WeBS Counts and Warbler Survey

Up-dated MARCH 2004

Wildfowl counts for early 2004 will take place on 25th January, 22nd February, 21st March and 25th April. Help is always most appreciated. Meet at car park adjacent to No3 bed at 08 30h.

                                                                WeBS Counts 2003   

  In mid-August,  297 Gadwall were counted on the Reserve; this is almost certainly a County record.        

**March recordings also included a Ringed Plover, Dunlin, 2 Redshank and 2 Kingfisher. A male Garganey was seen on the river during the April count. At the September count, a Jack Snipe was  seen at the sandpit pond:

   3 Black-tailed Godwit were noted during September and November counts.

#  Single sightings of Goosander and Kingfisher also noted

from 1998 – 2002 

Monthly wildfowl (WeBS) counts have been carried out at Woolston since late 1978 and all the data is held by the WeBS Secretariat at Slimbridge.  Listed below are the species that occur regularly in nationally important numbers at the site. 

The qualifying levels for national importance are as follows: 

                Gadwall  80 

                Teal   1400 

                Shoveler   100

                 Pochard   440 

                 Tufted Duck   600 

NB  

a)      The qualifying level for international importance for Teal is 4000 and this was reached during January       2002.  In the past flocks of up to 5,500 have occurred in winter at Woolston, but ca 2000 is a more         typical winter maximum.

b)      Although the Tufted Duck five-year mean does not reach the national importance level in the above table a flock of 858 was present early in 2003 and if one was to calculate a five-year mean for 1999-2003 this would be 628, thus exceeding the qualifying level of 600. 

2.      Breeding Waterfowl 

2.1    Black-necked Grebe 

Woolston Eyes is the principal breeding site in the country for this rare grebe (less than 50 breeding pairs in the United Kingdom).  It was first recorded at Woolston in the mid 1980s and breeding first proved in 1987.  At least one pair summered in 1988 and two young were seen, while in 1989 five adults summered and two pairs bred.  In 1990 similar numbers were present and three broods hatched.  In 1991 eleven adults summered and four pairs bred, all of which double brooded. 

However, late in 1991 the landowners (The Manchester Ship Canal Company) drained the breeding water on the ground of public safety, claiming that the surrounding earth bunds were unsafe in various places.  With most of the water gone a few Black-necked Grebes returned each spring from 1992 – 1994 but did not stay long.  Several pairs bred at three other sites in North Cheshire and Greater Manchester in those years. 

By 1995, however, following a wet winter the water level rose on the former breeding site at Woolston (No. 3 bed) and two pairs bred, fledging three young.  In 1996 three pairs bred, although only one young fledged, whilst in 1997 four pairs bred (the maximum number of adults was nine) and four young fledged.  Since then numbers have increased dramatically as the following table shows: