Lundwood

All the following were feeding on Michaelmass daisies, Painted Lady 1, Red Admiral 43, Comma 14, Peacock 1 and Small Tortoiseshell 6.

(Chris Parkin)

Penistone - Millhouse Green TPT

3 singing Chiffchaff along the trail this morning!
6 Swallow south. 3 Jay, 2 Mistle Thrush and 1 Stock Dove too.

Broomhill Flash

Todays entries for Broomhill were:-

Mallard c80,
Pochard 8,
Tufted Duck present,
Teal 20.

Wintersett 30.09.14

15°C with 6/8 cloud and a light southerly.  Sunny by mid morning.
Anglers CP VisMig:
A Little Egret flew south at 10.04hrs and then came back north west at 10.15hrs. It (or another) appeared on the shallows at 11.25hrs.   12 Jays (4 N, 2 NW, 6E),  67 Skylarks (30S, 8W, 25E, 4N), Mistle Thrush 8E and Yellowhammer 2W.  A flock of 9 Magpies high NE was unusual.
Going south: Meadow Pipit 208,  Swallow 25,  alba Wagtail 38,  Greenfinch 6, Goldfinch 14, Linnet 14, Kestrel 1 and Buzzard 1.  
Anglers CP: Shoveler 49, Snipe 16 and Grey Wagtail 1.   Barnacle X Canada Goose  4.
 At dusk - per Steve Denny.   A Rock Pipit up from the shallows and 2 Barn Owls.
 .

Edderthorpe, Monday evening

The last hour before dark revealed;- Shoveler 141, Pintail 5, Wigeon 60, Little Egret 3, Golden Plover 266, Black-tailed Godwit 6, Common Snipe 25.

Broomhill Flash Monday 29th September

Todays sightings are:-

Snipe 1.

Mallard 40,
Pochard 12,
Mute Swan 1 adult & 1 juvenile,
Gadwall 10
Teal 20,
Cormorant 9,
Shoveler 9+.

Linnet 50,
Grey Wagtail 1,
Swallow 1.

Buzzard 1,
Sparrowhawk 1.

Red-legged Partridge 4.

Summertime Extended 29 September

Swallows Sand Martins and House Martins all seem to have migrated. However across the road from me there's an House Martin nest where the adults are feeding the young. Has anyone else seen House Martins still feeding young.?

Wintersett 29.09.14

16°C,  mild with 6/8 cloud and a light southerly.
Anglers CP Vis Mig: 16 Jays (7 + 3 E)  and 6 N from 08.55 - 09.25hrs.  A skein of 210 Pink-footed Geese flew SE at 10.23hrs.  Golden Plover 28 N at 11.50hrs.  Skylark 37 S + 23 N,  
Going South: Swallow 62,  Meadow Pipit 81, alba Wagtail 44,  Linnet 9,  Greenfinch 2,  Grey Wagtail 1,  Lesser Black-backed Gull 16  and  Collared Dove 2.
Going West:  Starling 50, Chaffinch 12 and Song Thrush 1.
Anglers CP:  Grey Partridge 8
Wintersett Res:  A total of 47 birds were ringed this morning, including: a new 1st year female CETTI'S WARBLER - the 9th Cetti's this year.  Also Goldcrest 6,  Chiffchaff 6,  Reed Bunting 13 and a Reed Warbler 1.
Thanks to Becky Hill for this fabulous Iphone pic.

1st year female  Cetti's Warbler      RHill

  The  26th Wintersett Annual report 

is now available from Anglers CP Visitor Centre £5. 

or contact sdenny@supanet.com  £6  including postage.

Twitter

It seems that the blog is receiving less posts than it has, due to the ascendency of Twitter for reporting sightings.

Would it be a good idea for someone in admin on here, to monitor Twitter (as they do in Donny) and give a precis of the events of the day as not everyone has the Twitter app etc?

Carlton Marsh

Yesterday the first autumn Redpoll, 4 Grey Wagtails south and 4 Goldcrests. (Dave Smith)

This morning a Wheatear was on arable land nearby. Treecreeper, Goldcrest, 4 Willow Tits and a Water Rail were on the reserve. (Jim Plant)

A ringing session from late afternoon produced quality rather than quantity. Of 12 birds caught 9 were new and included 3 Chiffchaffs,1 Yellowhammer, 1 Goldcrest, 1 Willow Tit, and 1 Kingfisher. A quick call to Pete Smith confirmed that Reed Bunting Y681419 was ringed as a juv on 1/10/12 at Wintersett and Chiffchaff HLH 566 was ringed as a juv on 22/8/14 at Wintersett. 

 

Wintersett 28.09.14

12°C,  mild and still with 8/8 cloud.  Sunny from late morning.
Anglers CP Vis Mig: 07.10 - 10.30 hrs
Going south - alba Wagtail 61,  Swallow 79, Meadow Pipit 13,  Mistle Thrush 2 and Grey Wagtail 1. 
Also - Wood Pigeon 25 high SW,  Sklark 20 NE in one flock,  Jay 3 NW, Chaffinch 2 W and Reed Bunting 1 W.  then went S),  
Wintersett Res: Reed Warbler 1,  Grey Wagtail 2,  Mallard 90,  Little Grebe 6 + 5 ACP,  Common Gull 1,  Chiffchaff 5 and Goldeneye 1 female.
Butterfly:  A Painted Lady flew south over WRes..

Brambling

Walker Edge, Ewden Valley - 1 Brambling.
per SBSG website.

Low Moor 28/09/14

A steady day for myself and Mr Tyke ..

Today's list was as follows:

At least 10 common buzzards, 3 kestrels, 1 sprawk, 1 peregrine, 2 ravens, 11 jays-including a single flock of 7 birds seen to pass over Midhope Res, 17 mistle thrushes and a flock of 26 linnets.

Wintersett Bargain

CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?

 

STILL ONLY £5  

 

The  26th  Wintersett Annual Report 

containing bird and wildlife sightings from 2013

 

AVAILABLE FROM ANGLERS CP VISITOR CENTRE - £5

 

or  email   sdenny@supanet.com  to arrange  a copy by post - £6

Langsett & Harden

Langsett - 1 adult Red Kite.
Harden - 1 Kestrel, 1 Raven SW, 4+ Long-tailed Tits, 1 Whinchat and 2 Stonechats

Carlton Marsh

Over the fields this morning were; 2 Wheatears, 2 Yellow Wagtails, 7 Red-legged Partridge, 20 Skylarks and c20 Meadow Pipits. (Jim Plant)

Hartcliffe Hill VMW

Tried a spot of VMW from the hill from 7.00 - 10.00 this morning. Totals were: Meadow Pipit 360, Skylark 16, Swallow 18, alba Wagtail and c.30 Chaffinch all going South. Hardly earth-shattering numbers but I reckon there's some potential here as loads more birds were streaming south just to the east of where I was watching from, and were only in silhouette due to the rising sun. Finding the best spot will be critical and I was probably in the wrong place.
Also of interest were 5 Song Thrush in the top scrub.
I'll see what the coming weeks bring.

Cheers

Russ
http://shapesthatsometimesfly.blogspot.co.uk/

Wintersett 27.09.14

6°C - 16°C calm with hazy sun, 0/8 cloud until late  morning when it clouded over.
Anglers CP Vis. Mig:  At last the birds were moving.
Going south  Meadow Pipit 1407 (best total this autumn) ,  Swallow 200,  Mistle Thrush 26 (max. party 8), Little Egret 1, Grey  Wagtail 9, alba Wagtail 31, Chaffinch 3, Linnet 64,    Collared Dove 1 and Skylark 33 + 2NE.  Red Admiral 4.
Also: House Martin  3 SSE,  Pink-footed Goose in 3 skeins - 127 WNW + 16 ESE,    Snipe 2 W,  Song Thrush 1 W,  Jay 6 N + 5 NW.
Star Bird today was a  LAPLAND  BUNTING that flew west calling at 12.30- the first site record since 2010 but  chief Vis Migger Paul Meredith's first here since October 1989!
Anglers CP:   Pintail 1, Snipe 12, Goldfinch 150. Yellow-legged Gull 1 1st W,  Wigeon 180 and Shoveler 32.
Wintersett Res: A juv. Hobby was catching dragonflies this afternoon.  Mallard 53 and Chiffchaff 4 + 2 ACP.    A dead  adult Great Crested Grebe was found, killed by a pellet gun.

Stocksbridge

Stocksbridge - 1 male Merlin mobbed by Jackdaws over the town at 13:30hrs.

Friday 26-9-14.

Ewden, stone circle track. Nowt of note on the way up apart from a party of 7 Jackdaws. Only low cloud and drizzle after an hour at the lodge but better luck on the way back with a close up Peregrine, 1 Raven and 2 Buzzards.  Carried on at Low Moor/ Midhope for a couple of hours where the weather was much better but nowt special birdwise, - Buzzard 10+, Kestrel 6+, Sparrowhawk 1, Raven 1, Green Woodpecker 1, Siskin 5, House Martin 13. Roll on the next easterlies for the coast.

Langsett

Langsett Reservoir - 12 Canada Geese, 7 Teal, 152 Mallard, 3 Tufted Ducks, 1 Grey Heron feeding on the carcass of a Lesser Black-backed Gull and 1 Spotted Flycatcher.
Gull roost - 1045 Black-headed Gulls, 6 Common Gulls, 1 adult Yellow-legged Gull and 993 Lesser Black-backed Gulls.

Langsett Banks - 1 Common Darter.

Carlton Marsh

Looking back a Green Sandpiper paid a brief visit on the 22nd and a Little Egret was present on 24th. A Barn Owl was hunting over the reed beds at dusk later that day and again tonight. (Rod Heeley Chris Parkin)

Lundwood
A phenominal count of 57 Red Admirals were feeding on a patch of Michaelmass Daisies on the 22nd. (Chris Parkin)

Wintersett 26.09.14

15° mild but cloudy start, then sunny with a light north westerly.
Anglers CP:  A Ruff flew west. A White Goose was in with the Canadas (same one as last year).  Chiffchaff 1.   Shoveler 29 + 1 WRes + 1 CHRes.,  Gadwall 22 + 1 WRes + 32 CHRes. and  Teal 10.
Wintersett Res: Cetti's Warbler 1 on the north bank.  A Hobby was hunting dragonflies at 13.45hrs.. Mute Swan 4 + 8 CHRes. 
CHRes: House Martin 6 and  Nuthatch 2.  

Wintersett 25.09.14

15°C,  with 7/8 cloud and a cool south westerly breeze.
Anglers CP Vis Mig: Slow again!  Going south - Meadow Pipit 144, Swallow 23 and alba Wagtail 43.
Grey Wagtail 1 W + 1SW.   13 Jay (2 N at 08.00, 5 E at 08.23,  4 E at 08.28 and 2 E at 09.00hrs).  A Buzzard went west at 09.12hrs. Dunlin 1 over,  Skylark 6 W and Chaffinch 1 S + 2 W. 
Anglers CP: A Water Rail was calling in the SW corner and a juvenile was seen out in the open at 07.50hrs (one bird)..  An adult male Peregrine was hunting at 08.05hrs.   Little Grebe 7+ 4 WRes.  and Green Woodpecker 1.
Wintersett Res: Goldeneye 1 female.
Diptera: One for Oxycera.   I think these are Noon Flies,  Mesembrina meridiana, which are  associated with cattle.  Coincidentally a small herd of cattle arrived in  in the adjoining  field a few weeks ago. 

Wilthorpe Marsh saturday 20-9-14.

Whinchat 2, Stonechat 1, Little Egret 2, Green Sandpiper 3, Linnet 60, Goldfinch 40, Willow Tit  6, 4 at oxbow lake, 2 at west end. Buzzard 2  in the standhill wood  area again, possibly bred. Snipe 20. No sign of any chats sunday morning.

Elsecar

Elsecar Reservoir - 6 Great Crested Grebes and 1 Grey Wagtail.

Jays

Stocksbridge - 12 Jays W/NW early doors

Edderthorpe, Thursday morning

Not much change in a quick visit this morning;- Wigeon 64, Pintail 1, Golden Plover 14, Common Snipe 6.

Wintersett 24.09.14

12°C,  bright with 3/8 cloud and a moderate westerly.
Anglers CP Vis Mig:  Very light Swallow movement.  Best this morning were 3 Dunlin SW and 5 Snipe W.
Anglers CP: Jay 8, Grey Wagtail 4, Little Grebe 6 and  Barnacle X  Canada Hybrid 3 + 1 WRes..
Wintersett Res: A Cetti's Warbler giving the chick and rattle calls was on the north bank.
Botany Bay: Chiffchaff 2
Habitat Loss:  A large area of scrubland, near the railway line on the Disposal Point,  has been cleared  for the drift mine development.

Ingbirchworth

Ingbirchworth Reservoir - 175 Greylag Geese, 81 Canada Geese, 124 Mallards, 4 Tufted Ducks, 3 Moorhens and 3 Coots.
Midhope Reservoir - 1 Teal and 6 Mallards.

Edderthorpe, Tuesday evening

A few wildfowl counts from a visit this evening;- Wigeon 53, Pintail 1, Shoveler 138, Teal 305, Pochard 21, Little Egret 4.

Wintersett 23.09.14

10°C, warmer today, with hazy sunshine that limited visibility, and a light south westerly.
Anglers CP Vis. Mig: The highlights all occurred in the first hour of the watch.  A Little Egret went north at 07.15hrs. A Black-tailed Godwit flew south at 07.37hrs.  A Golden Plover went S at 07.37. 
A total of 20 Jay passed through (7 NW at 07.49hrs,  9 NW at 08.30 hrs,  2 NW at 08.50hrs and  2NE at 11.18hrs..  Also  Skylark 16 (2SE and 14 W),  Grey Wagtail 3 (1 S and 2 W ),  alba Wagtail 18 NE   Going south 72 Swallow, 123 Meadow Pipit, 4 Chaffinch, 4 Greenfinch and 1 Chaffinch.
Anglers CP: A Pintail dropped in at 07.41hrs.  Cormorant 13,  Shoveler 9 and Grey Heron 3.

Langsett

Langsett Reservoir - 6 Canada Geese, 21 Teal, 124 Mallards and 2 Tufted Ducks.
Gull Roost - 1114 Black-headed Gulls, 4 Common Gulls, 1763 Lesser Black-backed Gulls, 3 (1 first-winter & 2 adult/third-winter) Yellow-legged Gulls and 3+ juvenile/first-winter Herring Gulls.

Fieldfares Ingbirchworth Res

2 FIELDFARES fresh in (first this year here?) near Waterworks, Ingbirchworth Reservoir, 11am. Then flew South West.

INGBIRCHWORTH Monday Evening

c 100 Canada Geese,(there were 500 a couple of weeks ago),  c 100 Grey Lags, 68 Mallard, 38 LBB Gulls,8 Pied Wags, 5 Moorhen, 3 Coot and 2 Chiffchaffs

Wintersett 22.09.14

A cold  8°C start,  2/8 cloud with a light westerly.
Anglers CP VisMig: A very disappointing start to the week.  A total of 28 Jay (8N, 6NW ACP  and 14 NW over WRes at 09.20hrs.) 
Meadow Pipit 267 S,  Swallow 53 S, House Martin 5 S,  Linnet 5S,  Goldfinch 6 S,  Golden Plover 7 E,  alba Wagtail 19 S,  Skylark 3 S and  Buzzard 2 SW (10.55 and 11.25hrs)  
Anglers CP: 9 Snipe dropped in at 09.00hrs.  Pintail 2,  Grey Heron 1and  Skylark 8.
Wintersett Res: A total of 36 birds were ringed this morning, including: Chiffchaff 2,  Reed Warbler 1,  Blackcap 2, Water Rail 1 (+ 1 present), Goldcrest 4,  Reed Bunting 11 and  Goldfinch 7. Also present -
2 Grey Wagtail on the spillway and  1 male Cetti's Warbler.
Butterflies:  Green-veined White 2 and  Comma 1 ACP.   Red Admiral 1 and 13 Speckled Wood  HPWood.  

Monday morning, Edderthorpe

Not much time now before work duties, but on the half of the Flash which wasn't shrouded in fog I managed to count;- Wigeon 40, Little Grebe 45, Lapwing 940 and Golden Plover 30. A couple of Little Egrets dropped in just before 07.00

Hartcliffe Hill

A couple of hours around the hill this morning, but from an ill-disciplined 09.00! Blogging were c.50 Goldfinch, Sprawk, single Wheatear and Little Owl. Also single Chiffy in the quarry, plus a Nuthatch calling, although not at all sure if this species is resident here or  a migrant. Overhead, a Raven flew W and I'd several Buzzard sightings, with at least three different birds. These birds were tending to drift N into the wind so perhaps they all were different and was a bit of passage.
Cheers

Russ
http://shapesthatsometimesfly.blogspot.co.uk/ Updated!

Wintersett 21.09.14

Anglers CP Vis. Mig Notables:  A Short-eared Owl flew E at 07.10hrs,  A Sparrowhawk flew SW. A Peregrine flew S at 11.15hrs and 112  Meadow Pipits went S.   A total of 13 Jay went through. (3 W at 08.00,  6 N at 08.20 and 4 N 09.55hrs.).   Greenfinch 26 S,  Skylark  4S + 5SE and Mistle Thrush 3 SSE. Sand Martin 2S,   SWALLOW 1323 S,  House Martin 20S. 
Anglers CP:  Snipe 3, House Martin 50 and  Yellow-legged Gull  3 ( 1cy, 2cy and an adult).

Wintersett - Highlights for the records - 11th - 18th September

Hola! Back from my jaunt to Spain and, after restoring order at home Friday,  a very productive jaunt to Spurn today, including the first for Yorkshire, Masked Shrike! (Sunday 21.09). 
The following records, are from Vis.Mig watches unless stated.
Thursday 11th Sept: Chiffchaff  96
Friday 12th Sept:  ARCTIC SKUA  1 NW at 08.50hrs,  ARCTIC  TERN 1 juv N at 10.53,  Swallow 58 S.
Saturday 13th Sept: A total of  38 Shoveler (27 high  S at 12.40hrs,  10 S at 15.10hrs then returned and flew very high east, 1 S at 15.40hrs with 2 Wigeon.)  Peregrine 1 juv. SW  and 9 Jay (2NW at 11.53hrs and 7 N at 10.30hrs.)
Monday 15th Sept: A total of 26 Jay going north in 33 minutes (10 at 09.20, 11 at 09.32, 2 at 09.50 and 3 at 09.53hrs.)
Wednesday 17th Sept: Ruff 1NE
Thursday 18th Sept:  Wintersett Res: A female MANDARIN was on the boathouse slipway at 12.00hrs.  This is the 5th site record.   A Spotted Flycatcher was in the NE corner at 17.30hrs.

Carlton Marsh

Ringing this morning produced 26 birds, 6 Blackcaps, 5 Chiffchaffs and a Sedge Warbler. The latter, a juvenile, was only the 3rd caught this year, the other 2 were adults caught during the spring. If ever there was a species in crisis it appears to be this! Time will tell.

Harden

Harden Reservoir - 2 Tufted Ducks
Harden - 6 Cormorants N, 1 juvenile Cuckoo, 3+ Chiffchaffs and 100+ Meadow Pipits.

Carlton Marsh

This morning a Greenshank flew south at 10.30hrs and a Wheatear was in a field nearby. (Jim Plant)

Edderthorpe Friday am

Little Egret 13, Golden Plover 10, Snipe 5, Widgeon 15,Pochard 6. Got a count of 32 Little Grebe.

Carlton Marsh

This evening's ringing produced 20 birds from 2 nets and included a record catch of 15 Chiffchaffs, 3 Reed Warblers, 1 Blackcap and a Treecreeper.

This was a bird from elsewhere. One for you Martin
Reed Warbler Z171763 juv 63mm wing 12 grams

c100 Swallows came in to roost and a Water Rail was calling. As the light faded 2 Daubenton's bats were feeding over the scrape.

Rabbit Ings
A pair of Stonechats and a Snipe were present. (Dave Standish)

Wintersett, gulls 'n' stuff

The gull roost on the Top Res this evening held;- GBBGull 1, LBBGull 750, Herring Gull 1, Yellow-legged Gull 2 adults, Caspian Gull 1 adult, Black-headed Gull 4200. A female Mandarin was on here in the afternoon. And at Edderthorpe Flash, 14 Little Egrets were present this morning.

Adwick Washlands

Late morning
A walk along the path to the north of the reserve that borders on to farmland gave the following that are not visible from the main path and hide.

Small flocks of Reed Bunting and Tree Sparrows,
1Yellow Hammer
2 Whinchat, and
1 LRP.

Highlights from the main path and hide were
2 Kingfishers
1 Kestrel
2 LBB Gull

Elsecar

Elsecar Reservoir - a quick look produced 8 Great Crested Grebes, 74 Mallards, 17 Coots and 1 Grey Wagtail on the overflow.

Carlton Marsh

Gulls following the plough this afternoon included at least 1 adult and 1st winter Yellow legged Gull  with 20 Lesser Blacked-backed Gulls.

Anyone lost a Zebra?

This fine specimen was feeding in Cudworth Park this afternoon

Lower Ewden Valley

MoreHall Reservoir - 2 Canada Geese, 4 Teal, 94 Mallards, 1 Cormorant, 1 Grey Heron, 2 Great Crested Grebes, 5 Moorhens, 3+ Nuthatches, 1 immature/female Redstart and 15+ Pied/White Wagtails.
Broomhead Reservoir - 5 Teal, 48 Mallards, 1 Tufted Duck, 1 Cormorant, 4 Moorhens and 20+ Lesser Black-backed Gulls.

Weekend news, saturday 13th, sunday 14th.

Wilthorpe Marsh saturday, a brief visit had  Little Egret still + Green Sandpiper 4, Mistle Thrush 27 and Willow Tit 2. Low Moor/ Midhope on sunday for 3 hours had constant cloud cover which produced only 2 species of raptor but plenty of movement,. Results - Common Buzzard 5, one of which was extremly pale, almost white underneath with a white head, Kestrel 5, Green Woodpecker 1, Meadow Pipit 50 to 100, Cormarant 1, Mistle Thrush a total of 76,  Siskin 18,  Crossbill 3, Grey Heron 1, Starling 50.

Wintersett 15th September - Gullfest total update!!

Still very quiet with regards to migrants, although there does seem to be a lot of dispersal activity from Jays over the last few days, including parties of 10 and 11 north earlier today.

The Gull roosts were difficult again due to the continuing easterlies / almost flat calm conditions and it appears that Graham was the unlucky one tonight viewing the Top Res unbeknown to me on the Country Park. It really is hit and miss which site to pick, but the Country Park appears to be the main site at the moment.

A 2nd winter Caspian Gull was on the Country Park from 19.00 hrs - presumably the same bird from last week.

An adult Great Black-backed Gull was also in the Country Park roost, along with 17 Yellow-legged Gulls (15 adults, a 1st and a 2nd winter), bringing the area total to 19 with the two on the Top Res.

The highlight though, was a new Wintersett record of 1,859 Lesser Black-backed Gulls with 1219 on the Country Park and 640 on the Top Res. The previous record was 1,700 on July 12th 1990.

Carlton Marsh

This morning a Spotted Redshank flew south at 09.33hrs calling repeatedly. This was the first for this locality since 30th August 1992. At around the same time a 1st winter Yellow Legged Gull was following the plough along with 20 LBB Gulls and a Common Gull. (Jim Plant)  

Wintersett gulls

The Top Res gull roost was rather disappointing this evening, presumably many gulls were on the Country Park. Lesser Black-backed Gull 640, Herring Gull 1, Yellow-legged Gull 2. A Hobby was hunting over the res at dusk and a Tawny Owl was calling from Pits Wood.

Goose Fair

Brown Edge, Langsett - 40+ Greylag Geese.
Windleden Edge - 1 second-winter Great Black-backed Gull W.
Harden - 1 juvenile Cuckoo and 1 Chiffchaff (with Mick Cunningham).
Ingbirchworth Reservoir - 15 Greylag Geese, 255 Canada Geese, 3 Wigeon, 159 Mallards, 5 Tufted Ducks, 4 Little Grebes, 7 Moorhens, 6 Coots, 250+ Lapwings, 1 Common Sandpiper and 10 Lesser Black-backed Gulls.
Ingbirchworth Common - 30 Greylag Geese S.
Royd Moor Hill - 1 Raven.
Langsett Reservoir - 74 Greylag Geese, 52 Canada Geese, 41 Mallards and 50+ Pied/White Wagtails on the dam wall including 2+ White Wagtails.
Upper Midhope - 100+ Meadow Pipits flushed by an immature Sparrowhawk and c35 Pied/White Wagtails on the rooftops in the village.
Midhope Reservoir - 41 Greylag Geese, 6 Mallards, 1 Tufted Duck, 1 Cormorant, 1 Little Grebe and 1 Moorhen.

Edderthorpe, Monday morning

A damp, misty start with a light easterly wind - ideal conditions for drift migrants. But not this morning. Wigeon up to 34, Pochard 15, Golden Plover 10 and Common Snipe 6 are the only things counted. There will be migrants somewhere though......

Carlton Marsh

Looking back over the past week the highlights for us were;

Sunday 7th
4 Buzzards, 35 Meadow Pipits, 3 Kingfishers, Common Sandpiper, Spotted Flycatcher, the first Goldcrest of autumn, and 12 Red Admirals. (Jim Plant Chris Parkin)

Thursday 11th
Black Darter (Dave Smith)

Friday 12th 3 Reed Warblers, 1 Blackcap and 1 Chiffchaff ringed.

Tonight Saturday 13th Little Owl, Noctule and Daubenton's Bat and a foraging Hedgehog.

Wentworth 13 September

Maybe of interest, a newly ploughed field adjacent to the garden centre at Wentworth, 2 Wheatear, 57+ Meadow Pipit, numerous Pied Wagtails. Possible 4or5 White Wagtails (alba) which can be very tricky to identify in Sept/Oct and 2 Buzzards near by.

Broomhill Flash (am)

9am, Female Goosander moving along the west side, unable to find it 10 minutes later but it was a grey morning.
1 Ruff,
1 Spot Redshank,
15 Tufted Duck,
1 Mute Swan + 1 juv,
1 Common Sand,
1 Little Egret,
21 Cormorant,
1 Pochard,
1 LBB Gull juv,
6 Snipe,
12 Gadwall,

Edderthorpe, Friday morning

As the early morning mist slowly cleared the following wildfowl became visible;- Shoveler 140, Gadwall 106, Teal 275, Wigeon 15, Little Egret 7, Golden Plover 2. A Tawny Owl was calling early morning from Houghton Washland area. Houghton Washland is now heavily overgrown and it is difficult to see anything on there.

Langsett

Langsett Reservoir - 30 Greylag Geese, 1 Grey lag x Canada Goose, 65 Canada Geese, 4 Teal, 68+ Mallards, 1 Cormorant, 1 Hobby hunting c100 Swallows and 1 Green Woodpecker. Gull roost - 360 Black-headed Gulls, 2 Common Gulls, 808 Lesser Black-backed Gulls and 3 (2 adult & 1 second-summer) Yellow-legged Gulls.

The Edge 11th Sept

Wombwell Ings mid AM- Present were 7 Cormorant, 8 Little Grebe, 3 Grey Heron, 25 Canada Geese, 45 Teal, 39 Mallard, 2 Gadwall, 2 Shoveler. 31 BH Gull, 1 LBB Gull, c120 Lapwing, 4 juv Ringed Plover, 2 Dunlin, 2 Ruff, 1 Greenshank, 1 Snipe, 6 Skylark, 1 Grey Wagtail, 1 Pied Wagtail and 2 singing Chiffchaff.
Broomhill Flash late AM- Noted were 9 Little Grebe, 19 Cormorant, 5 Grey Heron, 1a+1y Mute Swan, 27 Canada Geese, 24 Tufted Duck, 22 Mallard, 21 Teal, 2 Gadwall, 1 Pochard, 17 BH Gull, 77 Lapwing, 2 Ruff, 2 Spotted Redshank, 1 Greensand, 1 Common Sandpiper, 1 Snipe, 7 Grey Partridge, 2 Red Legged Partridge, 1 Kestrel and 3 Yellow Wagtail.
Bolton Ings early PM-  Another good raptor watch with 3+ Buzzard, 2+ Sparrowhawk, 2 Kestrel and 1 Hobby. Also present were 9 Little Grebe, 8 Great Crested Grebe, 7 Cormorant, 1 Grey Heron, 5a+8y Mute Swan, 14 Canada Geese, 11 Greylag, 49 Gadwall, 22 Tufted Duck, 12 Shoveler, 6 Wigeon, 4 Pochard, 4 Mallard, 2 Teal, 3 LBB Gull, and 1 Green Woodpecker.

Adwick (am)

Little Grebe 12, Little Egret 2, Garganey 1, Teal 38, Wigeon 6, Shoveler 3, Black t Godwit 8, Spotted Redshank 2, Snipe 7, Lapwing c60, Hobby 2, Whinchat 1, Wheatear 1, Yellow Wagtail c20, Linnet 16, Chiffchaff 2, Kingfisher 2.

Edderthorpe 8:30 til 10:15.

Little Egret 9, Snipe 3, Over 400 Canada geese+Barnacle goose (Later flew towards Sash) 2 Black-tailed Godwit flew round calling but did not stop.Little grebe 26,Widgeon12,Pochard 3.Warblers on Dyke side Chiffchaff 2,Willow Warbler, Blackcap and Whitethroat. Buzzard over distant pylons.

Wintersett 10.09.14

12°C start rising to 18°C warm and calm with 1/8 cloud.
Anglers CP Vis. Mig:   Really dire!  Meadow Pipit 4 S,  alba Wagtail 1 S and  Jay 2 high SW at 09.15 and 3 W at 09.20hrs in 4 hours.
Anglers CP: Common Sandpiper 1 and Snipe 2.  An adult Hobby flew over the Pol field at 11.40.
Cold Hiendley Res: Grey Heron 2
Wintersett Res: Pochard 52 +7 ACP,  Goldeneye 1, Willow Tit 1 and Goldcrest 1.

The Edge 10th Sept

Wombwell Ings mid AM- Present were 1 Little Grebe, 7 Cormorant, 4 Grey Heron, 8 Little Egret, 47 Teal, 11 Mallard, 2 Gadwall, 1 Sparrowhawk, 11 BH Gull, 159 Lapwing, 4 Ringed Plover, 3 Golden Plover, 1 Ruff, 2 Yellow Wagtail, 2 Pied Wagtail, 5 Linnet and 1 singing Chiffchaff.
Broomhill Flash late AM- Noted were 11 Little Grebe, 15 Cormorant, 2 Grey Heron, 1a+1y Mute Swan, 17 Canada Geese, 24 Tufted Duck, 19 Teal, 11 Mallard, 5 Gadwall, 2 Shoveler, 2 Sparrowhawk, 1 Buzzard, 1cc Marsh Harrier, 119 Lapwing, 1 Common Sandpiper, 1 Snipe, 1 Greenshank, 4 Ruff and 7 Yellow Wagtail. A Canada Goose had a metal ring inscribed "British Museum Natural History 527652".
Bolton Ings early PM- Highlight was 5 Buzzard, 1 Sparrowhawk and 1 Kestrel all in the air at the same time. Also present were 8 Little Grebe, 10 Great Crested Grebe, 4 Cormorant, 3 Grey Heron, 4a+1y Mute Swan, 1 Canada Goose, 45 Gadwall, 27 Tufted Duck, 19 Shoveler, 12 Wigeon, 6 Pochard, 3 Mallard, 2 BH Gull, 56 Lapwing, 1 Green Woodpecker, 1 Grey Wagtail and 1 singing Chiffchaff.

Adwick p.m.

8 Black-tailed Godwits were the only birds of note.

Bits 'n' Bobs

Elsecar Reservoir - 7 Great Crested Grebes 8 Coots and 2 Grey Wagtails.
Elsecar - 1 Common Swift.
Ingbirchworth Reservoir - 132 Greylag Geese, 361 Canada Geese, 87 Mallards, 2 Moorhens, 6 Coots,17 Lesser Black-backed Gulls and c80 Meadow Pipits on Horn Lane..
Langsett Reservoir - 1 Cormorant, 2 Common Buzzards and 1 Osprey that landed in Cliff Wood.
(Osprey sighting per DJS, RM, AA and team.

Edderthorpe, Wednesday morning

Early morning mist but at least the Flash was visible today, unlike the previous couple of early mornings. Highlights include a Barnacle Goose amongst the Canadas, 5 Little Egrets and a single Golden Plover amongst the Lapwing. Highlights from the Weekend WeBS count here;- Canada Goose 640, Greylag Goose 210, Mallard 620, Shoveler 127, Gadwall 160, Little Egret 8, Little Grebe 44.

Wintersett 09.09.14

10°C,  4/8 cloud but felt cold in the light north easterly.
Anglers CP Vis. Mig:  Back to the war of attrition.  Meadow Pipit 22 S,  Linnet 6, Chaffinch 1 W and Skylark 4 SW in 4 hours!
Anglers CP: Common Sandpiper 2 and the usual adult Yellow-legged Gull.
Wintersett Res:   2 adult Hobby were hawking insects over the Willow Wood field at 12.30hrs. Goldeneye 1 female,  Water Rail 1,  Whitethroat 1 and Cetti's Warbler 1. 
Archie, Pete  and Becky ringed 104 birds at two stations this morning, including: 26 Blackcap,  Sedge Warbler 3,  Reed Warbler 4,  Willow Warbler 1,  Chiffchaff 15, Whitethroat 1 and Meadow Pipit 12.

Micky?

Mouse eating Blackberries on path at Old Moor this morning........ :-)

Happy Hour on the Edge

Bolton Ings early PM- Occasionally, when it's cold, raining or windy( sometimes all three together and that's just summer), you think " Is it worth traipsing  on the ings  to see a few birds amongst the coots?". But you do it anyway.Then you get one of those brief spells of birdwatching heaven. At 12.30, wanting to watch a closer view of two Kestrel and a Sparrowhawk vie for aerial supremacy over Bolton Tip, Seev began to adjust his scope , stopped  and exclaimed "My word a Bittern"(the nearest printable translation). On  the edge of the reeds ,in the left hand corner of the pool in front of the hide, was an adult Bittern.  Following its line of sight as it gazed upwards,  I noticed two raptors skirmishing over Bolton East End. As the contest got  closer, we got excellent views of  a cream crowned Marsh Harrier and a Buzzard as the test of flying ability moved westwards over the ings. Having watched the distraction, the bittern stayed out in the sun for a further 10 to 15 minutes before disappearing from view in just two short steps. Shortly afterwards the Buzzard returned pursued by a Kestrel, and to top it all, a Hobby joined in the chase of the larger raptor( Was it trying to Sub Buteo in the game?). During the disturbance  250+Lapwing, 4 Golden Plover and 2 Ruff sought sanctuary on the Ings.  Feeling elated we started our journey back, stopping  on the five arches bridge  where we saw a Grey Wagtail on the Dearne and 2 Blackcap, 2 Chiffchaff, 1 Willow Warbler, a flock of Long Tailed Tits and a Goldcrest in the same elderberry bush. Not a bad hour birdwatching.

Adwick

Little Egret 2, Blackwit 7, Wigeon 2 (J. Little)

Belated Low Moor Report.

Did a few hours at Low Moor 7/9/14.

Results were;

Common buzzard 11, red kite 1, kestrel 4, Sprawk 1, raven 4, jay 3. Plenty of hirundines seen feeding overhead with a group of at least 100 birds present at one point.

Wintersett Gulls 8th Sept 2014

The roost was split again tonight and the easterly breeze made checking the Top Res roost a little difficult. Therefore, little chance to pick out any Caspians but there has been an increase in Yellow-legged Gulls. The totals were:-

Lesser Black-backed Gull - 579 on Top Res plus 550 on the Country Park

Yellow-legged Gull - 5 adults & a first winter on the Top Res with at least 15 adults on the Country Park.

Common Gull - adult and first summer on Top Res.

An adult Hobby was hunting dragonflies over the northwest corner of the Top Res at 19.50 hrs, landing in the Willow Wood to eat its catch.

The Edge 8th Sept

Wombwell Ings mid AM- Present were 3 Little Grebe, 7 Cormorant, 3 Grey Heron, 2 Little Egret, 1 Canada Goose, 49 Teal, 23 Mallard, 3 Shoveler, 2 Gadwall, 2 Kestrel, 116 BH Gull, 3 LBB Gull, 163 Lapwing, 1 Greenshank, 1 Ruff, 1 Common Sandpiper, 3 singing Chiffchaff and 2 Grey Wagtail.
Broomhill Flash late AM- Noted were 11 Little Grebe, 16 Cormorant, 5 Grey Heron, 1a+1y Mute Swan, 7 Canada Geese, 1 Shelduck, 18 Tufted Duck, 16 Mallard, 13 Teal, 1 Shoveler, 2 Kestrel, 2 Buzzard(over Cat Hill), 16 BH Gull, 1 LBB Gull, 133 Lapwing, 5 Ruff, 5 Snipe, 1 Greenshank, 1 Common Sandpiper, 1 Snipe and 6+ Yellow Wagtail( Clegg's Meadow ).
Bolton Ings late AM/early PM- Just when you think "I could get used to these Indian summers" the whistling of 43 Wigeon reminds you that winter is not too far away. Also present were 11 Little Grebe, 10 Great Crested Grebe, 3 Cormorant, 2 Grey Heron, 4a+7y Mute Swan, 1 Canada Geese, 44 Gadwall, 24 Tufted Duck, 7 Pochard, 2 Mallard, 1 Marsh Harrier (quartering for 10 minutes at 12pm), 1 Kestrel, 4 BH Gull, 85 Lapwing, 4 Black Tailed Godwit(thro east at 12pm), 1 Swallow, 1 Green Woodpecker and 1 Brimstone butterfly.

Ewden shooting lodge 7-9-14

Peregrine 1, Common Buzzard 10+, Kestrel 6+, Raven 10 +, Stonechat 4, House Martin 2. At nearby Low Moor/ Midhope  the long staying Red Kite still present per Simmo. It showed all afternoon on 31/ 8 and a single Crossbill over. Late August at Wilthorpe Marsh had 4 Spotted Flycatchers possibly 6, 5 Green Sandpipers and the Little Egret which is still present. The oxbow lake area as become quite reliable for Willow Tit , 2+.

Wintersett 08.09.14

9°C at 08.00 hrs,  rising to 18°C  by midday.  3/8 cloud with a light but very cold north westerly.
Anglers CP Vis Mig:  08.10.- 11.10hrs.  A steady passage but numbers of birds very low.
Meadow Pipit 53 S,  Swallow 47 S,  Jay 4 high NW at 08.29hrs,  Yellow Wagtail 1 S, Grey Wagtail 1S and Common Gull 2.  Star bird today was a  RED KITE  that drifted slowly north at 09.47hrs. 
Anglers CP:  Dunlin 1, Common Sandpiper 1, Grey Wagtail 3,  Goldeneye 1,  Snipe 3 flew in to the shallows.  Yellow-legged Gull 1 adult.
Wintersett Res: Sedge Warbler 3 on north bank.  Nuthatch 1 Boathouse bench.
Wintersett Village: Grey Partridge 6.
Butterfly: Comma WRes.
Arachnid: Lynz Harston took these great macro shots of a Garden Spider outside the first Pol Hide yesterday. 

Old Moor 8 September

Hobby, Marsh Harrier, Peregrine Falcon, 2 Curlew Sandpiper and 3 Spotted Redshank. Still no sign of Pectoral Sandpiper.

Adwick (am)

Little Egret 1, Pintail 2, Teal 26, Wigeon 5, Shoveler 9, Ruff 5, Snipe 2, Hobby 1, Kestrel 3, Sparrowhawk 1, Chiffchaff 9 (3 singing), Whitethroat 1, Yellow Wagtail 20+, Linnet 12.

OLD MOOR a.m.

Pectoral Sandpiper still present at 9.45. It was standing with 3 Curlew Sandpipers when one of the Curlew Sands was taken by a sparrowhawk!!!

Harden Vis Mig

Harden Quarries - 1 Cormorant W, 1 creamcrown Marsh Harrier W, 5 Common Buzzards W, 1 Merlin W, 5 Lesser Black-backed Gulls S, 15 Lapwings E, 3 Raven W, 110 Swallows S, 4 House Martins S, 9 Starlings E, 88 Meadow Pipits S, 3 alba wagtails S, 4 Chaffinches S and 40 Goldfinches S.
per Nick Mallinson.

Langsett

Langsett Reservoir - 146 Greylag Geese, 79 Canada Geese, 40+ Mallards, 3 Teal, 1 Sparrowhawk, 1 Common Sandpiper, 1 Green Woodpecker, 2 juvenile Song Thrushes and 2 Grey Wagtails. Gull roost - 544 Black-headed Gulls, 3 Common Gulls, 626 Lesser Black-backed Gulls and 1 adult Yellow-legged Gull

Wintersett September WeBS count 06.09.14

The WeBs totals for September in the Wintersett area are:
Great Crested Grebe 61,  Little Grebe 7,  Coot 594,  Moorhen 44,  Mute Swan 24,  Canada Goose 712,  Greylag Goose 38,  Shoveler 11,  Wigeon 15,  Teal 8,  Mallard 288,  Goldeneye 2,  Tufted Duck 404,  Pochard 55,  Canada/Barnacle Goose Hybrid 4,  Heron 2 and Redshank 1.

Wintersett 07.09.14

18°C in the sun, 4/8 cloud with a light north westerly.
 Anglers CP: Vis Mig:  I am very happy to report a much better vis.mig session today, with a steady passage of birds to keep us interested and  2 mega ticks for Paul and Pete this afternoon.  Unless stated birds were moving south.
A good count of  525 Meadow Pipits for the date, 384 of these were before 09.20hrs.  185 Swallow, 105 House Martin  and 2 Sand Martin went through .  There was a very nice display from a  flock of 10 Ruff as they went SW at 09.22hrs.  A Merlin went N at 10.30hrs and a Peregrine SW at 14.46hrs. Also 3 Sparrowhawk (2SE + 1 S) and a juvenile Common Buzzard south at 15.32hrs.   Othe birds counted -  Mistle Thrush 6 SW, Chaffinch 5 SW,  Linnet 4 NNE,  Alba Wagtail sp. 7 SW, Yellow Wagtail  1 S and a group of 4 Grey Wagtail  flew south.  A Hobby was seen At WRes at 12.35hrs and it, or another, was seen at ACP at 15.58hrs..
Anglers CP: Common Sandpiper 1,  Grey Wagtail 1, and a Goldeneye.  
Here are Paul's photos of  the 2 MEGAs -  LANCASTER  BOMBERS  that flew south to the west of Emley Moor mast at 15.10 . At 15.20hrs their engines were heard and both flew east over Vis.Mig Hill !!

Archie ringed a total of  42  birds this morning, including, 17 Meadow Pipit, 13 Blackcap, 5 Reed Warbler, 1 Chiffchaff and 1 Treecreeper.
Butterflies:  Red Admiral 1 ACP and Brimstone 1 male Botany Path.

Broomhill Flash Saturday 6th September

Todays sightings are:-

Spotted Redshank 5,
Ruff 4,
Dunlin 1,
Greenshank 4,
Common Sandpiper 1,
Snipe 15+,
Black Tailed Godwit 2,
Grey Heron 11,
Little Egret 6,
Little Grebe 11,
Cormorant 9,
Mute Swan 1 adult, 1 Juv,
Mallard 32,
Tufted Duck 15,
Teal 18,
Shelduck 2,
Kingfisher 1,
Herring Gull 1 juv.

Carlton Marsh

This morning a Redshank flew over in the mist and a Green Sandpiper paid a brief visit, but the bird of the day was a Whinchat in a nearby field. (Jim Plant) The first since September 29th 2008!

Wintersett 06.09.14

16°C, cold, grey, damp with rain late morning.
Anglers CP Vis Mig:  Hill abandoned at 11 o'clock  in favour of hide.
2 adult Common Tern  flew over from WRes. A further 4 adults and 3 juvs. flew around from 10.13hrs before leaving east at 10.17hrs.  Snipe 9 east and 4 (3 + 1) north.
Anglers CP: Common Sandpiper 1, Yellow Wagtail 1 over., Greylag Goose 117,  Canada x Barnacle 4,  Teal 8, Cormorant 10 and Wigeon 2.
Wintersett Res: Mallard 226 and Goldeneye 1 female,

Carlton Marsh

This evening's ringing session produced 26 new birds and just 4 retraps. 12 Chiffchaffs, 2 Blackcaps, 1 Willow Warbler, 3 Reed Warblers, 5 Reed Buntings and 2 Bullfinches.

 

A Water Rail called and a Green Sandpiper came in just after dark. Little Owl and Tawny Owl were also vocal.

Langsett

Langsett Reservoir - 106 Greylag Geese, 88 Canada Geese, 111 Mallards, 6 Tufted Ducks, c100 Swallow and 1 Willow Warbler. Gull roost - 394 Black-headed Gulls, 3 Common Gulls, 588 Lesser Black-backed Gulls, 1 juvenile Herring Gull, 2 (1 adult & 1 third-summer) Yellow-legged Gulls and 1 adult Caspian Gull.

Wintersett 05.09.14 Vis Mig 0 - Gull Roost 1

17°C,  warm with  3/8 cloud and a light easterly.
Anglers CP Vis Mig: As dire as yesterday, with just 64 birds in a watch totalling 6 hours!
Meadow Pipit 28 SW,  Swallow 30 S,  Snipe 1 SW + 2 N, Yellow Wagtail 1 S at 08.41hrs.   flava Wagtail sp. 1 S,  alba Wagtail sp. 1S
Anglers CP: Common Sandpiper 1 and the usual adult Yellow-legged Gull.
Disposal Point:  Grey Partridge 4,  Willow Tit 1 + 1 Botany.
Cold Hiendley Res:  Gadwall 19 + 2 WRes. and Wigeon 3. 
Wintersett Res: Cetti's Warbler 1 male,  Water Rail 1,  Teal 3,  Goldeneye 1 female,  Whitethroat 1 and Nuthatch 1 A total of 76 birds were ringed this morning, including: 18 Blackcap,  12 Chiffchaff,  2 Willow Warblers,  3 Sedge Warblers 4 Reed Warblers,  1 Lesser Whitethroat,  Swallow 10 and Pied Wagtail 1.
Wintersett Gull Roost per Steve Denny.
Adult Caspian Gull  18.55hrs and 2nd Winter Caspian 19.05hrs then flushed to Anglers CP 19.15hrs.  2nd W seen again on WRes at 19.45hrs.  Counts of other gulls not done as they all ended up on ACP, as they often do in flat calm weather.    20 Shelduck went SW over WRes at 20.00hrs.

Sedge Warbler or.....???

Taken by a friend at Hooton Pagnall....................... :-)

The Edge 5th Sept

Wombwell Ings mid AM- Present were 2 Little Grebe, 8 Cormorant, 1 Little Egret, 3 Grey Heron, 21 Canada Geese, 44 Teal, 23 Mallard, 7 Shoveler, 1 Garganey, 56 Lapwing, 3 Greenshank, 1 Common Sandpiper, 39 BH Gull, 1 LBB Gull, 1 Kestrel, 4 Yellow Wagtail, 1 Grey Wagtail and 2 Chiffchaff.
Broomhill Flash late AM-  Noted were 15 Little Grebe, 13 Cormorant, 13 Little Egret, 11 Grey Heron, 1a+1y Mute Swan, 16 Canada Geese, 22 Teal, 17 Mallard, 14 Shoveler, 9 Tufted Duck, 2 Gadwall, 1 Garganey (flew in from Wombwell Ings c.10.30am ), 132 Lapwing, 5 Spotted Redshank, 3 Ruff, 3 Greenshank, 2 Snipe, 1 Common Sandpiper, 57 BH Gull and 4 Pied Wagtail.
Bolton Ings late AM/early PM- Present were 11 Little Grebe, 8 Great Crested Grebe, 14 Cormorant, 2 Grey Heron, 2a+7y Mute Swan, 2 Shelduck, 24 Tufted Duck, 18 Gadwall, 13 Shoveler, 6 Mallard, 4 Pochard, 1 Buzzard, 1 Marsh Harrier, 1 Kestrel, 1 Greater Spotted Woodpecker, 1 Green Woodpecker and 1 singing Chiffchaff.

Spotted Redshank - Broomhill Flash

Ruff - Broomhill Flash

Snipe - Broomhill Flash

Old Moor 5 September

This morning, 1 Curlew Sandpiper 1 Bittern, 6 Black- tailed Godwits, 7 Green Sandpiper, 2 Common Sandpiper, 4 Ruff, 2 Little Egret, 330 Teal. Bolton Ings 1 Marsh Harrier and 1 Buzzard.

INGBIRCHWORTH THURSDAY EVENING

Kingfisher 1,Common Sandpiper 1,Kestrel 1,Grey Wagtail 2,Pied Wagtail 2,Lesser Black Backed Gull 1,Tufted Duck 8,Little Grebe 2.

Edderthorpe, Friday morning

It's all ducks here at present;- Shoveler up to 135, Wigeon 17. A Barnacle Goose has joined the Canada Geese flock, Little Egret 1, Common Snipe 4.

Carlton Marsh

Busy strimming/digging island vegetation this morning. On site were Spotted Flycatcher (Keith Bannister) Kingfisher, 2 Buzzards taking advantage of the thermals, one mobbed later by 18 Jackdaws. Water Rail and Whitethroat were calling.

 

2 Red Admirals were feeding on our white Buddleja and at least 6 male Migrant Hawkers were on the wing.

 

I visited Broomhill Flash yesterday and was very impressed with the recent management intervention to create even better wader habitat. Seems like the birds are liking it too!

Wintersett Gulls 4th Sept 2014

Numbers still going up, with most birds coming in to the Top Res from the southeast, including a single flock of 400+ LBBs at 18.35 hrs.

Final counts were :-

Lesser Black-backed Gull - 1391

Yellow-legged Gull - 10 (9 adults & 1 2nd winter.

Despite the very high numbers, the YLG count s disappointing and appears to be little chance of a Caspian at the moment. The record count f 1700 LBBs looks in danger of being broken though.

A Goldeneye flew from the Top Res to the Low Lake at 19.15.

Afternoon Bike Ride

Adwick.
Black-tailed Godwit 4; Little Egret 2

Bolton.
Whinchat 1

Broomhill.
Ruff 2; Spotted Redshank 3+; Dunlin 1; 3 CURLEW SANDPIPER flew in at 4.15.

The Edge 4th Sept

Wombwell Ings mid AM- Present were 2 Little Grebe, 1 Cormorant, 3 Grey Heron, 63 Canada Geese, 7 Greylag, 4 Shelduck, 48 Teal, 37 Mallard, 17 Shoveler, 5 Gadwall, 1 Garganey, 121 Lapwing, 3 Dunlin, 2 Greenshank, 2 Snipe, 1 Common Sandpiper, 22 BH Gull, 1 LBB Gull, 1 Kestrel, 10+ Long Tailed Tit, 1 Skylark and 1 Willow Warbler.
Broomhill Flash late AM- With the lower water levels,  21 Cormorant, 8 Grey Heron and 5 Little Egret are finding lots of fish to eat. Also noted were 16 Little Grebe, 1a+1y Mute Swan, 47 Canada Geese, 42 Teal, 35 Shoveler, 33 Mallard, 26 Tufted Duck, 5 Gadwall, 69 Lapwing, 7 Spotted Redshank, 3 Ruff, 2 Snipe, 1 Redshank, 1 Greenshank, 115 BH Gull and 2 Kingfisher.
Bolton Ings early PM- Highlight was the Whinchat, along the dyke in front of the hide. Also present were 8 Little Grebe, 8 Great Crested Grebe, 9 Cormorant, 3 Grey Heron, 1a+7y Mute Swan, 2 Greylag, 25 Gadwall, 15 Tufted Duck, 14 Shoveler, 10 Mallard, 4 Pochard, 41 Lapwing, 1 Kestrel and 2 Green Woodpecker.

Wintersett + update 04.09.14

18°C but felt cooler in a light easterly, 8/8 cloud.
Anglers CP Vis Mig:  After 4 and a half hours we'd had 5 Meadow Pipits and 35 Swallow going S .  Absolutely dire as far a birds are concerned. The worst/slowest September session here.
Anglers CP: Usual adult Yellow-legged Gull, Common Sandpiper 2,  Yellow Wagtail 1 over and Wigeon 10.
Wintersett Res: Shoveler 12.   Things picked up after lunch when a Greenshank flew south!
This post will  be updated later this evening. (Hopefully!) See footnote.
Lynz Harston had a Common Blue at CHRes yesterday.  Ralph and Les had 2 at ACP this morning.

Common Blue    CHRes.                    Lynz Harston

The afternoon got no better - nothing to report!

Windleden

Windleden Edge - 2 Common Buzzards, +, 2 Kestrels and 1 juvenile Peregrine.
Dunford Bridge - 50+ Swallows
Midhope Reservoir - 63 Greylag Geese, 105 Canada Geese, 7 Mallards, 1 Tufted Duck, 1 Common Buzzard and 3 Little Grebes.

Mammals
Hedgehog at Carlecotes
Weasel at Townhead

Edderthorpe, Thursday morning...

The cream-crown Marsh Harrier was up early, flying around the Flash at 06.10. No Little Egrets roosted last night, all had left in the Old Moor direction by 20.00, 5 returned this morning. Teal are up to 225, Shoveler slightly down to 109, Wigeon 15. And a surprise, a grounded wader (not a Lapwing 800 or a Common Snipe 2) a juvenile Black-tailed Godwit. A new peak for Little Grebes with 50 counted last night

Decent morning at Ingbirchworth

Yes the tittle is correct.
Ingbirchworth Reservoir - 17 Greylag Geese, 61 Canada Geese, 177 Mallards, 2 Shoveler, 10 Tufted Ducks, 6 Moorhens, 7 Coots, 4 Little Grebes, c10 Lesser Black-backed Gulls, 1 Willow Tit, 3+ Chiffchaffs, 1 Willow Warbler, 1 Nuthatch, 1 Sedge Warbler, 15+ Long-tailed Tits, 1 juvenile Common Redstart and 1 juvenile Lesser Redpoll.
Whitley Edge - 30+ Carrion Crows, c200 Jackdaws and c200 Starlings.
Langsett FS - 1 Cormorant fishing/attempting to on one of the old settling beds.
Langsett Reservoir - 37 Greylag Geese and 22+ Canada Geese.
Midhope Reservoir - 14 Greylag Geese, 23 Canada Geese, 11 Mallards, 3 Tufted Ducks, 1 Cormorant and 4 Little Grebes.

Wintersett 03.09.14

17°C,  2/8 cloud, with a light easterly this morning.
Anglers CP + Vis Mig: Wigeon 13 droppped in briefly, then left west. Teal 8 dropped in at 08.35.  Shoveler 16 (4 +12) dropped in + 2 present.   Pochard 12 + 17 WRes..  Mallard 288,  Common Sandpiper 1, Grey Wagtail 1 present + 2 SW, Yellow Wagtail 1 S,  Pied Wagtail 1 S,   Snipe 4,  Kingfisher 1 and Little Grebe 3 + 2 WRes..
Wintersett Res: Yellow-legged Gull usual adult.

Adwick a.m.

Little Egret 5; Dunlin 2; Greenshank 1; Redshank 2; Snipe 3+; Ruff 2; Black-tailed Godwit 5; Gargenay 1 female; Pintail 1 female; Wigeon 9; Kingfisher 1; Swallow c. 100; LBBG 3 E; Yellow Wagtail c.20.

Also: Mallard c. 300; Teal c. 30; Gadwall c. 30; Shoveler c.10; Canada/Greylag Goose - too many.

Old Moor Nocturnal Report - Tuesday 2nd September

Main Marsh - Wigeon 11, LRP 1, Redshank 2, Greenshank 1, Black Tailed Godwit 5, Green Sandpiper 9, Common Sandpiper 1, Ruff 4, Dunlin 4, Spotted Redshank 5, Snipe 4, Barn Owl 1, Kingfisher 2.

Roost in willows on Willow Pool - Grey Heron 3, Cormorant 19, Little Egret 18.

The Little Egrets came in tonight as follows - 1 at 19.25, 2 at 19.41, 1 at 20.01, 2 at 20.07, 10 at 20.09, 1 at 20.16 and finally 1 at 20.21. Tonight 4 came in from up the valley and 14 from down the valley. The group of 10 birds that came in at 20.09 is the largest single group I have seen come in all summer/autumn. Where are they going in the day as there are no reports from any sites today of more than 4 birds. Unless they are gathering somewhere to flock up before they fly to roost, interesting.

Edderthorpe, Wednesday morning

Been an arrival of duck overnight;- Shoveler up to 129, Wigeon 16, Pochard 25. Greylag Goose 99, Canada Goose 229. Little Egret 3, Little Grebe 44, Coot 204 and Common Snipe 3.

Wintersett Gulls 2nd Sept 2014

Numbers have increased sharply, unfortunately I was watching the wrong lake!

With numbers building up nicely on the Park Lake, around a thousand Geese dropped in and flushed most of the gulls to the Top Res. 782 Canadas & 128 Greylags.

A dash to count the Top Res numbers from the lane produced final counts of:-

Lesser Black-backed Gull - 127 on CP & 720 on the Top Res

Yellow-legged Gull - 5 on the CP & 3 on the Top Res (all adults, not much opportunity to look for any younger ones.

Great Black-backed Gull - 1 juv on CP.

Wintersett 02.09.14

18°C,  0/8, warm with a very light south easterly.
Anglers CP Vis. Mig. : An unprecedented party of 7 Spotted Redshank flew south at 08.55hrs. The only previous site record of more than 2 birds together was 4 on 8th September 1962!   Other birds going south included 242 Swallow,  18 Meadow Pipit, 3 Chaffinch  and  3 Buzzard.
Anglers CP: Buzzard 14,  Common Sandpiper 2 and Grey Wagtail 3.
Wintersett Res: Cetti's Warbler 1 male and 1 female, Yellow Wagtail 3 SW,  Teal 3 and the usual adult Yellow-legged Gull. 
A total of 82 birds were ringed this morning including:  35 Blackcap,  10 Chiffchaff,  6 Sedge Warbler,  8 Reed Warbler,  1 Garden Warbler, 1 Whitethroat and 1 Willow Warbler.

Old Moor Nocturnal Report - Monday 1st September

Mere/Wader Scrape - Pintail 1, Wigeon 3, LRP 2, Redshank 3, Common Sandpiper 3, Curlew 2 over towards Broomhill.

Main Marsh - Greenshank 2, Black Tailed Godwit 5, Green Sandpiper 10, Ruff 4, Dunlin 4.

Roost in willows on Willow Pool - Grey Heron 3, Cormorant 22, Little Egret 17.

The Little Egrets came in as follows - 1 at 19.54, 2 at 20.01, 2 at 20.09, 2 at 20.12, 3 at 20.16, 3 at 20.20, 2 at 20.27 and finally 2 at 20.31. 9 birds came in from down the valley and 8 birds from up the valley. I was late arriving tonight (19.50) so I could have missed some early birds, no repeat of last nights behaviour but they were very vocal tonight.

The Edge 2nd Sept

Wombwell Ings mid AM-Present were 2 Little Grebe, 1 Cormorant, 3 Grey Heron, 1 Little Egret, 2 Mute Swan, 159 Canada Geese, 1 Greylag, 48 Teal, 36 Mallard, 5 Gadwall, 1 Garganey, 92 Lapwing, 3 Greenshank, 2 Snipe, 6 BH Gull, 2 Kestrel, 2 Sparrowhawk, 1 Green Woodpecker, 1 Kingfisher, a flock of 15+ Long Tailed Tit, 1 Bullfinch, 1 Whinchat and singing males( 1 Chiffchaff and 1 Willow Warbler ).
Broomhill Flash late AM- Noted were 12 Little Grebe, 12 Cormorant, 2 Little Egret, 2 Grey Heron, 1a+2y Mute Swan, 31 Canada Geese, 28 Mallard, 24 Tufted Duck,10 Gadwall, 9 Teal, 7 Shoveler, 96 Lapwing, 5 Spotted Redshank, 3 Ruff, 2 Snipe, 1 Greenshank,1 Common Sandpiper, 1 Green Sandpiper, 3 Yellow Wagtail and 1 Marsh Harrier( 10.30 am).

Bolton Ings early PM-Present were 13 Little Grebe, 7 Great Crested Grebe, 13 Cormorant, 3a+10y Mute Swan, 110 Canada Geese, 67 Greylag, 79 Gadwall, 50+ Shoveler, 23 Tufted Duck, 19 Mallard, 5 Teal, 4 Pochard, 3 Wigeon, 250+ Lapwing, 1 Buzzard, 1 Kestrel, 1 Sparrowhawk, 1 Green Woodpecker and 2 Grey Wagtail.

Greenshank - Broomhill Flash

Grey Heron - Wombwell Ings

Adwick (am)

Also from Adwick this morning, Golden Plover calling over the reserve at 8.10, Buzzard 1, Chiffchaff 2 singing, Whitethroat 4, Lesser Whitethroat 1, Blackcap 1, Yellow Wagtail 10.

Adwick a.m.

Little Egret 2;  Greenshank 1; Dunlin 2; Snipe 3; Black-tailed Godwit 7; Wigeon 4; Hobby 2

Plus: Long-tailed Skua 1 probable juv, E at 9.35. Didn't get on it till it was going away...

Going back a bit

Looking back to the Common Tern that roosted at Langsett Reservoir on 16th August; I could not recollect seeing another here. On checking records, dating back to 1955, I could only find the following:
1) one on 12th September 1976.
2) three west on 19th August 1978
3) six on 13th April 1980
So the first for over thirty-four years and obviously only the fourth record here.

Edderthorpe, Tuesday morning

A misty start over the Flash, slowly clearing as the sun woke up. Little Egret 4, Pochard 17, Little Egret 4, Little Grebe 44, Garden Warbler 1.

Carlton Marsh

Tonight's ringing session provided 27 new birds and 4 retraps. They included 5 Reed Warblers, 9 Chiffchaffs, 3 Reed Buntings, 1 Blackcap and 1 Bullfinch from 9 species. A Water Rail called and c100 Swallows came in to roost.

Langsett

Langsett Reservoir - 35 Canada Geese, 68 Mallards, 3 Tufted Ducks, 150+ Swallows, 2+ Chiffchaffs and 1 Willow Warbler. Gull roost - 332 Black-headed Gulls, 7 Common Gulls, 524 Lesser Black-backed Gulls, 3+ juvenile Herring Gulls, 3 (2 adults & 1 third-winter) Yellow-legged Gulls and 1 adult Caspian Gull (looks same as in August).

The Edge 1st Sept

Wombwell Ings mid AM- Present were 2 Little Grebe, 3 Cormorant, 2 Grey Heron, 1 Little Egret, 2 Mute Swan, 122 Canada Geese, 1 Greylag, 13 Mallard, 13 Teal, 5 Gadwall, 2 Tufted Duck, 238 Lapwing, 3 Greenshank, 2 Dunlin, 2 Ruff, 5 BH Gull, 1 LBB Gull, 1 Kestrel, 6+ Pied Wagtail, 2 Yellow Wagtail, 1 Kingfisher, 2 singing Chiffchaff and1 Whinchat.
Broomhill Flash late AM- Noted were 17 Little Grebe, 8 Cormorant, 3 Grey Heron, 1 Little Egret, 1a+2y Mute Swan, 4 Canada Geese, 31 Mallard, 17 Tufted Duck, 12 Teal, 6 Shoveler, 5 Gadwall, 1 Pochard, 64 Lapwing, 5 Spotted Redshank, 3 Ruff, 2 Snipe, 1 Greenshank, 1 Common Sandpiper, 1 Kestrel, 6+ Yellow Wagtail and 2 Skylark.
Bolton Ings early PM- Highlight was the brief appearance of a Bittern at 1.50pm. Spotted by J.Seeviour, it dropped back into the reeds before 'Too Slow' Whitehouse could pick it up. Also present were 13 Little Grebe, 8 Great Crested Grebe, 7 Cormorant, 2 Grey Heron, 5a+7y Mute Swan, 2 Canada Geese, 32 Tufted Duck, 27 Gadwall, 7 Pochard, 6 Mallard. 2 Teal, 1 Shoveler, 58 Lapwing, 2 Redshank, 1 Kestrel, 1 Sparrowhawk, 1 Buzzard, 1 Grey Partridge, 1 Grey Wagtail, 2 Swift, 2 Green Woodpecker and 1 Greater Spotted Woodpecker.

Wintersett 01.09.14

18°C warm and humid,   6/8 cloud with a steady north westerly.
Anglers CP Vis. Mig: Swallow 101 S,  Meadow Pipit 32 S,  Tree Pipit 1 S at 09.30hrs,   Pintail 3 dropped in + 2 west with a flock of 25 Wigeon, Dunlin 4 NW at 15.15hrs,   Snipe 2 SW + 3 present and   Yellow Wagtail  2 SW.
Anglers CP. : Wigeon 4 + 4 WRes.,  Teal 6,  Common Sandpiper 1,  Little Grebe 4 + 1  WRes.,   Shoveler 5+ 1 Wres., Canada/Barnacle Hybrid 4 and Cormorant 9.
Wintersett Res: Yellow-legged Gull  usual adult.  and 6 SWIFT.
Butterfly:  Common Blue 1 ACP.

Pintail   ACP                      SDenny

Dearne Valley Weekender

Friday Night - August 29th - Old Moor

Main Marsh - Wigeon 6, Dunlin 2, Peregrine 1, Common Tern 1, LBB Gull 15.

Roost in willow on Willow Pool - Grey Heron 1, Cormorant 20, Little Egret 16.

Tonight the Egrets came in as follows - 2 at 19.33, 2 at 19.46, 1 at 19.50, 2 at 20.03, 1 at 20.07, 1 at 20.12, 4 at 20.19, 2 at 20.22 and finally 1 at 20.34. 10 birds came in from down the valley and 6 birds from up the valley.

Saturday Morning - August 30th - Old Moor

I arrived at the Wath Ings hide at 05.25, The Egrets started calling at 05.30 and the first 5 of 19 left down the valley at 05.36. These were followed by 1 at 05.43, 4 at 05.47, 3 at 05.51 and 6 at 06.11. This morning 11 birds left up the valley and 8 birds down the valley. The last 9 to leave flew out of the willows and onto the mud on the Willow Pool giving great views as they woke up. Also seen this morning were the following:- Spotted Redshank 2, Black Tailed Godwit 7, Ruff 3, Dunlin 3, Green Sandpiper 10, Common Sandpiper 2, LRP 2, Wigeon 6, Peregrine 1, Chiffchaff 1 singing behind hide and a group of 13 Cormorants flew in from down the valley.

Sunday Morning - August 31st - Bolton Ings

A late start this morning, 10.00 am when I set off, the highlight today was a bird I didn't see. A Marsh Harrier seen by Cliff dropping into the reeds at 11.50 before I could get on it. Good counts of 13 Great Crested Grebes and 341 Coot as well as 2 singing Chiffchaffs. Full list - Grey Heron 2, Mute Swan 18, Canada Goose 2, Grey Lag Goose 4, Cormorant 5, Great crested Grebe 13, Little Grebe 23, Mallard 32, Gadwall 76, Wigeon 1, Shoveler 12, Tufted Duck 30, Pochard 4, Coot 341, Moorhen 10, Lapwing 57, Black Headed Gull 3, Kestrel 1, Sparrowhawk 2, Green Woodpecker 2, Great Spotted Woodpecker 1, Grey Wagtail1, Chiffchaff 2.

Sunday Night - August 31st - Old Moor

Mere/Main Marsh - Drake Garganey, Spotted Redshank 7, Greenshank 1, Redshank 1, Black Tailed Godwit 13, Ruff 4, Dunlin 6, Green Sandpiper 8, Common Sandpiper 1, Ringed Plover 1, LRP 2, Peregrine 1, Barn Owl 1.

Roost in willows on Willow Pool - Grey Heron 3, Cormorant 15+, Little Egret 21.

Tonight the Egrets came in as follows - 1 already in, 1 at 19.32, 1 at 20.06, 1 at 20.12, 1 at 20.15, 2 at 20.22, 9 at 20.25, 1 at 20.27, 1 at 20.33, 1 at 20.35 and finally 1 at 20.42. Tonight 10 birds came in from down the valley and 11 birds from up the valley. Some interesting behaviour seen tonight, the bird already in flew out onto the Main Marsh, it was continuously calling and eventually the 2nd bird in joined it. After more calling by both birds they took off and flew higher and higher until out of sight, still calling. They then dropped back in and after doing the same routine another twice they settled in to roost. Are they preparing to leave?

Elsecar

Elsecar Reservoir - 9 Great Crested Grebes, 11 Coots and 1 juvenile Arctic Tern.

Adwick a.m.

Little Egret 3; Green Sandpiper 2; Black-tailed Godwit 3; Hobby 1 (KF); Swallow 50+; Yellow Wagtail 10+.

Edderthorpe Monday AM

little Egret 4, Snipe3, Pochard 12, Widgeon 12. Influx of Gulls inc 7LBBs.Also of note Buzzard over Dearne, Swift 2,Swallow 8 S. Spotted Flycatcher end of Royston Lane /Wheatshaw lane.