Nothing new to report today, yesterday's Pochard had departed but there were still 3 Pintail and a record count of 12 Gadwall. Only a single Wigeon now but still around 100 Teal and 40 Shoveler.
Female typeGadwall in the foreground with an eclipse drake Mallard
6 Swallows came down for a drink and still around 8 Chiffchaff.
Other birds of interest were 3 Stonechat and 2 Grey Wagtail.
26/09/26 - 06:35 to 11:15 with Jon Lowes and Ray Scally
New In - a strange day! It started with the arrival of a lone Whooper Swan at 8:05 which flew in from the north and landed on the lagoon and is probably the earliest autumn arrival date with most records coming in October and November.
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| Whooper Swan - Jon Lowes |
Just over an hour later 3 Great Egret came in from the north on a similar flight line to the swan and landed on the lagoon. They stayed just 10 minutes before heading off west rapidly gaining height.
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| Great Egret |
We jokingly speculated what the next large white bird to arrive would be and shouldn't therefore have been too surprised when two Little Egrets flew in at 10:00. They stayed a little longer but flew off NW just after 11am.
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| Little Egret top Ray Scally bottom Andy Butler |
The lone Pintail was joined by another and a Common Gull flew west which completes the new birds for the day.
Migrant wise we estimated 15 Chiffchaff this morning and a single male Blackcap was seen. Very few Meadow Pipits today and no hirundines.
A slightly frustrating morning today. Firstly because someone had decided to drive a small 4WD truck onto the lagoon in the past 24 hours, got it stuck and abandoned it 😒.
Secondly because a small wader whizzed overhead at about
7.10am before I could even get binoculars on it. It called twice and was
possibly a Curlew Sandpiper but wasn’t seen again.
New in on the lagoon was 1 Dunlin, present on
arrival.
Dunlin byAndy Butler
7 Snipe were at the south end early morning, with
groups of 5, 3 and 3 seen flying west late morning, but didn’t drop in.
Duck numbers were largely unchanged, including 1 Pintail
still but no Shelduck today. First time for a few weeks there hasn’t been at least
one.
Reasonable movement of Meadow Pipits early morning with
an estimate of 50 birds being conservative. Effectively every time you scanned
the sky you would pick up small groups going over, so likely many were missed
when looking elsewhere. Also a group of 8 Skylarks went through and at
least 21 Mistle Thrushes were in fields between the lagoon and the Old
Quarry.
Lingering / passage
summer migrants included 1 Wheatear on Rosa Lane, 1 Swallow and 6+ Chiffchaffs.
I couldn't find anything new this morning but 1 of the 3 Pintail was still present and I counted 104 Teal this morning along with 10 Gadwall, 25 Shoveler, 4 Wigeon, 19 Mallard and 22 Tufted Duck so a decent wildfowl count.
Four Lapwing and 5 Snipe were the only waders this morning.
Common Snipe
Migrant wise; single Blackcap, 8 Chiffchaff and 4 Swallows with 38 Meadow Pipits counted flying south.
NEW IN - A juvenile male Ruff was the first noteable bird on arrival. It was feeding along the shorelone for most of the morning although I couldn't see it as I was leaving.
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| Ruff - juvenile male |
Duck numbers were up with at least 98 Teal and 10 Gadwall now but also 3 Pintail which are the first I've seen this year.
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| Pintail |
Arriving a bit later this morning I was still there as the gulls started to arrive late morning. I counted 74 Lesser Black-backed Gulls and with them a single adult Yellow-legged Gull.
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| Yellow-legged Gull with Lesser Black-backs |
A juvenile Peregrine made a brief visit and a Red Kite glided over the hillside.
The weather was poor, mainly cloudy with a strong westerly breeze with frequent rain showers so it was difficult to locate small birds but I managed at least 4 Chiffchaff but no hirundines today and only a couple of Meadow Pipit.
The most unusual sighting today was a Water Rail feeding out in the open along the dam wall, Although it occasionally ran in to the reed bed it spent a long period feeding amongst the rocks.
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| Water Rail |
A light passage of Meadow Pipits moving south with 34 counted but doubtless more scattered around the site.
Waterfowl were the same a yesterday with the 8 Goosander roosting overnight and departing early morning.
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| Wigeon |
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| Herring Gull 2nd winter (right) with 2dd winter LB-b Gull (left) |
Most of this morning was taken up with a somewhat confusing duck. It appeared to be a Wigeon but had an unusually large bill and longish neck, at times recalling a Pintail, so possibly a hybrid.
Wigeon / Hybrid by Andy butler (top 2) & Jon Lowes
Other ducks of note included 1 Shelduck, 6 Goosander,
6 Gadwall and 28 Shoveler.
Summer migrants are getting scarcer with just 4 Swallows, 5 Chiffchaffs and 1 Blackcap recorded.
Signs of autumn included at least 47 Mistle Thrushes
in fields and on wires between No.4 lagoon and the Old Quarry and plenty of Meadows
Pipits on the move. A count of 100 including flyovers and birds in surrounding
fields is likely an underestimate.
NEW IN - Wasn't expecting anything new and about to pack up, as it was very quiet generally when a Little Egret dropped in at 3.35pm, as with all egret species it had departed within 20 minutes towards Cavendish Mill. At 4.30pm while packing up 4 Snipe dropped in.
Lingering Migrants - 1 Reed Warbler was heard, 3 Chiffchaff were heard.
Duck numbers remained constant and a small Lesser black backed Gull roost started with 102 birds. 4 Stonechat on Rosa Lane was about the best of it. Full list on eBIRD link below:
eBird Checklist - 16 Sep 2026 - Middleton Moor - 23 species
Little Egret - Ray Scally
NEW IN - The morning started well with 5 Ringed Plover dropping in at 7.25 but only stayed the hour and left, at 8.45 a Goosander dropped in which was unusual, its a scarce species up here with normally 4-5 roosting and leaving at dawn so this was a first for me, at 9am a Hobby went thru'. Other moving species, 2 Skylark over, at 9.32am 3 Canada Goose dropped in staying for about an hour and another 6 circled 30 mins later and went down Combs Valley, the first geese for a couple of weeks. 20 Meadow Pipit went over.
Lingering Migrants - Weather was poor so difficult to say, 2 'Acro' Warblers were flitting in the reeds and passerines were keeping to the bushes, 2 Chiffchaff were heard.
Duck numbers remained constant approx 60 Starling left the roost, Gull roost numbers were 200 Black headed Gull, other notable species, 3 Jay, 1 Peregrine, 3 Snipe, 12 Swallow, 16 Linnet. Full list on eBIRD link below:
eBird Checklist - 15 Sep 2026 - Middleton Moor - 36 species
Ringed Plover - Ray Scally
NEW IN - The morning started well with 1 Ringed Plover dropping in at 6.25 but only stayed the hour and left, at 6.56 a Tree Pipit went over calling, generally there was a very noticeable increase in grounded passerines with 50 Chiffchaff, a very conservative count, 5 Blackcap and tit flocks moving through, 120 House Martin and 30 Barn Swallow approx, 1 Skylark, no noticeable movement of Meadow Pipit with 20 birds approx observed, 2 Willow Warbler.
Lingering Migrants - 4 Reed Warbler minimum, 2 Sedge Warbler.
Duck numbers remained constant with a high count of 32 Mallard but 12 departed at first light. presuming these were birds moving through as we were back to the usual 20 birds approx. 120 Starling approx left the roost, Gull roost numbers were 250 Black headed Gull, other notable species, 3 Jay, 1 Water Rail, 3 Snipe. Full lists on eBIRD links below:
eBird Checklist - 13 Sep 2026 - Middleton Moor - 50 species
eBird Checklist - 13 Sep 2026 - Middleton Moor - 48 species
Starling - Ray Scally
Very quiet on the lagoon this morning. Duck numbers remained ordinary with 1 Shelduck, 26 Shoveler, 1 Gadwall and 2 Wigeon.
Other birds of note included a Barn Owl on fence
posts on Rosa Lane first thing that flew towards the settling beds. 2 Red
Kites flew over together mid-morning.
Lingering / passage summer migrants included 12 Swallows,
5 House Martins, 1 Blackcap and 16+ Chiffchaffs
‘New in’ and most notable sightings this morning were a Dunlin that flew through at around 8am but didn’t actually land, heading off high east.
A Hobby
came in and landed on the shore at 8.35am, then spent about 20 minutes apparently
hunting insects on the ground before departing.
A cream
crown Marsh Harrier then flew low over the ridge behind the hide towards
Longstone Moor at 10am with a Red Kite also nearby.
Duck numbers
were generally down but included 4 Gadwall, 4 Wigeon, 18 Shoveler
and the seemingly resident 3 Shelduck.
Lingering
/ passage summer migrants included 1 Reed Warbler, 1 Whitethroat,
5 Blackcaps, 8+ Chiffchaffs, 2 Swifts, and c50 Swallows
moving through in various groups.
c20 Mistle
Thrushes were on Rosa Lane late morning.
Blustery morning after overnight rain, with Ray Scally.
‘New in’ birds included two juvenile Ringed Plovers that
appeared on the shoreline at 6.30am. Unclear if they had just dropped in or we had
missed them in the dim early morning light up to that point.
Shoveler were up to 24, but other duck numbers were
largely unchanged, including 3 juvenile Shelducks.
Lingering / passage summer migrants were scarce, possibly
due in part to the gusty winds keeping everything hunkered down, but they included 1
Reed Warbler, 1 Blackcap, 5 Chiffchaffs and 12 Swallow.
A possible Greenshank was seen briefly in flight just before
9am and appeared to be heading towards the lagoon, but couldn’t be relocated or positively ID'd.
Ray then had an adult Yellow-legged Gull later in the
morning.
Fairly quiet this morning with Ray Scally.
A Hobby flew east over the lagoon mid-morning but
went straight through.
Migrant duck numbers continue to creep up with 18 Shoveler,
7 Wigeon and 3 Gadwall on the lagoon.
We are back up to 3 Shelducks, so the two locally bred birds appear to have returned.
Lingering / passage summer migrants included 2 Reed
Warblers, 1 Whitethroat, 4 Chiffchaffs, 26 Swallows and
5 House Martins.
https://ebird.org/checklist/S388581533
https://ebird.org/checklist/S388530595
Wigeon & Shoveler - Ray Scally
An excellent 6 hours with Ray Scally today. The first good bird of the day was a Wood Sandpiper that was present on the lagoon at dawn and still present when we left (although it did go missing for a bit mid-morning). The second record this year.
A Great White Egret then dropped in at 7.15 am but
only stayed about 20 minutes. A rare bird at Middleton Moor, the last record
was in 2024.
Great White Egret - top Ray Scally, bottom Jon Lowes
At 7.45am a very vocal Greenshank dropped in but
departed SW at 8.15am.
Ray then had a flock of 14 Pintail over going NW
followed by Osprey low over the lagoon at 10.20am.
Pintail - Ray Scally
A Red Kite flew up from Black Harry Gate and passed
low over the lagoon late morning.
Ducks on the lagoon included 1 Wigeon, 2 Gadwall
with Shoveler numbers up to 12 and Teal up to 82.
Lingering / passage summer migrants included 3 Yellow
Wagtails that dropped in together at 11.10am, 1 Redstart, 2 Reed
Warblers, 3 Willow Warblers, 9+ Chiffchaff, 1 Swift (per
Steve Orridge), 20+ Swallows with the odd House Martin and Sand
Martin still knocking about.
Redstart - Jon lowes
https://ebird.org/checklist/S387642609
https://ebird.org/checklist/S387637458
NEW IN - A earlier than usual start at 5.45am paid off with a brief GREEN SANDPIPER which stayed for about 5 minutes and vanished at dawn, I didn't see it go. Not long after a Ringed Plover and 1 Dunlin appeared on the shore line but left high at 6.35am, the resident Dunlin was still present. 3 Common Snipe came in at 7.30 approx and at 9.30am 4 YELLOW WAGTAIL flew in and stayed for about 10 minutes, the most I have seen here together. 1 Tree Pipit over.
LINGERING MIGRANTS - Chiffchaff out numbering Willow Warbler with only 1 of the latter seen, 1 Dunlin still. 2 Redstart were present at the main gate on Rosa Lane, probably resident birds.
The early morning paid off with at least 600 Lesser black backed Gulls leaving the roost and over 250 Black Headed Gull, there was also a Herring/ YLG but too dark to discern which, the roosting 175 Greylag Geese were present but left after dawn down Combs Dale. Resident duck numbers were steady with no increase in numbers, the Gadwall were not present but replaced with 2 Tufted Duck, 2 Shoveler, 41 Teal. The single young Shelduck was also present. Full counts on e-bird links below. Interesting to see the Starlings are starting to roost with at least 150 leaving early morning.
eBird Checklist - 23 Aug 2026 - Middleton Moor - 44 species
eBird Checklist - 23 Aug 2026 - Middleton Moor - 53 species (+1 other taxa)
Goldcrest (juv) - Ray Scally
Yellow Wagtail - Ray Scally