Wintersett Massive Mig. 11.10.13

9 degrees, mostly cloudy,  constant cold northerly wind.   
Anglers CP Vis Mig  watch paid dividends  for Paul and Pete after a 10  hour watch!   After reports of Gannet through all the surrounding area this afternoon,  one finally showed up here,  flying west,   at 17.25hrs.  A well deserved reward for perseverance.
Overall an excellent and varied watch with highlights being: -
Going west:   A  Jack Snipe at 09.48,   19 Brambling  at 10.00,   2525 Redwing and 284  Fieldfare.
Also a Grey Plover N at 10.59,  4 Golden Plover NW,  a  Ringed Plover N,   a Knot E at 10.35,   a Twite E at 13.47 and   21  Whooper Swan (2 NW at 08.35 and 19 E at 11.25).   A juv. male  Peregrine flew S  and so did a Kestrel.
ACP:   A female type Common Scoter was in early doors and 2 Pink-footed Geese dropped in at 17.10hrs.   Goldeneye 1 female and Yellow-legged Gull 1 adult.

Edderthorpe

No Gannets seen here between 3.00 - 6.30 pm but there was a noticeable passage of Cormorants heading southwards with around 40 counted. Shelduck 3, Shoveler 70, Water Rail 1, Dunlin 35, Spotted Redshank 2, Ruff 1, Golden Plover 153, Peregrine 1, Common Buzzard 1.

YLG

Ingbirchworth Reservoir - 1 adult Yellow-legged Gull late am.
per David Pennington.

Adwick (mid aft/noon)

No Gannets, but a  brief appearance of Little Stint 1, Dunlin 1 (M. Bellas, Ken F)

Are you Bempton in disguise?

Are you Bempton in disguise? - that was the message I sent Carlos after his texts about the Gannets. Fortunately, I was perfectly placed for the first two, just leaving the office at Birdwell and heading down the bypass towards Wombwell. Picked them up over the Jump roundabout 'wheeling' at about 2x lamp-post height and followed them down (they were doing c20mph) before loosing them behind trees near Hemmingfield. Fortunately with the aid of radios some birders at Old Moor also got on them as they headed off east over Wath-upon-Dearne. Another passed east there at c15.05.

Also 20 Black-wits Wath, 2 Spot Reds Edderthorpe.

Once you've seen two . . .

12 Gannet West 14:48 Worsbrough Valley. First picked up over M1 then headed towards Rockley. Also 4 buzzard and 2 Pinkfeet east 16:24. Belated news of a dipper at the reservoir on the 5th.

Av adder Wursbru tick

Two juv Gannet gradually headed east over Worsbrough res 13:52 - 14:05. Not bad considering I arrived at 13:52

Adwick washlands

Whooper Swans 6 se at 09.10

Whoopers

Harden Reservoir - c50 Redwings NW.
Ingbirchworth Reservoir - 15 Whooper Swans.
per Mick Cunningham.

Redwings

Hundreds of Redwings were seen over Cudworth this morning heading W&SW between 08.15 & 08.45 hrs. (Rod Heeley) 

Carlton Marsh 

At least 60 Redwings WNW around 09.00 hrs. and 90 Canada Geese east. 4 Shoveler and 3 Tufted Duck were present.

In the afternoon - Grey Wagtail, Little Owl and a single Golden Plover, a scarcity up this valley nowadays. (Keith Bannister)

Cudworth Common

A single Greenshank was present this afternoon (K. Bannister)

Jim's Adder Woftik!

Visit to Old Moor this evening with Jim Thompson. We were just bemoaning the fact that despite the perishing cold we'd seen nothing new in other than a Curlew when a small skein of geese approached us. Now at this time of day loads and loads of geese drop in at Old Moor, but coming from the south........surely worth a second look. And it certainly was, 12 magnificent Barnacles fighting into the wind as they slowly flew northwest, before veering more westerly. With large numbers moving along the coast in the last few days these were surely wild. Off to the Solway perhaps? So now you know - Jim's adder Woftik!

The magnificent 12 - John Hewitt

Barnacle Geese over Old Moor - John Hewitt

Other bits: Ruff 11, Black-wit 18, Dunlin 6,Green Sand.

Broomhill Flash (early am): Ruff 2

Wombwell Ings (per Seev'): Pink-footed Goose 2, Black-wit 16, Ruff, Dunlin, Swallow

Wintersett Redwings 10.10.13 (also belated 09.101.3)

9 degrees,  brisk, cold northerly, sunny with scattered cloud.
Anglers CP Vis Mig:  An excellent Redwing total of  5185  flying west, with the majority (3500) between 08.15 and 09.15.   Numbers tailed off very quickly after 10.00 hrs.  Fieldfare 130 W,  Snipe 3 W,  House Martin 2 W,  Swallow 1 W,   Pink-footed Goose 1 E at 09.06hrs.
Anglers CP:  4 Whooper Swans flew in at 09.06hrs,  Greylag Goose 100.


Belated 09.10.13
ACP Vis Mig: The first LITTLE STINT for five years flew SW at 10.06hrs with 4 Dunlin, Meadow Pipit 627,  Swallow 1 S,  Merlin 1 S at 09.27hrs,  Peregrine 1S at -09.30 hrs,  Yellow-legged Gull 13 W, Cormorant 9S,
ACP:   Pintail  1, Yellow-legged Gull 1 adult,  Wigeon 412, Pochard 51 and  Gadwall 25.
Wintersett Res: Chiffchaff 6 and Shoveler 23.
Also flying: Speckled Wood 1 and Migrant Hawker 1.

Edderthorpe flash 10 Oct. (am)

2 Barnacle Geese, 2 Spotted Redshank, 3 Ruff and 11 Dunlin, re Alan Stonier.

Broomhill Flash & Wombwell Ings

These sightings were from early morning to around midday.

Broomhill Flash.

Grey Heron 2,
Golden Plover c200,
Snipe 4,
Ruff 1.

Mute Swan 2,
Shoveler 6,
Mallard 8,
Teal 14,
Gadwall 32,
Cormorant 8,
Lesser Black-backed Gull 1.

Pied Wagtail 6,
Linnet c12,
Meadow Pipit 6,
Swallow 1.

Red-legged Partridge 11.

Peregrine Falcon 1,
Little Owl 1,
Kestrel 1.

Wombwell Ings.

Grey Heron 6,
Black-tailed Godwit 14,
Dunlin 25,
Ringed Plover,
Ruff 1,
Golden Plover c200,
Spotted Redshank 2,
Snipe 4.

Teal 46,
Shoveler 12,
Wigeon 40,
Gadwall 4,
Mallard 8,
Pintail 1,
Kingfisher 1.

Linnet 12+,
Pied Wagtail 3+.

Buzzard 2,
Kestrel 1.

A few highlights from Wombwell Ings today: Peregrine, Golden Plover 500+ (many in back field), Black-wit 24, Ruff 2, Dunlin 25, Jack Snipe.

Broomhill Flash: Ruff 2.

Work at Wath Ings is expected to be complete by mid-day.

WIW!

Wath Ings Work - please be aware that today (and possibly tomorrow) there will be work on Wath Ings to transfer reeds to the Reedbeds.

Adwick washlands (am)

Pink-footed Geese 72 east  at 09.30, Green Sandpiper 1 on the River Dearne.

Edderthorpe flash am

1 Little Stint, 7 Ruff, 8 Dunlin, 5 Snipe, 170+ Golden Plover, 3 Shelduck, 1 Buzzard, 54 Shoveler, 9 Lesser Black-backed Gulls and 1 Common Gull

Broomhill Flash & Bolton Ings

Myself and Mr Seeviour did the Broomhill Flash and Bolton Ings reserves today which was very pleasant, so here are the fruits of our labour!


Broomhill Flash Tuesday 8th October.

Grey Heron 1,
Little Egret 1,
Snipe 10,
Golden Plover 44 dropped on Wombwell Ings.

Kingfisher 1,
Gadwall 3,
Mallard 10,
Tufted Duck 11,
Teal 16,
Shoveler 8,
Little Grebe 1,
Cormorant 11,
Common Gull 1,
Lesser Black-backed Gull 4.

Pied Wagtail 7,
Linnet 12,
Goldfinch 30+,
Redwing c20,
Swallow 4.

Grey Partridge 1,
Red-legged Partridge 3.

Little Owl 1,
Sparrowhawk 1,
Peregrine Falcon 1.


Bolton Ings.

Grey Heron 3+,
Gadwall c104,
Shoveler 17,
Wigeon c76,
Tufted Duck 10,
Teal 3,
Mute Swan 4 (2 Juvenile),
Pochard 10,
Cormorant 13,
Great crested Grebe 6,
Little Grebe 11,
Lesser Black-backed Gull 2,
Common Gull 1.

Chiffchaff 1,
Jay 3,
Redwing 1.

Sparrowhawk 1 with very pale rump.

Wintersett Double Up

Monday 7^th Oct

Shoveler – 44 on the Country Park (21 on the Top Res earlier)

Water Rail – 1 on the Country Park

Goosander – 2 redheads circled the Country Park & left NW

Blackcap – 2 ringed at the Low Lake ruin.

Redpoll – 4 SW

Pink-footed Goose – 90 west

Peregrine – 1 south

Tuesday 8^th October

Rock Pipit – 2 on the Country Park, 1 leaving northwest

Chiffchaff – 6 CP

Brambling – 1 west

Dabchick – 7 CP

Redwing – 2 CP

Yellow-legged Gull – adult Country Park