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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.


Barn owl

1-45am, this morning (29/10/16) a Barn owl was seen flying very low over my garden in Clipsley lane Haydock, heading south.
Fantastic.
SteB.

Carr Mill Dam

1 Little Grebe; 1 Water Rail - both at the Goyt inlet.
Derek Evans

Starlings

Large amount of Starlings on the rooftops and gutters along the row of terraced houses in Clipsley lane Haydock 9-30am, nice to see these large flocks of Starlings .
SteB.

Carr Mill Dam

1 Teal; 1 Water Rail; 11 Siskin - all at the Goyt inlet.
Derek Evans

Carr Mill Dam

5 Wigeon (one male, 4 female) on the water; 57 Skylark flew east; 1 Siskin.
Derek Evans

Cooper lane

Around 30 Redwings' seen feeding on the Hawthorn trees along Cooper lane Haydock.
SteB.

Billinge Hill

Couple of hundred Pink footed geese feeding in stubble at the bottom of the hill near crank rd opposite the  humped back bridge.

Woodpigeon

1 squab near flightless/not fully fledged on cycle track along East Lancs Road at Moss Bank - a late date.
Derek Evans

Reed's Lane, Rainford

2,350 Pink-footed Goose in the area of which approx 700 feeding in stubble to west of Lane.
Derek Evans

Moss Lane, Windle

1,040 Pink-footed Goose in flight in the area of Reed's Moss.
Derek Evans

Carr Mill Dam

4 Tufted Duck; 10 Skylark and 5 Redwing flew south/south east; 2 Willow Tit.
Derek Evans

Windle Brook / East Lancs Road

13th October 2016 1530hrs Between Windle Brook and East Lancs Rd there is a small circular pond lined with phragmites. In full view and easily identifiable with eye and then Swaroski"s a bittern rose from the reeds and circled before departing to the east towards Rainford by pass.

Stephen Murphy

Sandy Lane and Berrington's Lane

At Sandy Lane 520 Pink-footed Goose (distantly in flight), 2 Teal, 3 Rook.
At Berrington's Lane 1 Chiffchaff.
Derek Evans

Buzzards

Four Buzzards spotted circling low over Station rd, Haydock 12pm.
SteB.

Geese

Once again around 200 Pinks seen flying over Haydock at 8am, heading E.
SteB.

Geese

7-45am this morning, 100 -150 Geese,( possible Pinks), seen flying over Haydock, heading SE.
SteB.

Laffak Pond, Chain Lane

16 Pink-footed Goose flew south at 0820; 1 Snipe flew east at 0830; 39 Redwing flew south between 0750-0900; 3 Siskin around.
Derek Evans

Moss Lane, Windle

1 Hobby flew through at 0910 - this is a late date for Merseyside; 60 Pied Wagtail fed in ploughed field.
Derek Evans

Carr Mill Dam

2 Snipe in flooded field; 9 Meadow Pipit; 2 Swallow flew east.
Derek Evans