pennington is atleast as safe as anywhere else in the county, in 28 years birding there i've never once encounted any problems you should try birding at newbiggin in north east england if you want to really feel unsafe!

Ian

Speaking of reprobates - I never feel totally at ease at Pennington perhaps others feel the same way.

Sid A

I understand where you're coming from John but not sure I agree. Pennington Flash has had a decent year in actual fact when all thing are considered:

Brent Geese- atleast 43 individuals
Mealy Redpolls
Temmincks Stint
Red-throated Diver (also 3 unidentified fly-over divers)
Great White Egret
Arctic Skua
Spotted Reshanks
Iceland Gull- atleast 3 individuals
Glaucous Gull
Yellow-legged Gulls
Marsh Harrier
A few Blach Terns
Little Gulls
Sandwich Tern
Turnstones/Sanderlings
Little Gulls/Kittiwake
Garganeys
Firecrest
Long-eared Owls- on view!
That cracking Redstart
Whooper Swans- probably nearing three figures in total
Best ever site year for Hobby
Scaups/BNGrebes/Common Scoters

etc, etc, etc.

All this from, to be fair, less than a handful of regular, hardy, observant and capable birders. I maintain that if Pennington were to receive full, site wide, regular coverage (akin to that received by Audenshaw and Elton) then we would probably so much better, but I'm not sure the change in habitat has much bearing on it overall (although the water levels of course may). I think you're harking back to the days when a certain group of young reprobates used to hammer the place, though I'm not sure we used to do any better sometimes

Ian McKerchar wrote:

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JOHN TYMON wrote:

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I CAN'T BELEAVE WE ARE GETTING SO FEW RECORDS FROM PENNY ON HERE,IVE NO CHANCE OF GETTING DOWN IN THE WEEK DUE TO WORK,BUT THERES ALWAYS PEOPLE ON PENNY,SO WHERE ARE THE RECORDS?THIS IS IDEAL WEATHER AT PENNY!IVE ALWAYS FOUND SLAV GREBES/RED NECKED GREBE & SMEW WHEN ITS LIKE THIS.SOMEONE GET DOWN THERE AND FIND ME SOMETHING WORTH PHOTOGRAPHING FOR WEEKENDP.S I DO WISH FRANK HORROCKS WAS STILL ALIVE,HE WOULDN'T LET A BIT OF ICE/SNOW/COLD PUT HIM OFFP.S BORED STUCK IN THE OFFICE AT WORK-- Edited by JOHN TYMON at 13:12, 2008-12-03

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I've been down a couple of times this week alone John as usual and have not posted because there's nothing to report ! The usual Goosanders are still present but other than those and the usual commoner birds it has been very quiet.

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I think the water levels at the flash these days,seems to affect stuff dropping in,there never seems much land even in summer,and strangely enough i don't think the trees have improved the birding at penny-if you think 20 years ago a bird say a diver flying high over the flash,there were hardly any trees,the flash must have looked massive,and well worth dropping in,plus it was bustin with small roach and bream back then.  now if a diver flies over it must seem like a woodland with bits of water.i suppose only them who was there 25+ years ago would know what i mean,the flash was a desolate place ,but fantastic for birds,now it a family frindly woodland with water,which doasn't to me seem as good a habitat for the general,dropping in of rare birds.my thought anyway

JOHN TYMON wrote:

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I CAN'T BELEAVE WE ARE GETTING SO FEW RECORDS FROM PENNY ON HERE,IVE NO CHANCE OF GETTING DOWN IN THE WEEK DUE TO WORK,BUT THERES ALWAYS PEOPLE ON PENNY,SO WHERE ARE THE RECORDS?THIS IS IDEAL WEATHER AT PENNY!IVE ALWAYS FOUND SLAV GREBES/RED NECKED GREBE & SMEW WHEN ITS LIKE THIS.SOMEONE GET DOWN THERE AND FIND ME SOMETHING WORTH PHOTOGRAPHING FOR WEEKENDP.S I DO WISH FRANK HORROCKS WAS STILL ALIVE,HE WOULDN'T LET A BIT OF ICE/SNOW/COLD PUT HIM OFF
P.S BORED STUCK IN THE OFFICE AT WORK

-- Edited by JOHN TYMON at 13:12, 2008-12-03

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I've been down a couple of times this week alone John as usual and have not posted because there's nothing to report ! The usual Goosanders are still present but other than those and the usual commoner birds it has been very quiet.

dont worry john there are still a few of us willing to go out in the snow. i went to penny flash yesterday afternoon on the bike after college. didnt see much though.

Simon Warford wrote:

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John, is your Caps Lock button stuck on your works keyboard too?

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yes

JOHN TYMON wrote:

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I CAN'T BELEAVE WE ARE GETTING SO FEW RECORDS FROM PENNY ON HERE,IVE NO CHANCE OF GETTING DOWN IN THE WEEK DUE TO WORK,BUT THERES ALWAYS PEOPLE ON PENNY,SO WHERE ARE THE RECORDS?THIS IS IDEAL WEATHER AT PENNY!IVE ALWAYS FOUND SLAV GREBES/RED NECKED GREBE & SMEW WHEN ITS LIKE THIS.SOMEONE GET DOWN THERE AND FIND ME SOMETHING WORTH PHOTOGRAPHING FOR WEEKENDP.S I DO WISH FRANK HORROCKS WAS STILL ALIVE,HE WOULDN'T LET A BIT OF ICE/SNOW/COLD PUT HIM OFF
P.S BORED STUCK IN THE OFFICE AT WORK

-- Edited by JOHN TYMON at 13:12, 2008-12-03

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John

We all thought you were finding the birds so we've been putting our feet up in our warm homes wondering why you hadn't found anything!!

I seem to spend most of my days parked on a motorway somewhere in the north west at the moment - I would much rather be out birding.

Mike

John, is your Caps Lock button stuck on your works keyboard too?

I CAN'T BELEAVE WE ARE GETTING SO FEW RECORDS FROM PENNY ON HERE,IVE NO CHANCE OF GETTING DOWN IN THE WEEK DUE TO WORK,BUT THERES ALWAYS PEOPLE ON PENNY,SO WHERE ARE THE RECORDS?THIS IS IDEAL WEATHER AT PENNY!IVE ALWAYS FOUND SLAV GREBES/RED NECKED GREBE & SMEW WHEN ITS LIKE THIS.SOMEONE GET DOWN THERE AND FIND ME SOMETHING WORTH PHOTOGRAPHING FOR WEEKENDP.S I DO WISH FRANK HORROCKS WAS STILL ALIVE,HE WOULDN'T LET A BIT OF ICE/SNOW/COLD PUT HIM OFF
P.S BORED STUCK IN THE OFFICE AT WORK

-- Edited by JOHN TYMON at 13:12, 2008-12-03

bunting hide at pennington flash will be closed from today (1st) and reopen on saturday (6th) in order to deal with the current rat problem.

Alternative feeding (for the birds, not rats!) has been placed via a bird table on the left hand side of the short approach track to pengies hide.

This short term inconvenience is unavoidable so your patience is appreciated.

Info thanks to peter alker

27.11.08-goosander-14,shellduck-3,teal 200+,shoveler-64,kingfisher-2,sparrowhawk-1f,cormorant-27+ all the regulars+1 very wet moocher.

Couldn't find any rare grebes today, but there was a Chiffchaff at Rammy's, and 2 Whoopers which departed E at 1106hrs, a Shelduck and 4 Wigeon.

Beryl Blackhall reports a probable Red-necked Grebe in Rammys today. She found the last one there, so worth a look...

Peregrine over this am.

Info thanks to Barry Hulme

12-30pm to 2-30pm. sunny but cool.

usual gulls, cormorants, lapwings G.C.Grege etc, from Horrocks hide.

2 shovellers diving + tufties, mallards, coots, moorhens from new hide.
hardly anything from Pengy's and Lapwing hide.
Usual finches and tits + Robins and Dunnocks from bunting hide.(2 willow tits really feeding up) Nut feeders have disappeared (economy drive?)
Saved the best till last
12 Goosander 7f 5m (I love goosanders) 80 Teal, 10 Gadwall, 2 L Grebe, 6 Mallard from Teal hide

2 redshank this am

Info thanks to barry hulme

600 Pink-feet south-east over at 09:45 this morning and the Green Woodpecker is apparently being seen very regularly at present.

Info thanks to Barry Hulme

not a lot at the flash today ,but me and charlie owen have been watching something we have not seen in 30 yearsa female shoveler at the front of new hide that feeds by diving exactly the same as a tufted duck,which it was in company of,i have seen both teal and shoveler dive under when bathing but this was feeding just like tufted and one dive was down for 30 seconds.In charlies opinion,he thought it could possibly be a case where a shoveler had laid a egg in a tufteds nest,and this shoveler had been braught up as a tufted,so knew no different,due possibly to the continuous diving ,it holds its wings much lower than a normal shoveler,its body seems to have adapted to divingkeep a look out if your in the new hide,youl be amazed
Also eirlier at the back of pengys a possible bittern flew over the reedbed about 40 yards,then dropped down again,unfortunately,i could not get the bins on it in time,as i had the camera up to my eyes at the time,so can't claim any points ianas i only got a glimse!!but im sure it was one

-- Edited by JOHN TYMON at 20:05, 2008-11-15

18 Whooper Swans east over at 09:20 this am

Info thanks to Barry Hulme

3 adult Whooper Swans on the main water this am.

Info thanks to Barry Hulme.

long eared owl from new hide this morning

Info thanks to mike baron

sat-1st nov 1pm-4.30pm-goldeneye-12 female,1imm male,1 adult male,tufted duck 200,wigeon-6,redwing -50+.sparrowhawk-1 male,1fem.pochard-12,skylark-2,meadow pipit-2,L.t,TIT-30+,Common snipe-32,plus massive gull roost at dusk-5000+.



CROSSBILL 1 EAST END- AM-SEEN AND HEARD BY DAVE WILSON

-- Edited by JOHN TYMON at 18:41, 2008-11-01

Snipe 40+
Long Tailed Tit (Small Flock of 9)
Wigeon
Female Golden Eye-5
Female Great Spotted Woodpecker
Dunnock -2
Shoveler

Cold!

Shoveler
Bull Finch
Little Grebe
Kingfisher(New Hide )
Teal
Pochard
Tufted Duck
Cormorant
Snipe

2 fem/imm garganey still present mid afternoon from new hide, heading towards pengys

Info thanks to phil rhodes

same as roy except female pintail asleep on mini spit from horrocks hide this morning.

Horrocks
Kingfisher
Snipe 15+
Wigeon
1 Male +3 Female Goosander
Female Golden Eye
Little Grebe
Great Crested Grebe

New Hide
Great Created Grebe +2 Young

Bunting (very Wet)
6 Bullfinch
4 Longtailed Tit

25/10/08

juvenile Garganey showed a couple of times from New hide between 1.40 and 2.00pm but generally elusive.
1 Wigeon from Teal hide plus all the usual stuff.

1 imm/fem garganey (pengys),3 goldcrest ,2 golden eye,+all the usual stuff

Juvenile Grey Plover present on the spit until atleast 5pm, also present today:

Dunlin- 1 (per. John Lyons)

Brent Goose- 1 pale-bellied with Coots on the grass in front of the yacht club, also photographed (per. David Wilson)

-- Edited by Ian McKerchar at 20:57, 2008-10-22

2 Garganey (probably juveniles) from New Hide at approx. 5pm.

Info thanks to Mike Baron

7 whooper swans on the flash this afternoon, departed NW just after 2.00 pm.

Also of note, as a first for me at Pennington, one treecreeper. Lots of other things of course that are standard fare at the Flash.

2 whooper swan flocks!1 with 9 birds and 1 with 7 birds =16 flying east 2.30 pm ish,plus lots of redwings 200+

50+ redwing,25 fieldfare(plank lane end),72 great crested grebe,500+tufted,42 pochard,4 wigeon,1 f goosander,14 cormorants,lots of gulls coming in when i left at 3pm.

lots aof redwings 4pm ish near to between bunting hide and teal hide,4 fem/imm goosander,1 fem golden eye.6 wigeon,plus all the usual stuff

2 Goldeneye this morning.

Info thanks to Barry Hulme

27 Whooper Swans through SE this morning (see Hope Carr thread too)

Info thanks to Barry Hulme

Morning today:

118 Snipe (Horrock's scrape and spit)
4 Goosander
4 Dunlin (flushed from spit)
1 Golden Plover (flushed from spit)

Info thanks to Barry Hulme

12-2pm today

147 Snipe (Horrock's and spit)

Single adult Common Tern present today and 2 Whooper Swans flew south at 10:20am.

Info thanks to Barry HUlme.

adult med gull on point 3pm

drake scaup still present at the western end today and single ruff on the spit

Info thanks to barry hulme

drake scaup still plank lane end

Drake Scaup at Slag Lane end of Flash at lunchtime today

Firecrest this morning in with a tit flock along the north shore, in between the lagoon and the Slag Lane end at 8:15am.

Not seen subsequently although the tit flocks usually circuit the north shore and take in the area around the Slag Lane car park and the wooded bits on the north side of Ramsdales Ruck so can be elusive.

Info thanks to Barry Hulme

Today at Pennington:

Bar-tailed Godwit- single through west at 9:10 am (Barry Hulme)
Dunlin- 3 south-west at 9:30am (Barry Hulme)
Scaup- single drake Slag Lane end (Barry Hulme/Brian Fielding)
Pintail- 1 female still around (Barry Hulme/Brian Fielding)

female pintail, 9 buzzards up together over boat club, goosander, wigeon, snipe, kingfisher.

About 30 Snipe restlessly flying about the flooded spit, too. Not much else though.

3 Chifchaffs today during a circuit of the entire flash...nuff said

interesting afternoon spent at the flash, in of all places the bunting hide...

with a fox scattering 6 or 7 moorhen, then a sparrowhawk low through and then a scrap between a rat and a squirrel with the rat eventually chasing the squirrel off along a branch then returning to the table.