Congleton Area Wildlife : Short-eared Owl

Saturday 3 March 2018

Short-eared Owl

This cold weather is certainly bringing some unusual sightings with a Short-eared Owl another first for the site. I went to fill the feeders up in the conservation area when I heard Blackbirds and Magpies mobbing something in the grass behind small pond , when to my amazement a Short-eared Owl flew out and turned and headed straight over the houses. Really angry with myself I couldn't react quick enough with my camera. No sign of yesterday's redhead Smew but female Goldeneye and pair of Shoveler. Also seen this morning were two Hawfinch , three Brambling , Snipe , Lesser Redpoll and plenty of Redwing and Fieldfare everywhere. Single Cormorant and Grey Heron , twelve Great Crested Grebe's and three Little Grebe's. Marks added two Dunlin , Grey Wagtail, five Fieldfare , eleven Redwing , four Lapwing , nine Bullfinch , pair Gadwall and Siskin to this morning's list. I visited again at 16-00 after work and managed to see the two Dunlin flying around , also pair Shoveler and Gadwall still but no sign of the reported Smew. I will be down early morning again before work. Birdguides report at 16-00 says Smew still present ?????

Images below are of the two Dunlin taken by Brian Hicks.

Dunlin ( B Hicks).

Dunlin (B Hicks).

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Astbury Rare Bird Sightings

2022 Scaup

2022 Sandwich Tern

2021 Kittiwake

2020 Dusky Warbler

2020 Shag

2019 Mandarin

2019 Short-eared Owl

2019 Black Tern
2019 Arctic Tern
2019 Little Gull
2019 Common Scoter
2019 Smew X 2 (redhead)
2018 Med Gull
2018 Common Scoter
2018 Little Egret
2018 Greenshank
2018 Arctic Tern
2018 Pied Flycatcher
2018 Dunlin
2018 Scaup
2018 Stonechat
2018 Short-eared Owl
2018 Smew (redhead)
2018 Hawfinch

2017 Bearded Tit
2017 Black Tern
2017 Waxwing
2017 Whooper Swan
2017 Common Scoter
2017 Long-tailed Duck (fem)
2016 Goshawk
2016 Scaup
2015 Redstart

2015 Black Necked Grebe

2014 Common Scoter

2014 Med Gull

2013 Knot

2013 Black Necked Grebe

2013 Whooper Swan

2013 Green Sandpiper

2013 Little Gull
2013 Slavonian Grebe
2013 Scaup

2012 Woodcock
2011 Sandwich Tern
2010 Spoonbill
2010 Great Northern Diver

2010 Lesser Spotted Woodpecker
2009 Ring Necked Duck
2008 Kittiwake

2008 Common Scoter
2007 Red Kite

2006 Black Tern

2006 Black Necked Grebe

2006 Common Scoter

2006 Great Northern Diver

2005 Little Gull

2004 Black Tern

2002 Greenshank

2001 Black Tern

1997 Red-necked Grebe

1996 Long-tailed Duck

1996 Smew (redhead)

1996 Iceland Gull

1996 Little Ringed Plover

1996 Snow Bunting

1994 Black-throated Diver

1992 Green Sandpiper

Astbury Site List

R........Rare
S.........Scarce
F.........Fly over
H/O...Heard Only

1 Mute Swan
2 Whooper Swan (R)
3 Greylag Goose
4 Pink footed Goose (F R)
5 Canada Goose
6 Egyptian Goose (S)
7 Shelduck (S)
8 Ruddy Shelduck (R)
9 Wigeon (S)
10 Teal (S)
11 Mallard
12 Gadwall (R)
13 Pintail (R)
14 R C Pochard (R)
15 Pochard
16 Shoveler(S)
17 Ruddy Duck (R)
18 Tufted Duck
19 R N Duck (R)
20 Scaup (S)
21 Common Scoter (S)
22 Smew (R)
23 Goldeneye(S)
24 R B Merganser (R)
25 Goosander (S)
26 L T Duck (R)
27 G N Diver (R)
28 B T Diver (R)
29 Cormorant
30 Shag (R)
31 Grey Heron
32 Spoonbill (F R)
33 G C Grebe
34 Little Grebe (S)
35 R N Grebe (R)
36 Slavonian Grebe (R)
37 B N Grebe (R)
38 Buzzard
39 Red Kite (R)
40 Sparrowhawk
41 Goshawk (F R)
42 Kestrel
43 Peregrine (S)
44 Hobby (S)
45 Moorhen
46 Coot
47 Water Rail (R)
48 Snipe (R)
49 Oystercatcher (F)
50 Lapwing (F)
51 Curlew (F)
52 Golden Plover (R)
53 Redshank (R)
54 Greenshank (R)
55 Knot (R)
56 Little Ringed Plover (R)
57 Dunlin (R)
58 Little Stint(R)
59 Sanderling (R)
60 Common Sandpiper (S)
61 Green Sandpiper (R)
62 Jack Snipe (R)
63 Woodcock (R)
64 Pheasant (S)
65 Red-legged Partridge (R)
66 Common Tern (S)
67 Arctic Tern (R)
68 Sandwich Tern (R)
69 Black Tern (R)
70 B H Gull
71 Common Gull (S)
72 Herring Gull
73 Yellow-Legged Gull (R)
74 Iceland Gull (R)
75 Med Gull (R)
76 Little Gull (R)
77 Kittiwake (R)
78 L B B Gull
79 G B B Gull (R)
80 Tawny Owl
81 Wood Pigeon
82 Collared Dove
83 Stock Dove (S)
84 Feral Pigeon
85 Swift
86 Cuckoo (R)
87 G S Woodpecker
88 Green Woodpecker (R)
89 Lesser Spotted Woodpecker (R)
90 Ring- necked Parakeet (R)
91 Magpie
92 Jay
93 Jackdaw
94 Rook
95 Carrion Crow
96 Raven
97 Goldcrest
98 Blue Tit
99 Great Tit
100 Coal Tit
101 L T Tit
102 Willow Tit (R)
103 Sand Martin
104 Swallow
105 House Martin
106 Kingfisher
107 Pied Flycatcher (R) (H/O)
108 Spotted Flycatcher (R)
109 Nuthatch
110 Wheatear (R)
111 Stonechat (R)
112 Pied Wagtail
113 White Wagtail (R)
114 Grey Wagtail
115 Yellow Wagtail (R)
116 Meadow Pipit (S)
117 Skylark (F)
118 Redstart (R)
119 Chiffchaff
120 Willow Warbler
121 Blackcap
122 Garden Warbler
123 Lesser Whitethroat (S)
124 Common Whitethroat (R)
125 Grasshopper Warbler (R)
126 Reed Warbler
127 Sedge Warbler (R)
128 Treecreeper
129 Wren
130 Starling
131 Waxwing (R)
132 Blackbird
133 Redwing
134 Fieldfare
135 Song Thrush
136 Mistle Thrush
137 Robin
138 Tree Sparrow (R)
139 Dunnock
140 House Sparrow
141 Chaffinch
142 Greenfinch
143 Hawfinch (R)
144 Brambling (S)
145 Bullfinch
146 Goldfinch
147 Siskin
148 Lesser Redpoll
149 Linnet (S)
150 Crossbill (R)
151 Reed Bunting
152 Snow Bunting (R)
153 Yellowhammer (R)

To Be Added

Little Egret (R)

Mandarin (R)

Corn Bunting (R)

Dusky Warbler (R)

Cetti's Warbler (R)

Bearded Tit (R)

Category E species

Black Swan