Appleton Reservoir, Warrington

[ColinD]

Well here I am, 4 days into a new job and Houghton Green Flash is a distant memory. I've already found myself a new lunchtime patch, a couple of miles down the road from my new office, Appleton Reservoir, just south of Warrington, near Walton Hall. Despite being called a reservoir, the habitat is superb, with vegetation and almost flat, muddy edges on 3 sides, and it's just the right size to cover in a lunch hour.

The surrounding countryside is glorious, with Walton Golf course on one side and wooded countryside all round.

I first visited the site some 30 years ago, when Walton Park was a weekly haunt of myself and my Dad, and we occasionally used to walk up to the reservoir. I last visited the place about 17 years ago when I went to see a Slavonian Grebe that was there for a while.

I called in for 15 minutes yesterday, and for 45 minutes today, and already I'm really excited about what I might see over a year if I visit 3 or 4 lunch times per week.

Best bird so far by a mile is a Green Sandpiper today. I have heard that these overwinter in very small numbers on some Cheshire meres, but this is the first evidence I have had of this. Other birds include 15 Great crested Grebes, Little Grebe, Pochard, Ruddy Ducks and 2 Snipe.

Very early days, both for the job and the site, but things are looking promising. I'll keep you posted!

Colin

[Jane Turner]

Sounds good. Not heard about much from that site...until now!

Good luck in the job..... and don't forget to send your records in!

[ColinD]

Sounds good. Not heard about much from that site...until now!

Good luck in the job..... and don't forget to send your records in!

Who do I send the records into? I have quite a few Cheshire records from Houghton Green Flash, but I'm not sure who to send them to. If you have an email address that would be great,

Colin

[Andrew]

Colin, best of luck in the years to come at this place especially for another Slavonian Grebe.

[Jane Turner]

Submissions@cawos.org

See http://www.ukbis.net/cawos/cawosportal.htm for submission guidelies.

[pauco]

Sounds good colin, well worth a few dinner breaks.
good luck with the new job.
bert.

[ColinD]

Not a bad selection of birds during the week, with the hightlights being as follows:

Shoveler, 4 females on 24/11/03
Gadwall, male on 24/11/2003
Buzzard, one on 26 & 27/11/2003
Bullfinch, pair on 27/11/2003
Teal, 2mm 1f on 26/11/2003
Redpoll, 4 on 27/11/2003

Also, about 15 Great Crested Grebes, 2 Little Grebes, 100 Black-headed Gulls, 6 Ruddy Duck, 7 Pochard, but no further sign of last weeks Green Sandpiper,

Colin

[Ruby]

Sounds like a great place Colin.

Might be tempted to go out to lunch and accidently forget to go back!!

[ColinD]

Over the past few weeks I've not done too bad with my dinner time exploits to the reservoir. There's certainly been a good selection of ducks, with the highlight being earlier this week with 3 Scaup (1m 2ff). Tufted Duck numbers reached 35+, Ruddy Duck 25+ and Pochard 10.

Just before Christmas I had excellent views of Water Rail and Kingfisher.

It all makes me look forward to work!

Colin

[ColinD]

Yesterday, as usual, I visited Appleton Reservoir during my dinner break. Best bird sighting of the day was 3 Buzzards overhead, 2 of which were displaying.

It was a mildish day, about 8 C with plenty of sunshine and no wind. Suddenly I heard a roaring noise in a field next to the lake, which at first I thought was a vehicle of some kind, but I couldn't see anything. Then a party of Long-tailed Tits flew out of a bush in a startled kind of way, and landed in the hedge alongside me. Looking through the hedge, I noticed leaves being picked up and swirling round. I was quite nervous at this point, but stayed where I was. The hedge alongside me shook, I felt a strong wind pass me by. It moved over the lake, picking up water as it went, rising to a height of about 6 meters. It passed by a Coot, which was really struggling to get away from it. Within seconds it had moved away from the lake and I had lost it.

I thought it might have been a mini tornado, but it wasn't exactly funnel shaped, it was more I suppose glass shaped, i.e. U shaped at the bottom.

I once saw a dust demon on a mountain in Cumbria, on a scorching hot day in July, but that really was funnel shaped, and was spining much faster than this and was not as tall.

Any idea what it was I saw yesterday?

Thanks for your help

Colin

[peligirl]

We call them water-spouts, usually harmless unless they get on land and gain momentum!

[ColinD]

It's been a while since I posted anything from Appleton Reservoir, so here's a (reasonably) quick update.

The place is just fantstic for a dinnertime visit. I can cover it easily in an hour, and really feel I've done the place justice.

There are currently seven Great Crested Grebe nests occupied, and another two pairs with chicks, which I reckon makes it the second best breeding site in Cheshire for the species after Woolston Eyes, eclipsing Sandbach Flashes (unless they've had a better than usual year).

I've been seeing Buzzards all year, and I'm certain a pair is breeding, as are a pair of Grey Wagtails, which I have seen feeding young.

There are at least five pairs of Sedge Warblers, three pairs of Whitethroats and three pairs of Reed Buntings. Lapwings and Coots have bred,

Spring brought 4 Common Sandpipers, Little Ringed Plover, Common Terns, and spectacularly 2 displaying Black-necked Grebes in full summer plumage.

Tufted Duck, Gadwall and Ruddy Duck have all been around in good numbers, and may yet be proven to have bred, and I have recorded a total of 8 species of wader, with a few more anticipated in autumn.

Over the past couple of months, water levels have dropped significantly, by at least 45cm (18" in old money), and this has caused at least one Great Crested Grebe nest to fail earlier in the year.

However, it has left large expanses of exposed muddy banks. Last week, on a particularly hot and sunny day, I counted at least 50 Black tailed Skimmer dragonflies and 10 Emperor's. If ever there was an indication of global warming, these are it. I have a book, "Dragonflies and Damselflies of Cheshire" published in 1992, which shows Emperor as very rare and Black tailed as none existant in Cheshire. Both have now reached much further north than Cheshire.

Colin