Mediterranean gull on the car park, Pennington Flash

The adult Mediterranean gull which has been coming into the roost all winter was this morning on the car park where it could be seen to be sporting a metal ring on it's left leg. Unfortunately the only number I could see was 7 which doesn't really help, except that the ring does look very like that which was worn by a bird that was first seen at the flash in 2012 and has been thought to return most years since.

Martin Mere

I called in at Martin Mere this afternoon for another look at the warblers at the sewage works. At least one Siberian chiffchaff showed well and a couple of collybita (common) chiffchaffs including a singing bird. The yellow-browed warbler was calling seemingly quite close for several minutes but I couldn't see it, which was ironic because on the other three occasions that I have looked for it I've managed to see it but only heard it once and very briefly.

These Siberian chiffchaffs are cracking birds, with pale plumage and jet black legs, very different to the collybita birds when you see them together. They also have a thin piping bullfinch like call, unlike the "huweet" call of collybita birds.

An awesome spectacle

Adult yellow-legged gull and Mediterranean gull in the gull roost at Pennington Flash this evening.

Very few birders who visit the flash stay to see the great spectacle that is the gull roost. It's just a staggering sight at times. Apart from the thousands of grey and white gulls that cover the water, there is also an impressive jackdaw roost that takes place at dusk, best seen from the boat club. I've never seen so many jackdaws at the roost as there were today, they're difficult to count because they swirl around over the water and dive bomb the gulls, with smaller flocks breaking away and other flocks joining in, but there must be close to 3000 birds. While all of this was happening a lorry drove down to Sorrowcow farm and hundreds (thousands?) of gulls took to the air and swirled around with the jackdaws, an amazing sight.

Little egrets, Pennington Flash

Five little egrets in Ramsdales  today were the most I have ever recorded at the flash.

Smew, Rumworth Lodge

This stunning drake smew was on Rumworth Lodge, Bolton today having previously been seen at Belmont and Springs reservoirs on the other side of Winter Hill. Actually I called in at Springs reservoir on Tuesday and saw the bird very briefly before it flew to the far side of the reservoir. It's clearly a very nervous bird and today stayed on the far bank of the lake all of the time I was watching it and was definitely aware of our presence.

Another dodgy bittern at the flash

I was at East Bay and as always looked across to Ramsdales reedbed in the hope that today I might finally see a bittern on the edge of the reeds, and amazingly today there was one! East Bay is a good half a mile from the reedbed and I had no scope with me, so I took a few photos and then forgot about the bird. When I finally reached Ramsdales there was just a grey heron standing on the edge of the reeds so assumed it was that and continued on my way. Later this evening a bittern was reported to Birdguides as standing on the ice in Ramsdales so I had a look at my photos and they clearly show a bittern. 

Bitterns are annual at the flash, yet this is only my third sighting and both the other two have been just as poor! One day I'll see one well.....

Yellow-browed warbler, Martin Mere

It was a beautiful, crisp sunny morning with not a breath of wind and it seemed perfect for watching small warblers, so where else to go than back to Martin Mere? Sure enough, the yellow-browed warbler performed really well, occasionally coming as close as 2m away, though that didn't mean that it was easy to photograph!

It's a very flitty bird, constantly on the move and there are a million branches in the way to focus on and for me it's just click and hope! Even so these are probably the best yellow-browed warbler photos that I have ever taken, which is not saying much.

Meanwhile the Siberian chiffchaffs performed brilliantly, with two birds more or less constantly alongside me but largely ignored as I tried to photograph the yellow-browed warbler.

Some people may think that spending time at the sewage works is not how they want to spend their visit to Martin Mere, which is fair enough, each to their own, but it's a fabulous experience to be surrounded by these cracking little warblers on a bright sunny day such as today.

Inca terns, Martin Mere!

I don't normally post photos of captive birds but I was amazed to see Inca terns in an aviary at Martin Mere today. Incredible birds, one of them even dived into a pond and caught a fish!

Siskins and shelduck

Great to see a flock of 40+ siskins in the alders along the canal at Pennington Flash today. This is the largest flock that I have seen at the flash in nearly 10 years.

Yellow-browed warbler and Siberian chiffchaffs, Martin Mere

A yellow-browed warbler at the sewage works at Martin Mere was a site tick for me, bringing my site list to 186. As always with this species it was a very difficult bird to photograph because it was so fast moving, but it provided some nice views as it moved around the vegetation, often quite low down.

It has been loosely associating with chiffchaffs, including at least four Siberian chiffchaffs, which were were much more obliging and easier to photograph. I'm not sure what this bird is doing!

Long-tailed ducks, Hoylake

All the way from home to Hoylake I was driving through fog and occasional heavy snow showers but miraculously just as I arrived at Kings Gap I saw a patch of blue sky and by the time I'd got all of my gear on it was glorious. 

I walked out for a mile to the shoreline and scanned over the sea. There were not as many common scoter as last time I was here just before Christmas, but the bonus was six long-tailed ducks including three stunning drakes.