Whiskered Terns at Sandbach Flashes, Cheshire

With Whiskered Tern still being a species I needed in Britain, two turning up at Long Eaton Gravel Pits in Derbyshire on Friday morning before relocating to Attenborough Nature Reserve across the border in Nottingham for the remainder of the evening had me tempted to make the journey over the next day for my last remaining species of ‘Marsh Tern’ to see in the UK.

However, it seems the terns had other ideas, and checking my phone in the early hours of Saturday revealed them to have departed overnight, leaving just a solitary Black Tern in their wake. Fast forward a few hours and having drifted back off to sleep, I was this time woken up by a phone call from Alex (my previous weeks lie in had been cut short by the news of the White-crowned Sparrow at Woolston Eyes) – the two Whiskered Terns had been re-found at Sandbach Flashes in Cheshire, just 20 minutes away from my house.

Grabbing a quick breakfast on the way out, we were soon on our way, and 20 minutes later were enjoying great views as the two terns paraded around Elton Hall Flash, swooping low over the surface of the water to feed and displaying their gorgeous sooty grey bellies and bright white contrasting under tails.

Perching regularly on several of the wooden fence posts submerged in the water, we were treated to excellent scope views of the pair, on some occasions even flying alongside and perching with the single Common Tern that was present and in turn offering a great comparison between the two species.

Both Whiskered Terns together

Common Tern on the left, Whiskered Tern on the right

The size different was extremely noticeable in flight – the Whiskered Terns being much smaller, while the Common’s longer tail feathers were also apparent. We were also able to note another key identification feature of Whiskered Tern - their shallow forked tails were clear to see as they dipped and dived, while their greyish rumps also contrasted to the Common’s pure white backs.

The shorter forked tail and grey rump of the Whiskered Tern is clear to see in flight

Mostly keeping their distance and remaining in the middle of the flash, one would occasionally power over to the near side, on one occasion feeding just metres away in the corner, giving outstanding views to the gathered crowd before moving swiftly back over to the far edge of the water.

Looking superficially like a cross between a Black Tern and a Common Tern, the gorgeous jet black hoods, blood red bills and dark crimson feet all stood out, even at a distance.

Departing as expected the next day, two (probably the same) were reported from Saltholme RSPB in Cleveland, adding further mileage to their tour of the UK. With several other Whiskered Terns reported in Gloucestershire, Hampshire and Somerset over the past few days, the warm weather and winds from the continent seem to have resulted in a mini influx of these delightfully acrobatic terns, and being the very first site record, they are another great local bird for Sandbach Flashes.

Elton Hall Flash

Having seen just a single bird in Southern Spain two years ago and having missed a juvenile bird at Burton Mere Wetlands in the Autumn of 2010, these were the first local Whiskered Terns in 5 years that I could get to, and it was great to see this European rarity relatively close to home – always ideal!  

Kentish Plover - Audenshaw Reservoir, Manchester

Coming back from a meeting at work on Monday morning to discover an excited message from Alex exclaiming a fine male Kentish Plover had been found on Audenshaw Reservoir in Manchester, it was therefore a tense wait until the end of the day to see whether the bird would still be present and whether or not we would get there in time.

Luckily however, despite the inevitable tedium of the M60 and the associated almost standstill rush hour traffic, we arrived at Audenshaw Reservoir to news that the Kentish Plover was still there and showing well on Reservoir 3. Eventually locating the right hole in the fence to get in (it has been a good few years since my last visit and the old gap had been mended) we were soon on our way around the expanses of water and over to the western edge of the reservoir running alongside the motorway in pursuit of our plover.

Kentish Plover - Audenshaw Reservoir

After a 20 minute walk in the biting cold and bitter wind (who’d have thought it was April?!) we caught up with the small group of assembled birders and scoped out along the shoreline to try and pick out the Kentish. Bingo – we soon had our target, and the bird proceeded to show incredibly well, feeding along the water’s edge right in front of us and taking advantage of the high quantity of flies congregating above the water’s surface.

With both Little Ringed and Ringed Plovers associating on the same stretch of bank as the Kentish, the differences between the three were extremely apparent – the much cleaner white of the Kentish Plover stood out from a distance, and the rich ginger cap, incomplete black breast band and the neat black markings on the head were also clear to see.

Having seen Kentish Plovers in both Spain and Portugal, as well as the extremely similar Snowy Plover in America (both species themselves split from the African White-fronted Plovers) it was great to finally see a British bird at last – although I don’t think any of us expected for one to turn up on the concrete banks of Audenshaw reservoir of all places!

A far cry from a shingle beach down south - the concrete edges of Audenshaw! 

Kentish Plover is also a fantastic bird for the North West - the previous county record for Greater Manchester was over 35 years ago, while another unexpected individual was recorded on my local Neumann’s Flash way back in 1991. The female at Cockersand Abbey in May 2011 (slightly before my twitching days) was the last twitchable North West opportunity however, and this was a bird I regrettably didn’t travel up for at the time.

Once a British breeding species with a particular stronghold at Dungeness in Kent up until the 1930s, Kentish Plovers sadly now only occur annually in very small numbers on passage, usually at coastal locations in the southern counties. The birds will often get pushed on by tidal movements (only being one-dayers as a result) so this was a bird that I had been struggling to get back for the last 5 years, especially as very few tend to reach the northern counties!

Still present the next day and showing well on the banks of Reservoir 3, this was a brilliant local bird that any North West birder would have been mad to miss, and although it appears to have departed on the morning of the 27^th, the majority who needed it will most certainly have left happy after achieving stunning views of what was a fantastic little bird!
  

Alex's great video of the Kentish Plover

Wryneck at Fairhaven Lake, Lancashire

With a Wryneck having been present at Fairhaven Lake in Lancashire since last Thursday (along with 2 Barred Warblers that have sadly now departed) we paid a visit to see if we could catch up with what is usually a rare migrant here on the West Coast. 

Arriving at the pumping station compound to the right hand side of the lake where the Wryneck had been favouring for the duration of its stay, we joined the rest of the crown in anticipation of it showing and looking forward to seeing only my second of these delightful woodpeckers. 

After a spot of lunch while we waited, what must have been the quietest announcement ever that a bird was showing went up, and the crowds eventually realised someone had spotted the Wryneck, cryptically camouflaged as ever in the tops of one of its favoured Rose Hip bushes. Incredibly hidden and matching the bark to perfection, the (dreadful) record shot below exhibits perfectly the difficulty in picking out these masters of disguise!

With the bird only showing every hour or so when it chooses to perch in one of its preferred bushes or gorse, the Wryneck instead spent the majority of its time feeding on the ground and out of sight, taking advantage of the many ants on the sandy soil and abundance of grasshoppers in the area. Having previously seen my first and only Wryneck on the east coast at Spurn last autumn, it was great to catch up with this relatively local bird not too far from home.

Perfect scrubby habitat for a Wryneck to hide out in!

After the Wryneck had disappeared back in to the depths of the gorse thicket, we tried to find the now resident drake Scaup that had been present on Fairhaven Lake for several months, but even a 15 minute scout around the lake in one of the motor boats for hire failed to turn him up!

A quick stop at Preston Marina on the way home for the long staying 2^nd winter Ring-billed Gull luckily resulted in success when I found it on the opposite jetty, putting an end to a string of dips for Ring-billed Gull this year in both Cornwall and Scotland! Much bulkier and larger than the Black-headed and Common Gulls, and with the black ring on the bill standing out even at a distance, there was certainly no mistaking this individual.

 A great end to a fantastic day out in Lancashire! 

Weekend Birding

Having wanted to call in and see the local Long-eared Owl at Burton Mere and the Red-throated Diver up at Fairhaven Lake since they both arrived, but not having a free weekend to do so with trips to Paris, Cardiff and Cornwall, I finally got the chance to see them both this weekend as I had a little bit of free time on my hands.

On arriving at Fairhaven Lake on the Saturday morning, I quickly spotted the Red-throated Diver sitting on the water outside the café, positioned in between the island and the bank, so made my way across to get some photos and a closer view. The bird showed really well, with the beautiful speckled plumage on the back and even the bright red eye visible – amazing up close views and details that you just wouldn’t see out on the sea. 

I was really keen to see this bird as I always think it’s great to get good views of a species in order to really admire the features up close and see the finer details that distant views just don’t provide. I also find that these individuals stick in the memory far more than those that are far away with relatively poor views achieved.

Red-throated Diver is also a species that I’ve only ever seen on the sea off North Wales and at a distance before, so I was glad I took the trip up – I wouldn’t normally get these types of views and Red-throated Divers aren’t recorded inland as frequently as Great Northern or Black Throated are. With amazing views of a Great Northern Diver on Rhyl Marine Lake a few years ago feeding just a couple of metres away, I now only need great up-close views of Black Throated (and Pacific if another reservoir bird is found!) to complete the set.

After discovering a Black Redstart had been present on a street in Newton-le-Willows for a good week or so, and with this being just off the M6 on the way back, I called in on the way home to see if it was showing. The bird has been favouring Brookfield Street (post code WA12 9QN), in particular house 4, where it can be seen on the crown shaped chimney pot and adjoining roof – although the bird does sometimes range all along the street. However, it tends to be seen most often on the houses nearest the main road.

After walking the length of Brookfield Street and the adjacent    Street, the owner of house 4 kindly unlocked the gate to the alleyway behind the houses for me to check along – a good spot where the bird is most often seen. I checked all the houses for a good ten minutes, but no sign – until I turned around to leave through the gate only to see the bird happily perched on the roof of the building opposite! Success! I crossed over the road to get better views and the bird hopped on to the chimneys, flicking its tail in that characteristic Redstart manner! 

Sunday brought with it considerable showers, but this didn’t stop me from enjoying amazingly close views of the juvenile Iceland Gull that has been hanging around Pensarn beach for the last week or so. 

Ranging on the pebbly shore along the seafront and around the small car park, I was lucky to get the bird on the sand, coming too close for my lens at one point as it enjoyed scoffing bread left by its admirers.

A stop at Burton Mere Wetlands in the afternoon saw me FINALLY catch up with the Long-eared Owl, showing quite well in a thick, scraggly Hawthorn tree to the right of the bridge near Inner Marsh Farm, having moved further down the path away from the hide and towards the bridge than its previous roost spots. 

Relatively out in the open, it was great to watch this little chap winking at us as he sat calmly on his branch – probably fully aware of his admirers! Thanks to Alex for coming along on the Sunday even though he'd seen the birds already!

Bitterns at Marbury!

Having not caught up with the Bittern at Marbury CP this year, I was keen to make a visit at some point, and a free morning on Sunday when I was testing out my new lens seemed the perfect opportunity to do so.

Arriving at the hide overlooking Coward Reedbed, the Bittern was not immediately obvious, and it took a good 20 minutes before it was located deep down in the reeds, exceptionally camouflaged and ridiculously difficult to spot whilst it was crouched down, blending perfectly in to the surroundings.

However, the bird soon put on a brilliant show, feeding in one of the gullies before creeping slowly through the reeds and out in to full view. Enjoying some of my best ever views, we watched on as he took flight and flew to the section of reeds directly opposite, proudly displaying the beautiful brown speckled plumage for all to see.

Bittern complete with reflection!

This particular individual has very pale markings, and is more than likely a returning bird from the two present last year, one of which was exceptionally pale. With two birds having been reported again this year, the best place to locate them is directly in the large patch of reeds to the left of the hide in the area surrounding the overhanging trees, which the birds seem to have favoured for the last couple of years or so.

Being the very first bird ever that I can remember seeing, having been shown to me at the age of 3 by a birder in the Marbury hide, it was great to catch up with them again 21 years later!