Eccleston Mere

A quick look after work revealed lots of hirundines feeding over the water and one swift a bit higher up...

Swift 1
Sandmartin 30
Housemartin 50
Swallow 90

Damian P

Billinge Hill early morning

Common tern 1
Raven 2
Swallow 8
Common Whitethroat 1
Tree Sparrow 6
Reed bunting 2
Goldcrest 1


Blackcap, chiffchaff, willow warbler all heard.


Hare 2
Weasel 2

Eccleston Mere

A quick look after work...

Common sandpiper 2
Common tern 2
Common Whitethroat 1
House martin 20
Swallow 10
Sand Martin 1

Damian P

Dairy Farm Road then Coach Road toward Mossborough

Probably the best day I have had round there in terms of species in a single day.  I had my first Swallow, Blackcap, Whitethroat, Yellow Wagtail of the year, plus White Wagtail and Corn Buntings.  Lots of Chiffchaff, WillowWarbler and a biggish flock of Goldfinch 20+.
Jay and Greenfinch as well.
Plenty of butterflies including Brimstone, Small White, Orange Tip, Peacock
Also one huge moth that whizzed by, bigger than the brimstone but no idea what it was.  Hawk Moth of some kind??

Dukes Clough, Rainhill

I have lived in Rainhill 34 years now and didn’t know this walk was there.  I joined a Facebook group about the history of Rainhill and someone had posted recent pictures of this walk so I thought I would go and see what birds where there.  It is isn’t a long walk perhaps only a mile and half but it’s along a decent path which is lined with trees and bushes on both sides so it looks good.  The downside is that most of one side is Blundell Hill Golf Course and the other is the M62. 

Golf Courses can be wildlife deserts as they are often sprayed to death with insecticides and any new tree planting is often none native species but this didn’t seem to bad and I actually saw a few birds around the fairway, including a nice picture I got of a Mistle Thrush until it nearly got lamped by a golf ball.  The path is tarmacked in places and is marked on an old street map I have as Cronton Lane but it’s actually signposted as a public footpath.  As I started it was right by the motorway so hearing birds was very difficult but the path does move away from it so it got better.  In all I saw around 6 each of Willow Warbler and Chiffchaff and I heard a Blackcap.  Lots of the normal woodland species you would expect to find and it was nice to see at least 3 Treecreepers but impossible to photograph.

There are three small ponds along the way too but the reeds growing in them where not very well grown so I wouldn’t expect anything like a Reed Warbler there but I will go back and investigate later in the spring.  As it was it was a lovely clear sunny day but I didn’t see any raptors but you get decent views of planes flying into Liverpool airport.

Coach Road, Rainford

A few more photos from yesterday along the Coach Road and Dairy Farm Road.

 Treecreeper, Dairy Farm Road

 Chiffchaff, Coach Road

 Dunnock, Coach Road

Willow Warbler, Coach Road

Coach Road, Rainford

Lots of migrants about including: Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff, Blackcap, Whitethroat, Yellow Wagtail, White Wagtail, Wheatear, Swallow, Oystercatcher.

Whitethroat

Havannah flash

List of today's sightings
Grey heron 1
Tufted duck 2
Buzzard 2
sparrowhawk 1
Lapwing 3
SB

Billinge Hill to Mountain's Farm

I walked around Billinge on Sunday evening but didn't get around to posting. I was looking for ring ouzel or wheatear but didn't see either. By bizarre chance I saw a male ring ouzel on Saturday at Warbreck Garden Centre near Ormskirk which landed briefly in a tree and then flew off!

There were lots of linnet and meadow pipit near the summit which kept being disturbed by a hunting kestrel. The two oystercatcher were near to Mountain's farm and the chiffchaff was heard near to Pimbo Bushes.


Meadow pipit 20
Linnet 15
Pied Wagtail 7
Oystercatcher 2
Chiffchaff 1 heard
Kestrel 1
Buzzard 1

Damian P

Eccleston Mere

I popped into Eccleston Mere on my way home this evening...


Mandarin pair
Swallow 2 (and a third perched on the wires along Burrows Lane)
Willow warbler heard
Chiffchaff heard
Mute Swan 4
Pochard 1f
Gadwall 3

Damian P

New Arrivals

Got a message today to say that 4 willow warbler arrived on Billinge Hill yesterday whilst Blackcap arrived today.  Also reported were wheatear and swallow today.  A quick dash up on my lunch break confirmed several willow warblers were present and singing around the bench area whilst a blackcap was singing near the top of Beacon rd.  Many chiffchaffs are present too.

Another quick stop at Carr Mill Dam for a scan for hirundines nearly proved fruitless until two swallows popped into view.  Several chiffchaffs could be heard.

With another osprey reported today this time as close as Formby will we get a St Helens record this year?

Another good bird to look out for is Ring Ouzel as several have been spotted around local coastal sites (Red Rocks, Hale, Formby) - Billinge Hill and surrounds are a good place to look but we'll never forget the "surprise" one at Eccelston Mere http://sthelensbirds.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/eccleston-mere_31.html last year!

Paul B

Garswood

At least 2 Yellowhammer visiting a garden feeding station at Birch Grove, Garswood

Regards
D Broome

Bats

First bat of the year spotted tonight flying over my back garden,possible Pipistrelle
8-15pm
SB

Pennington Flash

We took advantage of the nice weather yesterday afternoon and had a walk around Pennington Flash with the kids. I had a quick look at the Manchester Bird Blog to see what was around before we went, so was looking out for the brambling and the Cetti's warbler. I've been to Pennington quite a few times solely to try and see/hear the Cetti's but hadn't ever managed it before and so I wasn't very hopeful today.

Firstly, the brambling was showing really well in the Bunting Hide along with a very showy water rail and all the usual bullfinch, reed bunting, and a willow tit. With my optimism boosted a bit we set off to the Tom Edmundson hide and it wasn't long before I heard the distinctive call of a Cetti's warbler. I alerted a few other birders just to get confirmation of what I'd heard and soon enough it called again. I thought I'd managed to get photos of the Cetti's deep in the undergrowth, but on closer inspection at home, it turned out to be a wren! At least I heard it though.

Damian P

My house, Eccleston

A swallow just flew over my house while I was cleaning the windows!

Eccleston Mere

Shoveler 2 (1m,1f)
Goldeneye 1f
Chiffchaff 2-3 heard
Kingfisher 1
Treecreeper 1
Mute Swan 3
Reed Bunting 3

Female goldeneye (front), and male and female shoveler

Damian P

Newton Lake

Birds present this morning included 4 Mute Swan, 33 Teal, 6 Gadwall, Little Grebe, 2 adult Scandinavian Herring Gull, Great Spotted Woodpecker and Chiffchaff

regards
D Broome