NORTH WEST
Highlights The adult Spotted Sandpiper at Buttermere, Cumbria, was last seen on 21st. On 20th, a Caspian Tern appeared at Holden Wood Reservoir and Leighton Moss RSPB, Lancashire, and remained there until the next day. The singing Iberian Chiffchaff at Kelsall, Cheshire, remained until 28th.
CHESHIRE
HIGHLIGHTS: The Iberian Chiffchaff remained around Tirley Hollow, Kelsall. Great White Egrets were at Burton Mere Wetlands (1st, 3rd, 6th (four), 11th & 25th) and Burton Marsh (10th and 21st). Two adult and two young Cattle Egrets were at Burton Mere Wetlands. Also there were two Spoonbills and three Spotted Redshanks (25th). WOOLSTON EYES: Ringing on No1 bed included Cetti’s Warbler, Goldcrest, Coal Tit, Reed Warbler, Sand Martin, Willow Warbler, Song Thrush and Bullfinch. Records included a Peregrine, a Goosander with 14 Chicks and a Green Woodpecker. Ringing on No3 bed included Great Spotted Woodpecker, Long-tailed Tit, Nuthatch, a first for No3 bed, Chiffchaff, Greenfinch, Bullfinch, Stock Dove, Treecreeper, Buzzard and Kestrel. Records included three Ruddy Ducks, 11 Black-necked Grebes, a Hobby, Peregrine, 200 Swifts, four Common Terns, two Mediterranean Gulls, a Greenshank, Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, Garden Warbler, Grasshopper Warbler, Water Rail, Kingfisher, Raven, four Black-tailed Godwits, 240 Starlings and three Little Ringed Plovers. A count on No4 bed gave 28 Whitethroats, 14 Song Thrushes, 22 Chiffchaffs, 12 Blackcaps, five Sedge Warblers, 26 Blackbirds, three Reed Warblers and nine Little Grebes. Reserve-wide counts included 247 Gadwall and 107 Coots. Pochards, Tufted Ducks, Mallards, Shelducks and Gadwall bred, and 112 young Black-headed Gulls were noted. Dave Steel
CUMBRIA
HIGHLIGHTS: The Spotted Sandpiper remained around Buttermere (to 21st). An unconfirmed report of a Black-eared Wheatear came from Black Combe (1st). A Snow Bunting was there (2nd). A Serin was at South Walney (1st). A Blyth’s Reed Warbler was at Siddick Ponds (14th-15th). Two Hawfinches were in an Arnside garden (2nd), and one in a Haverthwaite garden (8th). Two Little Gulls were at Drumburgh Moss (2nd), with another on the estuary at Anthorn (2nd). A Quail sang at Sunbiggin Tarn (4th). A Spoonbill was at Walney Island (15th). An Osprey flew over Carr Beds (17th). A Roseate Tern was at Hodbarrow (20th). A Wood Sandpiper was at Heversham (29th-30th).
GREATER MANCHESTER
HIGHLIGHTS: A Cattle Egret was at Lightshaw Hall Flash (17th-24th), visiting Pennington Flash (22nd). Two Nightjars were at Brushes Reservoir for most of the month. Quails sang on Little Woolden Moss (2nd-3rd), Carrington Moss (13th), Chat Moss (23rd) and at Castleshaw Reservoirs (26th). Two Little Terns flew through Light Hazzles Reservoir (16th). A Long-tailed Duck was at Walmersley Mill Lodge, Bury (20th-30th). ELTON RESERVOIR: There was a Common Scoter (27th), Scaup (14th), Hobby (13th) and Mediterranean Gull (27th). MERSEY VALLEY: Hobbies were on Carrington Moss (2nd) and at Chorlton Ees (25th-28th). A Green Sandpiper was at Altrincham ETW (20th). Two Common Sandpipers were at Sale WP (29th). PENNINGTON FLASH: There was a Common Scoter (1st), with up to four (7th-16th), four Arctic Terns (16th), two Hobbies, a Red Kite (5th) and six Mediterranean Gulls. OTHER SITES: A Black Redstart remained in Manchester City Centre. A Common Scoter was on Audenshaw Reservoirs (12th) with two, plus two Red-breasted Mergansers (30th). A Cuckoo and Grasshopper Warbler were near Brushes Reservoir. Little Woolden Moss logged a Mediterranean Gull (14th), Hobby, Cuckoo, 15 Yellow Wagtails, Corn Buntings and Ringed Plovers. Two Mediterranean Gulls were on Croxdens Peat Works (15th), with a Green Sandpiper there (28th). Four Mediterranean Gulls were at Rumworth Lodge where two Black-tailed Godwits flew over. A Ruddy Shelduck of unknown origin was at Orrell WP (25th-30th). Dr Paul Brewster (01606 590 491)
LANCASHIRE AND NORTH MERSEYSIDE
HIGHLIGHTS: A Sooty Shearwater was off Knott End (6th). A Caspian Tern was seen twice at Holden Wood Reservoir, Grange (20th). It fished the pools at Leighton Moss (20th-21st). This was the sixth record for Lancashire and the fifth for Leighton Moss. DARWEN: Highlights were Little Egret (1st & 15th), Lesser Whitethroat (2nd), Little Grebe and two Whimbrel (3rd), Osprey (5th, 6th & 21st), Redstart (7th & 17th), Red Kite (10th& 20th), and Hobby (23rd& + 30th). A total of eight Common Scoters and c.30 Crossbills moved through. A Cuckoo was present intermittently throughout. Regulars included Raven, Stonechat, Buzzard, Peregrine, Ringed and Little Ringed Plover. EAST LANCASHIRE: A Knot was at Stocks Reservoir (May 31st), with a Cattle Egret and Sanderling there (12th). A Knot was at Fowlridge Reservoir (9th). Ospreys were at Upper Coldwell Reservoir (7th and 13th), and Barrow Lodge, Clitheroe (24th). FYLDE REGION: Two Common Scoters were at Preston Dock (12th), with one (25th). Over 100 Common Tern nests and an Arctic Tern nest were there. The Arctic Tern is incubating in the centre of a used Mute Swan nest, containing three unhatched eggs. This site also had a Little Tern (11th) and Black Tern (13th-14th). Over 100 Black-tailed Godwits were at Conder Green (1st) and 62 at Newton Marsh (24th). Several Quails called in the Pilling area. A Spoonbill was at Freckleton Naze (14th). A Garganey flew past South Promenade, Blackpool (21st). Seawatching there produced hundreds of Manx Shearwaters, many Gannets, 25 Fulmars (6th), a Red-throated Diver (20th), a few Arctic Skuas, Great Skuas (7th and 24th), many Sandwich Terns, and two Little Terns (20th). A Hobby flew over Stanley Park, Blackpool mid-month, where Goldcrests and Grey Wagtails bred. Two Greenshanks were at Skippool, Wyre Estuary (29th). Goosanders bred at St Michaels. MARTON MERE: A Bittern was seen (from the 16th). There was a Little Egret (3rd), Common Scoter (22nd), Water Rail (28th), Common Tern, Reed Warblers and Cetti’s Warblers. SW LANCASHIRE-N MERSEYSIDE: A Cattle Egret was at Marshside on a few dates, with two (14th). A Spoonbill was there (4th), with two at Martin Mere (4th and 25th). The latter site had a Little Gull in the first half of the month, Wood
Sandpipers (11th and 24th) and nesting Avocets. Marshside had an unseasonal Scaup (19th-24th), eight Mediterranean Gulls and a Spotted Redshank at the month’s end. A Garganey was at Lunt Meadows and a Red-crested Pochard at Speke (10th). Two Storm Petrels off Crosby flew into the mouth of the Mersey (6th). Seaforth had a Black Tern (14th) and Roseate Tern (23rd). Maurice Jones and Mavis Smith
NORTH LANCASHIRE
HIGHLIGHTS: A Caspian Tern made its way from East Lancashire to Leighton Moss, arriving on the evening of the 20th and commuting from the JB Point area to feed on the Causeway Pool the whole of the following day. There was a second-hand report of a rear end view of a male Red-backed Shrike showing a ‘noticeably’ black tail spending a short time on top of a bush next to Heysham Nature Reserve car park in mid-june – would be a shame to lose this county rarity so please get in touch with details. LEIGHTON MOSS AND AREA: The month started with a scarce bird for the site – a Cuckoo (2nd) was seen well at Tim Jackson Hide in the morning before heading onwards. The rest of June was dominated by fledging birds and the odd expected summer arrival. Cetti’s Warblers headlined the fledging birds with three seen at the Allen Hide area (4th) and three outside Grisedale Hide (6th). There have been eight territories around the reserve this year. An almost daily occurrence was the appearance of Ospreys, involving three birds, two of which showed their rings as the pair from nearby Foulshaw Moss. Three continued to be the significant number with three Spoonbills present for most of the month, dropping to two by the month’s end. A single Common Tern (7th) was joined by a second the following day. A single Great White Egret remained, seen infrequently (9th) and a single appearance of a Kingfisher (15th) added some colour. A Spotted Flycatcher was noted (11th) and a Grasshopper Warbler continued to reel (17th). A Hobby chasing Sand Martins early evening (24th) was seen daily, sporadically, following this. A Wood Sandpiper arrived at Lilian’s Hide (21st), and two Mediterranean Gulls arrived late in the month, in keeping with a local increase (25th). Two hundred Eider off Jenny Brown’s Point was unprecedented at this time of year. HEYSHAM BIRD OBSERVATORY: Unremarkable numbers of seabirds on windy days included two Fulmar (7th), four Manx Shearwater (12th), two Common Scoter (7th) and a single Common Tern (23rd). The outfalls held a second calendar year Little Gull (27th) and post-breeding season adult and third calendar year Meditrranean Gulls started to appear (from 20th) and peaked at 14 (30th). There appeared to be three pairs of Cetti’s Warbler on Middleton (two juveniles ringed) and territorial Garden Warbler and Goldcrest were unusual for here. Treecreeper do not breed here and a dispersing juvenile (20th) was very early. A gang of 16 Little Egret frequented the offshore skeers. OTHER SITES: Two well-spaced Lune valley sites held single Hawfinch; Melling (21-24th) and Crook of Lune (19th). A Hobby flying over the M6 near Lancaster (14th) was notable. Pied Flycatcher occupying local nest-boxes topped 100 for the first time with a pretty good success rate and many adults returning to natal areas or adjoining valleys. Kevin Kelly and Pete Marsh