Paul - this morning, looking towards the peatworks, I and another birder saw a largish brown raptor which at first we thought was the Hen Harrier, but then we could not see a white rump on it. It seemed too large for a f. Sparrowhawk and I wondered if it was that escaped Saker that's been around for a few years, often on the peatworkings. Almost immediately afterwards, the other birder saw a raptor in the same general area that he was pretty certain had a white rump; I got an impression of 2 raptors in that area, with is bisected by the public footpath and its treeline, so not easy.

The egret was back at its private site at 1100, feeding well. But I guess the area will be frozen up first thing in the morning, so the Rindle ditches alongside the road will be a good bet. People need to keep going in their cars past it, though, if they stop, it will fly out of the ditch.

Nice evening tonight on Rindle road but blooming cold.large number of thrushes moving around redwing fieldfare, plus good number of starling.

Stayed till it went dark and as I was leaving just near nook lane large long winged raptor flew over the field, pulled the van over and phoned Pete Berry but he was too far away, the bird did a classic V formation flight over the trees then lost to view, was it or was it not the harrier,

I believe its still there but want a better view for the year list. so back again tomorrow,


Keep Birding

The Gt.Wte. Egret flew back into Rindle Road from its secret hideaway at 4.15pm,also a Peregrine over.No sign of "The Thrush"it must have moved on.
Pete Berry

The G.W.Egret was again in ditches down Rindle Road till 10.30 am when it flew west towards its"private feeding area".
Last night in the hedgerow left of the barn conversions I briefly saw in my bins a "Orange Breasted Thrush" but could not get anything else on it.I didn't have my scope with me,but it definitely wasnt Redwing or Fieldfare.According to Andy Makin another birder saw what was probably the same bird earlier in the day in the same hedge.Both myself and Andy have give the place a good coat of looking at this morning without any luck,but it could still be in the area as there are still lots of thrushes about.Please respect the privacy of the occupants of the barn conversion if looking for this bird.
Pete Berry

16-45 cold
No luck with the GWE and I missed the harrier as well, they have a name for these days don't they.

The Ringtail Hen Harrier was hunting over fields at bottom of Rindle Road at 4pm today,it then drifted off south over the railway.

9am to 11am. bright but pretty cold. with Andy Makin.
We trawled the area by car and on foot but no sign of GW Egret. However is was a good morning anyway as there were large flocks of Redwing and Fieldfare, probably several hundred of each in one area alone (in the field and hawthorn behind the flats).
The feeding station turned up:-
8 Tree sparrows
4 chaffinch
3 great tits
2 robins
1 yellowhammer
2 blue tits
just passed the feeding stn. there is a path to the right, a buzzard was on the grass verge, and in the field to the left was 32 R.L partridge. Just after Andy left the merlincame and a litte later a kestrel.
I will try for the GWE again this evening
Cheers
Mike

No sign of Egret at 9am down Rindle Road.

The GW Egret was again at the private site at 1130 today, where there is suitable feeding. The landowner said it was there yesterday as well. I suspect that what is happening is that it roosts in Rindle Wood, starts feeding at daybreak in the ditches around Rindle Road but is getting disturbed by the road resurfacing men as they arrive. It then flies off to the private site, spending most of the day there, flying back late afternoon in preparation to roost.

Weekends might be a good time at Rindle as hopefully the roadworkers won't be around.

Unfortunately the private site cannot be overlooked from any point and there are no footpaths, and no access. The landowner has asked that I do not identify it.

The Gt. White Egret was back on Rindle Road this pm,in the ditch on the lhs of road,50yds past Nook Lane.
The bird has never flown towards the Peat Pools,it always flies off the opposite way(west).If anyone still hasn't seen it I would suggest either getting down there early am. or late afternoon when the bird comes back to roost in the area.

I have started to put feed out at Rindle Farm Astley. If you visit please post numbers of Tree Sparrow. Eddie King Feed is supplied by Leigh Ornithological Society as is the feeding station at Pennington Flash.

Per Ian the GWE again this morning then west over Rindle Wood. Does that take it towards the peat pools area?

No sign of egret this morning the pool it favoured appears to have gone, no sign of harrier either, if any one sees this I need it for the year list please let me know asap, cheers,

cracking female merlin at feeding station. poss same one warfy had on sunday when he became the first GM birder to get all the egrets in the same year, well done that man.

keep Birding

Geoff Hargreaves wrote:

---

Hi all,after taking a brief but satisfying view of the egret on sunday and then returning 'my' car back to mrs h ,i was considering once a gain the virtues of the 'twitch' i,ve read of buckets being passed around at such events for willing donations to suitable
causes,and i would have been unable to contribute a penny on sunday due to a lack of wallet and warm clothes (forgotten in the rush) so there,s a fiver of mine ready to fund the rindle road feeding station just waiting to fly (hopefully electronicly) to the right bucket.can anyone help.

cheers geoff

---

ALL DONATIONS TO THE JOHN TYMON SWAROVSKI TELESCOPE FUND

Hi all,after taking a brief but satisfying view of the egret on sunday and then returning 'my' car back to mrs h ,i was considering once a gain the virtues of the 'twitch' i,ve read of buckets being passed around at such events for willing donations to suitable
causes,and i would have been unable to contribute a penny on sunday due to a lack of wallet and warm clothes (forgotten in the rush) so there,s a fiver of mine ready to fund the rindle road feeding station just waiting to fly (hopefully electronicly) to the right bucket.can anyone help.

cheers geoff

No sign of the GW Egret at Rindle this evening but a ringtail Hen Harrier at 4.45pm quartering the fields behind Rindle Farm.

hi paul, i was in the green 4x4, nice to meet you.

hi brian were you the gentleman in the 4x4? if so nice to meet and chat briefly with you this morning.

i have no idea why it's so hard to say, 'are you a member of the forum?' out loud!

hope it hangs around - i'm tied up with work all week and probably weekend, now!

egret still around but spent most of the day at a private farm with no public access, bird refound by judith smith, according to local work men could have been around for a couple of weeks. also today merlin, buzzard, sparrowhawk, red legged partridge, stonechat and loads of fieldfares and redwings.

Egret still present this morning 0815 for about 15 minutes in field to the right of the pond - then flew off towards the railway line

Hallo all,
I was watching the Great White Egret yesterday morning. I was talking to a local and she said she first saw the bird on Friday and thought it was a Swan. Back in Norway now and it's snowing like mad. Still plenty of Waxwings about though.

Unless the egret flew down again after Mike Baron and I left around 4.30pm, it's roosting in the wood on the other side of Rindle Road. Looked like it was gliding down into the wood after it flew off, confirmed when Mike spotted it perched in the trees as we drove past on our way home. Easy enough to see from the road.

Judging from the quacking coming from that direction as we were watching the egret, and a quick check on GoogleMaps, it looks like it's roosting above a flight pond in the wood.

Jonathan

Great views of the GW Egret this afternoon, good to see plenty of birdwatchers present and nice to meet up with Dave Evans and Steve Christmas.

HAD GREAT VIEWS FURTHER DOWN THE ROAD UNTIL 16.30 WHEN THE EGRET FLEW OVER THE ROAD OFF TO THE WEST PROBABLY TO ROOST-GREAT BIRDAND COUNTY LIFER FOR ME

-- Edited by JOHN TYMON at 18:24, 2008-10-26

Great White Egret - we arrived at about 14:00 to find the bird walking about feeding in the flooded field to the right of the fish pond. It was an excellent view of the bird, in good light, though it was occasionally obscured by brambles. It ate several large worms whilst we watched it. A local woman stopped her car by us and asked what we were looking at. When we told her, she said that it had been present for 4 days, feeding in the drainage ditches. In fact, this morning she had seen it in the ditch at the side of the road, down to about 10m.

At about 14:40 the bird flew over the pond and over the road. At first we thought that it might land in a ditch, but then it went over the trees. It appeared to land, but we didn't see it after this.

Tim , 15.45 and still present , come off A580 follow road down to bottom and go left 400 yrds farm , in field on left in flood water - 10+ birders present

-- Edited by Roy Ganley at 18:32, 2008-10-26

Dropped in the on way back from Martin Mere with Tony Darby at 2.50 - no sign then got a Birdguides messsge saying flew off at 14:45 - missed by 5 mins

Once again another great 'lifer county etc' tick for me,nice to see everyone again,cracking bird.

cheers geoff

GREAT WHITE EGRET still present on flooded field 1.40pm at least, and enjoyed by quite a few birders! Also Merlin, Sparrowhawk and Buzzard. A couple of locals said its been there a few days walking up and down the ditches

still present at 12.20, thanks to ian mckerchar for info, missed the pennington bird so county tick for me.

26/10/08

GREAT WHITE EGRET present in the field next to the small fishing pond by Rindle Road (just before Rindle Farm) at 11:10

Info thanks to Eddie King/Ian McKerchar

-- Edited by Ian Woosey at 12:37, 2008-10-26

A quick look while parked at the top of the track on Rindle road at 12.30pm

6 Yellowhammers
3 Reed buntings
3 Stonechats
2 Tree sparrows
5 Mistle thrushes
7 Redwing
3 Fieldfare
8 LT Tits
2 Grey partridge
2 Buzzards and 2 Snipe over.

7.30-8.15 am
Around Astley moss

100's of RL Partridges and Pheasants walking along Rindle road together this morning waiting to be shot.

Also seen
2 Stonechats
8 Jays
12 Yellowhammers
5 Treesparrows
15 Mistle thrushes
1 Kestrel

2 RUDDY SHELDUCK
300 PLUS LARKS OVER LITTLE WOOLDEN MOSS TODAY,

INFO VIA JUDITH SMITH

55 minutes on track from Rindle Road to Rindle Wood this AM
8+ Yellowhammer
4 Reed Bunting
2 Stonechat
3 Mistle Thrush
1 Song Thrush
2 Willow Tit
6+ Great Tit
20 Chaffinch
10+ Tree Sparrow
2 Pied Wags
3 Red-legs
1 Meadow Pipit
12 Siskin
4 Redpoll
2 Bullfinch
1 GBB Gull
2 Stock Dove
3 Dunnock
3 Jay
5 Greenfinch
2 Collared Dove
1 Blue Tit
2 Skylark
1 GSWoodpecker
+ Robin; Magpie; Woodpigeon; Blackbird;

AND THAT'S WITHOUT SUPPLEMENTARY FEED FROM EDDY

12.30-1500

8 Grey Partridge f59
9 RL Partridge f59

Rindle wood
1 GS Woodpecker
9 Tree sparrows
1 Yellowhammer
13 LT Tits
2 Goldcrests
12 RL Partridge in the field behind the woods.

Astley moss
8 Pied wagtails
2 Buzzards
Flock of 40+ Goldfinches over
3 Reed buntings

Bedford moss
1 Buzzard
1 Sparrowhawk [f]
1 Coal tit

Nice to see some daylight instead of work for once

6-7pm

Beautiful evening and a nice hour on Rindle Road feeding station.

Stonechat F67
Great Spotted Woodpecker on telephone pole at top of track.
Yellowhammer
Tree Sparrow
RL Partridge - released for shooting but still a lovely sight.
Grey Partridge

Peregrine low over F69 towards Rindle Wood and tried to hit a flock of Woodpigeon.
Only managed to dislodge a few feathers.

Thanks Ian for spotting it was a Peregrine and not a Hobby as first thought.



-- Edited by Duane Martin at 09:03, 2008-09-21

2 Soggy looking Buzzards[ 1 adult and 1 juvenile] perched in trees on Bedford moss early this morning.

Seen in Rindle woods
1 Treecreeper
2 Goldcrests
4 LT tits
3 Tree sparrows
7 Goldfinches

Stonechat seen flying over the track

Weather was cr*p so I went to Martin mere

hobby twice over rindle road this morning around 10.20. 3 buzzards. willow tit calling.

Spotted Flycatcher by Morley's Hall this morning and 2 Yellow Wagtails over (which means they probably flew over my house!).

Info thanks to Andy Isherwood

Down Moss Lane tonight a pre roost gathering on the wires of at least 1160 Swallows(probably a lot more,got fed up of counting them!).Nice spectacle,but no Hobbies in attendance.
Quite a lot of the birds were adults,which presumably means they won't be trying for a 3rd. brood,as they are now migrating back south.

Crossbill in pines on south side of Botany Bay Woods over the level crossing beyond fields 47 and 48 at 12.15pm. Heard initially then it flew over and headed south over the railway onto Barton Moss.
Also:
20+ Siskin around here
3 Buzzard circling and mewing together with a Sparrowhawk

8 Swifts this lunchtime over field 2

Unfortunately the pools have never really produced much goods during the autumn, although wader passage through the county during recent autumns in general hasn't been great. It hasn't helped that there has been much disturbance to the pools (out of view) recently with heavy machinery creating bunds and the likes, hopefully they're near completion now.

Its a job well done Ian but I'm five foot ten. Still not much good when its empty though. Which has been the case on my last three visits.

Rd-legs have been released for shooting as usual in the Nook Lane/Rindle area.

It shouldn't have grown that much as I only cut it a couple of weeks ago but I'll get down tomorrow evening and give it a trim if necessary. It can't be cut too low otherwise the birds (which are very sensitive to diturbance there) flush very easily, though I admit that it's no good for anyone under 5'6" or so.

Dave

2 Stonechat in F69 perching on the wheat and on the fence posts.
1 Male Red Legged Partridge on feeding station road.

It's quite hard to see the East Pools because of the hedge in front of the viewing area.
Either my legs are getting shorter or the hedge is growing.

Duane.

Hi Dave,

I went up this afternoon at 4pm.

2 Kestrel - F59
1 Heron - F59
2 Mistle Thrush - Just before Boag Farm

Combined Harvester & Tractor on Feeding Station Track when I went up so not much there.

I've printed the map off the website and am raring to go exploring.

Duane

Nice to meet you as well Duane. It was a pity that you did not see the Fieldfares as I could have done with someone else seeing them

Rindle road feeding area this afternoon

RL Partridge on the track
6 Yellowhammers
3 Tree sparrows
2 Buzzards
2 Pied Wagtails