Eccleston Mere

A quick look on my way home tonight...


Common tern 3


Damian P

Billinge Hill Bits

Didnt even make it all the way up the hill on Saturday evening because I got a little distracted by the ever gorgeous kestrel around the horse paddocks ..... understandably my pictures dont do it full justice

 

 

 

 

Then the ever entertaining pied wagtails caught my eye as one caught a large moth(?) and dismembered it in front of my eyes

 

 

Answers on a post card please!

Then a few crows caught my attention, firstly because there aren't normally that many crows up here but because they were a bit shabby and had large amounts of white on them, presumably a pigment malfunction?

 

 

Anyhow the light soon faded and I returned to my armchair!

Paul B

Carr Mill Dam & Surrounding Area

Saturday 18th July turned into a nice sunny day, so I decided to have a walk around Carr Mill Dam to see if any of the reported Common Terns were still present, and to see what other wildlife I could see. There where at least 5 terns still present, also a single Kingfisher, 3 Grey Wagtails (2ads 1juv) a Buzzard and good numbers of Great Crested Grebe, several of which had young, amongst other species that were seen. A variety of other species of several families were seen around the Dam, a selection of which are listed below.
8 species of butterfly were noted including:
White-letter Hairstreak (1 nectaring on bramble at N/West corner of Dam near 19 Arches) the first I've seen in St Helens since 1997
Red Admiral 1
Gatekeeper, several 
Small Skipper 4+
Comma 3
6 species of dragonfly including:
Emperor Dragonfly, male, first I've seen at this location
Brown Hawker 2
Emerald Damselfly 1, again first I've seen at this location
Plus lots of Common, Azure and Blue-tailed Damselflies.
Also seen was several species of bees including Red-tailed, Common Carder and Buff-tailed, also a Water Ladybird and several Harlequin Ladybirds, plus a Black and Yellow Longhorn Beetle and 2 Ruby-tailed Wasps (first I've ever seen), also 5 Terrapins were basking in the sun on a fallen tree branch in the water north of the 19 arches (possibly Red-eared?)
 
Ray Banks    

My porch!

My wife just found a 'dragonfly' in our porch - turned out to be this Blue-tailed Damselfly...

 Damian P

Eccleston Mere

I had a look around the mere yesterday afternoon hoping to see some terns, there were none there unfortunately but the female mandarin came right up to me hoping to be fed. I felt guilty and walked back to the car to get some food for it! There was also a family of coot with 8 chicks that only looked a day or two old.

Mandarin 1f
Mute swan 4 adults
Kingfisher 1
Blackcap 1f
Chiffchaff 2
Nuthatch 1 in the dead wood
Treecreeper 1
GS woodpecker 2
Whitethroat 1 heard
Lots of swift and housemartin

Damian P

Hedhehog!

I was just trying (unsuccessfully) to take photos of the lightning from my back garden when a hedgehog ran from between my house and the house next door, and down the length of my garden! It's the first live one I've seen for about five years! I've suspected that we've had then in the garden as some of my strawberries were getting chomped by something, and I've seen their telltale tar-like poo once or twice.

I'll start leaving food out for them and try and get a photo although I think I'd be very lucky.

Damian P

Yellowhammer with a ring on Billinge hill on Thursday. Theyre on the red list but must be one of the commonest birds around the hill area!

A drift of Quail

A day of ups and downs today (Wednesday) as first bad news then possible good news and then actual good news!

After a brilliant discovery of a quail in the lower cereal fields around Roby Well Way in the morning if Tuesday I was a really pleased if a little surprised to hear that some other birders had connected with a (the?) quail on the other side if the hill. Anyway after several visits we begun to speculate on the possibilities of more than one bird. There was even speculation that sightings had overlapped - Dave and I had one calling at 3:30pm whilst other birders had connected around that time in a slightly different location .... Nothing concrete though, oh well off to bed.

Upon arriving at the last location of Tuesdays quail I was met by two local birders who seemed to be looking at the ground. As I got close they said we needn't bother listening or looking because this was on the deck

Newton Lake, Willow Park

24 Gadwall present this morning, brood of fledged Nuthatch by the lake

D Broome

A nice surprise to whet-my-lips

A fantastic noise awaited my this morning as I went on a pre-work walk ... A quail was calling literally a stone's throw from my house!  I couldnt believe my ears but the call kept coming and at times it was really close.

The bird was calling in the wheat field off Sefton Fold Drive, Billinge but the bird could be heard from the lower end of the horse paddocks too....and best of all I can hear it from my garden!

Now thats an epic garden tick!!!

Paul B

My House, Eccleston

An oystercatcher flew calling right over my house in Eccleston this evening heading in the general direction of Eccleston Mere.


Damian P

Dairy Farm Road - Old Coach Road Lap

Yellow wagtail 1m
Curlew 2 to the west
Whitethroat 3
Oystercatcher 1
Stock dove 4
Jay 1
Buzzard 1
Tree sparrow 2

Brown hare 4

Damian P

No photo is worth it - Schedule 1 Birds

I feel I shouldn't have to say this but can people please respect the wildlife we love so much.

Yesterday I heard disturbing reports of kingfishers being harassed at Carr Mill Dam, this has happened so much in the past couple of years that they have not nested, all for the sake of a photo.  This is totally unacceptable never mind against the law.  If this were to continue then the kingfishers there wouldn't be there to enjoy.

It is an offence Under the Wildlife & Countryside Act (1981) to 

"intentionally or recklessly disturb any wild bird listed on Schedule 1 while it is nest building, or at a nest containing eggs or young, or disturb the dependent young of such a bird."

So please leave nesting birds alone, let them feed their chicks in peace.

If anyone witnesses any suspect behaviour I would urge you to call 101 and get the incident logged, the more incident logged the more chance we have of getting something done and thus our wildlife remains safe.

Further reading:

http://www.rspb.org.uk/forprofessionals/policy/wildbirdslaw/birdsandlaw/index.aspx

http://www.merseyside.police.uk/advice-and-protection/anti-social-behaviour/wildlife-crime/

Here is a list of Schedule 1 birds:

Avocet 
Bee-eater 
Bittern 
Bittern, little 
Bluethroat 
Brambling 
Bunting, cirl  
Bunting, Lapland  
Bunting, snow  
Buzzard, honey 
Capercaillie (Scotland only) 
Chough  
Corncrake 
Crake, spotted 
Crossbills (all species)  
Divers (all species) 
Dotterel 
Duck, long-tailed 
Eagle, golden  
Eagle, white-tailed  
Falcon, gyr  
Fieldfare  
Firecrest  
Garganey 
Godwit, black-tailed 
Goshawk  
Grebe, black-necked 
Grebe, Slavonian 
Greenshank 
Gull, little 
Gull, Mediterranean 
Harriers (all species)  
Heron, purple 
Hobby  
Hoopoe 
Kingfisher 
Kite, red 
Merlin 
Oriole, golden 
Osprey 
Owl, barn 
Owl, snowy 
Peregrine 
Petrel, Leach's 
Phalarope, red-necked 
Plover, Kentish 
Plover, little ringed 
Quail, common 
Redstart, black 
Redwing 
Rosefinch, scarlet 
Ruff 
Sandpiper, green 
Sandpiper, purple 
Sandpiper, wood 
Scaup 
Scoter, common 
Scoter, velvet 
Serin 
Shorelark 
Shrike, red-backed 
Spoonbill 
Stilt, black-winged 
Stint, Temminck's 
Stone-curlew 
Swan, Bewick's 
Swan, whooper 
Tern, black 
Tern, little 
Tern, roseate 
Tit, bearded 
Tit, crested 
Treecreeper, short-toed 
Warbler, Cetti's 
Warbler, Dartford 
Warbler, marsh 
Warbler, Savi's 
Whimbrel 
Woodlark 
Wryneck

Thanks

Paul B

Newton Lake

Birds present this morning included 1 Shelduck, 9 Gadwall, Grey Heron and singing Goldcrest

D Broome

Sunday afternnon bits

Still at least 5 common terns on Carr Mill Dam

After a few reports of a good sounding wet feature at "Barrow Nook" along the Old Coach Rd (nr the railway bridge) I went to check it out.  There were a pair of yellow wagtails present plus 3 pied wagtails and a grey heron.  There were no signs of any waders though an ominous circle of feathers was present on the mud ... maybe the local sparrowhawk/buzzard/kestrel had visited before me!

In a nearby horse paddock 2 grey partridge were blatantly out in the open and despite my best efforts I couldnt turn them into a corncrake!

Elsewhere in fields adjacent to Windle Island there were at least 10 lapwings sitting :)

Paul B

Lake District

Just back from a weeks birding in South Lakes (3 lifers for the week) but wanted to put people on to a fab bit of woodland I have had so much success with finding woodland migrants.  Its White Moss Common from the car park there.  It lies between Rydal and Grasmere and is off the main road.  Within 20 metres either side of the foot bridge that crosses the River Rothay I had Pied Flycatcher, Spotted Flycatcher, Redstart, Garden Warbler and Wood Warbler plus the usual other woodland birds including Marsh Tit, Blackcap and Grey Wagtail.  The short walk out onto fells holds pipts and I heard a Cuckoo and there is Green Woodpecker in the woods too.

As ever with these things pick your times, I went twice and early-ish morning (before 11) and late afternoon (4pm) it has fewer people around so the birds are more forthcoming and there are 3 or four of each species in this small expanse.  Here's a few pictures.

I also got decent views of an Osprey and Red Kite at Esthwaite Water.  Two pair of Osprey are breeding there and use the lake to feed, although I didnt see that, I did get far better views of one perching on last years nest than I would have done at Bassenthwaite.  When the eggs have hatched and the adults are feeding regularly just sit outside at the cafe and you should see something.  Its the Esthwaite Water fishing place just out of the village.

I came across this Tawny Owl just perching.  I believe it may have been hunting as the previous night it had rained right through.

Finally a distant shot of a Marsh Harrier carrying food at Leighton Moss unfortunately the pass to the female couldn't be seen.

Newton Lake

Birds present this morning included 7 Gadwall, 4 Mute Swan and a brood of 5 Canada Geese

D Broome

Old coach road, Dairy Farm Road, Inglenook Farm lap

The shelduck landed in a field between Dairy Farm Road and Sidings Lane. Ten of the eleven wheatear where in a ploughed field right at the end of Dairy Farm Road, and the four yellow wagtail were flying around together over a field that was being ploughed near to Moor Game Farm.

Along the Old Coach Road a bird briefly landed on the grass and then flew back to a tree the moment it saw me. In the split second view I had it struck me as extensively red and I couldn't immediately ID it. It was too small for a bullfinch or a crossbill, and too red for a chaffinch or a robin. I waited for ages for it to come back but I didn't see it again - how annoying! Probably just a Scarlet Rosefinch or Mousier's Redstart or something!!


Shelduck 2
Yellow wagtail 4
Wheatear 11
Common Whitethroat 3
Yellowhammer 6
Tree sparrow 9
Willow Warbler 1
Goldcrest 1
Oystercatcher 4+
Stock dove 6
Linnet 4

Hare 3
Stoat 1

Damian P

Havannah flash

Short walk around the fash this afternoon

Cormorant 1 over

Lapwing 2 

Grey heron 2 on Sankey brook

Buzzard 1

Coot 1

Mallard 2

Swift 10

SB

Havannah flash

My first sighting of Swifts today over  Havannah  flash

Swift 2
Buzzard 2
Mallard with six young Sankey brook
Lapwing1
SB

Newton lake

Short visit this morning 7am
Mute swan 4
Canada goose 2
Mallard 20
Coot 4
Moorhen 3
Wren 2
SB

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??