Work Party Dates
Saturday March 4th – 2 pm
Saturday April 1st – 2 pm
Wednesday May 10th – 6 pm
Link to West Midland Bird Ringing Group: https://www.westmidlandsringinggroup.co.uk/
Updates
3rd, 8th, 12th and 15th February – Photographs added
31st January – Photographs added
30th January – Photographs added
30th and 31st January – records added
29th January – final paragraph added
Ringing Returns
Black-headed Gull – Blue 255F
The Black-headed Gull (Blue 255F) seen at Marsh Lane on the 15th February 2023, was ringed on the 2nd December 2022 at Chester, with subsequent sightings in Chester on the 7th December 2022 and 11th January 2023.
Black-headed Gull – Yellow T55X
Polish colour-ringed Black-headed Gull (Yellow T55X) seen at Marsh Lane on the 7th February, was first ringed as a chick at Januszkowice, Poland on the 21st May 2016. The same bird was also seen at Marsh Lane on the 21st September 2019.
Wigeon
The West Midlands Ringing Group have received details of a Wigeon that was found dead at Mindrum in Northumberland on the 26th January 2023. It was ringed at Marsh Lane on the 11th February 2022, it had been shot and was found freshly dead. The distance away was 354 km.
Black-headed Gull
The West Midlands Ringing Group have received details of a Black-headed Gull, ringed at Marsh Lane on the 7th June 2022, seen alive and well in Ria de los Vagones, San Lorenzo Beach, Spain on the 29th January 2023.
28th February 2023
Overcast, drizzle, fresh northerly wind.
The dull male Brambling visited the Car Park Feeders this morning but, otherwise, birds were similar to the previous two days with nine Oystercatchers, three Shelduck, a Little Egret and the pair of Stonechats.
27th February 2023
Overcast, light showers, fresh northerly wind.
A full count of wildfowl and other birds today yielded the following: three Mute Swans, three Canadas, three Greylags, two Shelduck, 33 Shoveler, 33 Gadwall, 234 Wigeon, nine Mallard, 24 Teal, six Pochard, 32 Tufted, a pair of Goosanders, 26 Cormorants, two Little Grebes, one Little Egret, seven Moorhen, 30 Coot, 119 Lapwing, six Oystercatchers, ten Snipe, 970 Black-headed Gulls, seven Common Gulls and five Lesser Black-backed Gulls.
A singing Cetti’s Warbler favoured the North Causeway Bay, whilst in the Alders along the Central Stream, there were 30 Siskins and two Lesser Redpolls. The Stonechats were still by the Dragonfly Pond.
26th February 2023
Sunny intervals, cold north-easterly wind.
A Great White Egret was feeding around Car Park Pool this morning prior to 9 am before it flew off north and may be a bird that has become fairly regular in Packington Park.
The immature Peregrine as on site again and there was also a Kestrel seen, the latter spending much of its time hunting north of the Reserve around either the margins of the A452 or the north-east end of Patrick Farm.
Both male and female Brambling were seen at the Car Park Feeders and the pair of Stonechats remain around the Dragonfly Pond, there were a pair of Stonechats in the North Causeway Bay and other birds making the log were two Ravens, 40 Shoveler, five Snipe, two Shelduck and eight Oystercatchers.
25th February 2023
Sunny intervals, light cool north-easterly wind.
The Car Park Feeder and Crop Field continues to attract a reasonable array of Finches and Buntings, with totals today comprising a female Brambling, 18 Greenfinches, ten Reed Buntings, at least ten Chaffinches and 15 Linnets. There were also 15 Redwings coming into the Crop Field, with a further 15 along the Old Road, along with 30 Fieldfares and 40 Starlings.
Other counts today were as follows: 130 Wigeon, six Pochard, 28 Shoveler, a single Little Egret, 120 Lapwings, 620 Black-headed Gulls, three Common Gulls, a single Little Grebe, seven Snipe around the Car Park margins, two Shelduck and seven Oystercatchers.
24th February 2023
Sunny intervals, light south-westerly wind.
Both a male and a female Brambling visited the Car Park Feeders this morning and there was a vocal Nuthatch in the Back Gate Copse. On the pools there was a drake Goosander, six Oystercatchers and seven Pochard. The Stonechats remained along by the Dragonfly Pond and the Cetti’s Warbler was singing in the Causeway Bay.
23rd February 2023
Sunny, light south-westerly wind.
Still good numbers of Common Gulls are being seen, with 17 today and a Water Rail showed in the North Causeway Channels. The latter had not been very obvious over the last few weeks.
Otherwise, similar to yesterday, with eight Oystercatchers, two Shelduck, the pair of Stonechats and a vocal Cetti’s Warbler near the Water Rail.
Photographs by Graham Dyer
Heron and Cormorants from Car Park Hide
Heron meets Swans
Little Grebe from Car Park Hide
22nd February 2023
Overcast, some light rain early on, cool south-westerly wind.
A flock of 15 Goldfinches were feeding in the Alders along Marsh Lane just east of the Back Gate and there were five Redwings in the Copse with a further five by the Crop Field Oaks. Also in the Oaks there was a mixed flock of Finches including at least 15 Linnets, with the majority of the rest being Chaffinches and a few Reed Buntings. The male Cetti’s Warbler was in good song along in the North Causeway Bay and a Little Egret was showing well in the Marsh from Oak Hide.
The pair of Mistle Thrushes were again around Corrie Farm with the pair of Stonechats still along towards the Dragonfly Pond (for how much longer before they return to their breeding territory I am not sure) and, on or around the pools, there were eight Oystercatchers and two Shelduck.
The first Frogspawn was visible in the South-west Pond today.
21st February 2023
Overcast, fresh south-westerly wind.
Not a great deal of change from yesterday, with two Egyptian Geese, two Shelduck, nine Pochard, two Little Egrets, six Oystercatchers, a singing Cetti’s Warbler in the North Causeway Bay and the pair of Stonechats by the Dragonfly Pond.
20th February 2023
Sunny spells, fresh westerly wind.
There was just a pair of Egyptian Geese this morning, along with two Shelduck and nine Pochard. The Pochard numbers vary significantly from day to day.
The Black-headed Gull numbers had more than doubled with at least 1650 this morning, although most of them still retain their winter plumage. There were also 28 Common Gulls.
The female Brambling was at the Car Park Feeder and there were 30 Chaffinches in the Crop Field. The pair of Stonechats remained by the Dragonfly Pond and there was a Grey Wagtail on the Flood Plain.
19th February 2023
Sunny start, quickly clouding over.
Nine Egyptian Geese this morning was somewhat of a surprise but they had moved on later in the day. A pair of Bramblings were seen around the Car Park Feeder whilst, on the Flood Plain, there were 15 Pied Wagtails and a Grey Wagtail. A Treecreeper was heard and seen along the Central Streamline, there were a pair of Cetti’s Warblers in the Causeway Bay, the Stonechats were still by the Dragonfly Pond and birds on or around the pools comprised five Pochard, three Shelduck, a pair of Goosanders, three Little Egrets, six Oystercatchers and 14 Common Gulls.
18th February 2023
Sunny spells, fresh westerly wind.
There was some disturbance to the birds today from tree felling in Siden Hill Wood where some of the Larch have been removed. They have been prone to toppling over in the high winds and have mostly now been removed.
More notable records today comprised 22 Pied Wagtails on the Flood Plain and a good number of mixed Finches in the Crop Field, with 50 Linnets, 50 Chaffinches and a male Brambling.
The regular counts were as follows: three Mute Swans, four Canadas, seventeen Greylags, two Shelducks, 32 Shoveler, 36 Gadwall, 232 Wigeon, 15 Mallard, 13 Teal, eight Pochard, 53 Tufted Ducks, three Goosanders, 22 Cormorants, a Little Grebe, a Heron, one Little Egret, seven Moorhens, 28 Coot, a Water Rail in the North Causeway Bay, six Oystercatchers, 196 Lapwing, seven Snipe, 900 Black-headed Gulls, still a high count of Common Gulls, 47, and five Lesser Black-backs and three Herring Gulls.
Treecreeper was heard and seen in the Back Gate Copse, a Cetti’s Warbler in the North Causeway Bay and a minimum of 35 Redwings feeding along the Causeway.
17th February 2023
Sunny spells, strong westerly wind.
Still good numbers of Common Gulls with 28 today, along with 14 Herring Gulls and 12 Lesser Black-backs. The female Brambling was at the Car Park Feeder and there were 60 Fieldfare on the Flood Pain. Seven Oystercatchers and four Shelducks made up the other records in the log.
16th February 2023
Overcast, westerly wind.
The breezier conditions were perhaps the reason for the high count of Common Gulls today, 54 in total, along with nine Herring Gulls and 700 Black-headed Gulls which was a similar total to yesterday.
There were seven Pied Wagtails at Patrick Bridge, a pair of Goosanders on the Pools along with seven Pochards, four Oystercatchers and two Shelduck and the Stonechats were still along the Concrete Road by the Dragonfly Pond.
15th February 2023
Sunny, increasing south-westerly wind.
Black-headed Gull numbers are on the up, with 700 today including a colour-ringed individual. The bird was ringed on the 2nd December 2022 in Chester where it has been seen again on both the 7th of December and 11th January, before being relocated at Marsh Lane. Its ring number is 255F. There were also seven Lesser Black-backs and two Herring Gulls.
The juvenile Peregrine was present again, the pair of Stonechats were together in the Horse Paddock, a Grey Wagtail was on the Flood Plain, a Treecreeper in the Back Gate Copse and, on the Pools, five Oystercatchers, two Shelducks, a single Little Egret and 44 Tufted Ducks.
Peregrine on the HS2 workings – Photograph by Paul Casey
Leucistic Blackbird in the Horse Paddock by the Back Gate Copse – Photograph by Paul Casey
14th February 2023
Foggy start, slowly clearing.
18 Snipe counted today was a better number than of recent times whilst, on the Pools, there were three Shelduck, three Little Egret, five Oystercatchers and a female Goosander. Just the male Stonechat was visible in the Horse Paddock this morning and there was a single Meadow Pipit at Patrick Farm.
13th February 2023
Overcast, fresh southerly wind, sunny later.
Some return passage of Pied Wagtails was evident this morning with 16 altogether, 12 on the Flood Plain, three on Railway Pool and one on Car Park Pool. There were at least four Lesser Redpolls along the Old Road by the Dragonfly Pond and were presumably the same birds later showing well in front of the Causeway Hide. The pair of Stonechats were present there again and there were seven Oystercatchers around the pools. There were also three Bullfinches by the Back Gate Copse.
12th February 2023
Misty and foggy start, clearing to bright sun.
Two Cetti’s Warblers were heard in song today, one along the Causeway and a second towards Railway Hide. Nuthatch and Treecreeper showed well by the South-west Pond, the pair of Stonechats were again around the Dragonfly Pond and the dull male Brambling was around the Car Park Feeders.
Birds on the pools were three Shelduck, 35 Shoveler, ten Pochard, 21 Stock Dove feeding on the Railway Pool Islands, two Little Egrets, six Oystercatchers, 100 Lapwing, 14 Snipe and 16 Common Gulls.
Redpoll taken from the Causeway (North Hide) – Photograph by Chris Fent
11th February 2023
Overcast, light westerly wind.
The female Brambling and the male Yellowhammer were again at the Car Park Feeders but were, as usual, somewhat elusive. The Linnet flock were back in the Crop Field totalling 130 this morning and there were 40 Fieldfare and 20 Redwings on the Flood Plain.
Oystercatchers were up to eight with two pairs on each pool. The juvenile Peregrine was seen again and other counts this morning were as follows: three Mute Swans, a single Greylag, five Canadas, two Shelducks, 26 Shoveler, 22 Gadwall, 294 Wigeon, 12 Mallard, 58 Teal, six Pochard, 37 Tufted, a female Goosander, four Herons, four Little Egrets, 27 Cormorants, seven Moorhen, 28 Coot, 64 Lapwing, 11 Snipe, 180 Black-headed Gulls, 11 Common Gulls, three Herring Gulls and four Lesser Black-backed Gulls.
Lastly, a Green Woodpecker was seen around the Railway Pool margins.
10th February 2023
Overcast, fresh westerly wind.
The male Brambling, which had not been seen for a few days, was in the Crop Field Oaks, along with 25 Linnets, whilst 25 Fieldfare and 40 Redwing along the Old Road reflected some return passage.
Wildfowl counts comprised 220 Wigeon, 76 Gadwall, 67 Teal, four Pochard, 26 Tufted, 29 Shoveler, 40 Lapwing, three Common Gulls, four Oystercatchers, a pair of Stonechats and two Little Egrets.
9th February 2023
Sunny after frost.
There were 20 Goosanders on Car Park Pool at dawn this morning, but had gone by 7.30 am. They comprised seven males and 13 females. There were a pair of Oystercatchers on each of the pools and two Shelduck and five Little Egrets on site.
8th February 2023
Sunny and still. Cold overnight with 50% icing on Railway Pool.
A pair of Red-crested Pochard were new arrivals this morning, present on Car Park Pool for much of the day, and likely to be the pair that had been present at Packington Park over the last few days.
A Great White Egret was seen east of the A452 in the afternoon and the female Brambling put in a brief appearance under the Car Park Feeders.
Other birds making the log were 30 Cormorants, three Oystercatchers, two Shelduck, five Little Egret, the pair of Stonechats along the Concrete Road, a pair of Mistle Thrushes again at Corrie Farm, 14 Stock Doves and six Pochard.
Pair of Red-crested Pochard on Car Park Pool – Photograph by Paul Casey
Lapwing from Car Park Hide – Photograph by Graham Dyer
7th February 2023
7th February 2023
Minus 5 degrees, cold and sunny with a heavy frost.
Although temperatures are warming up in the day, it was particularly cold this morning and there was ice around the edges of the pools which may melt back as the daytime temperatures increase.
Oystercatchers were up to four this morning, including a mating pair, and there were three Shelduck, two female Goosander, 47 Tufted Ducks, 17 Snipe (split 10 on Railway Pool and seven on Car Park Pool).
A Raven over, a Kingfisher along the River north of the Reserve where there were two Grey Wagtails and ten Pied Wagtails (plus another four on the Pools), and the pair of Stonechats along the Concrete Road.
The male Yellowhammer was seen under the feeders later in the afternoon.
6th February 2023
Sunny and still, minus 1 degree at 9 am.
The Linnet flock (this time totalling 110) were back in the Crop Field after some days of absence. A female Goosander was present early morning, along with two Shelducks and four Little Egrets. On the Flood Plain there were eight Pied Wagtails and a Grey Wagtail and the pair of Stonechats remained along the Concrete Road, although I suspect they will be departing soon.
Buzzard looking for insects – photograph by Graham Dyer
5th February 2023
Sunny and still after a light frost.
The fourth Brambling of the winter was seen at the Car Park Feeder, this time another female (a single male and two females were seen together). There was also a single Oystercatcher, nine Pochard, seven Skylark along the Concrete Road, four Little Egrets around the pools, an Egyptian Goose over and at least five singing Song Thrushes.
Little Egret – Railway Pool – Photograph by Stef Fraczek
4th February 2023
Overcast, light westerly wind.
A single Oystercatcher was present again today and the adult Peregrine had been replaced by the juvenile. 100 Redwings and 75 Fieldfares were feeding on the Flood Plain and a new Brambling, this time a full breeding plumage male joined the longer standing male and female.
The pair of Stonechats were still along the Concrete Road by the Dragonfly Pond and there was at least one Grey Wagtail on the Flood Plain.
Other counts today were four Mute Swans, two Greylags, eight Canadas, three Shelduck, 26 Shoveler, 30 Gadwall, 350 Wigeon, 93 Teal, 17 Mallard, 12 Pochard, 29 Tufted, 27 Cormorants, four Herons, five Little Egrets, a Water Rail in the North Causeway Bay, six Moorhen, 33 Coot, 119 Lapwing, 260 Black-headed Gulls, ten Common Gulls and ten Herring Gulls.
3rd February 2023
Overcast start, brightening later, fresh westerly wind.
Initial counts this morning saw a steady increase in Little Egret numbers to five, with three Shelduck, a Great Crested Grebe, 11 Snipe, 17 Common Gulls, an adult Peregrine, a Grey Wagtail on the Flood Plain, five Bullfinches in the Back Gate Copse, two Ravens over and at least three Song Thrushes in song.
Subsequent additional counts over the lunch-time period, yielded 280 Wigeon, 24 Shoveler, 105 Teal, 25 Tufteds, 70 Gadwall, four Pochard, 250 Lapwing and eight Stock Doves.
Peregrine Falcon feeding on prey (although prey cannot be seen) on the far side of the
Island in front of Car Park Pool being watched by a furtive Crow – Photograph by Richard Clapham
2nd February 2023
Overcast, breezy from the west.
The Great White Egret was back on the Reedbed Pool this morning and the pair of Mistle Thrushes were again by Corrie Farm with brief snippets of song heard from there in the early afternoon.
A Kingfisher was fishing in the North Causeway Bay and other birds on the pools comprised ten Pochard, six Common Gulls, a Snipe, two Little Egrets and a Great Crested Grebe on Railway Pool.
1st February 2023
Overcast, strong westerly wind.
The only birds making the log this morning were three Shelduck, three Goosander, three Little Egrets and two Raven.
Little Egret – Railway Pool – Photograph by Steve Taylor
