Appleton Reservoir, Warrington

Sedge warbler 1 singing
Blackcap 1 singing
Sand martin 100

Year: 186 (Sedge warbler)

Appleton Reservoir, Warrington

Water rail 1 where the stream enters the reservoir at the southern end
Swallow 1
Willow warbler 1 singing
Chiffchaff 4 singing

Opposite-leaved golden saxifrage Chrysosplenium oppositifolium. Not a true saxifrage, the English name always seems a little odd to me, since saxifrage litterally means "rock-splitter" yet this plant is not an alpine and certainly not a rock-splitter, growing in marshy places in the lowlands! Still, it's not the first dodgy English name (or latin name for that matter!). Notice that the latin name is C. oppositifolium. The purple saxifrage which I saw yesterday is Saxifraga oppisitifolia, in otherwords purple saxifrage is the true "opposite-leaved" saxifrage!

Appleton Reservoir, Warrington

Sand Martin 20
Tufted Duck 9
Kingfisher 1
Mute Swan 2
Great Crested Grebe 14

My first ever sand martins were at Appleton Reservoir on 17th June 1979.

Appleton Reservoir

Goldeneye 1 m
Chiffchaff 1 singing
Great crested grebe 15

My first singing chiffchaff of the year, and my first goldeneye at the reservoir.

Appleton Reservoir last week

Plenty of dragonflies about, including migrant hawker, common darter and several pairs of ruddy darter.

The first wigeon I have seen at the reservoir this autumn, an eclipse drake.

Appleton Reservoir, Warrington

Quite a few dragonflies out at the reservoir today during my lunch break, most notably a few ruddy darters which were a new species at the site for me. Other species included a few brown hawkers, common darters and a single black-tailed skimmer. Fairly quiet for birds, about 30 tufted ducks, three little grebes and eight gadwall, the latter perhaps the precursor of a late summer build up similar to last year which peaked at 87 by mid-october.

Ruddy darter.

Common darter.

Appleton Reservoir, Warrington and Pennington Flash

At least five little grebes on the reservoir today, two adults with a juvenile on the western edge, another adult in the south west and a single juvenile in the north east. No sign of the pair with two juveniles in the southern bay, but it looks as though at least two pairs have bred, possibly three. Also today 15 tufted ducks.

At the flash today, three green sandpipers, two at Ramsdales and one at the teal hide.

Appleton Reservoir, Warrington

Spotted flycatcher in the woods near the outfall at the reservoir today was my first of the year.

Year: 237 (Spotted flycatcher)

Appleton Reservoir, Warrington

Little grebe 3 adults 2 chicks
Garden warbler 1 still singing in SW corner
Tufted duck 15

Dragonflies: several emperors lots of black-tailed skimmers.

The two little grebes with chicks were still at the southern end of the reservoirs, and I was surprised to see a third bird near the outfall in the north-west corner. Surely there can't be two pairs on the reservoir?? Time will tell, hopefully....

Appleton Reservoir, Warrington

Little grebe with 2 chicks. I was amazed to see these, I had no idea they were breeding, with just a handful of sightings of the species at the reservoir this year.

All grebe chicks are great looking birds, but I think little grebes are the best I've seen.

Brown hawker.

Black-tailed skimmer.

Appleton Reservoir, Warrington

My first visit to the reservoir for a couple of weeks and I was surprised to hear the garden warbler still singing in the same bush in the south-west corner. Not only that, but there were definately two birds. They've been there for a couple of months and it looks like they may have bred this year.

Apart from that, pretty quiet at the moment, 12 tufted ducks and several grebes with chicks the highlights.

Appleton Reservoir, Warrington

Good numbers of house martins at the reservoir today, the most I've seen anywhere this year, with at least 150 plus a handful of swifts and swallows. Also today a little grebe calling in the bay at the southern end, a mute swan on a nest, 8 tufted ducks and a great crested grebe with at least two chicks on its back.

Appleton Reservoir, Warrington

The garden warbler is still singing and occasionally showing well in the wood near the style in the SW corner of the reservoir. Also today about 20 swifts, 10 swallows, 5 house martins, 5 sand martins, 12 tufted ducks and a pair of gadwall.

Appleton Reservoir, Warrington

Garden warbler 1 singing in SW corner
Sedge warbler 2 singing
Whitethroat 1 singing
Common sandpiper 1
Gadwall 6 (3 pairs)
Little grebe 1 calling

Appleton Reservoir, Warrington

Garden warbler 1 singing male
Common Sandpiper 1
Grey wagtail 1
Gadwall 2 (m & f)
Swallow 10
Mute swan 2

Year: 200 (Garden warbler).

The garden warbler may have been present since last Friday, but not being overly confident with the song I needed to see the bird to be certain. It was singing near the wooden style in the south west corner.

Appleton Reservoir, Warrington

Common sandpiper 1
Sand martin 20
Swallow 10
Whitethroat 1 singing m

Appleton Reservoir, Warrington

Green woodpecker 1
Common sandpiper 1
Whitethroat 1 singing m

Appleton Reservoir, Warrington

Common sandpiper 1
House martin 1
Sand martin 20
Swallow 10
Tufted duck 16

Appleton Reservoir, Warrington

Common sandpiper 3
Blackcap 1 m
Swallow 15
House martin 4
Sand martin 30
Willow warbler 10 singing

Year: 183 (Common sandpiper)

Common sandpiper

Swallows and sand martins.

Appleton Reservoir, Warrington

Pochard 2 m&f
Gadwall 2 m&f
Tufted duck 15
Great crested grebe 15
Grey wagtail 2
Sparrowhawk 1 m

Male sparrowhawk.