1 common swift this morning, info from ian peters.

0815 till 1145
1 common tern
2 curlew over
3 oystercatcher
2 gadwall

0715 till 1145
can only add 1 white wagtail, nr pumphouse briefly
1 little owl

A walk round the res and surrounding area with Simon Warford.

Pretty birdless. No Whitethroats or Sedge Warblers back where they should be by now only small numbers of Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler and Blackcap and low numbers of hirundines for this time of year so not a sniff of anything rarer like Redstart or whinchat.

totals
11 Willow Warbler
3 Chiffchaff
3 Blackcap
200+ Swallow
100+ Sand Martin
5 House Martin

10 Tufted duck elton 18 tufted duck withins
2 Gadwall - marsh

Walk from Bury Bolton Road past Spenmoor Farm, down to Doffer Fold back to site off Buckly Fold then to Lower Spenmoor then along the old railway to Spenmoor Farm again back along another path to middle Spenmoor then back to Bury Bolton Rd. No coinicidence this is the area where they are proposing to build.

all reported sightings north of old railway in the contested area.

Survey Done in 24/04/2009 used in the application had species of note Reedbunting, and Skylark in this area.

Today Storm Showers including thunder 8am - 9.30 of Note
Curlew near old railway, at least Three Reed Bunting one a pair, 2 Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler railway, 2 Cormerant fly over, Skylark one Lapwing flying about/over, and Pheasant and supposed usuals.



-- Edited by Ian Boote on Sunday 22nd of April 2012 12:44:34 PM

oystercatcher buckley fold gadwall marsh, little grebe, lots of willow warbler, chiffchaff blackap, bullfinch and jay on the railway, , reed bunting scattered about skylarks, pheasant, and lots of swallows.

0700 till 0900
1 little ringed plover,again went through north due to nowhere to land
1 kingfisher
a few linnets below pumphouse

Early morning. Awful Morning.

Got that soaked I looked like I been swimming in the res fully clothed so had to come back home.

The res is full to the brim. A common Sandpiper flew round looking for somewhere to land but went off north as its that full and 3 Oystercatcher flew over.

Hardly any summer migrants 10 Willow Warbler, 3 Blackcap and 2 Swallow where are they?!

Early morning. A single Arctic Tern briefly before seemingly flying off north-east. Peregrine on pylon 20 with two Kestrels for company. Two Common Sandpipers on the jetty, plenty of Willow Warblers singing and first Whitethroat singing - otherwise quiet.

quite as last post
blackcap dip hinds, 3 goosander river, little grebe, pheasant, lapwings, grey wagtail, chiffcaffs willow warblers, reed buntings dip canal

a.m. with Ian P, 100's Sand Martin, small number of House Martin and Swallow, 1 Common Sandpiper. Coot still had 7 young on canal also Moorhen with young.
Cheers Ian

1.15-6pm

on res...

no signs off common tern by the time i got there.
hundreds off sand martins
several house martins & swallows
1 common sandpiper
1 peregrine falcon,over
1 kestrel
1 reed bunting
2 willow warblers 1 at creek, 1 at boathouse

river...

1 dipper
1 little ringed plover on pebbles

dip...

1 little grebe
2 blackcaps m
1 chiffchaff
1 grey heron
2 jays

withins...

28 tufted ducks
2 great crested grebes
1 grey heron
2 willow warblers
2 reed buntings

canal...

14 swallows
16 lapwings
1 little owl,one was calling on my way back past crow trees farm
2 meadow pipits
6 pied wagtails

plus all usual birds around

With Paul Wilson, on the res. 2 Gadwall, 1 Common Sandpiper and a newly arrived Common Tern
On the canal 2 pairs of Coot with young, one had 7 and the other had them just hatching, also 2 very close Swan nests and a lot of display between the 2 males.
Cheers Ian

-- Edited by Ian Campbell on Saturday 14th of April 2012 01:45:29 PM

Buzzard flying NW to SE, 3rd one in last 2 Weeks.
Cheers Ian

Ian Boote wrote:

---

and 4 mallard cross ducklings mum is a white duck north shore.

---

2 days ago it had 11 ducklings so it just shows the amount of predation

and 4 mallard cross ducklings mum is a white duck north shore.

Arrived as you left Brian, can only add that the Dipper appears to be now incubating.
Cheers Ian

0630 till 0800
no sign of black-necked grebe
1 curlew
1 common sandpiper
3 oystercatcher
2 blackcap

Black-necked GrebeStill there at 8.30pm moved out into middle of res after the 24 boats went in!

Also
2 Gadwall
4 Teal
38 Tufted Duck
White Wagtail
2 Common Sand
60+ Swallow
200 Sand Martin
single House Martin

110 Lesser Black-backed Gulls and 16 Herring Gull west at dusk

Dip
4 Blackcap (3 male and a female)
Willow Warbler
Little Grebe
2 male Kestrel over

2 Little Owl calling at Crow tree farm

Black-necked Grebe still present at 7:30pm this evening.

Info thanks to Dennis Atherton

0845 till 1000
1 black necked grebe, still showing well in front of boathouse,elton tick
1 little egret,over north at 0945, well found by ian peters,elton tick
3 common sandpipers
1 pink-footed goose,may have landed on withins

Little Egret north over at 09:45 this morning.

Info thanks to Ian Peters

7.15-8.15, Black-necked Grebe in front of boathouse, being photographed by Paul Wilson as I left, also 3 Common Sandpipers.
Cheers Ian

This afternoon, 3 Goldeneye still on (1 male, 2 female), single Blackcap, 2 Willow Warblers, 29 Swallow & 80 Sand Martin is about the best Bury's got to offer

0800 till 0930
3 goldeneye
2 gadwall
1 willow warbler, nr the creek

3.30-7.00pm

on/around res..

1 common sandpiper,near the creek.
1 willow warbler also near the creek, first for the year.
upto 100 hirundines over res mostly sand martins,at least 8 swallows & at least 6 house martins.
4 teals
1 reed bunting

dip...

2 chiffchaffs,1 seen 1 heard
1 blackcap heard
2 jays
1 little grebe

withins...

23 tufted ducks
2 great crested grebes

along canal...

2 little owls, looking cute snuggled up together.
14 lapwings
1 reed bunting
a pair off coot with 5 chicks

2 goosanders on river.

plus all usual birds around


-- Edited by steven burke on Sunday 8th of April 2012 09:41:57 PM

frank wood


Status: Online
Posts: 14
Date: Sun Apr 8 11:03 AM, 2012





Little to write home about after two hours round Elton and Withins today. Highlight was meeting the celebrated Brian Fielding and his Last of the Summer Wine pals at Withins and catching up on his amazing total for Elton last year. Willow warbler singing in the dip, where a heron was gorging itself on mating frogs.

__________________
F Wood

Early morning with Ian Campbell and Brian Fielding

Common Sandpiper - near pump house
10 Lapwing - crow tree farm
Curlew - NE out towards pilsworth
Oystercatcher
2 Wigeon (pair)
2 Gadwall (pair)
28 Tufted Duck
single Peregrine on pylon
Sparrowhawk - dispalying
Kestrel - withins
Common Buzzard - NE over res
4 Chiffchaff
Willow Warbler

some light movement
2 Stock Dove over west
86 Meadow Pipit NW
33 Swallow north
Single House Martin north
30+ Sand Martin north

This morning 7.45 to 10.15am in overcast conditions with patchy drizzle.

single Peregrine on pylon throughout
single Raven over
single Greylag Goose over heading north
male Wigeon and pair of Gadwall
23 Tufted Duck
2 House Martin
11 Swallow
30+ Sand Martin
2 Willow Warbler
7 Chiffchaff
2 Great Black-backed Gulls
2 Bullfinch
single Stock Dove
single Oystercatcher

Second ever visit to Elton 2.30, for an hour.
I'll have better days here, I'm sure, but the drizzle held til I finished.

Withins -
Only 26 Tufted Duck and 1 Great Crested Grebe and 1 Grey Heron, minus Gadwall and Wigeon.

On the main res the yachts were out.
9 Great Crested Grebe
1 Lapwing
2 Cormorant
A handful of Sandmartins and 1 Swallow over

I an assuming that the dip is the bit of marshy ground near the sailing club with the bottleneck of water?
Nothing exotic for me, two singing Chiffchaffs

10 Lapwings on farmland going back along the canal.
for Peregrine Falcon but it was a no show.



-- Edited by John Doherty on Friday 6th of April 2012 05:10:23 PM

Not much to add later
Wigeon and Gadwall had moved to withins
5 Willow Warbler Dip, Hedge back of Sailing Club, Withins, and two on bank of river in Hinds Mill Site.
Lost count of Chiffchaffs from back of Alpha Railway, Canal Hinds Dip
Snipe in Dip
Pair of Oystercatchers flying over
Little Owl
Lapwings
Goldcrest Warthfold
And a New Hydro Generation power station on the Weir powered by an Archimedes Screw.

-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Friday 6th of April 2012 03:17:24 PM

6-7

other than birds already mentioned recently, flock of 5 greenfinch near boathouse, a high count for me there, a few sand martins passing, 2 Great black backed gulls in the roost, no little ringed plover for me, 1 kestrel on pylon,

7.30-9.30 this a.m. no sign of Little Ringed Plover, lots of Meadow Pipits about and 2 Gadwall on res, good views of Dipper on the river.
Cheers Ian

10.30-11.30 a.m. very windy and cold, 1 Wheatear near pumphouse and 12 Meadow Pipits below it. 15 Sand Martin and 1 Swallow over res, Gadwall and most of the Great Crested Grebe appear to have gone. As I was leaving 2 Carrion Crow mobbing a Buzzard flying low below res in direction of Bury.
Cheers Ian

Little Ringed Plover this afternoon.


-- Edited by Peter Johnson on Wednesday 4th of April 2012 05:45:37 PM

0730 till 0930
1 osprey, north over at 0920
1 redshank
1 house martin
3 swallows
7 wigeon
2 shoveler
4 gadwall

0930 till 1130
2 swallows
30+sand martins
4 gadwall
2 teal on withins
ian peters had a dunlin through before i arrived.
3 oystercatcher

7.00-7.30 a.m. 100+ Sand Martin over res and 3 Fieldfare in trees at Old Hall farm before flying off North.
Cheers Ian

good find Brian, very nice, i was there all morning till ten when i left 10 mins too early, would of been nice to see


from 7-10

i couldent see anything out the ordinary on the res so i spent 3 hours searching all the bushes, around the edges, in the dip and the farm,

chaffinch 7
greenfinch 1
goldfinch flock of 7
bulfinch 2
wren 4
singing chiffchaffs 7
1 little grebe on the pond in the dip
goldcrest 1 dip
3 herons
3 kestrels
good numbers of reed bunting, blue and great tits, robins and dunnocks,

the white stork passed over Ewood Bridgge Sewage Works in Rossendale (grid ref SD794206) at around 10:50 am this morning moving north

cheers Kevin

just checked my phone, it was 1010am when the white stork was over elton, it drifted off northwest aprox 10mins later, superb bird to see, i know these birds are of unknown origin but was the first i have seen in the uk.

This a.m. with Brian Fielding and Ian Peters, approx 10.30 a.m. viewed from canal a White Stork, found by Brian circling slowly over pylon 20 then 21 before drifting out of view NW, good views in scope for approx 10 mins.
Also over res 10 Sand Martins, 2 Gadwall and 1 Shoveler on res with 2 Gadwall on Withins also. Dipper seen well on river where 2 Goosander flew over.
Cheers Ian

7.30-8.30 today, 4 Gadwall on res, on river nice views of Dipper and Kingfisher.
Cheers Ian

Today, 6 Sand Martins, 4 Chiffchaff, 5 Redpoll, single Stock Dove, pair of Gadwall, 2 Oystercatchers, 26 Tufted Duck, 2 Little Grebe and 9 Mute Swan.

Whooper Swans still on res. at 18:20.

Also Willow Tit behind hospital.

13 Whooper Swans still present mid morning at least.

Info thanks to Peter Baron.

13 Whooper Swans present 7.15am at least this morning also 3 Sand Martin, 2 Chiffchaff, 2 Redpoll, 4 Gadwall, 1 Greylag Goose and 3 Oystercatcher.

0730 till 1030 with ian campbell
1 chiffchaff nr boathouse car park
4 gadwall
3 goosander
1 greylag goose
3 oystercatcher
8 meadow pipits passing through

Early with Paul W, 3 Goldeneye, 3 Goosander and 4 Gadwall on res. plus 3 singing Skylark.
info from Ian Peters this afternoon 3 Chiffchaff(2 Greenway, 1 sailing club) also heard but not seen, probable Common Tern.
Cheers Ian

very early

4 Gadwall
Drake Shoveler
39 Tufted duck

2 Sand Martins (a tailess bird on res and a second bird over fields at crow tree)
Curlew - heard
Little owl - calling
50 Meadow Pipit North
5 Skylark NE and 6 near withins