too.

Damian P

House Sparrow flock

A minimum of 70 House Sparrow were present today by Morrisson's store off Boundary Road, St. Helens, in Bramble, Roses and Hawthorn on the steep banking overlooking the car park nr the petrol station. Also a Goldcrest and a Bullfinch there.

Goldcrest in Victoria Park this afternoon

D Broome

Billinge Hill

A few photos from an hour on the hill, the nice surprise was the juvenile spotted flycatcher which is a notably late record.  A better amount of VisMig was present today with more notable passage of chaffinch, skylark(see pic) and meadow pipit than in recent days.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

Male Sparrowhawk

I don't know if its anything to do with last nights blood moon but the wood pigeon that perches on our garage roof had changed this morning!


Billinge Hill Scarcities

There was a merlin hunting the large number of skylark, chaffinch, linnet around the pony paddocks early this morning.


Keep your eyes and ears peeled for a yellow-browed warbler!

Elephant Hawk Moth Caterpillar

I found this elephant hawk moth caterpillar today whilst strimming a garden in Liverpool. I think it was feeding on the willowherb. I've brought it back home because there was nothing left of the willowherb by the time we'd finished. Not strictly in St Helens (well, it is now!) but I've never seen one before and thought it was worth posting.

I've put some willowherb and fuscia leaves in for it, while I work out what to do with it!



Damian P

East Lancs Road

I saw my first flock of Pink-footed Geese this morning about 10:30am

They flew over the East Lancs Road just east of the Game Bird pub.   Disappeared from view behind trees roughly Eccleston Mere area.

Regards Dave.




Billinge Hill

I couldn't find much this morning on Billinge Hill...

Grey wagtail 2 in pool in pine copse
Goldcrest 3
Meadow pipit 10+ in field opposite horse paddocks
Buzzard 3+
Kestrel 1
Tree sparrow 15+ in hedge near pine copse
Chiffchaff 2, 1 singing

Damian P

Billinge Bits

Just a few photos from the last week or so .... a few migrants including blackcap, chiffchaff, whinchat whilst the curlew were on Old Coach Road

 
 
 
Blackcap (m) - as those elder berries ripen sylvia warblers become very protective, listen out for harsh "tacking" noises and a blackcap, garden warbler or something rarer may pop into view.
 
 
d Coach Rd but a regular tweeter @neilg had many more

 
 
Whinchat - Apparently used to once breed in St Helens but now sadly only occur as passage migrants.  This one was on the fences of the pony paddocks at Crookhurst Farm where I've had them in previous years.  Red Barn Lane, fields around Carr Mill Dam and Billinge Hill Summit are other locations to look in late August - early Sept.

   
 
 
Sparrowhawks also migrate  (following the passerine migrants)  and I've been noting one around a lot more often recently.

 
 
 
Lesser redpoll have begun moving, some people expect BIG numbers this winter so fill those nyger feeders up!

 
 
Painted Lady hopefully a migrant and not one bred as part of a school project!

 
Long-tailed tit - these are beginning to move around in large flocks, they often carry other birds with them including blue tit, great tit but the ones I've been seeing are with goldcrest, treecreeper and coal tit.  If you're gonna find a firecrest or yellow-browed warbler then keep your ears alert and eyes peeled as flocks of mixed tits fly through.

 
Chiffchaff - Keep a close eye on any warblers you see, you never know when or where a Bonelli's or Siberian Chiffchaff may pop up!

Cheers
Paul B