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Warrington U3A
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Our spring/summer season got off to a good start with a rearranged trip in April to
Hollingworth Lake. After refreshments in the cafe we set off to walk round the lake,
looking out for birds on the water as well as in the surrounding fields, woods and reeds.
Although we did not see any unusual birds, we did see a good variety of the common
species - 33 in all. There were Canada geese, swans, black headed gulls, various ducks,
coot, moorhen and great crested grebe on the water, and the usual tits, finches,
blackbirds, robins, members of the crow family etc. around the edges, as well as a few
early summer visitors. The highlight for many was the delicious fish and chips eaten by
the water's edge before we made our way back to the cars. Our best views were probably
at the feeders outside the cafe where we were able to watch all the common tits and
finches, as well as a woodpecker and nuthatch. In May we had a good turnout to Ethrow Country Park, a new venue for most of us, and we were not disappointed. The park has very varied habitat, and in spite of poor weather we saw a total of 40 species between us. We were able to watch nuthatches in the woodland while eating our soggy sandwiches as well as seeing many of our usual feathered friends, including the visitors which return every spring. A bit of glamour was added by the exotic looking mandarin duck - not a native but very beautiful. Some people saw their first dipper, and also a sandpiper and grey wagtails in the river, and we enjoyed looking for nests on the water and listening to the sound of spring in the bird world. Our June trip was a long weekend in Anglesey, which was such a success it deserves its own write-up - see following report. In July we had another "first" with a coach trip to Ingleton Falls on the edge of the Dales with the spare places on the coach being readily taken up by other U3A members. Our fears that we would have all fifty people trying to birdwatch were unfounded, and everybody split up into smaller groups, with some just enjoying a relaxing day in the village. A group of walkers set off without even a cup of tea, and the birdwatchers went off in 2 parties. The birdwatching was slightly disappointing, but our group did see dippers, nuthatches, a woodpecker, and our usual "garden bird" friends. The other group also found a family of goldcrests, a grey wagtail, and some spotted flycatchers. We were more than compensated for the low species count by the beautiful scenery, lovely sunny weather (at least until the end), ice cream van and excellent cafe! Report by Nina Kingston A FIRST FOR THE U3A BIRDWATCHING GROUP In its first trip away, 19 members of the Birdwatching Group spent the weekend of the 12th-14th June on Anglesey. As we travelled to Anglesey on Friday, our first stop of the day was at the Conway PSPB reserve. As well as a much needed coffee break, some members of the group saw Little Egrets in the distant pine trees and had good views of a group of Black-Tailed Godwits. Lunch was taken at Newborough Forest where Little Grebes and Oyster Catchers were seen. Later, at the nearby Cobb, we had good views of Sedge Warblers and Linnets as well as really close views of more Little Egrets fishing for mullet in the shallow pools. Our 3rd stop of the day was at Penryn Country Park where, although the tide was out, we had good views of a pair of Red Breasted Mergansers. We arrived at the hotel in Holyhead late afternoon. The hotel was suited to the needs of the group and provided an excellent view of the sea front. After our evening meal, some members played bridge and scrabble. The next morning the group headed to The Range where viewing was difficult due to heavy fog. As we headed towards the cliffs, we did get good views of Linnets, White Throats, Meadow Pippits and Stonechats, as well as 6 Chough and a single Wheatear. We also had an unexpected sighting of a hen party - a group of young women in wet suits who, together with their instructor were planning to climb down the cliffs to a ledge and then jump into the sea! We then moved on to South Stack where we enjoyed an early coffee break while we waited for the fog to lift. We then went to Ellens Tower where the group were able to see numerous Guillemots, Razorbills and a few Fulmars. In the Visitor's centre the warden showed us Puffins on the cliffs via the remote camera link. After lunch, some of the group went down the steps towards the lighthouse to try and get their own view of the Puffins. The lucky few got to see four Puffins on a ledge before the fog returned making further sightings impossible for those who had lingered too long over their lunch! 
Black Guillemot - We returned early to Holyhead which was bathed in sunshine and some of the group walked from the hotel to the ferry terminal where there had been reports of Black Guillemots. We were lucky to see four of these birds (see right), including a really close view of one that flew under the bridge. This sighting provided one of the highlights of the trip for a number of people in the group. Two members of the group took the long way back to the hotel but declined fhe offer of a drink from three gentlemen who were sitting outside a pub! After the evening meal, two keen birders (one of whom had to forego the pleasures of bridge) walked to the breakwater and saw over 250 Manx Shearwaters as they headed back to Bardsey Island to roost. At breakfast time on Sunday morning, we did wonder if Manuel from Fawlty Towers had been drafted in to cook the breakfast, due to the time that we had to wait. We then briefly re-visited Penryn Country Park where we were able to add a single Dunlin and a Great Crested Grebe to our bird list for the trip. As we posed for a group photograph we enjoyed watching a range of Mallards with their numerous chicks. Moving on to Cemlyn Bay, the group enjoyed beautifuI sunshine and a nice walk while being tutored by the more experienced birders re the subtle differences between the Common and Arctic Terns, as well as the larger Sandwich Terns. As we were about to head back to the cars, one of the group did announce that she felt 'done to a tern'. Our lunch stop was at picturesque Caemas Bay where the only birds of note were numerous Herring Gulls who wanted to share our lunch. It was here that one member of the group met 'the man from Mold'! Our final stop of the weekend was back on the mainland at Llanfairfechan where we had hoped to see a Dipper. However we were out of luck but everyone felt that this could be a good place for a visit in the next programme. Overall, a total of 75 birds were seen during the trip and everyone felt that it had been an excellent weekend and that we would like to repeat the exercise next year. Report by Jude and Alan Patterson Our September trip will be out into the Mersey estuary to watch sea birds, already booked up, and in October we are going down to the Shropshire Meres. If you want to join our group you can come and see us at a U3A meeting and sign on. Group organiser: Hugh Kingston |
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| Content acknowledgement: Warrington U3A Magazine Autumn 2009 | Page last updated 29 October 2009 |
To get further information, about this or any of our groups, email here to get names and telephone numbers. Alternatively, you can attend a WU3A monthly general meeting and speak to a group representative. | |
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