The Jet Washers Ready !

Clowbridge Reservoir - 15.04.2025

Now some three weeks since the jet washer was taken into Balmer's the repairer, the good news it's now ready for collection….I wonder how that RN grebe is getting on ?...it's worth a look !

At Clowbridge I'm heading to where the grebe seems to favour fishing the shallow margins where I can also get quite low to the water, as long as it's not busy with walkers it's just a matter of picking your spot settling down and waiting for when the grebe starts fishing and comes closer.

Checking the usual location I easily pick out the grebe now in splendid summer plumage and a big change from three weeks earlier, it's quite close to the lake edge so I adopted the usual tactic of waiting until it dives and moving into position. The light isn't great with a load of white water but my grumblings soon abate when the grebe surfaces four meters in front of me.

Over the next hour or so with little disturbance from walkers the grebe is content to fish close in to the lake edge successfully taking about ten fish whilst I was there, one in particular being quite big as shown in the image below. As you would expect with the abundance of fish the grebe takes a rest and heads off to the middle of the lake tucking it's head down on it's back.

With a lull in the action and now quite busy with people enjoying the splendid countryside it's a good time to pack up, did I mention it was half term !!

Red-necked Grebe 

Off With The Jet Washer

Clowbridge Reservoir - 25.3.2025

As my jet washer ceased working it was off the the menders and surprisingly the approved repairer, Balmers is located right next to Clowbridge Reservoir. The weather looks ok, the RNG still present, so a trip to try and get some images was the only option for today.

Red-necked Grebes breed in Russia wintering in Western and Southern Europe with only a small number of up to 100 each winter making it to the UK, so when this individual arrived on a local reservoir it was quite unusual. Arriving a few weeks ago it was still in it's drab winter plumage, now twenty or so days later it's more like it’s summer plumage with red colour as it's name suggests on it's neck.

Parking up in the usual location I'm making my way to where I last saw the grebe a week ago, Curlews are back flying about, Meadow Pipits are all calling and a Buzzard circling overhead, Spring has arrived. At the far end of the reservoir near the boat club house the grebe is surprisingly close in to the shoreline but it’s soon disturbed by a dog walker moving back out into the middle of the reservoir, the last time it stayed bang in the middle of the reservoir not moving for the entire time of my visit, today being a weekday and little quieter I’m hopeful for something better.

Using the wall as cover and waiting until the grebe dives I move into a prime position, it surfaces right in front of me, it's aware of my presence but still happy to keep diving. As it works it's way along the shoreline surfacing no more than twenty meters away it dives and again I move to a new position, and that's how the action panned out for about fifty minuets until eventually decides it had enough heading back in to the middle of the reservoir tucking it's head under a wing.

With enough images on the card it's been quite a success, apart from the variable light my expectations have been exceeded considering it's quite a large reservoir, most images I've seen have been at distance so I'm please with my efforts getting so close, again shame about the light !

Red-necked Grebe

Out After A While

Clowbridge Reservoir - 18.3.2025

I've not been out for a while so today I'm off to catch up with a Red-necked Grebe a winter visitor to the UK that's been resident on a local reservoir for quite a few days. The last time I was at this location was to photograph a Grey Phalarope so I know the location reasonably well.

It's blue sky and sun this morning not the best for photography but as long as I can get the sun behind me it should be ok. As I approach the reservoir I can see in the distance around fifteen white swans...Whoopers. Although fairly common in the region in winter I've not seen any since a group appeared up on Ashworth Moor a few years back so my attention shifts from the grebe to getting some images of these wild winter visitors to the UK.

Sitting on the bank enjoying the sunshine the swans come closer vocalising with each other, on occasion walkers pass by and the swans move away, but they have a prefference for this location being less windy and soon move back close enough for more images.

It's now been a great couple of relaxed hours, Whoopers and sunshine, what could be better ! now it's time to move on and check out the Red-neck Grebe. Crawshaw Booth is quite a large reservoir so the scanning begins looking for the grebe.

I'm making my way back along the track the way I've come spotting several grebes, they are Great Crested and a smaller grebe, it's the Red-necked, but it's way out in the middle of the reservoir, I'm in no rush the weathers great !

Over the next hour the grebe never comes near and the signs are it won't, never mind with some images on the card I'm happy with the visit, and with Crawshaw Booth so near I might just try again.

Whooper Swan

I'm Back Again, But At A Different Location

Victoria Park, St Helens - 18.01.2025

Well the American RND a vagrant to Europe very similar to our Tufted Duck is on the move again, this time appearing on a small pond some way from where it's been many months hopping between Ecclestone Mere and Taylor Park. Worth a trip ?

Checking on-line mapping Victoria Park pond is small, so small that I'm a little supprised the duck has taken up residence, probably a result of being part of a mobile group of the more common "tuffie's" that move around the area. Next check the weather, it doesn't good with grey cloud and some rain later in the week, so it's today or wait a week by which time the duck may have departed.

As it's a new location I thought I'd have a quick rece and scan to try and locate the duck before getting the kit out, no need as the duck is picked up straight away up against the bank no more than a few meters away...right time for some action.

Surrounding the pond is a waist high steel fence so shooting low is not an option other than removing the lens hood and getting the lens up as close as possible to the fence, of course you could just shoot over the fence but the images won't be as good shooting downwards…in the end I did both !

Initially with stubborn early mist the light only slowly improving never optimum for the entire visit, it's a case of low shutter speeds avoiding any action shooting into coloured water, I hate white water shots.

These are some of the images taken around midday, not great image quality in the poor light the fence bars not helping but at least it wasn't an abortive trip, maybe a return trip if these grey days of poor light will ever end.

Footnote….. now two days later and the RND has moved back to Ecclestone Mere so happy I made the trip when I did.

Ring-necked Duck - male

This image clearly shows why this duck is called ring necked...

Gull's

Mosses Gate Country Park - 14.12.2024

I'm not a gull's person, in fact I find the subtleties of identifying "grey" gulls difficult, they all look the same other than Mediterranean gull's like Slender-billed and Audouin's that look so different, so with that said I'm off to MGCP to try and find a juvenile Caspian Gull.

Caspian Gull's a variant of Herring Gull family but laterly recognised as a sub-species, but to me just another Herring Gull, so armed with my extensive gull knowledge I'm off to Mosses Gate to see what's on offer.

Arriving mid-morning it's like gull's city with locals throwing food for the water fowl, the gull's are going bonkers ! too many gulls all looking the same I decide to give looking for the Caspian Gull a miss opting to walk the perimeter of the lake for other opportunities.

On the far side of the lake the light behind is better with nice colour in the water, a row of posts at the water's edge provide resting for a variety of gull species, a good location to spend an hour and what's more I recognise some of the species, you know the usual stuff !

Common Gull

Black-headed Gull

Herring Gull - juvenile

The American Is Back

Taylor Park, St Helens - 03.12.2025

It's been some time since I last posted on the blog that's not so say that I haven't been active with trips to Scotland and Central Spain all done in the last few months. I haven't bothered doing reports as they've more or less been repeats of trips done just a few months earlier.

Now early December and a male American Ring-necked Duck that's been hanging around for a time has reappeared in St Helens. Frequenting two lakes, one public the other private, but mainly the private lake it's a case of waiting for the right opportunity for a visit and importantly in some good light.

Checking Birdguides the Internet bird information service the duck has been reported early morning on the public lake, the weather forecast for the week is rain but good light for today only so the decision is made to make the 30 mile trip.

A new location for me I'm interested and hoping for a smallish lake, is it small ? well yes and no, just small enough to get a shot if not too far away. Grabbing just the camera and the bins the plan is to circumnavigate the lake hopefully locating the duck. Halfway round I bump into a colleague which makes locating the duck a little easier, and with the light behind the duck is more easily located hanging around with some "tuftiest"...time to get the camera out.

Over the next hour or so the duck remains just a little to far away for any mega shots, to add, the light is ever changing from sunlight burning out whites to overcast conditions having to dial in some over exposure. All too soon the sun is low throwing half the lake into shadow signalling the best of the light and day is now over. With some images on the card I'm interested to see the results.

The forecast for the remainder of the week isn't so good, but on the other hand next the week looks promising, maybe other trip ? ...you never know.

Ring-necked Duck - male

The image below, you can just see the brown "ring neck" the duck is named after.