Sorry, no badgeWe got as far as a logo - Owl in a Pint Glass -but never got as far as things like badges

Mike Chorley wrote:

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You too, Steve As Riggers said, you're now co-opted as an honourary Oldham Birder

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cheers mike,so do i get a badge for that

You too, Steve As Riggers said, you're now co-opted as an honourary Oldham Birder

10.30-5.55pm. first visit here for me & a very good day ,57 species seen throughout the day.

initially started on the trans pennine trail off chester rd where after 5 mins off walking towards moore i had a harris hawk fly past then land,only to be mobbed by 2 crows & 2 magpies.

around 11.05am i came out off the moss wood corner up some steps and stood watching the corvids & gulls & was soon observing a white winger, it had a pale grey back & not much markings on its head could not see colour off legs but could see it had yellow to its bill, possibly an adult winter iceland gull. i am glutten for punishment so please correct me if im wrong

1 bittern,eventually seen at 5.35pm walking & jumping in the reeds for about 10 mins then disappeared. hung around for another 10 mins before disappearing myself. also water rails heard only.
1 tawny owl in usual spot.
missed the lesser spotted woodpecker by 10 mins & could not find again on my mooch around.

on the mooch around...
lots off buzzards,did have 5 in the air at once.
8 lesser redpolls
1 siskin
3 goldcrests
3 great spotted woodpeckers
5 bullfinches
3 treecreepers
2 kestrels
4 sparrowhawks
usual wildfowl around the pools, but also on birchwood pool..
1 goldeneye
2 wigeons
2 pochards
4 shovelers
2 little grebes
1 snipe
1 oystercatcher
the feeding station had at least 12 reed buntings
plus all the usual birds around.

a pleasure to meet mike chorley and other familiar faces

Lesser Spot just before midday in wood next to car park though very elusive.

Cheers
Jason

Lesser Spotted Woodpecker showed briefly at 1230hrs. Tawny Owl in usual roost and Bittern showed briefly in flight over Eastern reedbed at 1530hrs.

-- Edited by Mark Rigby on Sunday 19th of February 2012 09:10:44 PM

Thanks again David for the directions. I managed to see all three of the birds I was going for although I only got very brief views of the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker - it had shown very well briefly just before I got there apparently in the wood on the right near the carpark. I was still chuffed to see it at all!

I had fantastic views of the bittern when it very obligingly walked very slowly between two reed beds. (see my flickr page for photo)

I also saw a short-eared owl and around 15 curlew in the fields around the Moss Side Lane area. All in all a cracking day - I will certainly be back again.

-- Edited by Damian Pendlebury on Sunday 19th of February 2012 07:47:05 PM

-- Edited by Damian Pendlebury on Sunday 19th of February 2012 07:47:47 PM

Thank you very much David, I can't wait to get there now. I've got all day there so hopefully I should see at least one of the three - the LSW is the one I want the most! Thanks again, Damian.

A quick visit this lunchtime.

The male Lesser Spotted Woodpecker showed well down to 20 yards by the old canal just off Lapwing lane.

Very few gulls on Birchwood pool and the Tawny didn't appear to be in it's usual roost.

I've got a very rare free day this Sunday and am planning to visit Moore NR for the first time. I'm hoping to see the bittern, tawny owl and lesser spotted woodpecker. I've found the Eastern Reedbed (OW4) on the map on the website where the bittern has been seen, but can't really find where the LS woodpecker or tawny have been seen from looking at the maps (I can't even find the car park!) Can anyone give me some pointers based on the the maps on the site - I don't want to waste any time when I get there wandering aimlessly - it looks huge from looking at the map! Thanks in advance, Damian.

To Damien: Hope I get my info right to point you to your targets ...... the "bittern hide" is the easiest. Eastern reed bed you have identified on the map. Enter through a steel gate leading up a slight incline to the half sunk hide. The bitterns are often in the close reeds slightly to the right as you look out of the hide towards Warrington. I have to say evening seems to be better for sightings instead of mornings.

The lesser spotted woodpecker ... as you drive to the reserve over the iron swingbridge you come to cross roads. The car park entrance is on one of the crossroad corners. Once parked walk back to that crossroad and pretend you didnt divert to park up, and kept going ahead at the crossroads instead. Thats lapwing lane and your heading for LSW territory! Its found as the road bends to the left. Its often in the trees on the left side of the road (after you have passed the gate / path on the right).

Tawny owl .... I get stuck here and hope others will correct me before Sunday for you, if I get it wrong! I think its on the west side of Birchwood pool on the left just after a small wooden bridge from memory. If its not the west its the east - perhaps someone can clarify?

One thing I am sure of - its a FABULOUS place Moore nature reserve!

-- Edited by DAVID KENNEDY on Friday 17th of February 2012 12:17:19 AM

10.00-14.00
Male Lesser spotted woodpecker
Treecreeper
Loads of Buzzard
Sparrowhawkx2
Kestrelx2
Siskinx2
Greenfinchx2
Loads of Robin
Loads of Wren
Heronx3
Usual waterfowl
No Bittern
Cheers Jay

Eastern Reedbed
3.45 Bittern flew out from reedbed, landing at very edge of reeds just in view. Stayed immobile for 15 mins then walked over ice to central bed.

Eastern reed bed,Bittern showing fairly well around 2pm, flew twice across pool,also water rail,
plenty of teal and a male kestrel,sat preening itself for 30 mins,just in front of the hide, 10 feet away from 5 moorhens!
Cheers Chris

Male Lesser Spotted Woodie showed very well this morning. Also five Great Spots, 2 Nuthatches, Tawny Owl in usual roost, a couple of Siskins with a Goldfinch flock and 40+ Redwings

No gulls were present on Birchwood Pool

DAVID KENNEDY wrote:

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Two (possibly three) bitterns tonight at the eastern reed bed. Two very helpful gents showed me my first ever bittern on my arrival about 5.30pm. Many thanks for making my day to both of you.

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Hi David

It was Jonathan Platt and myself you bumped into. Glad you got some more sightings!

Rgds

Mike

if only they'd stay round long enough to boom

Two (possibly three) bitterns tonight at the eastern reed bed. Two very helpful gents showed me my first ever bittern on my arrival about 5.30pm. Many thanks for making my day to both of you.

Minutes after the gents left (whilst I watched for it moving in my bino's) a second bittern landed in the reeds in the same field of view! I lost this bird after a while, but I found another by scanning the reeds nearby. I can't be sure it wasnt the 2nd bird relocated, but I think it was more likely to be a 3rd individual by its distance from site 2 in such a short time.

Thanks for the reply Stuart, sounds like its in it's usual area.

Cheers
Jason

Hi Jason, if you carry on down the lane past car park,then go thru gate on left of road,it was in the woods on righthand side of the path. Good luck.

Back at Moore today,very cold but worth it. Big thankyou to the guy with camera for putting us on the lesser spotted woodpecker,another lifer,and showing really well,at one point going up tree trunk side by side with treecreeper. Also green woodpecker showing well in woods near carpark. Tawny owl not out today,maybe due to tree felling with chainsaws nearby.

Hi Stuart

Which area was the LS Woodpecker ?

Cheers
Jason

-- Edited by JasonAtkinson on Wednesday 8th of February 2012 06:03:43 PM

flying visit today to see the tawny owl sitting out in full viewso ending a 12 year tawny hunt. now need to go back for the lesser spotted woodpecker.

Juvenile Iceland Gull on Pumphouse Pool today, one of only six large gulls present

Today 9-3 before departing onward to a cold Chester -

Not much kicking around: The haul, including the feeding area visitors: Bulfinch, Song Thrush, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Blackbird, Robin, Chaffinch, Reed Bunting, Coal Tit, Redwing. Moorhen, Coot.
Singles of Great Spotted Woodpecker and Nuthatch on the feeders.
10 Shoveler on the edge of one of the ponds(the largest one) where it had broken through to water and quite a few gulls on it, but nothing special.

4 Teal circled the Eastern reedbed but didn't fancy landing on the ice, and two swans were sleeping the day off.
p.s failed to see any Bitterns on the Eastern reedbed, though two reported yesterday.

An afternoon at Moore today in the bright sunshine had some of the local attractions on view starting with a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker flying out of the small area of trees next to the car park, then the Tawny Owl asleep in its roost and finally good views of one of the Bitterns at the Eastern reedbed.

In between saw of interest Great Spotted Woodpecker, Grey Wagtail, Treecreeper, Reed Buntings, Nuthatch, Lesser Redpoll, Sparrowhawk, Redwing and 4 Buzzards up together.

Hi Mike
Thank you for the info , i will look out for it again but i'm now leaning towards it been a juvenile/first winter as an explanation , it was the palest nuthatch ive ever seen but theres every chance ive never seen a juvey i suppose.

Hi Terry just some thoughts regarding your pale Nuthatch. Not aware of any Europaea (range fennoscandia eastwards) or any other European races ever being recorded in Britain, likewise Caesia hasn't been recovered outside of Britain. Nuthatches are noted for their sedentary nature - with a couple of exceptions - the Siberian race asiatica which has been trapped in Finland (and possibly elsewhere in Scandanavia) and of course the North American Red-breasted Nuthatch one of which took up residence in Norfolk in October 1989.

-- Edited by Terry Long on Saturday 28th of January 2012 07:54:15 PM

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Iceland Gull - 2nd winter - on Birchwood Pool before tipping stopped at lunctime (many thanks to the knowlegeable birder who pointed it out !) plus Common, Black-headed and Herring Gulls.
Also seen along Lapwing Lane were Siskin, Lesser Redpoll, Treecreeper, Blue and Gt.Tits with a small flock of Redwing in Middle Moss Wood and a Gt. Spotted Woodpecker in Round Moss Wood.

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You are very welcome Brian

Also pale legged Chiffchaff hawking for insects by hide at Pumphouse Pool, Sparrowhawk over and adult Yellow-legged Gull seen on tip

Regards

Mike

Terry Long wrote:

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Lesser spotted woodpecker in woods between carpark and lapwing lane , willow tit behind feeding station , Goldeneye on birchwood pool and Tawny owl in usual roost at moore today , no gulls on pumphouse probably due to no tipping today on landfill sight.

Also of note was a very pale nuthatch behind feeding station possible europaea ?

-- Edited by Terry Long on Saturday 28th of January 2012 07:54:15 PM

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Iceland Gull - 2nd winter - on Birchwood Pool before tipping stopped at lunctime (many thanks to the knowlegeable birder who pointed it out !) plus Common, Black-headed and Herring Gulls.
Also seen along Lapwing Lane were Siskin, Lesser Redpoll, Treecreeper, Blue and Gt.Tits with a small flock of Redwing in Middle Moss Wood and a Gt. Spotted Woodpecker in Round Moss Wood.

Lesser spotted woodpecker in woods between carpark and lapwing lane , willow tit behind feeding station , Goldeneye on birchwood pool and Tawny owl in usual roost at moore today , no gulls on pumphouse probably due to no tipping today on landfill sight.

Also of note was a very pale nuthatch behind feeding station possible europaea ?

-- Edited by Terry Long on Saturday 28th of January 2012 07:54:15 PM

Louise have a look at the Moore web site:-

http://www.wrg.co.uk/page.php?article=711&name=Moore+Nature+Reserve

- it has plenty of useful information including maps.

Thanks Mike. I walked around Lapwing Lake along the back path and passed the Tawny Owl to the hide on Birchwood Pool. by then it was going dark. Reading some of the posts just now, it appears the part I didn't visit is the more productive maybe.

Hi Louise, we've had 82 species of birds on the patch (Moore n.r. , Upper Moss Side, Norton Marsh and the Mersey) in the last seven days including - Short -eared Owl, Woodcock, 3 Woodpecker sp and Willow Tit. If you would like some further info of whats around and where please let me know.

Dont worry about it Louise. Ive had great days round Moore and also days when nothing seems to be showing.! Luck of the draw. Like that everywhere. One excellent day will make up for the numerous rubbish ones.

Spent a couple of hours here this afternoon, got to admit I didnt see very much at all, I must be really rubbish!
Did see Tawny Owl when someone took me to see it. Thanks whoever you were.

15,000+ gulls on Arpley tip this afternoon.

2w Iceland Gull on Pumphouse pool
3w Iceland Gull on Birchwood pool along with a melanistic juv Herring Gull.
Also a juv Herring Gull with adult eyes, very strange.

Cheers
Jason

A stunning 2nd winter Iceland gull giving views down to 30 yards at 12.30 today on Birchwood pool. Also the Tawny owl in it's usual roost.

great views today of male lesser spotted woodpecker as it was feeding along dead branch of large tree on left of lapwing lane 20ft past lapwing lake hide just befor old canal bed was showing very well at around 1130 for about 10mins tree it was in is large with old magpies nest near the top.
MIKE

Hi Mike
Ahhh. Didnt realise the Chiffchaff had a call so similar to willow warbler. In that case i was wrong to id it as willow warbler. I got one pic of it however it flew just as i took it so its blurred and dificult to confirm. It was feeding on insects directly in front of colins hide in the small spruce. Thanks for all the info as im always still learning.
Dave

Hi David, given that you didn't get a good view of the warbler and were therefore unable to ascertain crucial id features such as the primary projection, as well as details of structure, plumage, leg colour etc it would perhaps be untenable to ascribe the bird you saw to a particular species. I note the bird you saw had yellow underparts but this can also be a feature of collybita chiffchaff.
Whilst the songs of these species are distinctive the calls are very similar. Collins descibes the call of both species as huitt ( although the inflection differs). I tend to think the call of willow warbler is slightly mellower and a more disyllabic hoo-eet , whereas Chiffchaff (or at least collybita) is more hoowit.
The HBI describes these species as extremely similar and I'm sure most experienced birders on the forum would agree that with only a brief view of a non singing bird it can be difficult if not impossible to be certain of its id. Chiffchaffs are however regularly encountered in our region in the winter, there was one last week at Woolston, ( the UK winter population is estimated at 500 -1000), whereas our willow warblers will be sunning themselves on the Gulf of Guinea.
I've got a day off tomorrow and I'll give the east end of the reserve a bash and hopefully get a view of your bird or better still some video footage.

Hi Mike. It had a very yellow underparts,unfortunately it didnt stop still enough to get posi id or pic. however i clearly heard it hoooeeeet. so thats all i can say. are they unheard of overwintering here.?

Hi David, Willow Warbler don't winter in Britain whereas Chiffchaff does, is it possible your warbler was a chiffy?

Fantastic views of 3 Bitterns at the Eastern reed bed this morning at first light. 2 of them having a bit of a disagreement on a couple of occasions. One gave great views as it sat in the sun , preening for a good half hour.!
2 Sparrowhawks
2 Water rail calling together Eastern reedbed
3 Snipe Birchwood pool
Peregrine making its way upto Starling flock
Tawny owl in usual roost ( Thanks to Nick Isherwood for pointing me in right direction.)
Large flocks of Redwings through Birchwood
Willow warbler outside Colins hide
plus usuals 36 species seen

Great views today of bittern on Eastern reed bed late on as light faded, as it few up from reeds to the right them flew a few circuits round reed bed befor dropping back down near were it had came up from, was very few starlings today
MIKE

A couple of hours at Moore this afternoon mainly to have a look at the Starling roost over the Eastern reedbed. We were not disappointed - there was a reasonable sized group accompanied by a couple of Sparrowhawks

Also had brief flight views of one of the Bitterns.

Andy Dutton and myself spent a couple of hours early afternoon today checking Pumphouse pool, 2000+gulls, highlights - good views of adult and Juv/first winter Iceland gull and adult Med gull, yesterday the adult was also present along with a second winter Iceland
Also today brief but reasonably good views of a Bittern in the east end of the ERB.

Called in at lunchtime for a brief visit.

At least 400 gulls on Birchwood pool. Mostly Herring gulls and Black headed with lots of juvenile Herring gulls present too. A few Greater and Lesser Black backs also present and one, possibly two Yellow legged gulls. The first one was a long headed, swarthy looking bird which displayed it's yellow legs well when it waded out of the pool. The other I was unsure of as it looked different from the first but did look slightly darker than the surrounding Herring gulls. Unfortunately no white wingers were present while I was there.

The Tawny owl was also in it's usual tree.

Brief view of Bittern at Eastern Reed Bed this morning.

First winter Iceland Gull this afternoon.

I guess around 3000 large gulls came down for a bath over 90 minutes or so - very flighty and scared easily. 70% of these were first winter Herring with 20% adult Herring and the rest mainly GBBG's. Very few BHG's and just one Common Gull. Still quite a few argies but no YLG's again - maybe I need to go to SpecSavers!