Redhead Smew at Newchurch Common : 15th February 2016

Redhead Smew at Newchurch Common : 15th February 2016

I had read about a red-headed Smew wintering on one of the fishing lakes at Newchurch Common and, as it had been there for quite a while, I reckoned we had a fair chance of seeing it. I had only seen a Smew twice before (each time a redhead); the first at Leighton Moss from Lillian’s Hide on 1st March 2012 and at Moor Nature Reserve on the Birch Pool on 6th January 2013. A Smew would be a nice addition to my year list and I was hopeful.

I hadn’t been to Newchurch Common before so I didn’t really know where I was looking but a reference given on the “Birdguides” web site enabled me to look it up and it turned out to be near Foxwist Green. We tried to approach the area (which is closed to all cars except anglers with permits) from the further side (the A49) but Overdale Lane from this end turned into a boggy track not really very suitable for walking (due to the recent wet weather) never mind driving. Instead we came at it from the Foxwist Green side driving down Novascotia Lane. At a certain point Novascotia Lane does a sharp left right angled turn. We parked at this point where Novascotia Lane meets the other end of Overdale Lane.

The path was a lot less muddy and there were Mistle Thrush and Wren, Blackbirrd and Robin feeding in the wet meadows and in the leaf litter. It was only a five minute walk up this path before we came to the first lake, on the left, where we found a handful of Goosander, lots of Tufted Ducks and some Wigeon looking rather splendid in the brilliant sunshine. There was no Smew however, so we walked further up the track knowing that there was a bigger body of water on the right side of the track. We ran into a couple of birders who told us that they had just seen the bird and that it was hard to see and tucked up in a corner of the lake wherethere is a little island creating a sort of oxbow. Glad to be given a bit of a heads up on this, we found the entry to the area (each bit has a small car parking area for anglers reached behind a padlocked gate which is the clue) and soon found a couple of anglers who confirmed that it had been seen.

We set up the scope and scoured the area we had been told the Smew was to be found. It took a bit of finding before it eventually came out of hiding and showed quite well, though it did need a scope to identify it properly. We spent a good while looking at the bird and trying to get a bit of phone-scoped video (too distant to be easy to keep the scope focused and steady) before we needed to get warmed up a bit. Fortunately for us we had researched a pub, very close by, the Plough Inn, that had very good food and a big open fire. We warmed up and refreshed ourselves before the next target of the day – a Bittern and Budworth Mere.

Newchurch Common

Bird Sightings : Newchurch Common