Rostherne Mere : 3rd March 2014

Rostherne Mere : 3rd March 2014

On a lovely sunny Monday morning we had the idea to go to Tatton Park and walk through the woods there looking for Woodpeckers – hopefully (very hopefully) all three species. Unfortunately we forgot that out of season Tatton Park is closed on Mondays. Because we were near Rostherne Mere and because we had not been there for a while we decided to head off there instead. As we walked across the fields to the car park we saw two Kestrels in the trees, one chasing the other. We walked down to the observatory and let ourselves in. Initially we were the only people there but after a bit a chap came in who I think I recognised from a previous visit as one of the recorders for the observatory. We got talking and he proved to be a most interesting, informative and friendly individual. It was he who pointed out to us two Goosanders (the first for the year) at the far end of the mere, unfortunately always trying to keep just out of sight.

On the water there were Canada Geese, Mute Swans, Great Crested Grebes and Black-headed Gulls but especially nice were a few Goldeneye. The most remarkable thing, however, was the vast size of the Cormorant colony there. I counted at least a hundred there and the chap we were talking to told us that they have gone up to three hundred in the past ! As a Kestrel flew in we got taking about them as well, and our companion informed us that the local Jackdaws had been giving the Kestrels a bad time and last year tried to evict them from their nest box just outside the hide. I asked him about Starlings and he said that there had been a big roost there this winter passed but he also said that they eventually crushed the reeds under their weight and so they moved elsewhere. We had been told in the past that sometimes the Starling roost had got so big that those roosting on the lowel levels of the reeds had actually ended up being drowned under the weight of birds above them ! He also told us that a Kingfisher is often seen around the boathouse – just below the observatory but we didn’t manage to see it.
We stayed at the observatory long enough to see a few other small birds; Tits, Wrens etc. but then we took a walk into the woods which resounded with bird noises until we entered then all fell quiet and we hardly saw a thing there. However the day had been very interesting and we were glad that we had got back to Rostherne – even if accidentally.

Bird Sightings : Rostherne Mere