NE Wales birdingwatching (1 Viewer)

[bartolli]

Non-birding day out to portmeirion today, got caught up in sodding bike race + had to detour via Ruthin. On the plus side this meant we saw a red kite hunting over the Ruthin road just west of llanelidan.

 

[JWN Andrewes]

Went picking Sloes down Sarn Lane in Caergwrle on Monday afternoon and had Hobby over as we walked home afterwards. I thought I'd missed that one for this year. Also had a Dipper singing from a shingle bank on the Alun just upstream on the bridge.

Cheers

James

 

[bartolli]

In the drainage ditches alongside the B5129 sandycroft, behind airbus this morning, as well as the usual herons there were two little egrets. Only the 2nd time I've seen them here.

 

[bartolli]

I saw one or two little egrets in these ditches virtually every day last week. Two today on the way back from Connahs Quay DNS.

Excellent few hours spent at CQDNS today.
Highlights were:
- watching the kingfisher in the pool by the toilet block;
- A solitary greenshank (with some redshanks) in the bunded pools;
- Spotted what I thought was a grey plover (later confirmed in the ID section of this forum) from the west hide, in one of the small channels running down to the main channel;

Others were:

Vary large numbers of Canada geese with a few greylag on oakenholt marsh;
Large flocks of lapwings and curlew on the meadows;
A flock of maybe a 100 linnet flying up and down the road;
Plenty of redshanks about;
Good numbers of black tailed godwit;
3 little grebes on the bunded pools;

plus, shoveller, shelduck, teal, wigeon. oystercatcher, little egret on oakenholt marsh, + also plenty of cormorants on the river.

There was a very large flock of small waders out on the river at low tide but couldn't id them.

Must get down here more often, love the cushions in the hides btw!

 

[Peugeot]

Hi Nick

I travel to work along the B5129 myself every day also, and like yourself, I seem to see 1, and quite often 2 Little Egret in the ditches, or even on the field itself.

Of interest, there's also a regular hunting Barn Owl, that I see flying across the road into the rough grassland field, that's on the other side of the road from where the Egrets feed, usually at around 05.30 am in the morning, and today on my way home, there was a Merlin perched on top of a bush in the rough grassland field also.

 

[bartolli]

thanks for that!

I've only ever seen one barn owl here and that was further back towards saltney by the farm buildings at the railway bridge.

I usually forget to look at the fields on the other side of the road!

I've not seen the brown hares down here for a few months either.

 

[Peugeot]

I used to see the Barn Owl sat on the fence by the railway line also, (Winter only), both early in the morning, if I was on 6-2, or later on at night, if I was on the 3-11 shift, although it's a few years now since my last sighting.

Also at around the same time, there were 3 Barn Owl, that used to be present every morning, at the roundabout, that is at the top of the road in the Hawarden Industrial Estate, if you were to go straight on at the roundabout by Airbus, instead of turning right for Sandycroft.

I also had a Red Kite, flying above the hedgerows in Sandycroft a few years ago.

 

[Huwgo]

I called at Wepre Park today and saw a Little Egret perched in a tree just upstream from the waterfall, wasn't expecting to see that at all! Also saw a Nuthatch, Song Thrush, Dipper, Grey Wagtail and plenty of the usual common species.

 

[Peugeot]

Blimey Huwgo.........A Little Egret at Wepre Park.......that's amazing!

I've heard of some good sightings from Wepre Park over the years, like Wood Warbler, Pied Flycatcher and others, which proves that even very busy places can turn up some good birds.

 

[Peugeot]

Just outside NE Wales I know, but had a Tawny Owl flying across the road at 05.30am this morning, it was moving from the Dukes Drive woods area, to the Dingle wood, and Overleigh Cemetery area in Chester.

 

[bartolli]

Yep I like wepre park too!

Back to the ditches behind Airbus, tonight at abt 5pm driving from queensferry, a little egret flew up out of the ditch on the right into a small tree, this was way down by the school + shops, I was surprised to see one here because its right next to loads of human activity.

Closer to airbus a heron + a kestrel were trying their luck before it got too dark.

 

[Peugeot]

Got both the Little Egret, and the Kestrel, on my way home also, although the Egret was still feeding in the ditch in it's usual location, when I passed through at around 2.30pm.

Earlier on in the day, I was Birding out on the Flintshire Marshes, and had Hen Harrier, 5 Buzzards, 3 Kestrel, Sparrowhawk, c1000 Lapwing, 3 Raven, 4 Gadwall, Great Crested Grebe, Water Rail, 6 Snipe, 8 Dunlin, Kingfisher, and best of all, a Peregrine, firstly chasing down a wader, and then a Teal simultaneously, but without success, regarding a kill, and then lastly, at Shotwick Boating Lake, there was, 6 Shoveler, 4 Little Grebe, (but no Black Necked Grebe), plenty of Tufty's, with Whooper, Bewick, Mute, and Black Swan, feeding in the fields opposite to the Boating Lake.

 

[Huwgo]

How do you get to the boating lake? Been meaning to have a look there for a while now, but not sure how to access it.

 

[Peugeot]

Hi Huwgo

To access the Boating Lake,........

Take the A548, until you come to the roundabout where you would turn off for the Paper Mill, and proceed down this road for a short distance, before taking your 1st left for the Paper Mill itself,(this road is also signposted for the Boating Lake).
Continue along this road over several speed bumps, until you reach a junction at the end, and then turn left for the Boating Lake.

I would suggest, that you park immediately in this area, and then walk to the lake itself, rather than drive all the way to the lake by car, because the gate is sometimes locked unexpectedly.

I managed to see only 1 Black necked Grebe, when I first visited on the 8th of Jan, but unfortunately, completely drew a blank yesterday, but I believe from other's, that the birds have now returned again.

 

[Huwgo]

Hi Huwgo

To access the Boating Lake,........

Take the A548, until you come to the roundabout where you would turn off for the Paper Mill, and proceed down this road for a short distance, before taking your 1st left for the Paper Mill itself,(this road is also signposted for the Boating Lake).
Continue along this road over several speed bumps, until you reach a junction at the end, and then turn left for the Boating Lake.

I would suggest, that you park immediately in this area, and then walk to the lake itself, rather than drive all the way to the lake by car, because the gate is sometimes locked unexpectedly.

I managed to see only 1 Black necked Grebe, when I first visited on the 8th of Jan, but unfortunately, completely drew a blank yesterday, but I believe from other's, that the birds have now returned again.

Thanks for that, went along today and found it no trouble! There were 3 Black Necked Grebes on the lake along with good numbers of Little Grebe, Tufted Duck and Gadwall. In the adjacent fields all the swans were there including the single Black Swan. Never seen four swan species in one go before! Saw a Hare running through the field as well.

Called at Connahs Quay Nature Reserve for a flying visit on the way back and saw thousands of Dunlin, lots of Redshank, Black Tailed Godwit, Wigeon, Teal, Oystercatcher, Lapwing and a single Greenshank.

 

[bartolli]

Good day today! Started with a little egret landing on the verge before going down into the ditch in pentre, between the school + the speed camera.
Then onto shotwick for all the swans and 2 black necked grebes. Also plenty of Coots, tufties, gadwall + little grebes.
Then on to cqnr dns, got there just before hightide, plenty of waders + wildfowl inc bkwits, redshanks, Dunlin, lapwings, snipe, teal, widgeon, shelduck, all the usual suspects. The number of waders on oakenholt marsh as the tide came in was amazing. No raptors but the spectacle of thousands of waders whirling and wheeling around the marsh was spectacular. I wasn't expecting the tide to cover the marsh, mainly cos I hadn't checked the tide height for today, so watching the marsh get totally covered was an unexpected bonus.
Great to see this from a different viewpoint for a change, and I was virtually the only person watching it from the DNS hide.

 

[bartolli]

Looking through yesterdays photos, I see there was also a small flock of twite and a rock pipit at cqnr.

 

[Peugeot]

Went to Shotwick Boating Lake, for a couple of hours this morning, and had 3 Black necked Grebe, c20 Gadwall, 6 Shoveler, 2 Wigeon, and plenty of Little Grebe, Tufty's, and Coot, with also an Oystercatcher roosting on the far bank of the lake, and 2 Stonechat, c20 Linnet, c20 Redwing, c30 Fieldfare, a Merlin passing through, being mobbed by a Kestrel, and a Marsh Harrier, that was circling high up above Burton Mere Wetlands.

 

[Peugeot]

2 Golden Plover, were feeding amongst the pigeons and gulls, in the field on the left, that is opposite to the farm, on the B5129 between Sandycroft and Chester, at around 2.15pm today.

 

[bartolli]

Hi Peugeot, which field was that? Near the railway bridge? Ta