Wednesday 26 February 2014

EVENING EXOCETS EXIT EARLY

A walk up to the flashes from Marbury CP to catch the Starling murmuration was rewarded with our earliest ever patch record of Avocet (2).
The Avocets on the water covered spit on Neumann's Flash didn't stay long and were gone by day break much to the chagrin of the local patchers. It seems they might of made their way to Burton Mere Wetlands as two turned up there the very next day. I attempted to get some mobile phone/binocular photos but due to the distance, the light and being constantly bombarded by Starling poo I legged it to shelter in the hide. Unfortunately it was just too dark by the time I reached the Old Hide.
Avocets are becoming almost regular on passage but it's not until late April early May when they pass through. Last years duo arrived in May and spent most of the time asleep...



The May Avocets of 2013

The Starling murmuration was again awesome to watch and I managed to get some video below....



Just far too many to count, an incredible spectacle and only me and the dog watching it...!

This evening (Wed) the first for me anyway Oystercatcher was back on Neumann's Flash with a pair at Budworth Mere as well. So once the waters recede on the flashes hopefully they'll breed again like last year...fingers crossed. Springs not far away now...yipeeee!!


#PWC  74 species   79 points (2 for Avocet)


TTFN

Saturday 22 February 2014

MOGGY MAGIC

Funny how patching makes you react to certain birds. Cue Tuesday and I'm wandering round Neumann's when the proverbial boom! goes off...a Moorhen skulking in the shrubbery on the flooded north island.
A patch year tick and a punch the air moment...for a Moorhen.!! bird number 72 for the year, seems the deep water isn't to their liking as they're usually found along the non existent muddy edges of the flashes (hopefully we'll get these before the waders start to move through).
At the weekend just gone an early calling Green Woodpecker was back, this is a usual summer resident attracted by the hordes of ants that are on the bund.



Another attempt to get some photos of the Lesser Redpoll flock that's still about on Ashton's flash didn't happen so I got one of these fellows instead.

Saturday and a two hour circuit of both flashes doesn't add anything new to the year list but the suns out and there's lots of avian activity. 45 species which included 6+ singing Reed Buntings, a displaying pair of Buzzards, two (a pair)  Great Crested Grebes and 11+ Lesser Redpolls. Best of all though the dog flushed my 4th Woodcock of the year out from the small bamboo patch in the corner of Ashton's. I think it was a Eurasian one but 'out of the bamboo'...different what?



The #theflashes local pair of Buteos were up and over thermalling nicely.


Unfortunately as is the way these days the local riff raff have been at the hides again and The Old Hide has taken another hammering...more ventilation panels have appeared. The view though hasn't changed just a few flattened reeds from the huge Starling roost each night.



#PWC 72 species   76 points

TTFN

Saturday 8 February 2014

WHAT STORM?

The weather was glorious yesterday evening, no wind or rain and the birds were out singing. An after work wander round Neumann's (only time for one flash to be done) produced two more year ticks.
One each of Great Crested Grebe and a drake Pochard. Like I said earlier it pays to just be out and about.




At 5.00pm the sky started to turn black as 100's no 1000's of Starlings started a humongous murmuration over Neumann's flash, coming from all directions the spectacle was better than anything I've ever seen on Autumnwatch or the like. Upwards of 200,000+ whirled around before crashing into the reedbed by the Old Hide. A Sparrowhawk was having a great supper.
Seems to be a combination of temperature, light, cloud and lack of wind that brings them in for a murmur...who knows?
Talking of roosting birds the Linnet flock that comes in each night to the bramble patch increased to 32. 
Over on Ashton's a huge (for the flashes) flock of Meadow Pipits (27) flew in from the fields across from the lay-by to roost in the reedbed below the Witton Brook mound.

Next day in the breezy southerly wind there was not much on show. The Pochard had already done one but the Great Crest was still there, hopefully to stay and breed like last year.
Entering Scrapyard Hide I noticed the new poster advertising The Cheshire Bird report for 2012 and on the front cover one Water Rail was depicted...cue two calling Water Rails from the reedbed opposite...cool another year tick in the bag.

#PWC  70 species   74 points


TTFN