Eccleston Mere

Swift 50
Whitethroat 4
Blackcap 4
Kingfisher 1
Coal Tit 1
Bullfinch 2 male and female
Lesser Redpoll 2 displaying

Doxey Marshes, Staffordshire

Wood Sandpiper 1
Whimbrel 1
Little Ringed Plover 3
Dunlin 10
Common Tern 1
Reed Warbler 5
Sedge Warbler 5

Revised year 191 (Wood Sandpiper)


This was my first visit to this reserve which is just off junction 14 on the M6, on the outskirts of Stafford.


I had a go at digiscoping today. Neither my camera or my telescope are ideal for this type of photography, but anyway, here are the results. One photo of the Whimbrel and three of the Wood Sandpiper.

Pennington Flash

Turnstone 1 adult summer plumage
Dunlin 4
Ringed Plover 3
Common Tern 5
Redshank 2

Sankey Valley

Reed Warbler 3 singing
Sedge Warbler 1 singing
Blackcap 3 singing
Whitethroat 3 singing
Willow Tit 1

Year 189 (Reed Warbler)

I met the Sankey Valley Ranger Dawn Chorus duo (Foggy and Compo) and walked back to the visitor centre with them.

Eccleston Mere

Common Tern 1
Mandarin 1 male
Kingfisher 1
Whitethroat 4 singing
Chiffchaff 2 singing
Blackcap 2 singing
Swallow 100 mainly roosting in a Poplar tree
House Martin 20 in the same Poplar tree

Martin Mere

Little Egret 2
Dunlin 20
Ringed Plover 8
Little Ringed Plover 1
Avocet 40


I spotted this Moorhen on its nest with 3 chicks.


Later I was passing the same spot and two of the youngsters were on the path.

Eccleston Mere

Common Tern 1
Peregrine 1 adult over west at 15:30
Sedge Warbler 1 singing in hedge on west side of mere
Pink-footed Goose on the water
Greylag 2
Whitethroat 4 singing
Chiffchaff 1 singing
Willow Warbler 4 singing
Swift 30
Swallow 200
House Martin 40
Sand Martin 10
Mute Swan 2 adults
Lesser Redpoll 5 displaying

Revised Eccleston Mere 2013 list - 99 (Peregrine)


Great crested Grebe with chicks


Common Tern and Bluebells.