Quick tour...

Freeman’s Pool Gadwall, Goldeneye, Little Grebe, Coot etc. Frog Pond a number of Wigeon. Track saw a few Linnet, plenty of Chaffinch a single Fieldfare feeding on berries. Also, plenty of Crows around today. The fields behind the upper track were being sprayed with manure and attracted a few hundred mainly Black-headed Gulls I found one Med amongst them. Wildfowlers’ Pool had a number of Teal. The geese were some distance away and couldn’t make them out other than Canada none Canada! At least eight Little Egret, eleven yesterday, on the marsh.

I took a quick look on the mud bank near Gull bank and found a Green Sand and Snipe. A Peregrine spooked a huge flock of Lapwing/Golden plover. Sewerage works had a few Rock Pipits and Linnets present.

Steve.

Full Frontal

Dan here.

It was a bit of a goosefest this morning, with four adult european white-fronted geese initially on Heaton Marsh-- reassuringly aloof from the greylag hordes. A little disappointingly, they decamped to mingle with a motley crew of greylags and Canadas on Aldcliffe Marsh.

Then I was surprised to find 7 Greenland white-fronted geese at the southern end of the marsh. These much more handsome birds were also all adult.... and also very much at ease with the feral honkers (feeding with them, bathing in the river with them-- even playing cards with them).

Mind you, there were at least a hundred more greylags than usual today, so maybe even they weren't all feral after all.

A skein of 58 pink-footed geese circled over the marsh for a while, before continuing east.

In passerine news, 5 rock pipits were at Stodday sewage works and the recently-harvested maize fields had attracted over 70 chaffinches, six bullfinches, (two sparrowhawks) and a few tree sparrows, mipits and reed buntings.

A lesser redpoll was at the Willow Lane end of Freeman'sWood. A third goldeneye is now at Freeman's Pools.

DH.

Green Back

Just a fleeting look on my way elsewhere today.... but a female merlin and a green sandpiper were noted.

DH

In the Euro Zone

Dan here.

A few decent birds today, with wildfowl heading the list.

A faint yip-yip-yipping, then distant views of a few sturdy medium-size geese culminated in good views of these five european white-fronts heading South. Perhaps these Baltic breeders were en route to the Severn estuary where the majority winter.



Euro White-fronted Geese: appearing to be 4 adults and a juv. 

                                  

My first two goldeneyes of the season were on Freeman's Pools. A scan of the estuary at high water revealed five shovelers, six gadwall and a pochard mingling with wigeons and teal near Gull Bank.

A nice female merlin was panicking the saltmarsh lapwings and starlings (around 2000 and 500 birds respectively). Merlins can be a regular sight here in winter.

A woodcock flew over the water from Heaton Marsh, dropping into cover near the cutting.

The hedges and bushes held a few each of goldcrest, song thrush and fieldfare, with around 50 (mainly 1st- winter male) blackbirds, including a dozen or so loudly mobbing an ivy roosting little owl by Stodday sewage works.

DH.

A maize in....

One maize field harvested. In the hedge plenty of action 2 Tree Sparrow, Reed Buntings, Linnets, Brambling 1, Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Dunnock, Blue Tits, on the track Blackbirds, Goldfinch, Bullfinch, Wren, Robin, Mistle Thrush, Song Thrush. Heading east Fieldfare 20, at the cutting Redwing and more Blackbirds. Freeman’s Pool Gadwall, Shoveler, Tufted Duck, Coot, Little Grebe and a Kestrel. Flood Shoveler and a Shelduck. 

Shooting on the opposite side spread the birds out a bit. Little Egret 1, Lapwing numerous, Curlew, Redshank. Ravens 2, Peregrine Falcon 1 near the pylons.

Steve.