September 2013 archive

Summary September 2013

Summary September 2013

Garden

September continued in a largely pleasant way and there were even a few balmy days towards the end of the month. The Goldfinches have returned in good numbers and there are quite a few Tits around and a Dunnock is spotted occasionally. Still no Robin, though, and Blackbirds are still only occasionally. The weather has been good and there is probably a lot of food still available out in the woods and fields. Certainly there is a great abundance of berries this year. On the cat front we have bought another deterring device so we can arrange some crossfire. It remains to be seen if this is more efficient. We are due to lose our neighbour’s cat, however, as they more out for a while and rent their house to non cat owners !!!! Continue reading

Visit to Burton Mere Wetlands and Inner Marsh Farm 26th September 2013

Visit to Burton Mere Wetlands and Inner Marsh Farm 26th September 2013

After a bit of a disappointing visit to Pennington Flash with the birding group a couple of days before we thought it would be good to try Burton Mere Wetland. We had good weather and at the reception hide there were some Curlew Sandpipers showing well and on the edge of the pool nearest the hide. Someone pointed out a Common Gull amongst a mass of Black-headed Gulls and there were some Snipe and Black-tailed Godwits. Continue reading

Birding Group Visit to Pennington Flash 24th September 2013

Birding Group Visit to Pennington Flash 24th September 2013

This was the first day of the new birding group term and it was to the oft-visited Pennington Flash. There had been recent sightings of a Lesser Scap, sometimes on the water visible from the car park but, more usually, off Ramsdale Ruck and visible from the Ramsdale Hide. We got to the car park a bit early so I had a good chance to scan the main body of water but, apart from some Pochard, there was nothing particularly interesting around. Continue reading

Visit to Woolston Eyes Nature Reserve : 12th September 2013

Visit to Woolston Eyes Nature Reserve : 12th September 2013

I had read on a sightings web site that someone had recorded a “? juvenile Sharp-tailed Sandpiper” which would have been a bit of a mega rarity but I was a bit sceptical about it and, as it happened, we ran into a chap who had been at Woolston Eyes a few days before and he said that the bird actually turned out to be a Ruff ! This made me feel much better about not turning up for it but we still fancied a visit to Woolston Eyes on what turned out to be a hot day. Continue reading

Brief Visit to Mere Sands Woods : 10th September 2013

Brief Visit to Mere Sands Woods : 10th September 2013

We left WWT Martin Mere for a pub lunch and after that we dropped over to Mere Sands Woods but there wasn’t anything much around and the water levels were extremely low with hardly any from the hide at the back of the reception area. Be that as it may we had a good walk round the site and it ended up being very warm and a bit of postprandial exercise. Continue reading

Visit to WWT Martin Mere : 10th September 2013

Visit to WWT Martin Mere : 10th September 2013

Recent reports of the sighting of a Little Stint took us up to WWT Martin Mere to see if we could locate the bird. Unfortunately we didn’t see it but we did have a couple of nice sightings staring at the Ron Barker hide where we saw a small number of Curlew Sandpiper. Continue reading

Curlew Sandpipers at RSPB Leighton Moss : 5th September 2013

Curlew Sandpipers at RSPB Leighton Moss : 5th September 2013

Curlew Sandpiper Leighton Moss

Curlew Sandpiper Leighton Moss

Continue reading

Stilt Sandpiper : Sandbach Flashes : 4th September 2013

Stilt Sandpiper : Sandbach Flashes : 4th September 2013

I had been looking at the Bird News Anywhere web site for any interesting birds near to us and had spotted the appearance of a Stint Sandpiper on Ashton Flash at Sandbach Flashes and since it had been spotted for a couple of days in a row we decided to use a spare morning to check this bird out. It was useful that there had already been a reported sighting just five minutes before we set off. Continue reading

Birding Group Autumn Schedule 2013 – 2014

Birding Group Autumn Schedule 2013 – 2014

24  Sep          Pennington Flash

1  Oct             Moore Nature Reserve

8 Oct               Brockholes

15 Oct             Neumann’s & Haydn’s Flashes

22 Oct             Leighton Moss  : Day trip

29 Oct             Wigan Flashes (visit far side of canal ?)

5 Nov              Burton  Mere Wetlands (high tide approx 11.45am)

12 Nov             Sandbach Flashes

19 Nov             Martin Mere  : Day trip

26 Nov             Frodsham Marsh & Weaver Bend ( low tide approx 10.30am)

3/4 Dec            Inner Marsh Farm or Hoylake/West Kirby.  (high tide approx 10.45am)

10 Dec             Dunham (plus lunch & programme planning for 2014)