A fairly long ramble from the car park near Rivington and Blackrod High School to White Coppice and back . Circuiting Most of the resovoirs and using the new bridleway into White Coppice. 1 Goldeneye (f).....High Bullogh 2 Pochard (m).....Anglezarke 1 Tufted duck (m)......Upper Rivington 60 Mallards 200 Bh Gulls 18 Lbb Gulls 2 Ravens doing aerobatics over Black Coppice. 2 flocks LT tits Quite a few Crows,Blackbirds,Robins,Magpies and Wood pigeons. a few Blue tit and 2 Gt. tit. More single birds seen ....... Jay Wren Nuthatch Song Thrush Chaffinch and the Peacock In total ...not a lot for 12 miles !
-- Edited by keith mills on Sunday 14th of November 2010 06:39:41 PM
Ian Woosey said
Sun Jul 4 10:28 PM, 2010
4/7/10 (07:45 - 10:50)
Full circuit of the reservoir produced the following:
2 Buzzard (1 over Nab Hill, 1 over High Bullough Res) 1 Treecreeper 1 Kestrel 2 Great Crested Grebe (southern end) 2 Tufted Duck, both males (High Bullough Res) 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker 1 Cormorant 1 Grey Heron c100 Canada Geese 1 Meadow Pipit 12 Goldfinch (inc juvs) 5 Collared Dove plenty of Great Tit & Blue Tit juveniles
1 Peacock at Warings Farm...
Ian McKerchar said
Sat Jul 3 8:59 PM, 2010
Originally posted by Paul Risley, 03.06.10:
3 Hours over the moor and round the Plantations
7 Ravens 1 Kestrel 2 Curlews A few M pipits and juvs of Great, Blue and Coal tits plucked remains of male Bullfinch, poss Sparrowhawk kill
Jimmy Meadows said
Wed May 14 7:58 PM, 2008
a walk with local rspb group today birds included 3 garden warbler spotted flycatcher pied flycatcher common sandpiper 2 g c grebe 2 buzzards 1 raven 1 red shank cracking views of a wood warbler which made up for missing g w e at pennington all in all a cracking day out sorry this should be in out of county birding
-- Edited by j meadows at 20:00, 2008-05-14
Gary Gorner said
Sat Apr 26 4:01 PM, 2008
NICE WALK AROUND THE RESI THIS MORNING MANY BIRDS ABOUT MAINLY WILLOW WARBLERS,TITS,MIPITS AND SKYLARKS.ALSO 2 LINNET AND SEVERAL CHAFFINCH,GREENFINCH AND GOLDFINCH. COMMON SANDPIPER FEEDING ALONG EDGE OF WATER ALONG WITH TWO PIED WAGS. SWALLOWS, USUALLY AROUND THE FARMS ALONG THE WAY. ON THE WATER 4 GREAT CRESTED GREBE,4 CANADAS,8 MALLARD AND 6 BLACK BACKED GULL. 8 CROWS ON TOP OF QUARRY,1 BUZZARD AND 1 KESTREL.
HIGHLIGHT WAS THE PICNIC PROVIDED BY MRS G
Judith Smith said
Fri Feb 23 8:39 PM, 2007
The BTO are a law unto themselves, as we all know!
Steve Suttill said
Fri Feb 23 11:59 AM, 2007
Thanks Judith.
It will be good to get some definitive boundaries, but I bet the BTO doesn't adopt them - apart from the Wetland Bird Survey of course!
Yours inconsistently, Steve
Judith Smith said
Thu Feb 22 10:12 PM, 2007
Let me sort all this problem of ornithological boundaries out for everyone, seeing that I am the joint artist (?) - maybe it should be cartographer? - of a definitive map of ornithological boundaries in the UK, to be published very shortly in British Birds - although let me say straight away that David Ballance has done all the real work. Hopefully this will be used for all reports (eg Scarce Migrants, RBBP, BBRC) in future. Back in 1974, there was a major reorganisation of local authority boundaries following the Redclyffe-Maude report. In England, 6 Metropolitan counties were formed, and in the NW these were Merseyside and Greater Manchester. GM's consisted of 10 Metropolitan Borough Councils, which subsumed all the previous County Boroughs, Urban and Rural District Councils and Municipal Boroughs in the area. This inevitably meant some shire county boundaries were altered slightly - so that all the new MBCs were roughly the same size in population terms. Anyone in local government who worked at that time knows just how difficult it was. As a librarian I had to amalgamate card catalogues from 3 different library authorities - no computers in those days! The birding community took a bit longer to sort themsleves out. There was a conference held (I think in 1975) where everyone sorted themselves out. Peter Wolstenholme was I believe the representative for this area, and GM became an ornithological recording area. Merseyside didn't, I don't know why, and was split up between the new Lancs and the new Cheshire. Then, in 1986, a change of government meant that the metro counties, which had various functions such as Planning which the metro boroughs didn't, were done away with, and these powers devolved to MBC level. But legally, the metro counties still exist (Lord Lieutenants etc). And various quangos have had to be formed to administer things like ecology, archaeology, geology as it isn't economic for each borough to have people just for these things. There will be an article shortly in BB by David replying to the first letter Steve refers to - basically Watsonian VCs are a non-starter if not used since the 1976 reorganisation. End of space!!
Steve Suttill said
Thu Feb 22 12:37 PM, 2007
Since Ian (the Boss) says the banter is OK, I guess I can add my "two-pennorth" as we say here in Yorkshire! Yes, part of "God's own county" has been coerced into Greater Manchester - not only Saddleworth but part of Mossley (including my house) was in Yorkshire when the Watsonian vice-county system for wildlife recording was started.
Seriously, there seems to be a campaign (I think I've seen letters in "British Birds" recently) to go back to the vice-county system. Botanists still seem to use it (it makes sense when comparing historical data) and the GM County database has a column for entering the vice-county.
I suppose it depends where you live as to which system you would prefer. My local patch includes three VCs (South Lancs, Cheshire & West Yorks) and the point where they meet is just 100 yards from my home. It wouldn't take much effort to count the same bird on three county lists within a few minutes (not that I would do such a thing!) The main problem with VCs is that they are hard to trace on maps - you would have to look at parish boundaries and have some historical knowledge - whereas there are road signs telling you when you are entering, or leaving, Greater Manchester.
I think this thread could run and run...
Steve (a Tyke born and bred)
Dean Macdonald said
Wed Feb 21 11:02 PM, 2007
I'm going to Anglezarke again this weekend, if i can find it! I agree the banter is great and we shouldn't take ourselfs too seriously. When it comes to recording sightings within any given county the people who record them know which to include in the county list.
I bet a few people on here who hadn't been to, or heard of Anglezarke, will now be considering a visit. Which can only be a good thing. And let's face it we're all Lancashire lads
Geoff Walton said
Wed Feb 21 9:21 PM, 2007
Ah, you need a passport to come to Etherow. let me see, is it in , Derbyshire or Chesire or Greater Manchester or Stockport??? Been in all in my time
-- Edited by geoff at 10:45, 2007-02-22
Ian McKerchar said
Wed Feb 21 8:13 PM, 2007
The boundary dispute is indeed just a bit of banter, which I wholeheartedly wish to promte.
In setting this forum up especially, I intended it not only to be for serious stuff like sightings but also to be used for the light hearted banter and typically amusing postings that have 'littered' it from time to time (which was some reason for me adding the 'discussions section'), I think they're great, I like reading them so long may they continue This is our forum, let's enjoy it!
This thread may have started out as a sighting (so it's in the right place then!) but there is no problem as it finishing as a full blown parlimentary debate if we want it to, but I hope you haven't taken any of this too seriously as birding can be serious enough at times and that's not really why I do it.
Please continue your postings, I for one fully appreciate them and we never get enough stuff from Etherow which is a great birding location
Neil Southworth said
Tue Feb 20 9:22 AM, 2007
Dean Mac wrote: I think it's safe to say i'll not include Anglezarke here anymore.
Don't really want to get involved in border disputes But seriously, Ian this is a great website.Keep up the good work.
Dean,
The boundary dispute is just a bit of banter! The request for records is serious. If any Greater Manchester birders have records from the Rivington / Anglezarke area, they would be very much appreciated. I repeat that they can be posted on the Chorley Natural History Society Forum at www.chorleynats.org.uk/forum. Thank you in anticipation.
Neil Southworth (Bird Recorder CDNHS)
Dean Macdonald said
Mon Feb 19 11:38 PM, 2007
I think it's safe to say i'll not include Anglezarke here anymore.
Don't really want to get involved in border disputes But seriously, Ian this is a great website.Keep up the good work.
Geoff Walton said
Mon Feb 19 11:09 PM, 2007
Hi Ian. I will not abuse the thread which is for sightings only. Thanks for the web site and all your work etc. Etherow is actually my patch
Geoff
Ian McKerchar said
Mon Feb 19 9:22 PM, 2007
geoff wrote: No such place as Greater Manchester County, so no problem
Went there last week. Goldcrest 3 feet away. Redwings,Grebe.Goldeneye
-- Edited by geoff at 07:58, 2007-02-19
Not sure I'd quite go that far Geoff otherwise, not only would I be assistant county recorder of nothing, own a website covering nothing, have worked very hard to achieve the highest county year list for nowhere but it also means I work for a Fire service that actually doesn't exist! Mind you, as long as they continue to pay my wages
Neil Southworth said
Mon Feb 19 5:09 PM, 2007
Too right we can get touchy about neighbouring counties muscling in on our area! We're fed up of repelling empire builders!
Seriously though, if you have any records for the Chorley recording area - the area north of Wigan and Bolton - we will be pleased to receive them on our forum, if you wish to register at www.chorleynats.org.uk/forum.
Geoff Walton said
Sun Feb 18 11:17 PM, 2007
No such place as Greater Manchester County, so no problem
Went there last week. Goldcrest 3 feet away. Redwings,Grebe.Goldeneye
-- Edited by geoff at 07:58, 2007-02-19
Ian McKerchar said
Sun Feb 18 9:23 PM, 2007
Not a problem Dean, you're not alone in the old Lancs and Cheshire boundries either
Dean Macdonald said
Sun Feb 18 9:13 PM, 2007
Ooops. Sorry Ian, affraid i'm one of the old school who still thinks we're all still Lancashire.
Ian McKerchar said
Sun Feb 18 1:27 PM, 2007
A nice walk indeed Dean, but be careful, people can get touchy about posting from outside the county
Dean Macdonald said
Sat Feb 17 9:23 PM, 2007
Had a nice walk round Anglezarke today. 1 male and 2 female Goldeneye on the top small reservoir (think it's called Yarrow). Male starting to display. A Buzzard over the car park and really close up look at a Treecreeper.
to White Coppice and back . Circuiting Most of the resovoirs and using the new bridleway into White Coppice.
1 Goldeneye (f).....High Bullogh
2 Pochard (m).....Anglezarke
1 Tufted duck (m)......Upper Rivington
60 Mallards
200 Bh Gulls
18 Lbb Gulls
2 Ravens doing aerobatics over Black Coppice.
2 flocks LT tits
Quite a few Crows,Blackbirds,Robins,Magpies and Wood pigeons.
a few Blue tit and 2 Gt. tit.
More single birds seen .......
Jay
Wren
Nuthatch
Song Thrush
Chaffinch
and the Peacock
In total ...not a lot for 12 miles !
-- Edited by keith mills on Sunday 14th of November 2010 06:39:41 PM
Full circuit of the reservoir produced the following:
2 Buzzard (1 over Nab Hill, 1 over High Bullough Res)
1 Treecreeper
1 Kestrel
2 Great Crested Grebe (southern end)
2 Tufted Duck, both males (High Bullough Res)
1 Great Spotted Woodpecker
1 Cormorant
1 Grey Heron
c100 Canada Geese
1 Meadow Pipit
12 Goldfinch (inc juvs)
5 Collared Dove
plenty of Great Tit & Blue Tit juveniles
1 Peacock at Warings Farm...
3 Hours over the moor and round the Plantations
7 Ravens
1 Kestrel
2 Curlews
A few M pipits and juvs of Great, Blue and Coal tits
plucked remains of male Bullfinch, poss Sparrowhawk kill
3 garden warbler
spotted flycatcher
pied flycatcher
common sandpiper
2 g c grebe
2 buzzards
1 raven
1 red shank
cracking views of a wood warbler which made up for missing g w e at pennington
all in all a cracking day out
sorry this should be in out of county birding
-- Edited by j meadows at 20:00, 2008-05-14
COMMON SANDPIPER FEEDING ALONG EDGE OF WATER ALONG WITH TWO PIED WAGS.
SWALLOWS, USUALLY AROUND THE FARMS ALONG THE WAY.
ON THE WATER 4 GREAT CRESTED GREBE,4 CANADAS,8 MALLARD AND 6 BLACK BACKED GULL.
8 CROWS ON TOP OF QUARRY,1 BUZZARD AND 1 KESTREL.
HIGHLIGHT WAS THE PICNIC PROVIDED BY MRS G
It will be good to get some definitive boundaries, but I bet the BTO doesn't adopt them - apart from the Wetland Bird Survey of course!
Yours inconsistently, Steve
Let me sort all this problem of ornithological boundaries out for everyone, seeing that I am the joint artist (?) - maybe it should be cartographer? - of a definitive map of ornithological boundaries in the UK, to be published very shortly in British Birds - although let me say straight away that David Ballance has done all the real work. Hopefully this will be used for all reports (eg Scarce Migrants, RBBP, BBRC) in future.
Back in 1974, there was a major reorganisation of local authority boundaries following the Redclyffe-Maude report. In England, 6 Metropolitan counties were formed, and in the NW these were Merseyside and Greater Manchester. GM's consisted of 10 Metropolitan Borough Councils, which subsumed all the previous County Boroughs, Urban and Rural District Councils and Municipal Boroughs in the area. This inevitably meant some shire county boundaries were altered slightly - so that all the new MBCs were roughly the same size in population terms. Anyone in local government who worked at that time knows just how difficult it was. As a librarian I had to amalgamate card catalogues from 3 different library authorities - no computers in those days!
The birding community took a bit longer to sort themsleves out. There was a conference held (I think in 1975) where everyone sorted themselves out. Peter Wolstenholme was I believe the representative for this area, and GM became an ornithological recording area. Merseyside didn't, I don't know why, and was split up between the new Lancs and the new Cheshire. Then, in 1986, a change of government meant that the metro counties, which had various functions such as Planning which the metro boroughs didn't, were done away with, and these powers devolved to MBC level. But legally, the metro counties still exist (Lord Lieutenants etc). And various quangos have had to be formed to administer things like ecology, archaeology, geology as it isn't economic for each borough to have people just for these things.
There will be an article shortly in BB by David replying to the first letter Steve refers to - basically Watsonian VCs are a non-starter if not used since the 1976 reorganisation. End of space!!
Seriously, there seems to be a campaign (I think I've seen letters in "British Birds" recently) to go back to the vice-county system. Botanists still seem to use it (it makes sense when comparing historical data) and the GM County database has a column for entering the vice-county.
I suppose it depends where you live as to which system you would prefer. My local patch includes three VCs (South Lancs, Cheshire & West Yorks) and the point where they meet is just 100 yards from my home. It wouldn't take much effort to count the same bird on three county lists within a few minutes (not that I would do such a thing!) The main problem with VCs is that they are hard to trace on maps - you would have to look at parish boundaries and have some historical knowledge - whereas there are road signs telling you when you are entering, or leaving, Greater Manchester.
I think this thread could run and run...
Steve (a Tyke born and bred)
I'm going to Anglezarke again this weekend, if i can find it!
I agree the banter is great and we shouldn't take ourselfs too seriously.
When it comes to recording sightings within any given county the people
who record them know which to include in the county list.
I bet a few people on here who hadn't been to, or heard of Anglezarke, will now be considering a visit. Which can only be a good thing.
And let's face it we're all Lancashire lads
-- Edited by geoff at 10:45, 2007-02-22
In setting this forum up especially, I intended it not only to be for serious stuff like sightings but also to be used for the light hearted banter and typically amusing postings that have 'littered' it from time to time (which was some reason for me adding the 'discussions section'), I think they're great, I like reading them so long may they continue This is our forum, let's enjoy it!
This thread may have started out as a sighting (so it's in the right place then!) but there is no problem as it finishing as a full blown parlimentary debate if we want it to, but I hope you haven't taken any of this too seriously as birding can be serious enough at times and that's not really why I do it.
Please continue your postings, I for one fully appreciate them and we never get enough stuff from Etherow which is a great birding location
The boundary dispute is just a bit of banter! The request for records is serious. If any Greater Manchester birders have records from the Rivington / Anglezarke area, they would be very much appreciated. I repeat that they can be posted on the Chorley Natural History Society Forum at www.chorleynats.org.uk/forum. Thank you in anticipation.
Neil Southworth (Bird Recorder CDNHS)
I think it's safe to say i'll not include Anglezarke here anymore.
Don't really want to get involved in border disputes
But seriously, Ian this is a great website.Keep up the good work.
Geoff
Seriously though, if you have any records for the Chorley recording area - the area north of Wigan and Bolton - we will be pleased to receive them on our forum, if you wish to register at www.chorleynats.org.uk/forum.
Went there last week. Goldcrest 3 feet away. Redwings,Grebe.Goldeneye
-- Edited by geoff at 07:58, 2007-02-19
Ooops. Sorry Ian, affraid i'm one of the old school who still thinks we're all still Lancashire.
Had a nice walk round Anglezarke today.
1 male and 2 female Goldeneye on the top small reservoir (think it's called Yarrow). Male starting to display.
A Buzzard over the car park and really close up look at a Treecreeper.