Details of May sightings will appear on the Monthly Sightings page.
22 Comments
Glyn Jones 30th May 2022
30th May 2022 – 1130
Borrow Pit Meadows
40+ mixed flock of Swifts and Swallows, 2 Song Thrushes, 2 Chiffchaff, Common Whitethroat, Great Tits feeding 3 or 4 young birds
Nigel Henderson 29th May 2022
Congleton park
Spotted Flycatcher (at last)
Mistle Thrush x 2
Goosander ♀ with 4 young and ♀ with 3 young (Pam)
River Dane
Treecreeper by the flow measurement station at the weir
Kingfisher Flying upstream over the weir
Dipper 3; at least 1 Immature
Grey Wagtail many sightings; at least one juvenile
Glyn Jones 26th May 2022
26th May 2022
Queen’s Park Crewe this morning
Two broods of Canada Geese, one with 16 goslings and one with 12 goslings, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Juv Grey Wagtail and 2 Mute Swans.
Borrow Pit Meadows this afternoon
Pair of Greylag Geese with 5 goslings on lake.
50+ Swifts through
Nigel Henderson 25th May 2022
We’re back from our holiday in Armenia (yes, really) so we are back watching the River Dane.
Congleton park – Hankinson’s field
Mistle Thrush x4
Dane – Steamboat car park
Kingfisher Flying downstream; also flying over the weir.
Dipper (Pam)
Dane riverside walk
Grey Wagtail Flying downstream. Many other sightings.
Goosander ♀ with 3 young and ♀ with 4 young. Several other sightings.
Glyn Jones 20th May 2022
20th May 2022 – 1500
Borrow Pit Meadows
30+ Swifts and 25+ Swallows through.
Common Buzzard being mobbed by 2 Carrion Crow over Haslington Bypass.
Mike&Andy 19th May 2022
5 L.R. Plovers at Doddington this morning and 2 Reed Warblers at the corner of the Lemon Pool,both singing.Also noted were 2 Lapwing fledglings at the back of Lemon Pool,not long out of the nest going by the size of them.
Mike&Andy 14th May 2022
Great views of a summer plumaged Spotted Sandpiper at Doddington this afternoon.Watched it for a few minutes before it flew across the pool and out of sight.
Nigel Henderson 14th May 2022
Congleton – Lady Warburton’s Walk
Swift 2 (our first sighting in Congleton)
Chiffchaff
Congleton park
Mistle Thrush 2 on Hankinsons field; also 2 on the rugby field
Dane – Steamboat car park
Kingfisher
Dane – weir
Blackcap Male and female
Dane riverside walk
Swift
Grey Wagtail many sightings
Dipper many sightings
Newsbank Pool
Stock Dove 2 flying; 2 on the ground
Oystercatcher 2
Mandarin Duck Male flew in
Colin 13th May 2022
At Doddington this evening on the floodwater; 3 lrp, 1 dunlin, 1 shelduck, 1 lapwing, 9 tufted. 49 mute swans on the main pool.
Colin 13th May 2022
re-reading my blog on Bryan’s records I guess it would have helped to say they were at Doddington.
Colin 12th May 2022
100 swifts, and 1 hobby amongst them, feeding over the water. Record from Bryan Perkins
Mike&Andy 11th May 2022
3 Dunlin were new at Doddington this evening and 100 Swifts over the pool.
Glyn Jones 11th May 2022
11th May 2022 – 1930
9 Swift over Badger Avenue crossroads with Frank Webb Avenue, 3 Swift over Selworthy Drive in Crewe.
Mike&Andy 9th May 2022
Our first Yellow Wagtail of the year for Doddington this morning and good to see breeding activity with a pair or the L.R.Plovers.Also,Com Sand,Oystercatchers,Red-l Partridge and Skylark.Around 30 Swifts over the pool and on it still the Wood Duck and a pair of Pochard.
Nigel Henderson 8th May 2022
Congleton
Congleton park
Blackcap ♂
Mistle Thrush 1
R. Dane
Goosander ♀ with 4 fluffy young; several sightings
Grey Wagtail several sightings including a juvenile
Mandarin Duck ♂ (we hope the female is sitting on eggs and will produce her young for us to look at)
Dipper several sightings; Feeding and flying
Kingfisher Perched then flying
Colin & Sylvia 6th May 2022
Not very often we beat you guys but we had 6 LRP on the floodwater this morning with 10 tufted; 4 house martins and 3 swallows collecting mud and just one shelduck – is the other one gone or nest sitting somewhere? Over the main pool were 15 swifts with a few house martins and swallows. One common sandpiper on the island and we finally got a good enough view of a strange duck to id it as a male wood duck.
Mike&Andy 5th May 2022
Still 4 L.R. Plovers at Doddington this evening as well as 2 Common Sandpipers around the pool also 6 Oystercatchers and 6 Lapwing.
Nigel Henderson 5th May 2022
Astbury Mere
Willow Warbler
Sand Martin
Chiffchaff
Blackcap ♂
Congleton park – playground
Mistle Thrush
River Dane – Dane Street riverside walk
Grey Wagtail including a juvenile
Mandarin Duck ♂
Dipper Perched below the road bridge feeding in the water; also downstream of the Steamboat flying upstream
River Dane – Congleton park – Park Road entrance bridge
Goosander ♀ and four young
Nigel Henderson 4th May 2022
At last I have the opportunity to put on something on the blog other than the usual suspects along the Dane.
What a dotterel is doing in Congleton I don’t know but there were nine other bird watchers looking at it when I was there (16:00), one of whom had come from York. After the North Norfolk trip it is my second dotterel of the year.
(The dotterel was in a ploughed field south of A54/A536 roundabout at 53.1685,-2.2588. Latest news, after I had gone, is that it flew across the A536 and landed in a ploughed field at 53.169,-2.257 – information from Bird Guides).
Nigel Henderson 3rd May 2022
Congleton park – field
Mistle Thrush 1
River Dane – Dane Street riverside walk
Mandarin Duck ♂
Kingfisher Flying upstream
Grey Wagtail x3; many sightings; ♂ ♀
Goosander ♂; ♀ with 4 fluffy young; ♀ with 5 fluffy young in the park
River Dane – Steamboat car park
Dipper Flying downstream and under the Steamboat; Perched and swimming below the weir.
Colin 2nd May 2022
On the 1st May.
At Congleton on the river Dane. Dipper; a pair carrying food into a probable nest site; best viewed from the small carpark by the old steamboat roundabout. Goosander; a female with six very small juvs and another female with four slightly larger but still small juvs; best viewed from the footbridge in the park. Thanks to Nigel and Pam for info.
Mike&Andy 2nd May 2022
4 L.R. Plovers at Doddington this morning and 2 Garden Warblers singing and showing infrequently at Lea Forge.
30th May 2022
30th May 2022 – 1130
Borrow Pit Meadows
40+ mixed flock of Swifts and Swallows, 2 Song Thrushes, 2 Chiffchaff, Common Whitethroat, Great Tits feeding 3 or 4 young birds
29th May 2022
Congleton park
Spotted Flycatcher (at last)
Mistle Thrush x 2
Goosander ♀ with 4 young and ♀ with 3 young (Pam)
River Dane
Treecreeper by the flow measurement station at the weir
Kingfisher Flying upstream over the weir
Dipper 3; at least 1 Immature
Grey Wagtail many sightings; at least one juvenile
26th May 2022
26th May 2022
Queen’s Park Crewe this morning
Two broods of Canada Geese, one with 16 goslings and one with 12 goslings, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Juv Grey Wagtail and 2 Mute Swans.
Borrow Pit Meadows this afternoon
Pair of Greylag Geese with 5 goslings on lake.
50+ Swifts through
25th May 2022
We’re back from our holiday in Armenia (yes, really) so we are back watching the River Dane.
Congleton park – Hankinson’s field
Mistle Thrush x4
Dane – Steamboat car park
Kingfisher Flying downstream; also flying over the weir.
Dipper (Pam)
Dane riverside walk
Grey Wagtail Flying downstream. Many other sightings.
Goosander ♀ with 3 young and ♀ with 4 young. Several other sightings.
20th May 2022
20th May 2022 – 1500
Borrow Pit Meadows
30+ Swifts and 25+ Swallows through.
Common Buzzard being mobbed by 2 Carrion Crow over Haslington Bypass.
19th May 2022
5 L.R. Plovers at Doddington this morning and 2 Reed Warblers at the corner of the Lemon Pool,both singing.Also noted were 2 Lapwing fledglings at the back of Lemon Pool,not long out of the nest going by the size of them.
14th May 2022
Great views of a summer plumaged Spotted Sandpiper at Doddington this afternoon.Watched it for a few minutes before it flew across the pool and out of sight.
14th May 2022
Congleton – Lady Warburton’s Walk
Swift 2 (our first sighting in Congleton)
Chiffchaff
Congleton park
Mistle Thrush 2 on Hankinsons field; also 2 on the rugby field
Dane – Steamboat car park
Kingfisher
Dane – weir
Blackcap Male and female
Dane riverside walk
Swift
Grey Wagtail many sightings
Dipper many sightings
Newsbank Pool
Stock Dove 2 flying; 2 on the ground
Oystercatcher 2
Mandarin Duck Male flew in
13th May 2022
At Doddington this evening on the floodwater; 3 lrp, 1 dunlin, 1 shelduck, 1 lapwing, 9 tufted. 49 mute swans on the main pool.
13th May 2022
re-reading my blog on Bryan’s records I guess it would have helped to say they were at Doddington.
12th May 2022
100 swifts, and 1 hobby amongst them, feeding over the water. Record from Bryan Perkins
11th May 2022
3 Dunlin were new at Doddington this evening and 100 Swifts over the pool.
11th May 2022
11th May 2022 – 1930
9 Swift over Badger Avenue crossroads with Frank Webb Avenue, 3 Swift over Selworthy Drive in Crewe.
9th May 2022
Our first Yellow Wagtail of the year for Doddington this morning and good to see breeding activity with a pair or the L.R.Plovers.Also,Com Sand,Oystercatchers,Red-l Partridge and Skylark.Around 30 Swifts over the pool and on it still the Wood Duck and a pair of Pochard.
8th May 2022
Congleton
Congleton park
Blackcap ♂
Mistle Thrush 1
R. Dane
Goosander ♀ with 4 fluffy young; several sightings
Grey Wagtail several sightings including a juvenile
Mandarin Duck ♂ (we hope the female is sitting on eggs and will produce her young for us to look at)
Dipper several sightings; Feeding and flying
Kingfisher Perched then flying
6th May 2022
Not very often we beat you guys but we had 6 LRP on the floodwater this morning with 10 tufted; 4 house martins and 3 swallows collecting mud and just one shelduck – is the other one gone or nest sitting somewhere? Over the main pool were 15 swifts with a few house martins and swallows. One common sandpiper on the island and we finally got a good enough view of a strange duck to id it as a male wood duck.
5th May 2022
Still 4 L.R. Plovers at Doddington this evening as well as 2 Common Sandpipers around the pool also 6 Oystercatchers and 6 Lapwing.
5th May 2022
Astbury Mere
Willow Warbler
Sand Martin
Chiffchaff
Blackcap ♂
Congleton park – playground
Mistle Thrush
River Dane – Dane Street riverside walk
Grey Wagtail including a juvenile
Mandarin Duck ♂
Dipper Perched below the road bridge feeding in the water; also downstream of the Steamboat flying upstream
River Dane – Congleton park – Park Road entrance bridge
Goosander ♀ and four young
4th May 2022
At last I have the opportunity to put on something on the blog other than the usual suspects along the Dane.
What a dotterel is doing in Congleton I don’t know but there were nine other bird watchers looking at it when I was there (16:00), one of whom had come from York. After the North Norfolk trip it is my second dotterel of the year.
(The dotterel was in a ploughed field south of A54/A536 roundabout at 53.1685,-2.2588. Latest news, after I had gone, is that it flew across the A536 and landed in a ploughed field at 53.169,-2.257 – information from Bird Guides).
3rd May 2022
Congleton park – field
Mistle Thrush 1
River Dane – Dane Street riverside walk
Mandarin Duck ♂
Kingfisher Flying upstream
Grey Wagtail x3; many sightings; ♂ ♀
Goosander ♂; ♀ with 4 fluffy young; ♀ with 5 fluffy young in the park
River Dane – Steamboat car park
Dipper Flying downstream and under the Steamboat; Perched and swimming below the weir.
2nd May 2022
On the 1st May.
At Congleton on the river Dane. Dipper; a pair carrying food into a probable nest site; best viewed from the small carpark by the old steamboat roundabout. Goosander; a female with six very small juvs and another female with four slightly larger but still small juvs; best viewed from the footbridge in the park. Thanks to Nigel and Pam for info.
2nd May 2022
4 L.R. Plovers at Doddington this morning and 2 Garden Warblers singing and showing infrequently at Lea Forge.