It was a dull and rather murky day for my last full walk of the year. Although it was generally quiet there were still some sightings of interest. A Grey Wagtail was at the Locks and one of the resident Peregrines was on the viaduct. A Song Thrush was singing on No.1 bed where Dave Riley spotted a Raven flying north and calling. Three male Goldeneye were in the river basin and a Little Grebe was trilling briefly at the Fish Refuge. The Nuthatch seen last week was still in the wood to the north of the river opposite No.1 bed. Also at the Fish Refuge was a Mute Swan with a blue Darvic ring BY6. About a hundred Teal were on the Loop of No.4 bed. Reserve totals included 78 Robins, 43 Moorhen and 43 Gadwall.

A mild, pleasant day started with a Peregrine on the viaduct and a flock of 14 Long-tailed Tits on Butchersfield Tip. A Little Grebe was trilling at the fish refuge north of No.1 bed and two male Goldeneye were in the river basin. A minimum of 3 Bramblings were at the No.3 bed feeders where two Grey Squirrels were helping themselves to the food on offer! Reserve-wide totals included 241 Tufted Duck, 110 Mallard and 40 Mute Swans. The surprise of the day was a very late Red Admiral on the river. Photo; morning on the canal.

female Brambling with Greenfinches on feeder

male Great Spotted Woodpecker (ringed)

Female Bullfinch (ringed)

A quick visit at noon and plenty of finches on the feeders and ground beneath including a pair of Brambling. (photo of female Brambling)

A Waxwing was an unexpected visitor today. A single bird was feeding in the hedgerow which borders the north side of the River Mersey adjacent to Edward Gardens. It flew off north, low over the estate, at c11:30 and I couldn’t relocate it in a brief search this afternoon. Four Goosanders (3 redheads and 1 male) were still on the Ship Canal by the car park for No.3 bed.

WeBS count carried out on the morning of 8th December

Little Grebe 4, Great crested Grebe 4, Cormorant 7, Mute Swan 15, Grey Heron 5, Shelduck 7, Canada Goose 17, Gadwall 57, Teal 592, Mallard 144, Shoveler 33,Tufted Duck 228, Goldeneye 5 Goosander 4, Moorhen 41, Coot 30, Black tailed Godwit 1, Black headed Gull 66, Greater Black backed Gull 4, Buzzard 10, Sparrowhawk 2,Kestrel 2, Peregrine 2.

After strong winds and overnight rain, we were fortunate to enjoy pleasant sunshine for our last Visible Migration Watch of the year, combined with the December Wetland Birds Count. Just three stalwarts made the pre-dawn trek to the top of Butchersfield Tip, with two Tawny Owls duetting to send us on our way. Although there wasn’t much movement over the morning, diligent scanning turned up: 1,250 Pink-footed Geese, 4 Ravens, 4 Great Black-backed Gulls, 30 Fieldfares, 11 Redwings, 2 Peregrines, 10 Buzzards, 2 Sparrowhawks, 2 Kestrels, 150 Lapwings, 31 Stock Doves and the odd Lesser Redpoll, Siskin, Skylark and Linnet, along with many of the commoner species. Around the Tip, Goldcrest, Treecreeper and Nuthatch added to the variety, as did a single female Goldeneye, during the WeBs Count.

Photo of the view to the north from Butchersfield Tip

Cheers David Bowman (with Dave Steel and David Spencer)

A late morning till dusk visit, checking out the water levels on No.3 bed and doing some counts around the bed. The drama of the afternoon came when a Stoat shot across the Morgan Hide scrape and tried to snatch a Teal. It then swam into the reed-bed where it was mobbed by a group of Teal, occasionally darting out to try and grab one. I first took it for a Mink because of its aquatic behaviour but even through the camera viewfinder it looked reddish and I was pretty sure I could see the dark tail tip diagnostic of Stoat - see what you think. Other sightings of interest included: 2 Woodcocks, 2 Ravens, 3 Bramblings, 2 Goosanders (near the Penny Ferry), 3 Cetti’s Warblers, 1 Black-tailed Godwit, 2 Snipe, odd Fieldfare and Redwing, 2 Water Rails, 17 Lesser Redpolls, 55 Linnets, 8 Bullfinches, 10 Goldfinches, 120 Greenfinches, 80 Chaffinches and 300 Teal. As I was walking off at dusk, 220 Tufted Ducks with a single male Pochard dropped onto the lagoon and a Tawny Owl flew across the Footbridge and onto the bed. The link is to a video clip showing bits and pieces from the last week or two, including a Black Swan, Brambling and today’s hunting Stoat.

Click here to watch David’s video or cut and paste the link below into your browser……

https://youtu.be/8bBvhjLh-4A

Cheers David Bowman

A pleasant morning on No.3 bed, starting at dawn under overcast skies, though the day did slowly brighten. Finch flocks are now starting to grow, with 8 Bramblings, 6 Bullfinches, 60 Linnets, 70 Chaffinches, 140 Greenfinches and the odd Lesser Redpoll and Goldfinch noted around the seed crop or visiting the Morgan Hide feeding station. Other counts of note included: 1 male Goosander (on the Ship Canal), 2 Goldeneyes (at the Weir Basin), 3 Ravens, 1 Blackcap (ringed), 2 Cetti’s Warblers,1 Water Rail, 1 Willow Tit, 1 Black-tailed Godwit, 3 Common Snipe, 3 Redwings, 8 Reed Buntings,300 Teal, 8 Shelducks and 275 Lapwings.

Heavily cropped shot of a Brambling!

Cheers David Bowman (with David Spencer, Helen Wynn, Alan Warford, Sue Haddock,Brian Baird and Carey Randall)