SPUGGIES RETURN

The 'nuts' did the business at the weekend with no less than 17 House Sparrows attending the front garden bird feeding station.
Did a sort of mini day list on Sunday after finding out 'The Insomniac' was doing his tetrad survey...I love a challenge as you might of guessed.
Starting at home with Spuggie I proceeded along Warrington Road (well Debs gave me a lift) and did Marbury Country Park for a good hour amassing 45 species...highlights being a male Lesser Pecker that flew from the slipway across the mere to the heronry. A flock of 6 Siskin in the elders along the mereside path and 2 Kingfishers. A Grey Wagtail in Big Wood was a bit bizarre, acting more like an asian Forest Wag than our stream hugging Grey.
Onto No.1 and it was a case of spot the bird...totally deserted apart from 2 Green Sandpipers and distant Feral Pigeons over Winnington Works.
Neumann's though was a veritable bird fest with probably 500+ individuals of varying species such as Golden Plover, Snipe, Shoveler, Teal, Gadwall, Lapwing, Tufty and even a showy Water Rail. Other good stuff along the footpath towards the layby included a flock of Lesser Redpoll, a lone juv Sparrowhawk and one Reed Bunting (60 species).
Passing the Salt Barge (Freds ex local ) in Marston was not an option, so I ventured in for a delightful pint and a half of 'Boatman's Ale'...a fine beverage brewed locally in Warrington me thinks.
Turning left out of the Salt Barge I walked via the public footpath across the Marston Hall Farm fields to the bend on the A559 up the road and back home via Budworth Lane. Adding a few more padders to the list the final total for the day was 66 species, I then crashed out for the rest of the day with aching legs (getting old you know).
I missed/dipped/walked past Little Grebe, Greenfinch, Bullfinch, Skylark, Mipit, Greylag, Green Woody and Treecreeper with Black Swan and Redshank seen yesterday a possible score over the weekend could have been 76 a serious patch daylist even rivalling a May days attempt.

ttfn