*** Posting to this blog - Please read ***

*** Posting to this blog – Please read ***

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.


Moss Lane @ Windle/Rainford

Stonechat one; Tree Sparrow 20; Rook 4; Grey Partridge 10; Cormorant 10 flew west; Lapwing 86 over; Goldfinch 60+.

Derek Evans

Moss Lane @ Windle/Rainford

4th November
Pink-footed Goose 600; Lapwing 80; Fieldfare 59 to the south-west; Rook one; Corn Bunting 23.
6th November
Grey Partridge 9; Rook one; Corn Bunting 21.
10th November
Stonechat one; Jackdaw 130+; Yellowhammer 24.

Derek Evans

Moss Lane @ Windle/Rainford

25th October
Brambling 2 heard but not seen at 0825 and 0900.

28th October
Grey Partridge 8; Skylark 16; Tree Sparrow 40 and a Grey Wagtail (scarce here).

Derek Evans

Moss Lane @ Windle/Rainford

Whooper Swan 38 (all adult except one first winter) circled the area at 0910. Also: 680 Pink-footed Goose over, 4 Rook, 32 Common Gull, 31 Redwing and 2 Stonechat.

Derek Evans

Re: Moss Lane @ Windle/Rainford

Dear Damian

Sorry for the slow reply. I don't have a smartphone and just check my email on a desktop once per day.

By all means phone me anytime: 07855266300 or on the landline 01744 750279.

Most often the Stonechat(s) are around the stables, on the dung heap there, on the wire fences or along the scrappy hedges or in the bracken. I never pass through the stables (though some birders/photographers do). I walk up towards the stables from the east side and then retreat and go all the way round to the west side of the stables. These are not public footpaths but the farmer (Joe) is OK as long as he knows you're birding. As you can probably tell, I have been concentrating on Moss Lane (only!) for some weeks now. When I visit I always go at first light. I didn't go today.

Very best wishes

Derek

On Thu, Oct 15, 2020 at 10:16 AM Damian Pendlebury <sightings@outlook.com> wrote:

Hi Derek,

 

Whereabouts are you seeing the stonechat? I might pop out for a look this afternoon.

 

Cheers,

Damian

 

Sent from Mail for Windows 10

 

From: Derek Evans
Sent: 14 October 2020 17:03
To: sightings@outlook.com
Subject: Moss Lane @ Windle/Rainford

 

Fieldfare 95; Redwing 100; Stonechat 2. Also: 70 Lapwing, single Rook and Grey Partridge, 100 Starling, 25 Tree Sparrow and 11 Corn Bunting.

 

Derek Evans

 

Moss Lane @ Windle/Rainford

Fieldfare 95; Redwing 100; Stonechat 2. Also: 70 Lapwing, single Rook and Grey Partridge, 100 Starling, 25 Tree Sparrow and 11 Corn Bunting.

Derek Evans

Moss Lane @ Windle/Rainford

Whooper Swan one first winter west/north-west at 0825 and 2 adults north/north-west at 0850. Also: 2,004 Pink-footed Goose, 6 Redwing, 5 Swallow, one Snipe, 2 Stonechat, 20 Common Gull and a pair of Roe Deer.

Derek Evans

Moss Lane @ Windle/Rainford

Pink-footed Goose flocks in flight totalled 1,954; Kingfisher one along Windle Brook was my first after 152 hours birding at this site. Also: 16 Skylark, one Swallow, 2 Rook and 40 Tree Sparrow.

Derek Evans

Moss Lane @ Windle/Rainford

Pink-footed Goose 50 flew south/south-east at 0825. Also one juvenile Woodpigeon barely fledged and unable to fly; 7 Swallow.

Derek Evans

Moss Lane @ Windle/Rainford

Golden Plover one flew north east at 0750 - my first at this site after 148 hours watching. Also: one male Stonechat, 2 Common Gull, 10 Meadow Pipit and 7 Swallow.

Derek Evans

Moss Lane @ Windle/Rainford

Hobby one; Stonechat 2. Also Lapwing 110, Meadow Pipit 15 and Goldfinch 100.

Derek Evans

Moss Lane @ Windle/Rainford

Meadow Pipit 15; Wheatear one; Whinchat 2; Chiffchaff one; Corn Bunting 12.

Derek Evans

Moss Lane @ Windle/Rainford

2nd September
Whinchat 2; 50 of both Tree Sparrow and Goldfinch.

5th September
Hobby one hunted finches and wagtails; also Sparrowhawk, Kestrel, 60 Swallow and 4 Grey Partridge.

Derek Evans

Moss Lane @ Windle/Rainford

Sightings made 0730-0830
Hobby 2 interacting, carrying prey and perched on pylons.
Wheatear and Yellow Wagtail one of each.
Whinchat 2.

Derek Evans

Moss Lane @ Windle/Rainford

Sightings made 0600-0800
Barnacle Goose 240+, Rook 5, Yellow Wagtail one (with 30 Pied Wagtail), Whinchat 2, Tree Sparrow 50.

Derek Evans

Moss Lane @ Windle/Rainford

Pied Wagtail 30, Tree Sparrow 25, Goldfinch 30, Greenfinch 15. Also Buzzard, Sparrowhawk and Kestrel plus a Great Spotted Woodpecker (scarce here).

Derek Evans

Carr Mill Dam

One Little Egret fed on the sand spit at Nineteen Arches, Carr Mill Dam at 0610 and flew off five minutes later.

Derek Evans

Little Egret

In the rain at 0700 from Nineteen Arches at Carr Mill Dam 5 Little Egret came in from the south, landed briefly on the sand spit and departed south again.

Derek Evans