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.
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.
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.
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
Quiet on the lagoon this morning. No waders and nothing obviously new in. Notable absences were any geese and Starlings departing the roost.
A Hobby flew through at 6.50am and what was likely
the same bird was seen later over the plantation. A Red Kite flew up
from Black Harry Gate mid morning.
Duck numbers were ordinary and included 1 Shelduck,
22 Shoveler, 3 Gadwall and 2 Wigeon.
Lingering / passage summer migrants included 1 Sedge Warbler, 6 Swallow, 6 House Martins, 8+Chiffchaff, 1 Redstart, 1 Whinchat and 1 Wheatear.
Redstart by Ray Scally
‘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
Fairly quiet. An adult Yellow-legged Gull came in with the gull roost. Still at least 7 Shovelers. 1 Reed Warbler lingering at the north end of the lagoon and a Tawny Owl was on fence posts by Longstone Moor as I was leaving then flew across the road towards the lagoon.
NEW IN - As elsewhere locally and county wide there had been an overnight influx of duck species 3 Pintail on arrival at 1.30pm but left high at 2.15pm approx over Longstone, also 7 new Shoveler, the Red Kite didn't help as it quartered the lagoon low down flushing/ moving most of the waterfowl. Also 1 Curlew but had departed before I left. 2 Meadow Pipit on the shore line.
LINGERING MIGRANTS - The resident Dunlin seems to have departed.
Nothing new or an increase in other species numbers, the Red Kite came down and quartered low displacing the waterfowl.
eBird Checklist - 26 Aug 2026 - Middleton Moor - 25 species
Pintail - Ray Scally
The only obvious new bird this morning was a Hobby which crossed the lagoon at 08:30. There were over 100 Barn Swallows on the wires so I was hoping it might hang around to hunt but it went straight through.
Checking for smaller birds I had a single Spotted Flycatcher, which was a moulting adult so looked a bit scruffy. Also flyover Tree Pipit and a nice male Common Redstart.
Spotted Flycatcher
On the lagoon the pair of Gadwall were back, or perhaps just out of the reeds so visible, the Shoveler pair still present and the juvenile Dunlin which has been present for a week now.
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
A decent start to the morning with a Wheatear with 3 Stonechat on the gorse field then 3 Ringed Plover and a Dunlin on the lagoon.
Overcast with low cloud it felt like there could be more birds moving but the Ringed Plover departed, followed by the Dunlin. Another Dunlin appeared but no sign of anything else.
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| Northern Wheatear |
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| Dunlin |
Still 3 Wigeon and a single Shoveler with Teal numbers up to 44. The Little Grebes youngsters showed, one pair had two chicks and it looks like there is another pair with young.
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| Little Grebe |
The first morning of any visible movement for some time.
NEW IN - 3 WIGEON were present on arrival, along
with a WHEATEAR, both the first of the Autumn, at 6:40am a RINGED
PLOVER called as it circled overhead but did not land nor was it seen,
at 7:15am 2 DUNLIN came in and circled the lagoon a number of
times but went high west.
LINGERING MIGRANTS - Yesterdays WHINCHAT was still present, the SPOTTED
FLYCATCHER was still in the plantation, 1 TREE PIPIT, may have been a new
migrant but they have been seen or heard most days.
Resident duck numbers were steady
with no increase in numbers, there was no sign of the 2 Gadwall or Shoveler but
may still be present in the reeds. Gull numbers vary but remaining low, with
a COMMON GULL joining the LBBG and BH Gulls briefly.
Wigeon - Ray Scally
eBird Checklist - 16 Aug
2026 - Middleton Moor - 45 species