Flat Lining

After a fairly successful start to the month with a good smattering of migrants, I managed to head out for a quick couple of hours around patch. Despite the weather not being too bad, with plenty of broken cloud and some decent sunshine it still felt relatively cold, and certainly cooler than yesterday.

I started at Burnt Mill Farm again where there were still good numbers of Wheatear, however other than a few Goldfinch and Linnet it was remarkably quiet. A small smattering of Meadow Pipit were moving through with a couple dropping into the paddocks, before moving on quickly. Again there was no sign of the Corn Buntings, and I was starting to get increasingly concerned that they would be lost as a breeding species on patch.

Carr Lane was quieter than yesterday, but small numbers of Chiffchaff and Blackcap were again singing from the scrubby areas along Ramsbrook. A Water Rail was squealing from the flooded fields along Carr Lane and the reedbed was alive with the sounds of Reed Bunting. Hopefully it won't be long until the first Sedge and Reeds return. Carr Lane Pools were relatively quiet, but there were still reasonable numbers of Eurasian Teal, single Wigeon, whilst Shoveler and Gadwall numbers were starting to build up.

Moving round to the gate on Town Lane there was not much more to be seen, although 2 White Wagtail and a further 3 Wheatear were present. With a real lack of waders present I decided to walk along Town lane to the bridge and was rewarded with a single Water Pipit. However there seemed to be a real dip in the numbers of migrants about. With limited time and very little to keep me out and about (and getting into trouble) I decided to head home.

After a fairly successful start to the month with a good smattering of migrants, I managed to head out for a quick couple of hours around patch. Despite the weather not being too bad, with plenty of broken cloud and some decent sunshine it still felt relatively cold, and certainly cooler than yesterday.

I started at Burnt Mill Farm again where there were still good numbers of Wheatear, however other than a few Goldfinch and Linnet it was remarkably quiet. A small smattering of Meadow Pipit were moving through with a couple dropping into the paddocks, before moving on quickly. Again there was no sign of the Corn Buntings, and I was starting to get increasingly concerned that they would be lost as a breeding species on patch.

Carr Lane was quieter than yesterday, but small numbers of Chiffchaff and Blackcap were again singing from the scrubby areas along Ramsbrook. A Water Rail was squealing from the flooded fields along Carr Lane and the reedbed was alive with the sounds of Reed Bunting. Hopefully it won't be long until the first Sedge and Reeds return. Carr Lane Pools were relatively quiet, but there were still reasonable numbers of Eurasian Teal, single Wigeon


Fairly dire scoot round patch - plenty of Wheatear, 2 White Wag, single Wapit Town Ln

Foolish Birding

After a fairly murky morning with heavy rain I managed to time my patch birding perfectly, with the clouds breaking revealing some warm Spring sunshine. After a bit of a rush of migrants to the end of March, I was hopeful that the start of April would follow in the same vain.

I started at Burnt Mill Farm where I was delighted to find that the first Wheatears were finally back in. At least 7 Wheatear were bouncing about the paddocks, including some nice confiding birds which allowed some good photo opportunities (....for me!). The paddocks were full of Meadow Pipit, Linnet and Goldfinch, although it was slightly alarming that there was a distinct lack of Corn Bunting again. A Willow Warbler was singing in the garden of Burnt Mill Farm, my first of the Spring and always a joy to hear.

Moving down Carr Lane I stopped at the bridge and found a female Garganey feeding quietly at the back of the flooded field. The fields were alive with Wheatear whilst Great Boar Wood and the scrubby ditch along the back of Ramsbrook were alive with Chiffchaff and Blackcap. The sudden arrival of some sunshine clearly tempted the raptors out with 3 Peregrine, 20+ Buzzard, 2 Sparrowhawk and 6 Kestrel. Sadly despite what looked like perfect conditions and good numbers elsewhere I failed to find any Osprey.

Carr Lane Pools were remarkably quiet with only a handful of hirundines flying around, so I moved quickly onto the bridge on Town Lane. A Great White Egret was sat out distantly on the Marsh, whilst at least 2 Water Pipit were still present. It will be interesting to see how long they decide to remain.

Heading round to Within Way I caught up with the Little Owl, which was enjoying the afternoon sunshine. 2 Marsh Harrier were soaring on the thermals just east of Runcorn Hill, whilst a female Merlin shot through. Hale Marsh held a Green Sandpiper and the hybrid Shelduck sp.  but the tide failed to push many waders in. With very little else moving, and next to no migrants I decided to head back towards Carr Lane again.

The male Garganey had reappeared on the main pools, whilst a very smart summer plumaged Water Pipit was feeding in the small pool just in front of the gap in the hedge. There were still at least 5 Wheatear bouncing around, and a Whimbrel came flying over from the north and headed towards Hale Marsh. A Siskin and a Lesser Redpoll flew over, just as a reminder that it was still early Spring. With my time running out, I decided to head home.

March Showers

I was keen to get one last patch visit in before the end of the month, and I was fairly hopeful of a good visit based on the forecast. Unfortunately the weather had other plans, and it was very much a case of sunshine and heavy showers. However at this time of year it is good to be out whatever, with the prospect of migrants starting to arrive.

Arriving at Burnt Mill Farm the light drizzle had turned into slightly more persistent rain. The paddocks were pretty much devoid of life, not especially surprising given the conditions. A few Meadow Pipits, Reed Bunting and Linnet were still moving around. I had a very brief look for the Lapland Bunting, but with fairly poor conditions I didn't spend too long.

Luckily by the time I had driven down Carr Lane the rain had relented and some signs of brightness were slowly starting to come through. The male Garganey was again showing well on the flooded fields, with Little Grebes, Mallard, Shoveler, Gadwall and Lapwing as supporting cast. Moving across the road I picked up my first Little Ringed Plover of the year on the edge of the Pools.

Water Pipit (c/o Mike Roberts)

The summer plumaged Water Pipit was again showing fairly well (although my pics were awful - fortunately Mike Roberts got some good pics the day before). A few hirundines were moving through as well with a group of 12+ Sand Martin, House Martin and Swallow over the back of the Pools. The pools held the usual suspects, but Black-tailed Godwits numbered about 90, a slight increase on recent numbers. Just as I was about to leave another group of c.20 Sand Martin suddenly arrived and starting feeding over the flooded fields, real "active" migration - one of the reasons why I love Spring.

Moving around to Town Lane the Pools didn't reveal much else, but the Ruff was again feeding in the far corner of the pools. 3 Greylag Geese (an increasingly scarce patch bird) had joined the Canada Geese which were spread across the Pools and Town Lane floods. Duck numbers are pretty much the same at present with a single male Wigeon, 46 Eurasian Teal, 24 Shoveler and a handful of Mallard and Gadwall.

Town Lane was fairly dire with Hale Marsh exceedingly quiet. However a rather tatty looking Kestrel gave some nice views, and a few Little Egret were stalking the outer marsh. After the initial optimism from Carr Lane, there seemed to be a real lack of migrants, and even the Meadow Pipit and Skylark numbers seemed to be down. A quick look over the Pools on my return to the car revealed the male Garganey had relocated again.

With the clouds finally starting to break I decided to walk Within Way, with the anticipation of doing the full Hale Head loop via the Lighthouse. However it was so appallingly slow that I rejected the idea, with the sum total of a good mooch around being 2 White Wagtail, 1 Wheatear, 5 Chiffchaff and 2 Sand Martin flying north. The return walk was enlivened slightly with a/the female Merlin dashing through. To make things worse the dark clouds then unleashed a massive downpour....thank god I had decided to leave my waterproofs on!!

With the rain easing again I decided to head to Hale Park (probably the first of many Spring visits) to have a look for any grounded migrants, although given that it was only the end of March I was not too hopeful. Needless to say there were next to no migrants, but it was nice to catch up with plenty of Treecreeper, Nuthatch, Blackcap, Chiffchaff and Goldcrest. Scoping across to Frodsham Score and Ince Marshes I picked up a single Great White Egret, 2 Mute Swan and 9 Swan sp. (which through the haze looked likely to be Whooper). The dry weather didn't last long and with heavy rain starting again I decided to call it quits and head home.

......and Relax!!

I managed a brief visit to the patch during Sunday afternoon, and was again rather surprised that nothing rarer had been reported despite plenty of people on patch. It was disappointing to hear that the people had been walking through the fields to try and find the Lapland Bunting, and it was not overly surprising to hear that it had only be seen briefly.

I again checked out the paddocks by Burnt Mill Farm, but was again left disappointed with no Wheatear present still. However there were good numbers of Linnet and Meadow Pipit present, and the oilseed fields at the back held singing Corn Bunting and Reed Bunting. It surely won't be too long until the first Wheatears are back......

Moving around the sharp bends I was surprised to find no birders at all. I picked up the Lapland Bunting quite quickly, whilst it was calling and flying around. However, unlike the last two days it didn't seem keen on settling - I'm not sure whether this was due to the Kestrel in attendance or the persistent flushing that it had received earlier in the day?! With limited available time and having had good views over the last couple of days I decided to leave it in peace and move down Carr Lane.

The flooded field held the usual Little Grebes, who were exceedingly vocal. A female Merlin was perched up in the hawthorns behind the floods and gave good scope views (but clearly not good photo opportunities!!). A single Water Pipit was feeding on the Carr Lane side of the road, but was rather mobile and didn't want to settle either. It all seemed rather quiet in comparison to the last couple of days.

Moving round to the gate on Town Lane I relocated the male Garganey, which was sadly feeding right at the back of the Pools. A good number of Black tailed Godwit were present, but were feeding in the deep water so no chance of colour ring reading on this occasion. A single Ruff was present in the back corner, whilst the single male Wigeon, 40+ Eurasian Teal and 24 Shoveler were again present.

I walked up to the bridge on Town Lane hoping that the first Little ringed Plover would be in by now, but sadly there was still no sign. A couple of Little Egret were feeding out on the Marsh, but otherwise it was very quiet. Meadow Pipit and Skylark were present in good numbers, but despite a thorough search I couldn't find much else of interest. With my available time running out I headed back to the car. A rather tame patch visit compared to the last couple of days, but then I shouldn't really complain given that it is still only March! 

Evening Bash

I was tied up for most of the day, so only managed to get out for the last couple of hours of light. It was good to hear that so many people connected with Lapland Bunting during the day, although I was rather surprised that nothing else was found despite the number of eyes out and about. It was still a gorgeous evening, with light south-easterlies and warm sunshine.

Stopping at the horse paddocks at Burnt Mill Farm, I was rather disappointed that there were no Wheatear again. The paddocks were relatively quiet but held a small number of Meadow Pipit and Linnet. A couple of Reed Bunting could be heard singing from the fields at the back of the paddocks, and 4 Yellowhammer flew over heading towards Carr Lane again.

Moving around to the stubble field I was able to catch up with the Lapland Bunting again which was feeding in almost the same place as yesterday. Sadly the pictures aren't much better than usual, but you get the idea! A couple of Yellowhammer and Reed Bunting were calling from the hedges, but otherwise it seemed remarkably quiet.

Driving down to Carr Lane and parking up by the bridge, Great Boar Wood was again alive with the songs of Chiffchaff, Blackcap and Nuthatch. A single Water Pipit was showing remarkably well, and even if I couldn't fail to get some half decent shots. Scanning over towards the main pools I couldn't see any of the earlier Avocet, but there was a good selection of the expected species with Black tailed Godwit numbers clearly starting to increase.

The flooded field (aka the Ibis Pool) held at least 3 Little Grebe, and for once they were actually quiet showy. The water levels are just about right for this time of year, but there is a nice muddy edge developing (hopefully just in time for the wader passage!). A selection of Eurasian Teal, Mallard, Lapwing, Coot and Moorhen were the only other birds who were making the most of the Pools at the moment, fingers crossed for some goodies over the next few months.

Parking up at Curlender Way I wandered over to the gate on Town Lane. One Avocet remained on the main scrape (down from 3 earlier in the day), and a couple of Common Snipe were probing away at the back of the Pools. A female Merlin caused havoc as it flew in from the east and landed all too briefly on one of the posts at the back of the Pools...sadly just too quick for me to get a decent pic. Interestingly it appeared to be quite a dark bird, and may in fact be a different to the other lingering bird.

Walking along Town Lane towards Hale Marsh failed to relocate the Cattle Egret but there were a couple of smart looking Little Egret feeding out on the marsh. The flooded section held 24 Shoveler, and the usual selection of other ducks. It seemed a world away from yesterdays visit, with the Marsh seemingly very quiet. It was broken by a surprise Spotted Redshank that came off Carr Lane, calling over my head and out onto Hale Marsh. I'm not entirely sure how I had missed it when I was scanning the Pools?! I bumped into Mike Roberts and had a quick chat before he headed off to Within Way and I decided to head back to Carr Lane for last light.

Returning to Carr Lane and parking by the bridge I quickly relocated the male Garganey at the back of the Ibis Pool. It felt good to be out at last light again, and it felt that little bit more atmospheric with screeching Water Rail, a Tawny Owl hooting and plenty of whinnying from the Little Grebes. Although I waited until near darkness there was no sign of the early winter Barn Owls, but after a long dark winter it was nice to finally have a milder evening to enjoy.