Prescot res,
2nd winter med still present today, Adult Yellow legged gull yesterday also.
2 snipe, 13 redwing,1 fieldfare, grey wagtail,15 meadow pipits,40 redpoll,
Only 16 pochard today.

Merry Christmas everyone,
Well, we will probably all be eating one of the above today so I thought I would put up this photo of a real one . It was taken in florida this August.

Hightown dunes,
A Siberian gem of a bird, a Pallas's Warbler was feeding in a dry pond amongst the reeds and sedges. It showed reasonably well at times but would go missing for periods.Today being its 3rd day present.
There were plenty of pinkfeet on the approach road to Hightown.

Catchdale moss,
A triangular walk along Green lane, Catchdale moss lane, and Howards lane produced 11 tree sparrows,1 reed bunting, 1 yellowhammer ,30 chaffinch, 20 greenfinch,20 goldies, and 1 meadow pipit. The farmers have left fields of corn as game cover and it is also a great source of food for the finches. 15 redwing went over and 40 pinkfeet were moving about. Buzzard ,sparrowhawk and kestrel were seen but no sign of the peregrines today.

Prescot Reservoirs,
A single Golden plover today with 300 lapwing.
15 pochard,60 tufted duck, 9 goldeneye, 1 ruddy duck, 1 little grebe, 1 shellduck,and 4 great crested grebe.
Green woodpecker and nuthatch calling in the ranch.4 redpoll with 15 goldfinch. 12 meadow pipits and 6 pied wags in ploughed meadow.
2nd w med gull present again.

The Zutons

Prescot reservoirs,
A wind battered 1st winter kittiwake took shelter at the reservoirs today. A nice bird following on from the adult in the spring.
2nd w med gull, 19 great black backed gulls,200 herring gull, 100 black headed, 50 common gulland 2o lesser black backed gulls.
30 pochards,8 teal, 100 tufted duck, 2 ruddy duck,10 goldeneye,3 little grebe 3 great crested grebe, 9 cormorant.

Prescot reservoirs
16 goldeneye 6 drakes, 40 pochard, 70 tufted duck,20 teal, 1 ruddy duck, 20 mallard,100 coot,
3 great crested grebe, 1 little grebe.
2nd w med gull,200 common gull, 200 herring gull,50 black headed gull, 2 gbb gull, 20 lbb gull.
A notable flock of 15 chaffinch was a good record for the reservoir.

Prescot reservoirs,
2nd w med on no4 with black headed gulls. 100 common gull, 3 gbb gull, 300 black headed gull,
20 lesser black backed gull, 500 herring gull.
Peregrine on pylon, Sparrowhawk and buzzard also.
Pochard down 43, tufted duck150, goldeneye 3f, ruddy duck2, little grebe1 and cormorant11

Prescot reservoirs,
BH reports male HEN HARRIER over the reservoirs early afternoon . The last one to grace the reservoirs was exactly 10 years ago today. Nice one Billy!!

Prescot reservoirs,
2 adult yellow legged gulls, 2nd w med gull,
58 pochard ,9 goldeneye, 160 tufted duck,2 ruddy duck
16 fieldfare over east.
3 woodcock

Prescot reservoirs,
2nd w med gull again today. This bird is now a very regular bird at the reservoirs this early winter. 11 black tailed godwits flew over west at 14.30 . I flushed 2 woodcock from yates wood. I managed to miss a fine drake gooseander on no3 reservoir which showed just after I left.
About 2000 herring gulls on the reservoirs today ,50 lesser bbg, 500 black headed, 200 common gull, 8 great bbg.
9 goldeneye was a highest count this winter. Usually about 25/30 goldeneye by now. 80 plus pochard usually just a handfull in the recent years, 200 tufted duck, 2 ruddy duck, 4 little grebe
3 cormorant, 1 buzzard, 1 heron .

Prescot Reservoirs,
5 Goldeneye today with the first returning birds on Thursday. 58 pochard is the best count for many years. 250 tufted, lots of coot, 7 great crested grebe and 5 little grebe. 60+ redwing over and 10 skylark over.
No med gulls today but there has now been 6 med gulls at the reservoirs this autumn. 2 1st w, 2 2nd w, and 2 adult one with a metal ring and one with a green ring. Good flocks of greenfinch and goldfinch this morning with a single redpoll. 2 peregrines,1 kestrel 1 female sparrowhawk and 2 buzzards also this morning.
At least 20 red admirals went through this morning all going south.1 speckled wood and 1 common darter also.
I had another rare Lancashire moth in the garden this week. Calybites phasianipennella is only the 4th time it has been recorded in Lancashire.

Acleris literana
This beautiful micro moth was trapped in my garden this week. Not only is it very beautiful it is also very rare in Lancashire. This is the first time it has been seen in VC 59 for over a hundred years. Now thats what I call scarce.

The Great Orme,
Amazingly the Woodchat Shrike and the Short Toed Lark were still showing very well much to my relief as this was the first chance I've had to get to see them. The juv woodchat shrike showing very well below the church and the lark just a few hundred metres away above the church. What an autumn North Wales is having.