Leighton Moss

Leighton Moss

A day out at Leighton Moss while the sun was shining (and the trains between Manchester and Silverdale were running pretty much to time unlike the rest of the network).

Plenty of ducks on Lilian's Hide: teal and mallard close to the hide, wigeon, shoveler and pintail on the far side of the pool with a few tufted ducks and goldeneye, and a couple of dozen gadwall peppered about. All were momentarily spooked as a marsh harrier flew over then settled back down quietly. A nice surprise was a bittern suddenly flying up out of the reedbed and flying a few yards before disappearing whence it came.

Drake teal singing

There were more marsh tits about than I've seen so far this year, which comes as a bit of a relief as I'd started worrying about that. The alders between Lilian's Hide and the Hideout hosted a small flock of siskins.

Marsh tit

I didn't get to see any bearded tits or Cetti's warblers this time, though there were two singing Cetti's, one on the causeway and one in the new reeds by the boardwalk.

From the Causeway Hide the first thing that struck the eye was a large raft of coot and gadwall. There were a few mute swans and a large group of mallard but not much in the way of diving duck besides a solitary duck goldeneye. On the little island — which seems to be getting smaller each time I visit — a couple of cormorants and a great black-backed gull made a couple of lapwings look a bit nervous.

Coot

A mixed tit flock at the bottom of the causeway was mostly long-tailed tits and blue tits with a marsh tit tagging along for company.

Long-tailed tit

A large flock of fieldfare, accompanied by a few blackbirds and redwings, was scattered round the visitor centre and the trees by the golf course. The field between the visitor centre and the railway line seemed to be the place most favoured by redwings. A few of the fieldfares jostled with a flock of starlings for the pick of the apples in the orchard.

Fieldfare

Just as I set off for the train home it started raining, which was nicer timing than usual.

Elton Reservoir

Elton Reservoir

An afternoon stroll round Elton Reservoir with a brief spate of sunshine in between showers. I was half-hoping to add lesser redpoll to the annual list but they tend to turn up after the New Year so it wasn't desperately disappointing to not find any. The usual feeding stations by the sailing club were removed earlier this year (is this another place that's had a rat problem this year?) so there was no idling about in the car park to see what was coming in. Plenty of goldfinches and greenfinches about, a fair-sized flock of house sparrows and a pair of bullfinches feeding on the dock seeds amongst the chickens by the High Bank cottages. I could hear a heron calling but couldn't see it. Until I looked up.

Grey heron

Most of the gulls on the reservoir were black-headed gulls. Out in the middle there was a raft of mostly juvenile herring and lesser black-backed gulls (a few more adults flew in as I was walking round). Half a dozen great black-backs and a few common gulls were dotted about. A third-Winter (I think) yellow-legged gull flew in with a couple of lesser back-backs and some herring gulls.

Cormorant and great black-back

Common gull

Besides gulls there were the usual suspects, including nearly a hundred coot, a couple of dozen tufted ducks and a dozen great crested grebes. A little egret worked its way round the water's edge. As I walked along the path on the Eastern side (which was just as wet but not nearly as muddy as the path on the other side) I disturbed a grey wagtail and as I was looking to see where it had gone a kingfisher zoomed past across the reservoir. A few pied wagtails were feeding amongst the Highland cattle in the field by the farmhouse. A couple of dozen Canada geese had gathered together at the Southern end of the reservoir, together with a few teal, a female goldeneye and two male pochards. And there, sitting on the bank, was the kingfisher that had flown by earlier.

Kingfisher

I wandered down the very muddy path over to Withins Reservoir, which was mostly quiet besides a few teal and mallard then retraced my steps back to the path towards St. Andrew's Road and wandered down to get the bus back into Manchester.

The lane from Withins Reservoir to St. Andrew's Road

Pennington Flash

The afternoon light on the pool by the Tom Edmondson Hide was wonderful and made a wonderful backdrop for the herons on there.

Grey heron

Grey heron

Grey heron

Grey heron

Grey heron

Conwy

Conway Castle

After last week's being stuck at home I was wanting a proper day out, December's a time for catching up both with the year list and site visits so I thought I'd visit RSPB Conwy as I'd not got round to it so far this year and firecrests have been reported from there a few time over the past few days.

It was a nice day for a walk and a pleasant stroll down from Lllandudno Junction station. Plenty of redshanks, gulls and teal on the river, together with a handful of curlew. Good numbers of oystercatchers on the estuary but none on the river south of the railway line.

Conwy RSPB was a bit quiet birdwise. The mixed tit flocks were almost entirely blue tits and great tits, a chiffchaff was tagging along with one of them. Lots of robins begging for food along the paths. Ducks on the open water included mallard, teal, gadwall and a few tufted ducks, accompanied by rafts of coot and the occasional moorhen. There was an interesting looking domestic mallard having a kip alongside a little egret, mostly white with black markings and an odd black and washed-out blue speculum.

Domestic mallard and little egret

Sadly, no firecrests. But it was a nice day out all the same.

Etherow Country Park

Mandarin duck

A bright Winter's afternoon with a splendid low light just begging for pictures of mandarin ducks. So I nipped over to Etherow Country Park to give it a go.

Mandarin duck

Mandarin duck

Mandarin ducks

Fight!

Magpies having a punch-up, Lostock Park

I'd gone for an hour's walk round my local patch to see whether I was up to a proper birding excursion later this week. Fairly quiet all round, a small mixed tit flock worked its way through the poplars and a handful each of blackbirds and robins.

Quite a few magpies about, generally in lose groups of two or three. Until I threw some suet pellets under some elder bushes. As is often the way, the magpies soon forgot about the food and turned their attentions on making sure each knew its place.

Scrapping magpies

Scrapping magpies

Scrapping magpies

Scrapping magpies

Scrapping magpies

Scrapping magpies

After five minutes' noisy kerfuffle involving up to six magpies at times victor and vanquished got up and chased after a carrion crow that had taken most of the food they'd been fighting over.

Lazy Sunday afternoon

It had gone quiet in the garden again.

Male sparrowhawk

Male sparrowhawk

Male sparrowhawk

Male sparrowhawk

Male sparrowhawk

Male sparrowhawk