Red Elf Cap Fungus near Rotary Hide

Unknown Fungus growing near Rotary Hide

A Common Mole foraging by the screen near the Sybil Hogg hide

A survey of the whole reserve gave the following totals (all singing males) 42 Chiffchaff, 81 Robin, 11 Wren, 9 Dunnock and 10 Song Thrush. Other totals of note were 278 Tufted Duck and 71 Gadwall. A Peregrine was on the viaduct and a single Small Tortoiseshell was on No.4 bed.

Another great morning on No.3 bed, with spring passage under way and the sun shining. Early on, an adult Mediterranean Gull was among the 1,100 or so Black-headed Gulls, which filled the surface of the lagoon. Other sightings included: 69 Sand Martins through in five hours, 1 Redshanks,1 Snipe, 6 Chiffchaffs, 1 Peregrine, 1 Water Rail, 2 Sparrowhawks, 6 Buzzard and, 40 Goldfinches. As happens every year, the 6 Black-necked Grebes, which arrived a few days ago have gone off roaming around adjacent waters before settling to breed.

Photo of Shelducks from this morning

Cheers David (with David Spencer and George Dunbar)

An excellent day on No.3 bed started with 5 Black-necked Grebes and 2 adult Mediterranean Gulls in front of the Morgan Hide. Between 6.15 am and 1.30 pm, 66 Sand Martins and 5 Swallows moved through, pausing to feed before heading north. An unusual sighting for the bed was of a pristine male Merlin, which rattled across the bed, skimming over the water before again heading north. Other raptors were also evident, with 2 Sparrowhawks, 1 Kestrel, 9 Buzzards and a Peregrine which narrowly failed to take a Black-headed Gull within feet of the Morgan Hide. Other counts of interest included:1 Cetti’s Warbler, 6 Chiffchaffs, 2 Water Rails, 2 Bramblings, 12 Redwings, 3 Siskins, 2 Linnets, 12 Shelduck, 11 Shoveler, 10 Pochard, 21 Herring Gulls, 16 Lesser Black-backed Gulls, 4 Common Gulls, 20 Teal and 5 Stock Doves.

Cheers David Bowman (with Dave Steel, Alan Warford,Paul Hazlehurst Brian Baird, Helen Allan and George Dunbar)

Fine,sunny morning on No.3 bed. Black necked Grebe 1,Shelduck 12, Mute Swan 3, Gadwall 20, Pochard 15,Little Grebe 7-3 trilling, Shoveler 21, many paired, Canada Goose 28, most paired, Greylag Goose 5, Lapwing 3, a pair displaying in front of Morgan hide, Water rail 1 calling inside east bank. Chiffchaff 4 singing males,and a Small Tortoiseshell along east bank. A Moorhen nest building in front of Morgan hide.Two Buzzards and a Sparrowhawk. Lots of Coltsfoot in flower along east and north-east banks.

Had a lovely few hours wandering around the reserve this afternoon. Spotted a Chiffchaff and a Brambling in the bushes to the left side of the John Morgan Hide.

There were further signs of spring today, notably five singing Chiffchaffs across the reserve. Robins totalled an impressive 86 and 13 Wrens were in song. Dunnocks were few and far between and I only counted 4 singing males. Other highlights were a Peregrine at the traditional nest site on the viaduct, 2 female Goldeneye on the river and 3 Herring Gulls on No.3 bed. The path along the river to the north of No.2 bed has been partially re-opened and I found what I am pretty sure are Otter tracks on the bank.

Gadwall (Anas stressera)from John Morgan Hide

Lesser Black-backed Gull (Larus fuss)from John Morgan Hide

Coot (Fulica aura)from John Morgan hide

2 Med gulls displaying on Friday in front of the Morgan hide. Ian and Rick Witter

Saturday Morning Highlights 19-March-2016

The part of the Saturday morning team, who were not able to be in Vietnam, arrived onsite by 07.30 hrs. A Cold start was warmed when Sue Warford spotted a Little Ringed Plover, our first migrant of the year. All three regular Woolston Summer grebes were seen once we had tracked down this years first Black-necked Grebe seen from the Rotary Hide. Other migrants included: 3 Chiffchaffs, 2 adult Mediterranean Gulls, a Chetti’s Warbler was heard. Willow Tit and 4 Brambling were showing at the John Morgan Hide feeding station. Other highlights from a species total of 47 were: 8 Redwings, 5 Bullfinches, Water Rail (heard), 2 Snipe. Dave Hackett reported at least 600 B.H.Gulls on the bed. Keiran and teams’ highlights were 3 Siskin and a Woodcock.

Les Jones, Alan and Sue Warford, Paul Hazelhurst and Dianne Shepherd

No.3 bed

One Black necked grebe in partial summer plumage on NW Pool.Clearly a different bird from the one seen earlier in the week. Pair of Mediterranean Gulls on spits at Morgan hide.Full adults displaying and chasing off Black headed Gulls. One Little Ringed Plover early am and an Oystercatcher. Over 700 BH Gulls.No sign of Otter seen on bed in front of south platform on 17th March. Cetti’s Warbler been in song by Rotary hide for several days.

WeBS Count

Little Grebe 4, Great crested grebe 16, Cormorant 10, Mute Swan 11, Greylag 3, Canada Goose 43, Grey Heron 1, Shelduck 17, Gadwall 43, Teal 220, Mallard 47, Shoveler 1, Pochard 104, Tufted Duck 295, Goldeneye 1, Moorhen 23, Coot 52, Water Rail 1, Lapwing 4, Snipe 1,Black headed Gull 300, Lesser Black backed Gull 1. Only part of the Eyes covered as only three counters available. The Pochard count was the first three-figure count for two years.Also of note was 3 Song Thrushes in song on No.3 Bed.

After a cold and grey start the sun emerged and it was a lovely spring day. The highlights were my first Chiffchaff of the year, showing well and in full song on Butchersfield Tip, and a Peacock and 2 Small Tortoiseshell on No.2 bed. Reserve-wide counts included 55 Robin and 17 Dunnock. Of a total of 52 Carrion Crows and 28 Magpies, the vast majority (49 and 24) were on No.4 bed. Coots totalled 47 and Great-crested Grebes 11. A flock of about 40 Linnets was on No.1 bed where a single Snipe was flushed from the eastern end. A reserve total of 960 Black-headed Gulls included 560 on No.3 bed and 300 on fields to the south of Butchersfield Tip. Also on No.3 bed were 20 Shelduck, 10 Herring Gulls on one of the rafts and 4 Lesser Black-backed Gulls. Unfortunately there was no sign of the Black-necked Grebe. Photo; Primroses on No.3 bed

A lovely morning at woolston today Gill and I started with a walk to the weir on the way we saw two which I believe were redwing landed briefly in a tree by the weir.Alas no time to get the camera out plenty of pochard and tufted on the weir not much else there to see.Plenty of cormorants sunbathing in the trees on the way back to the bridge. On the right fork of the path we saw a tortoiseshell first this year.From the morgan hide we saw a few brambling .shellducks, shovelers pochard a little grebe in the very far channel and five great crested grebe.Around 12.30 we saw one black necked grebe the first this year for us.There were lots of tufted ducks and of course all the usual.Gill went for a walk around the reserve and saw the usual long tail tits and blue and great tits then a goldcrest was in the tree near the loo a great find .Reed buntings wrens several bumble bees one seemed to follow me around.On the way out we saw the goldcrest again at the same place but it didn’t wait for me to get the camera ready.Roger / Gill Riley

Distant shot of the Black necked grebe and a little grebe today

Picture of the Morgan hide from the path to the weir, the two gulls have rings but i can’t read the numbers

Tortoiseshell on the way to the Morgan hide

Black necked grebe At 1347 whilst scanning the black headed gulls for a Mediterranean gull we spotted a black necked grebe from the John Morgan hide. Earlier a small tortoiseshell had been nectaring on a willow catkin outside the hide.

Joy & Carol Mitchell-Lisle

Shelduck (Tadorna tadorna) - No3 bed

Black-headed Gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus)- no3 bed

Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus) on the run - No3 Bed

Photo of the Eastern Reed-bed on No.1 bed, where a Bittern has been seen twice in the past week.

Cheers David

Photo of the male Peregrine, perched on Thelwall Viaduct.

Photo of the view from the Morgan HIde

Cheers David

The Black-headed Gull colony continues to increase and an estimated 700-800 birds were present with others on the canal near the locks. A Treecreeper on the south bank of No.3 bed was a good find and 8 Common Gulls were at the locks.

Another of those special mornings, with gorgeous skies and plenty of good birds - not to mention great people. We started with sunrise from the Morgan Hide and, after a quick breakfast, went to stake out the No.1 bed reed-bed for Bittern. No luck with this but plenty to compensate, with 1 Cetti’s Warbler,1 Peregrine Falcon at the nest site and then actively hunting nearby, 2 Water Rails, 7 Snipe, 8 Reed Buntings, 2 Sparrowhawks, 3 Buzzards, 1 Redwing, 1 Kestrel and 1 Little Grebe the highlights. Then, after a quick puncture (ahem!), back onto No.3 bed for 27 Bramblings, 1 Willow Tit, 7 Great Crested Grebes, 30 Pochard, another Water Rail, 310 Black-headed Gulls, 1 Common Gull and 2 Mistle Thrushes the pick of the bunch.

Photo of a Black-headed Gull from this morning

Cheers David (with David Spencer, Alan Warford, Paul Hazlehurst, Brian Baird, Helen Allan, Diane Shepherd and George Dunbar)

A very chilled morning, spent sitting in the Morgan Hide on No.3 bed, watching the comings and goings as most birds start to engage in pre-breeding activity. Highlights were the first Black-tailed Godwit of the year, 5 Bramblings, 1 Snipe, 10 Lesser Redpolls, 8 Reed Buntings, 75 Pochard, 56 Tufted Ducks, 5 Buzzards, 2 Sparrowhawks, 6 Great Crested Grebes, 1 Little Grebe, 311 Black-headed Gulls, 9 Shelducks, 12 Lapwings, 10 Shoveler, 16 Gadwall and 60 Teal.

Photo of a Moorhen from this morning.

Cheers David (with Alan Warford, Dave Steel and David Spencer)