In an interesting development this evening, I have been contacted by Stuart Derbyshire who birds the Ribble Estuary and finds lots of interesting geese there. It appears that the Lightshaw bird is the same as one which he found at Longton Marsh on 15th January but which has since gone missing. Of course this doesn't prove its origins either way but it's an interesting movement at least.
colin davies said
Tue Feb 2 7:09 PM, 2021
This afternoon, a small Canada goose with the greylag flock. I reckon most likely Richardson's due to a combination of size, colour, lack of chin strap and bill shape. Also note the diffuse white collar, very faint but it is there.
I guess it's most likely an escape but interestingly the bird was associating with greylags rather than the Canada goose flock two fields away, and obviously occasional wild bean and whitefronts do associate with greylags. Also I watch this flock of greylags pretty regularly for this very reason, just in case a wild goose joins up with them. This is the first time I've seen this bird and it was not with them yesterday.
P. M visit Single Drake Pintail 8 Wigeon Single female Goldeneye 40+Teal 12+ Gadwall 2 Shoveler 70+ Lapwing Single Fieldfare and single Redwing with a group of 14 Blackbird by Lightshaw Hall Single Lesser Redpoll flew over Single Male Kestrel
Ian McKerchar said
Sun Aug 9 2:31 PM, 2020
Late news for yesterday evening, when a juvenile Garganey was on Dover Basin and a Black-tailed Godwit on Lightshaw Hall Flash.
Info thanks to Phil Rhodes
Ian McKerchar said
Thu Jul 9 2:49 PM, 2020
Dover Basin late morning/early afternoon today:
Kingfisher
3 Water Rail heard
Family party of Cetti's Warbler which included 2 young (could well have been more)
Lighthsaw Hall Flash:
12 Greylag Geese
160 feeding Sand Martin
mike_s_jones said
Thu Jun 25 8:11 AM, 2020
A cuckoo being chased by a black headed gull this morning.
Ian McKerchar said
Thu Jun 4 5:50 PM, 2020
Plenty of Reed Warbler around Dover Basin today and also a Lesser Whitethroat. A Gadwall had 9 very small ducklings on the canal there too! Other birds included 2 Shelduck and a fishing Common Tern.
Lightshaw had a few Redshank and 2 drake Shoveler but was otherwise relatively quiet.
Rob Thorpe said
Sun Oct 20 6:56 PM, 2019
Sunday 20 October 2019
3 Crossbill over, heading north, at around 15:20. Also 1 Pintail present for at least a week now. Otherwise, the patch remains relatively quiet.
Ian McKerchar said
Mon Oct 7 12:23 PM, 2019
Great White Egret departed NW at 12:20, towards the Wigan Flashes.
Info thanks to Judith Smith
Ian McKerchar said
Mon Oct 7 11:49 AM, 2019
Great White Egret on floods at Dover Basin at 11:40 today (undoubtably the earlier Pennington bird).
Info thanks to Judith Smith
Ian McKerchar said
Mon May 6 11:01 PM, 2019
Whinchat present at 8:30pm this evening.
Info thanks to Phil Rhodes
Craig Higson said
Tue Apr 30 10:27 PM, 2019
Walked down the canal from Dover Lock to the next bridge along. I didn't go down to Lightshaw Flash but viewed from the towpath. At least 3 Grasshopper Warblers singing plus the usual Reed Warblers, Blackcaps, Chiffchaffs and Willow Warblers. Two Common Terns flew down the canal. Two Greylag Geese with 7 goslings on the canal. A Little Egret was on Lightshaw with at least three Shelduck and a single Shelduck was on Dover Basin.
Paul Richardson said
Thu Apr 4 3:18 PM, 2019
Early visit to Lightshaw before the sun disappeared today.
24 Black Headed and 2 Lesser Black-Backed gulls on the water, along with 8 Shoveler, 4 Gadwall, 8 Teal, 9 Canada Geese, 2 Mute Swan, 7 Coot, 2 Tufted Duck and 6 Shelduck which were distinctly feisty with each other.
On the banks were 4 Reed Bunting, 3 Lapwing, and over the water, 20 or so Sand Martin.
Most surprising (to me at least) was a flock of c.50 Fieldfare in trees and feeding in the field between Lightshaw and Byrom Woods. 2 Redwing were with them. In the same field were 2 Oystercatchers and 13 Lapwing. Estimates not easy when birds feeding on the ground now as the grass getting quite long.
Gordon Newman said
Wed Apr 3 10:40 PM, 2019
p.m walk from Plank Lane to Lightshaw and back
of note
5 Willow Warbler 15 Chiffchaff 1000+ Sand Martin appeared when the sun came out 5 female Goosander Cetti's Warbler singing at Dover Basin 30+ Shoveler 3 Buzzard
Gordon Newman said
Mon Feb 25 3:13 PM, 2019
morning walk from Plank Lane swingbridge along canal and back via Lightshaw Lane and Byrom Hall Woods Highlights
2 Curlew following canal path towards Pennington Flash / Bickershaw Rucks direction between bridge 6 and Plank Lane.
Dover Basin
1 Cettis's Warbler showed briefly 7 Goosander 6 Pochard 1 Water Rail calling Willow Tit on opposite side of canal
single Drake Pintail 12 Goosander single Drake Pochard
Lightshaw
2 Shelduck 7 Teal 2 Goosander
colin davies said
Fri Jan 4 3:31 PM, 2019
30 lesser redpoll from the canal tow path adjacent to Lightshaw Flash today, also 5 shelduck on the flash and 18 goosander on Dover Basin.
dave broome said
Sat Oct 27 12:04 PM, 2018
Good number of thrushes feeding this morning with 400+ Redwing, including a very dark Icelandic coburni bird, 100+ Fieldfare and several Song Thrush. A Brambling dropped in calling and 5 Whooper Swan flew SE at 10:20
Gordon Newman said
Mon Oct 22 6:29 PM, 2018
Cracking afternoon walk from Plank Lane swing bridge to Dover Lock and back via Lightshaw Lane and Byrom Hall Woods. Shame about the lack of birds, where were all the duck on Lightshaw??, not one in sight, no Egret either. 1 Buzzard and a few Redwing was about all that could be worth mentioning, enjoyable walk still.
Ian McKerchar said
Sat Oct 20 5:54 PM, 2018
Great White Egret present of Lightshaw Hall Flash today, feasibly been present since it left Pennington Flash last week!
Info thanks to Judith Smith
Ian McKerchar said
Thu Sep 13 10:02 PM, 2018
Noteable sightings from this morning included:
Single Willow Warbler by Dover Basin, Kingfisher too
Wildfowl on Lightshaw Hall Flash included 4 Wigeon, 67 Mallard and 6 Shoveler.
Craig Higson said
Sun Sep 9 2:11 PM, 2018
100 or so hirundines of all three species this afternoon. Swallows by far the most numerous, with House and Sand Martins only present in low numbers. A single Yellow Wagtail flew over the eastern screen. Singles of Buzzard and Kestrel.
dave broome said
Thu Jul 5 1:07 PM, 2018
36 Lapwing today on the dust bowl that has temporarily replaced Lightshaw Hall Flash
Andy Bissitt said
Tue Jun 26 9:35 PM, 2018
Cettis warbler heard where the footpath to the west of Lightshaw meets the canal towpath by the 'pond'. Also sedge warbler heard there and reed warbler seen. A pair of grey partridge were on the footpath to the south of the meadows and a male yellowhammer was seen (and two others heard).
dave broome said
Sat Jun 2 2:26 PM, 2018
A Red Kite flew NW through the Abram Flashes and on towards Platt Bridge/Wigan Flashes around 14:09-14:20 (blurry record shot attached).
Other birds included 10 Shelduck, 27 Stock Dove and 1 Cettis Warbler. No sign in three hours of an Osprey seen earlier in the day.
-- Edited by dave broome on Saturday 2nd of June 2018 05:59:46 PM
Quiet this evening. Three redshank, 8 shelduck, 1 Oystercatcher, 3 swifts and a cuckoo about the most interesting things.
Ian McKerchar said
Tue May 22 1:47 PM, 2018
Cetti's warbler still singing from the north side of the canal just east of the Dover Lock pub this morning.
Cuckoo singing at Lightshaw Hall Flash.
Craig Higson said
Thu May 17 9:32 PM, 2018
Cetti's Warbler singing on opposite side of the canal just west of Dover Basin. Not a lot else of note.
colin davies said
Wed May 16 10:35 AM, 2018
Late news for yesterday, singing lesser whitethroat from the canal footpath near the first bridge when heading east from Lightshaw.
Ian McKerchar said
Tue May 1 1:58 PM, 2018
Between Dover Basin and Lightshaw western end today 7 singing Sedge Warbler, 4 Reed Warbler 10 Whitethroat, 9 Willow Warbler and 4 Chiffchaff.
6 Greylag Geese at Dover Basin and two broods of Mallard on the canal.
Ian McKerchar said
Sat Apr 28 4:54 PM, 2018
3 Whimbrel at the western end of Lightshaw at 11am today but departed east at 11:45.
Info thanks to Judith Smith
james hall said
Wed Mar 7 6:19 PM, 2018
Fist time here in over a year for me walked down the canal from Pennington:
Green woodpecker just of canal near the bench that looks over the meadow
6 buzzard 4 circling 2 in trees
2 wigeon male and female
2 shelduck
3 oystercatcher
1 female goosander
15 lapwing
20+ teal
10 shoveler
bernard hooley said
Thu Feb 8 11:36 AM, 2018
Post for yesterday.Walked down the lane to Lightshaw from the main road. In the large field on the right there was a flock of Carrion Crows numbering around 100.Along the lane itself were. Collared Dove x2 Starling x4 Blackbird x6 Blue Tit x6 Magpie x6 Black Headed Gull x12 Chaffinch x3 Fieldfare x1 Blackcap x4 Tree Sparrow x2 Pheasant x3 Wood Pigeon x10 Common Buzzard x5 Long Tailed Tit x8 The flash itself was 95% frozen .Therefore nothing on it at all. On the surrounding fields were Canada Goose x4 Mute swan x3 Grey Heron x2 moorhen x1 Mallard x8 Coot x10 Cormorant x1
Simon Warford said
Tue Sep 26 7:41 PM, 2017
Late post for yesterday, 3 Pintail and 5 Wigeon amongst the Gadwall and Teal.
-- Edited by Simon Warford on Tuesday 26th of September 2017 07:41:49 PM
Craig Higson said
Thu Sep 21 9:42 PM, 2017
Very very quiet this afternoon viewing from the south eastern screen. A single Wigeon was perhaps the most interesting thing. Singles of Swallow and Sand Martin hinting at what the hirundine flock at the opposite end - 10 or so birds - might have been composed of. Still a large number of Canada Geese, but I've lost patience counting them!
Craig Higson said
Fri Sep 15 7:37 PM, 2017
4 Snipe, 183 Canada Geese and 3 Wigeon this evening. Water levels getting back to normal.
Craig Higson said
Thu Sep 14 9:14 PM, 2017
Water levels very high this evening, but clearly not as high as they have been as many of the adjacent fields had plenty wildfowl in them, mostly out of sight unfortunately. There were well over 200 Canada Geese present. Teal and Gadwall were obviously around as I could hear them but couldn't see them as they fed in the flooded fields. There were also three wigeon present.
dave broome said
Sun Sep 3 7:39 PM, 2017
Birds at Lightshaw Hall Flash this evening included 71 Gadwall, 6 Shoveler and 5 Teal
Craig Higson said
Tue Aug 29 8:12 PM, 2017
Late afternoon stroll calling at the eastern screen only. Most numbers are minimum as I only had bins and there were quite possibly/probably more of each species.
This morning,
Little egret 1
Wigeon 4
Grey partridge 2
Shelduck 2
Oystercatcher 2
A glorious afternoon at Lightshaw, birds included:
Pintail 1 drake
Wigeon 7
Pochard 2 1st winter males
Little egret 1
Fieldfare 20
Redwing 10
Shelduck 2
Pintail 1 drake
Shelduck 2
Oystercatcher 2
Wigeon 4 drakes
1 Little Egret
1 Drake Pintail
1 Drake Wigeon
3 Shelduck
5 Goosander
1 Willow Tit
1 Buzzard
No sign of Richardson's cackling goose today. Canada geese were well down on recent days, but they might just feeding somewhere out of sight.
One raven over was the highlight.
-- Edited by colin davies on Thursday 4th of February 2021 12:31:53 PM
The Richardson's Cackling goose is still present but now with Canada geese in field south of the flash. It's unringed.
-- Edited by colin davies on Wednesday 3rd of February 2021 01:11:51 PM
In an interesting development this evening, I have been contacted by Stuart Derbyshire who birds the Ribble Estuary and finds lots of interesting geese there. It appears that the Lightshaw bird is the same as one which he found at Longton Marsh on 15th January but which has since gone missing. Of course this doesn't prove its origins either way but it's an interesting movement at least.
This afternoon, a small Canada goose with the greylag flock. I reckon most likely Richardson's due to a combination of size, colour, lack of chin strap and bill shape. Also note the diffuse white collar, very faint but it is there.
I guess it's most likely an escape but interestingly the bird was associating with greylags rather than the Canada goose flock two fields away, and obviously occasional wild bean and whitefronts do associate with greylags. Also I watch this flock of greylags pretty regularly for this very reason, just in case a wild goose joins up with them. This is the first time I've seen this bird and it was not with them yesterday.
34 whooper swans over Lightshaw Flash flying north west at 10:50am. Interestingly, 35 were recorded flying north over Bakewell in Derbyshire at 10:04.
Single Drake Pintail
8 Wigeon
Single female Goldeneye
40+Teal
12+ Gadwall
2 Shoveler
70+ Lapwing
Single Fieldfare and single Redwing with a group of 14 Blackbird by Lightshaw Hall
Single Lesser Redpoll flew over
Single Male Kestrel
Late news for yesterday evening, when a juvenile Garganey was on Dover Basin and a Black-tailed Godwit on Lightshaw Hall Flash.
Info thanks to Phil Rhodes
Dover Basin late morning/early afternoon today:
Kingfisher
3 Water Rail heard
Family party of Cetti's Warbler which included 2 young (could well have been more)
Lighthsaw Hall Flash:
12 Greylag Geese
160 feeding Sand Martin
Plenty of Reed Warbler around Dover Basin today and also a Lesser Whitethroat. A Gadwall had 9 very small ducklings on the canal there too! Other birds included 2 Shelduck and a fishing Common Tern.
Lightshaw had a few Redshank and 2 drake Shoveler but was otherwise relatively quiet.
3 Crossbill over, heading north, at around 15:20.
Also 1 Pintail present for at least a week now. Otherwise, the patch remains relatively quiet.
Great White Egret departed NW at 12:20, towards the Wigan Flashes.
Info thanks to Judith Smith
Great White Egret on floods at Dover Basin at 11:40 today (undoubtably the earlier Pennington bird).
Info thanks to Judith Smith
Whinchat present at 8:30pm this evening.
Info thanks to Phil Rhodes
24 Black Headed and 2 Lesser Black-Backed gulls on the water, along with 8 Shoveler, 4 Gadwall, 8 Teal, 9 Canada Geese, 2 Mute Swan, 7 Coot, 2 Tufted Duck and 6 Shelduck which were distinctly feisty with each other.
On the banks were 4 Reed Bunting, 3 Lapwing, and over the water, 20 or so Sand Martin.
Most surprising (to me at least) was a flock of c.50 Fieldfare in trees and feeding in the field between Lightshaw and Byrom Woods. 2 Redwing were with them.
In the same field were 2 Oystercatchers and 13 Lapwing.
Estimates not easy when birds feeding on the ground now as the grass getting quite long.
of note
5 Willow Warbler
15 Chiffchaff
1000+ Sand Martin appeared when the sun came out
5 female Goosander
Cetti's Warbler singing at Dover Basin
30+ Shoveler
3 Buzzard
Highlights
2 Curlew following canal path towards Pennington Flash / Bickershaw Rucks direction between bridge 6 and Plank Lane.
Dover Basin
1 Cettis's Warbler showed briefly
7 Goosander
6 Pochard
1 Water Rail calling
Willow Tit on opposite side of canal
Lightshaw
50+ Lapwing
1 Oystercatcher
20+ Teal
4 Shelduck
Lightshaw
13 Wigeon
40+ Teal
20 + Gadwall
3 Shelduck
13 Greylag Geese
Dover Basin
6 Pochard
Dover Basin
single Drake Pintail
12 Goosander
single Drake Pochard
Lightshaw
2 Shelduck
7 Teal
2 Goosander
30 lesser redpoll from the canal tow path adjacent to Lightshaw Flash today, also 5 shelduck on the flash and 18 goosander on Dover Basin.
Great White Egret present of Lightshaw Hall Flash today, feasibly been present since it left Pennington Flash last week!
Info thanks to Judith Smith
Noteable sightings from this morning included:
Single Willow Warbler by Dover Basin, Kingfisher too
Wildfowl on Lightshaw Hall Flash included 4 Wigeon, 67 Mallard and 6 Shoveler.
Cettis warbler heard where the footpath to the west of Lightshaw meets the canal towpath by the 'pond'. Also sedge warbler heard there and reed warbler seen. A pair of grey partridge were on the footpath to the south of the meadows and a male yellowhammer was seen (and two others heard).
-- Edited by dave broome on Saturday 2nd of June 2018 05:59:46 PM
Cetti's warbler still singing from the north side of the canal just east of the Dover Lock pub this morning.
Cuckoo singing at Lightshaw Hall Flash.
Late news for yesterday, singing lesser whitethroat from the canal footpath near the first bridge when heading east from Lightshaw.
Between Dover Basin and Lightshaw western end today 7 singing Sedge Warbler, 4 Reed Warbler 10 Whitethroat, 9 Willow Warbler and 4 Chiffchaff.
6 Greylag Geese at Dover Basin and two broods of Mallard on the canal.
3 Whimbrel at the western end of Lightshaw at 11am today but departed east at 11:45.
Info thanks to Judith Smith
In the large field on the right there was a flock of Carrion Crows numbering
around 100.Along the lane itself were.
Collared Dove x2
Starling x4
Blackbird x6
Blue Tit x6
Magpie x6
Black Headed Gull x12
Chaffinch x3
Fieldfare x1
Blackcap x4
Tree Sparrow x2
Pheasant x3
Wood Pigeon x10
Common Buzzard x5
Long Tailed Tit x8
The flash itself was 95% frozen .Therefore nothing on it at all. On the surrounding
fields were
Canada Goose x4
Mute swan x3
Grey Heron x2
moorhen x1
Mallard x8
Coot x10
Cormorant x1
-- Edited by Simon Warford on Tuesday 26th of September 2017 07:41:49 PM
Birds at Lightshaw Hall Flash this evening included 71 Gadwall, 6 Shoveler and 5 Teal
Gadwall 65+
Redshank 5
Snipe 3
Teal 4+
Black-headed Gull 76+
Swallow 37
House Martin 11
Shoveler 2
Lapwing 10
Buzzard 2
Yesterday evening, a grasshopper warbler was reeling distantly from the western screen.
Mid -afternoon visit.
Hobby 1
Buzzard 1
Almost forgot...
- Redshank 1
- Shelduck family
- Common Tern 4 flew through and then another 2 were put up from a bank that was out of view to us