Also NEW is that the Observatory will be ‘manned’ on Wednesday mornings from l0.00am (or earlier by arrangement) and day permits are available for £1 per person. Visitors have long been welcome to visit too when the voluntary wardens are available on Sunday mornings from 9.00am onwards, when it is possible to join accompanied walks to parts of the National Nature Reserve, courtesy of English Nature. Again day permits are available at £1 per person. (Wellingtons essential, parking is available on the cricket pitch.) Please avoid ‘duck count’ days. Casual visitors can go at times outside of these ‘manned’ hours, but you will need to contact either Peter or Dave below. Any interested societies are also welcome to book a guided visit - again please contact Peter or Dave.

For the last few years outgoings at the Observatory have exceeded income and 2001 has been worse than ever due to foot-and-mouth disease restrictions having made access impossible. This year there are 83 permit holders, but it seems that day visitors’ payments bridge the gap between loss and profit in any year and half of this year has seen no money coming in from this source at all. By far and away the most costly bills are in respect of the insurance premium and for cleaning and with standard permit fees at only £7pa, we have suffered a loss because fewer birdwatchers are visiting. The upshot is an annual loss of around £200 and we are rapidly reducing the reserves built up over decades.

The place is perfect and so peaceful but still needs to be appreciated by more of us. We need help to make ends meet and seek sponsorship, either that or to generate greater use - please do what you can to help.

Rostherne Annual Permit
£7 single, £10 family, £2 senior citizens / children 11-16 years
Application on the CAWOS Membership Form - please enclose an SAE.

Remember: NEW feeding station.
NEW Wednesday morning ‘manning’.

For further information contact:
Peter Day, 41 Dorrington Road, Sale Tel: 0161 973 0067 or Dave Clarke, I Hart Avenue, Sale Tel: 0161 973 7122

Note: Observatory only, managed by Cheshire and Wirral Ornithological Society.

Where and what is Rostherne?
The reserve lies just north of Rostherne village between Altrincham and Knutsford. It comprises 193 acres (78.1 hectares) of mere, woodland and willow beds presented to the then Nature Conservancy by the executors of the last Lord Egerton of Tatton in 1961, together with 177 acres (71.6 hectares) of farmland around the mere which are included by agreement with the tenant farmers. Like other meres in north Cheshire, Rostherne was formed partly by the subsidence of deep-lying salt strata; it is deep and rarely freezes over, which is why it is attractive to waterfowl. Unlike many other meres, it is undisturbed by public recreation. Because its main purpose is to provide a safe and quiet refuge for waterfowl, there is no public access; however good views can be obtained from Rostherne churchyard and from several places along the surrounding lanes, and even better ones from the Observatory itself.

What is there to see?
Although numbers of some species have declined in recent years, winter sees the arrival of many species of duck from northern Europe, in particular Mallard, Shoveler, Pochard and Tufted Duck. In fact regular watchers can expect over a few years to see most species of duck normally seen in inland waters. The mere itself is too deep for most duck to feed there, but it is a safe roosting place. The mere is also a major gull roost in winter. The birds gather at dusk from feeding grounds over a wide area of north Cheshire, and the flock often exceeds 20,000. The main species are Black-headed and Herring Gulls, with smaller numbers of Common and Lesser Black-backed Gulls and a few Great Black-backed. Iceland and Glaucous Gulls are occasional visitors.

The principal breeding species are Mallard, Coot, Moorhen and Reed Warbler, with a few Great Crested Grebes and Canada Geese. Little Grebe and Tufted Duck also breed, but not annually. Late summer sees the start of the build-up in waterfowl numbers, and thousands of Starlings roost in the reed-beds. Water Rails are heard, and sometimes seen, along the water’s edge in winter. Migrants on spring and autumn passage call in briefly; these include Bewick’s and Whooper Swans, Osprey, Shelduck, terns and occasional waders. Sea birds such as Kittiwake and even Fulmar are sometimes blown in by westerly gales. The woods and fields also support numerous birds, and a total of 211 species have been recorded since the reserve was set up.

What is the A W Boyd Observatory?
A W Boyd was a Cheshire naturalist who made a life-long study of the birds of Rostherne Mere and persuaded Lord Egerton to leave the mere as a nature reserve. He was the first president of the Manchester Ornithological Society and on his death in 1959 the Society built the Observatory as a memorial. The Observatory is equipped with powerful binoculars and provides a wide view of the mere from a position near Rostherne church. It was opened in 1962 and was run by the Manchester Ornithological Society until recently, when that body felt itself unable to carry on; discussions between English Nature and CAWOS resulted in an agreement under which CAWOS will take over, initially for a three year period. A subcommittee consisting of representatives from English Nature and from CAWOS will manage the Observatory’s funds, which will be kept separate from the main CAWOS funds. Several voluntary wardens, who have known the site for many years, will continue to patrol the reserve and keep records of its bird life and other natural history.

How can I visit Rostherne?
If you wish to visit on a regular basis, you need to obtain a permit from the voluntary warden in charge of permits: D A Clarke, 1 Hart Avenue, Sale, Cheshire, M33 2JY. Permits for adults (over 16) cost £7 per year; for families £10, and for those under 16, those on state pension, disabled or unemployed £2. Escorted parties can visit the Observatory at £1 a head.Casual visitors can go at times outside of these 'manned' hours, but you will need to contact either Peter or Dave first. Permits are issued annually; when renewal notices for CAWOS subscriptions are sent out at the end of the year members will be able to order and pay for a permit together with their subscription. In the meantime they are available from the address above (please enclose a s.a.e.).

My favourite season at Rostherne is winter and I believe the best time of day to visit depends on the weather conditions. On a bog standard winter’s day; not too cold, none of the local waters iced over; I prefer to do my watching in the afternoon. This allows time to see what waterfowl are on the mere - usually a good variety including the two common species of grebe and several species of dabbling and diving duck including beautiful drake Goldeneyes. A Heron or two may be perched up in bushes on the west side of the mere. In trees below the Obs I look out for Great Spotted Woodpeckers and Siskins, a Green Woodpecker often feeds on the grassy bank below the Obs and a good variety of tits, several Nuthatches at a time and Chaffinches visit the bird table under the Obs windows. As the afternoon progresses Cormorants fly in from their feeding waters, in any number from single birds up to parties of 50 or more, and take up their roosting positions on the guano-encrusted (and mostly dead) trees on the west side of the mere. At the same time the evening gull roost builds up, Black-headeds in the majority followed by Common Gulls. The number of larger gulls is very variable but it can be worth taking the trouble to search through the flock as Mediterranean, Iceland and Glaucous turn up with some regularity. As the light begins to fade a Peregrine might fly in to roost but before settling down will often take the time to harass the incoming gulls and the Jackdaws and Rooks which also use the safety of the Reserve to spend the night.

A less common winter scenario is one of icy cold but bright days when local waters are frozen and even the waters of Rostherne (by far the deepest of the Cheshire meres) itself may be partly iced; then I prefer to watch in the morning. In these conditions Rostherne serves as a refuge for much larger numbers of waterfowl which, but for the security of the Rostherne Mere Reserve, would otherwise have to leave the area. At such times numbers of the two species of common grebe increase but nothing like as markedly as the diving duck flocks, for in such conditions up to 3,500 Pochards and 2,000 Tufted Ducks have been present. These may be present at first light but often they will fly in during the morning from local feeding areas such as the Salford Docks. It is well worth looking through these flocks for Scaup or something rarer. Icy weather seems to attract more Goosanders than usual and, with a lot of luck, perhaps a Smew. The quality of the light in such conditions also enhances the plumage of other species and I find that the effect on the Redwings, Jays and Bullfinches, which often give close views from the Obs, can be quite remarkable.

In recent winters one or two Bitterns have been regularly present, Bewick’s and Whooper Swans have dropped in occasionally and skeins of over-flying Pink-footed Geese have been regular. Rarities seen in winter during the 1990s have included all three species of diver including Great Northern and Black-throated together after northerly gales on one morning, Red-necked Grebe, Ring-necked and Ferruginous Ducks together amongst hordes of Pochards and Tufted Ducks, and a Little Auk.

As February comes to an end and we get into March many of the duck move away although the Cormorant and gull roosts can still hold large numbers. Sparrowhawks and Kestrels display over the Reserve and in recent years Buzzards have moved into the area. The Obs provides an excellent viewpoint from which to observe the display of these birds which might also attract a passing Peregrine or Raven. Spring, and most particularly March and April, before the trees come into leaf, is usually the best time of the year to catch up with the elusive Lesser Spotted Woodpecker and the trees along the mere edge below the Obs are a good place to search. The first Oystercatchers and Curlews appear and thoughts turn to the arrival of other summer visitors. March may not be too far advanced before the first Sand Martin is over the mere and the song of the first Chiffchaff heard. By the end of the month look too for the first Swallows hawking over the mere and adjacent fields and woods. I must admit that in April and May of all times of year I prefer to be out and about rather than in the Obs. Nevertheless the Obs does have its advantages when the weather, as it so often has in recent springs, turns cold and wet. As April proceeds such conditions force large numbers of Swallows and Sand and House Martins to fly low over the water and fields as they search for insects. In similar conditions in May they are joined by hundreds of Swifts, making for an exciting spectacle. Occasionally passage Common, Arctic or Black Terns are also held up by this type of weather. The watcher in the Obs can also keep track of the arrival of the warblers as Willow Warblers and Blackcaps sing from the surrounding trees and Reed Warblers from down by the Boathouse.

Rarities seen in spring in the 1990s include Slavonian and the much more frequent Black-necked Grebe, Little Egret, Garganey, Long-tailed Duck, Marsh Harrier, Osprey, Hobby and Arctic Skua.

By the end of May movement is drawing to a close and the birds are getting down to the serious business of breeding. Most of the Cormorants have departed and the gull roost has broken up. As the season moves into summer the variety of waterfowl is at its lowest ebb but there is still much of interest to see. Great Crested Grebes emerge from the secrecy of their reed-bed nests, hopefully carrying tiny chicks on their backs - watch for the reptilian heads appearing as the other parent approaches with food. Mute Swans hold territory in most years and it is always fascinating to see the chases that ensue when intruding swans pitch down on the mere. Mallard and Coot chicks are about but it is usually much later in the summer before Tufted and Ruddy Duck chicks appear. There is still the chance that a tern will pass through and hirundines are usually in evidence throughout. Many species continue singing well into June and long after everything else does eventually fall quiet the Reed Warbler continues to shout from near the Boathouse. Loafing parties of disinterested looking drake Mallards form from late May as they begin to moult. At odd times in June they might be joined by transitory Teals, Gadwalls or Shovelers but it is July before numbers and variety of species really begin to increase.

Summer is not the best time of the year for rarities, but during the 1990s Black-necked Grebes (both adults and birds of the year) have been seen, parties of Common Scoters can occur, Hobby is a very irregular visitor, an Osprey made a prolonged stay as recently as last year and Sandwich Tern has appeared.

In birdwatching terms autumn can stretch a long way. At Rostherne it might begin with the first returning Common Sandpiper in July. In some years the late summer Tufted Duck flock has peaked at as many as almost 400 birds in July and August and numbers of Gadwall, Shoveler and Pochard begin to increase at this time and might be joined by a Wigeon or an early Goldeneye. At this time of year of course none of these ducks are in their best plumage and it can be quite a challenge to pick out the individual species. Cormorant numbers start the increase towards their mid-winter peak again and the first gull roosts, albeit small, are formed. Garden Warblers, Blackcaps, Chiffchaffs, Willow Warblers and perhaps even the occasional Whitethroat join with the mixed tit feeding flocks and give good views as they pass through the Observatory Wood. By the end of August the last Swift may have gone from over the mere but the two martins and Swallows will remain awhile yet. The occasional tern will feed over the mere. By late September the last Chiffchaff will have sung its valedictory notes and the first Redwing may have appeared. During October Redwings and Fieldfares give excellent views as they feed on hawthorns below the Obs and small numbers often spend the whole winter about the Reserve.

October and November have brought some good rarities during the 1990s. These include two Red-throated Divers together in one year, American Wigeon, an Eider, Long-tailed Ducks including a bird which remained until the following May, the famous Red Kite which lingered so long in neighbouring Tatton Park after first being seen over the Reserve and, perhaps most notably of all for this inland site, a superb Yellow-browed Warbler which appeared in bushes below the Obs one Sunday morning in October 1996.

And so our journey through the birdwatching seasons at Rostherne is completed. All the birds so far mentioned were visible and/or audible from the Observatory but there is a short little side track which readers might be interested to hear of. Wader habitat at Rostherne is very scarce - the only stretch of water’s edge which is really attractive to such birds is a ‘beach’ by the inflow stream. Good views over this area can be obtained from the public footpath which runs from Rostherne Lane (until recently called Manor Lane) beneath the garden of Manor House to rejoin Rostherne Lane near the Chester Road. It is best to leave the car beside the road below the church to walk along the roadside away from the church, up a short hill to join the footpath on a sharp bend by a five-bar gate. Take care because the road is narrow and there is no pavement. In recent years this beach has held Little Ringed and Ringed Plovers, Knots, Sanderlings, Ruffs, Black-tailed Godwits and Green and Common Sandpipers, although not all at once! This position is also very good for ‘scoping the south-east portion of the mere not easily visible from the Obs and presenting probably the best chance of a glimpse of the Bittern or a Smew when present. The low-lying fields between here and the church have held Stonechats, Ring Ouzels and singing Grasshopper Warblers as well as a Red-breasted Goose (of unknown origin) in recent years and are well worth a scan.