Before the Covid19 pandemic caused group activities to be suspended, two visits had taken place in 2020.
Thursday 12th February – Pennington Flash Country Park
The visit had been postponed from the Tuesday because of the atrocious weather conditions on the Tuesday. The Thursday morning was a bright cold and windy Winter morning with just one short sharp hail shower. Six members of the group attended and a total of 38 species were recorded. A particular highlight was the large number of Goosander seen (c.15).
Tuesday 10th March – Martin Mere WWT
One of our regular visits, on this occasion seven members of the group attended and a total of 49 species were recorded. It was a cloudy morning with some showers and strong winds.
As a result of the Covid19 restrictions the planned visits for the rest of the year were all cancelled.
The visits that had been planned were:
- 14th April – Lunt Meadows LWT, Sefton
- 12th May – Sizergh Castle NT / Leighton Moss RSPB
- 9th June – Yarrow Country Park, Chorley
- 14th July – Rivington Country Park, Bolton
- 8th September – Brockholes LWT, Preston
- 13th October – Speke Hall NT
- 27th October – Burton Mere RSPB & Dee Estuary
- 10th November – Marshside RSPB, Southport
- 8th December – Mere Sands Wood LWT, Rufford
Click ‘Continue reading’ for the full list of species seen on the February and March visits:
Pennington Flash 12th February (38)
| Species | Number Seen | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Blackbird | Several | |
| Black-headed Gull | Hundreds | |
| Blue Tit | Several | |
| Bullfinch | A few | |
| Canada Goose | Many | |
| Carrion Crow | Several | |
| Chaffinch | A few | |
| Common Gull | 1 | Peter H |
| Coot | Many | |
| Cormorant | Several | |
| Dunnock | 1 | |
| Gadwall | A few | |
| Goldeneye | 3 | |
| Goldfinch | A few | |
| Goosander | c.15 | |
| Great Crested Grebe | 3 | |
| Great Spotted Woodpecker | Heard only | |
| Great Tit | A few | |
| Greenfinch | 2 | |
| Grey Heron | A few | |
| Hybrid Duck | Several | Domestic Mallard |
| Lesser Black-backed Gull | A few | |
| Little Grebe | 5 | |
| Long-tailed Tit | Several | |
| Magpie | Several | |
| Mallard | Many | |
| Mistle Thrush | Heard only | |
| Moorhen | Many | |
| Mute Swan | Many | |
| Oystercatcher | A few | |
| Pheasant | Heard only | |
| Reed Bunting | Several | |
| Robin | Several | |
| Shoveler | Several | |
| Stock Dove | A few | |
| Tufted Duck | Many | |
| Willow Tit | 2 | |
| Woodpigeon | Many |
Martin Mere 10th March (49)
| Species | Number Seen | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Avocet | c.20 | |
| Blackbird | Several | |
| Black-headed Gull | Hundreds | |
| Black-tailed Godwit | Several | |
| Blue Tit | Several | |
| Buzzard | 2 | |
| Canada Goose | Many | |
| Carrion Crow | Several | |
| Chaffinch | Several | |
| Coot | Many | |
| Cormorant | 32 | |
| Curlew | Heard only | |
| Dunnock | A few | |
| Feral Pigeon | Several | |
| Gadwall | 4 | (Jean) |
| Goldfinch | Several | |
| Great Black-backed Gull | 2 | |
| Great Tit | Several | |
| Great White Egret | 2 | |
| Greenfinch | Several | |
| Grey Heron | 1 | |
| Greylag Goose | Many | |
| Jackdaw | Several | |
| Lapwing | Many | |
| Lesser Black-backed Gull | 2 | |
| Little Egret | 2 | |
| Long-tailed Tit | A few | |
| Mallard | A few hundred | |
| Marsh Harrier | 1 | |
| Moorhen | A few | |
| Oystercatcher | Many | |
| Pheasant | A few | |
| Pink-footed Goose | Hundreds | |
| Pintail | Several | |
| Pochard | A few | |
| Reed Bunting | A few | |
| Robin | A few | |
| Ruff | Several | |
| Shelduck | Many | |
| Shoveler | Several | |
| Siskin | 1 | |
| Snipe | 1 | (Jean) |
| Teal | A few hundred | |
| Tree Sparrow | Several | |
| Tufted Duck | Several | |
| Whooper Swan | A few hundred | |
| Wigeon | A few hundred | |
| Woodpigeon | Several | |
| Wren | 1 |
Last Updated on January 7, 2021