Greenshank present on the spit this afternoon, very difficult to see due to the high water levels and vegetation and generally only became apparent when everything flew about which they do quite often for no apparent reason.

Juvenile Little Gull present early am atleast this morning and 2 Common Terns also.

Info thanks to Barry Hulme

8 Snipe and 2 F Goosander from the 'screens'
2 Snipe from New Hide
good numbers of Shoveler, Gadwall and Teal
2 Juv Willow Tits on the feeders - I've seen very few this year so luckily they have managed to raise some young
1 Chiffchaff


-- Edited by Ian McKerchar at 16:37, 2008-09-28

greenshank on the spit this am, green woodpecker along the canal, wheatear on ramsdales ruck and several skeins of pink-feet over.

Info thanks to barry hulme

-- Edited by Ian McKerchar at 08:52, 2008-09-28

1 green sandpiper(new hide) and water rail from horrocks hide+all the usual stuff

Judith Smith wrote:

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John - I wonder if some of these gulls are coming from the Lyme & Wood tip at Newton-le-Willows which is about the same distance away as Astley Tip. It's on Vista Rd.

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most were coming in from that direction sw,there were a lot!estamate about 4000-5000 birds.shame i had to leave

John - I wonder if some of these gulls are coming from the Lyme & Wood tip at Newton-le-Willows which is about the same distance away as Astley Tip. It's on Vista Rd.

8 wigeon-and absolutely massive gull rooste tonight,but against the light it was difficult as mostly they only came in as i was leaving-

paul clemson wrote:

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Adam Dyson wrote:

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thursday 25th

thursdays are my day off college so if the weathers good im gonna try to go every thursday on the bike. today was pretty good.

grey wagtail (from horrocks)
wigeon
snipe
great spotted woodpecker (near canal)
green sandpiper (new hide)
sparrowhawk (swooping through bunting hide)

didnt see the yellow legged gull or hobby. may visit at weekend if the weather stays good.

---

that same sparrow hawk was seen in the teal hide at 2.15 gliding over the water possibly after small birds in the trees but it might have been a hobby because it was smaller than a magpie. I didn't see it perched in the trees and only saw from behind so i'm at a loss it could have been either the sparrowhawk you saw or the hobby because it can catch dragon flies on the wing and are small .did any one else see this

-- Edited by paul clemson at 11:20, 2008-09-26

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also saw the same bird at the flying from the canal area over towards the direction the hides at 1.30

Adam Dyson wrote:

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thursday 25th

thursdays are my day off college so if the weathers good im gonna try to go every thursday on the bike. today was pretty good.

grey wagtail (from horrocks)
wigeon
snipe
great spotted woodpecker (near canal)
green sandpiper (new hide)
sparrowhawk (swooping through bunting hide)

didnt see the yellow legged gull or hobby. may visit at weekend if the weather stays good.

---

that same sparrow hawk was seen in the teal hide at 2.15 gliding over the water possibly after small birds in the trees but it might have been a hobby because it was smaller than a magpie. I didn't see it perched in the trees and only saw from behind so i'm at a loss it could have been either the sparrowhawk you saw or the hobby because it can catch dragon flies on the wing and are small .did any one else see this

-- Edited by paul clemson at 11:20, 2008-09-26

Adult Yellow-legged Gull present again today at 12:58 atleast.

Info thanks to Barry Hulme

thursday 25th

thursdays are my day off college so if the weathers good im gonna try to go every thursday on the bike. today was pretty good.

grey wagtail (from horrocks)
wigeon
snipe
great spotted woodpecker (near canal)
green sandpiper (new hide)
sparrowhawk (swooping through bunting hide)

didnt see the yellow legged gull or hobby. may visit at weekend if the weather stays good.

Wednesday 24th (2 visits today, well you've got to in this weather haven't you )

Yellow-legged Gull- 1 adult showing extremely well roosting on the end of the spit around midday, probably my best views of this species in the county as most I see are sat in the middle of a reservoir and you can't see the legs, unlike this bird I texted Barry Hulme who made his way back to the hide to see it and then I noticed the hide fill up with bins and scopes as all eyes trained on the bird, I only hope some of those birders were users of this forum! (got some great photos of it too)

Also present,

Pintail- 3 female/imm, early am atleast
Chiffchaff- 1 rammies ruck
Great Black-backed Gull- 3 (1adult, 2 1st winter)
Swallow- 18 flew through high south at around 1pm-ish

Pink-footed Goose- 26 flew south at 8:15am (info thanks to Barry Hulme)

Added Black Tern after you left Paul, and Hobby being mobbed by Magpies before bumping into you.

Female Sparrowhawk chasing Jay before the waders took off

Nice quiet stroll round this morning.

6 black tailed godwits from horrocks hide.
large amounts of lapwing possible 3 more than yesterday
snipe
but everything took flight and moved off about 8.20 frightened by a sparrowhawk or Paul Hammond
Green-sandpiper from teal hide.

Keep birding.

The gull roost at Pennington this evening:

Yellow-legged Gull- 2 (adults)
Lesser Black-backed Gulls- 688

Info thanks to Dave Broome

4.30-6pm

Horrocks Hide

50+ Snipe
Hobby juv
Tufted Duck
Great Crested Grebe
Heron
B H Gulls
Herring Gulls
Coot
Teal

11.00-1.00pm

horrocks hide
juv spotted redshanks early morning only stayed briefly
green sandpiper
60+ snipe
500+lapwings

new hide
kingfisher
resident wigeon
teal and tufted ducks
2 little grebe
2 linnets
looked perfect for hobby hawker dragonflies everywhere

toilet block
1 sparrow hawk

juv hobby pm still present over area west of rammies and later over teal hide area,juv black tern,plus all the usual stuff

-- Edited by JOHN TYMON at 22:08, 2008-09-19

Juvenile Hobby still around this am, info thanks to Barry Hulme.

This evening, I set about trying to catch up with Broomey's Wigan Flashes Osprey that I felt must surely be headed for Pennington and finally onto my site list, but of course it never did

However, things weren't all that bad, infact it was a great evening with:

Whinchat- 1 on Ramsdales Ruck, where the much longer, dark browner weedy vegetation is.

Spotted Flycatcher- 1 in the trees/bushes in between the Slag Lane car park and the canal.

Yellow-legged Gull- 1 adult in the gull roost with the good numbers of Lesser Black-backed Gulls and I even managed some decent photos of it with my new, all singing all dancing 13.6 mega pixel digital camera

-- Edited by Ian McKerchar at 19:47, 2008-09-18

pleased is an understatement dean, i really was over the moon, pennington flash site ticks are very rare for me now and for it to be self found!

Fact is though that as the bird was high over horrocks hide i rang as many flash regulars as i could, as i could see people in the hide oblivious to its presence, trouble is that none were in at the time.

Must have missed the Harrier by minutes Arrived just before 1pm. If only i hadn't gone to the loo! Saw you on the far bank Ian, from horrocks. Thought you looked pleased

Dean.

Wednesday 17th

MARSH HARRIER- 1, immature 12:45 . A brilliant new edition to my flash list, as I was walking up to the point opposite the spit the 250 or so Lesser Black-backed Gulls and 5-600 Lapwings which were loafing about all took to the air in a frenzy. The harrier had come in from the north and was circling quite high above Horrock's Hide and then slowly drifted off south (or south-east slightly), marvellous

Late news from Friday 12th - Dave Wilson (an expert birder who ran the Leigh OS for years and years) had 8 Brents on the water on the S side at 1020hrs but they were flushed by a police helicopter and flew off W.

Adult Yellow-legged Gull and juvenile Hobby still present this afternoon.

Info thanks to Brian Fielding

Ian McKerchar wrote:

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After a long bike ride round the flash and a few other sites (trying to get some strength back into the knee):

Saker Falcon (adult)- 1 at 3:40pm, Although there were no visible jessies and as much as I'd like to think it was wild indivdual (the species isn't accepted onto the British List yet!) it seem there atleast used to be a falconer around the Firs Lane area who used to have a Saker and it seems this may be the most likely origin of this bird. Still, superb bird anyway!

Garden Warbler- 1 in the Hawthorns and Elderberries by the stone bridge over the brook at the Slag Lane end.

Chiffchaff- 14 around the whole flash (atleast)

---

just thinking back ian-he didn't have a saker,he had a harris hawk,and that was 20 years ago ,so you never know,could be a first,stranger things have happened in gm birding.p.s ill have to sell my car and get one of them bikes,seemed a beltin peice of kit,and thats from a ex cyclist who at one point about 20 years ago used to ride to the trough of bowland on a sunday with a cyclist friend of mine from atherton.ill have to lose about 4 stone though

After a long bike ride round the flash and a few other sites (trying to get some strength back into the knee):

Saker Falcon (adult)- 1 at 3:40pm, flew across Rammies and vey low over the spit putting the 400 or so Lapwings into a real panic (they later flew exceptionally high, circling around for ages), it then flew low across the front of Horrocks Hide and off towards the golf course. Although there were no visible jessies and as much as I'd like to think it was wild indivdual (the species isn't accepted onto the British List yet!) it seem there atleast used to be a falconer around the Firs Lane area who used to have a Saker and it seems this may be the most likely origin of this bird. Still, superb bird anyway!

Garden Warbler- 1 in the Hawthorns and Elderberries by the stone bridge over the brook at the Slag Lane end.

Chiffchaff- 14 around the whole flash (atleast)

Nice to meet you Mike.

A good couple of hours.
Good views of the Black Tern from Horrocks Hide.
Usual suspects over spit.

New Hide:
1 Wigeon
2 Teal

Kingfisher over pond behind New Hide.

Great views of a Dog Fox that tried to ambush some roosting Mallard seen from New Hide.

He didn't get his supper!!!.

Duane.


-- Edited by Duane Martin at 19:16, 2008-09-13

-- Edited by Duane Martin at 18:20, 2008-09-14

Black Tern dropped in to the flash at 5pm.

Info thanks to Mike Baron (finder was Duane Martin)

hobby juv this afternoon behaving very well for the camera

good news of yesterdays floating grebe nest,water level down a bit today and there were actually 3 eggs in the nest 2 hatched last night,and the chicks were being fed by the adults,and still sitting on the last egg.not much else,lots of LBB gulls,a few snipe,but no-were for stuff to land with being so flooded.

Male Redstart around Sorrowcow Farm pond on the south side of the flash this am, calling loudly and showing well on and off.

Info thanks to Andy Isherwood

sat penny as high water levels i can remember in 30 years at penny,hardly anywere for anything to land,very high gull numbers for time of year 200+LBB,1000+BHGULL mostly on the flooded golf links.also the latest date i can remember great crested grebe on a massive floating nest,still sitting on 1 egg,strange both adults still in full summer plumage when more or less all the others are in winter now.just shows its not the time of year that sets off the moult,its the end of that particular pair breeding that starts it.

Adult Mediterranean Gull infront of Horrock's Hide at 4pm

Info thanks to Mike Baron

sun pm-1 adult and 2 juv black tern(different to the ones sat which were adults.), 1 juv common tern,9 wigeon.

-- Edited by JOHN TYMON at 17:32, 2008-08-31

4 black tern penny this aft-(info charlie owen)

Got out this dinner time thanks Paul, birding on crutches

how you doing ian? you comfortable?

make a quick recovery! your county needs you!

juv black necked grebe still present at the slag lane end and drake common scoter early am

Info thanks to barry hulme

Apologies for the late posting of the news but i've had surgery on my knee today and and posting this from my hospital bed (a manchester birding first)!

refreshing role reversal tonight-i saw a great crested grebe catch and eat a 12 inch pike!!better than pike taking young grebes

Late afternoon, after all day writing the county report and bog-eyed! - 53 Shoveler and I definitely heard a Greenshank from the direction of the spit, but couldn't find it. Nice to meet you, Duane!

9 Black-tailed Godwits through west at 6:56am and juvenile Black-necked Grebe back at the western (Slag Lane) end this morning too.

Info thanks to Barry Hulme

Not much going on whilst I was there today (between 09:30 - 12:00) - 5 Cormorant, Grey Heron, Greylag Goose, Great Crested Grebe and of course the numerous Lapwing (who's number I couldn't even guess at).

Also at the Bunting Hide - hardly anything other than a couple of Great Tit and a few Magpie as there was no food out in the feeders or on the tables - probably due to how the place was flooded... the Mallard and Moorhen seem to have taken advantage of that though.

Juvenile Black-necked Grebe present this morning and also a surprising flock of 12 Redshank at 6:30am which all flew off north-west at 6:45am

Info thanks to Barry Hulme.

horrocks hide
1 buzzard
1 kestrel
2 little grebe
200+ lapwing
200+bhgulls

new hide
1 wigeon
10 gadwal
1 jay
1 little grebe 2 heron

2 more little grebe also seen 1 infront of screen and one infront of teal hide

water is still high so not much chance for waders

Mark Rigby wrote:

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What goes around-comes around!!!!

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thought your lips were sealed??
just need to BREAK your fingers off to stop you from posting then don't l??

What goes around-comes around!!!!

OMG!!! maybe Pengy's should be re-named 'Pongy's'....LOL
l've only ever seen flashes of these birds before but these were by far the best,after trying other places over the 'summer'.Bigger bird than what l'd imagined too....regarding fieldcraft,l think one or two of us might've flushed stuff by accident when excited so l don't blame her

Melanie Beckford wrote:A few minutes later a woman came in and l shared my find with her,then all of a sudden it flew straight towards us,directly onto a perch right in front of the hide,l was about's to have the most unbelievable and long-awaited views.......the woman screamed and clapped in delight that it'd come so close......and flushed it!!!!
never mind

hi mel-don't worry it doasn't stay on the post very long anyway,ive probably spent 20 hours this summer in pengy's they have only landed on that post 3 times,me and a friend charlie owen put that post in in april for photographic purposes,and i have only about 10 shots of them on the post,aalthough ive lots around the area.there are at least 5 kingfishers around the area of new hide, pengys,3 juv 2 adults.the other week after 2 hours watching em drifting back and too past the post it finally landed at which point a child popped up at the front of the hide,apperently his dad had told him to releave himself in the hide but because i was in he went round the front.his dad told him it was a toilet!!so that was the last i saw of the kingfisher that day and answers the question of why pengys always smells like a public toiletkeep birdin

What a pain!

I've been in Pengy's on a number of occasions in the hope - but so far, no joy... I'd've gone MAD if she'd've been around - tell her she's barred, lol.

I've been informed that New Hide's a good one for viewing, and more so come Autumn proper... so I'll keep checking out and fingers crossed, me and the Kingfisher(s) will meet up!

You never know.

:)

Neil.