First visit to the site and spent a couple of hours from 8.45 this morning in glorious weather.

Sightings
8 long tailed tit
2 Sedge Warbler (1 giving great views)
Reed Warbler
5 Willow Warbler
2 Swift
Swallow
House Martin
Whitethroat
Reed Bunting everywhere
Buzzard enjoying the thermals
Lapwing
Lots of Black-headed Gulls

Great site and I'll definitely be returning very soon

90 minutes mid afternoon.Warm but damp.

Sitings:
Buzzard....2
Jay....3
Sedge Warbler....1
Willow Warbler ....3
Common Whitethroat....3
Chaffinch....1
Blackcap....1
Reed Bunting....4
Swallows....15
Swift....1
Plenty Canada Geese and Mallards present (1 Mallard brood)

Some new pools have been created recently and work was going on this afternoon with diggers.


-- Edited by keith mills on Wednesday 9th of May 2012 04:44:36 PM

Grasshopper warbler heard reeling in field next to motorway slip road, 0730, and again at 1600.

1 male whinchat and possibly a female as well. 2 grasshopper warblers, 1 reeling, 1 in undergrowth just about 3 feet away. 2 possible marsh tits, may have been willow tits don't really know how likely marsh tit is around here. Also 1 whitethroat seen along with 20+ reed buntings, tons of swallows and 8 lapwings.

4.30 this pm... stroll round the base of Mount Reebok with John Parkinson:

Buzzard ...1
Swallow ...12
Common Whitethroat....1
Willow Warbler ...10 heard...3 seen.
Canada Geese...2
Mallard...1
Blackcap...1
Reed Bunting....5
Willow Tit, Chiffchaff, Pheasant and Moorhen Heard.

-- Edited by keith mills on Wednesday 2nd of May 2012 06:31:18 PM

-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Wednesday 2nd of May 2012 08:02:37 PM

early evening stroll Red Moss and environs......Chiffchaff at "Mount Reebok", a pair of Jay, singing Goldcrest, calling Pheasant, Snipe flushed from waters edge, a few Grey Heron and another Chiffchaff at Gibb Farm (far end of the Moss).....very pleasant evening walk......

Solitary chiffchaff singing on the slopes of Mount Reebok.
2 x buzzards and a sparrowhawk over.

-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Sunday 18th of March 2012 02:44:05 PM

Sedge and Grasshopper Warblers audible while doing Bolton 5k yesterday morning. I don't think they were happy at 300 people running through their territories.

Early afternoon (solo) and again this evening with John Parkinson:
Lots of Warbler song.

Willow Warbler 20 at least
Whitethroat 12 at least
Blackcap 1
Sedge Warbler 5 (good views of 2)
Reed Warbler 2 heard only
Grasshopper Warbler 2 heard only
Reed Bunting 7
Buzzard (lowish) 1
Mallard/Canada Geese/BH Gulls
Lapwing 8.... flying around.

Today:

2 Grasshopper Warblers
100 Swallow north
1 Wheatear
1 Snipe

Info thanks to Andy Makin

Full of warbler song today, a fresh arrival last few days,

Grasshopper Warbler 4
single Reed Warbler
Sedge Warbler 12
Whitethroat 14
Blackcap 3
Chiffchaff 1
Willow Warbler 15+
Redpoll 3
Teal 2
Buzzard

2 Grasshopper Warblers singing at lunchtime today, 1 showing wonderfully well out in the open for ages, also Little Ringed Plover present today.

Also 300 Lapwing in ploughed field there

Late morning with Warfy senior & Simon Johnson.

Woodcock
Willow Tit 6
Lesser Redpoll 30
Siskin 20
Buzzard 1
Jay 2

55 Pink feet over winter hill heading nw early pm.

Simon and myself am.

Flock of c40 Siskin plus 10 Lesser Repoll on the tip mound (Alders).

Woodcock 2
Buzzard
Wood Pigeon 300+
Stock Dove 3
Reed Bunting 10+

Around midday today:

37 Reed Bunting
7 Redwing
5 Skylark
31 Snipe

Info thanks to Andy Makin

20+ Teal present this afternoon.

first visit or reccy

First view was a Buzzard comming from tree near the farm close up being pursed by two magpies.

Over six snipe in small groups once out on the marsh proper

Flocks of long tailed tits, reed bunters, some teal a swallow and a willow tit

Saw the metal bridge but it started to rain and so I called it a day but saw all this in an hour

Entered the site from the west on the track under the motor way acess was through the farm and through a stile to a padlocked barbed wire gate and then down the track and out onto the marsh. Maps shaow a right of way in this area. Is this site private restricted access and which is the best way to approach. Cracking Site and I will return.

cheers


ian

-- Edited by Ian Boote on Monday 9th of August 2010 08:54:51 PM

8/8/10 pm

Single Green Sandpiper
Teal 5
Snipe 5
Willow Tit 2
Buzzard
Sparrowhawk
Stock Dove 2
Water Rail heard

FOURTH VISIT, this afternoon.
At least 2 Kestrels hunting regularly . Swallows and House Martins overhead.
Usual Magpies and Herring Gulls.
Further out on the Moss. were families of Reed buntings and 2 Reed Warblers.
Found a larger pool, new to me, on which a mallard took up sole residence.
2 Roe Deer slipped through the cover in front of me.
A walk down the east side path was aborted due to my lack of Wellingtons,but 2 Wrens seen in the thickets.

-- Edited by keith mills on Thursday 5th of August 2010 07:01:08 PM

Fighting talk

Lucky? Some people cover many sites daily and make their pastime trying to find decent birds (and have done for many years, long before this website and forum came along), carefully considering various factors as to where their next decent bird is likely to be. Don't forget, I would have had 28 Crossbills had 14 (another 14!) not have been found a few days earlier and perhaps in hindsight I should have taken my highest count of the flock instead of taking an average. As for the egret, you snooze, you lose. Rumworth next

-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Tuesday 3rd of August 2010 06:46:43 PM

Not bad for your first visit in 3 years pal Some people are born lucky.. is this some kind of game were playing, i find 14 crossbills then you do, i find Little Egret then you do. Whats next? By the way the next time i see your car at any Bolton site it will be clamped!

Wee-Warford (waiting in the wings forever).

Cheers

Little Egret this afternoon at 2:45pm. On a small pool just beyond the little metal 'bridge' over the ditch, flew off low to the SE and out of view (which was obscured by trees). Not relocated in a relatively short search though surely still likely to be present.

Also 3 Snipe, 3 Redpoll and decent numbers of Willow Warber, Sedge Warbler and Whitethroat with a few Blackcaps around the more wooded areas.

24/7/10

Green Sandpiper 2
Snipe 11
Teal 2
Willow Tit 2
Redpoll 6
Stock Dove 2

21/7/10 up to 4.50pm

Green Sandpiper 2
Snipe 7
Willow Tit 2
Teal 4
Sedge Warblers
Reed Warblers

Info thanks to Phil Rhodes.

17/7/10 mid am - Rain!

Green Sandpiper 2
Snipe 7
Willow Tit 2 amongst a decent sized tit flock which also held 2 Blackcap, several Willow Warblers.
Still several Sedge Warblers in song with others carrying food.
3 or 4 Reed Warblers in one willow tree, looked like a family party.
Redpoll 5
Whitethroat 4+

My first visit to RED MOSS. I spent 2 hours there this afternoon and only touched the surface. The OS Explorer 276 map appears to be the only one for here, but a lot of the paths are not shown.
What a great place. The only people I met were 3 ramblers who were lost.

Overhead was a Buzzard and several Kestrel. Plus Swifts and House martins.
On the peatlands were Lapwing and Reed Buntings.
In the trees I had 3 Whitethroat on one branch. Willow Warbler was heard and seen ,
but no other warbler sang.
A small flock of Long tail tit seen.
I will tackle the Hill and try to locate the main pool on my next visit.

27/6/10 upto 10.30am

Black Tailed Godwit 3 on largest pool
Green Sand 1
Lapwing 40+
Willow Tit adult and Juvs
Whitethroat adult and 3 juvs.
Many Willow warblers
Buzzard 2

I think you are a few days too late!

where is red moss. Would love to go and look for the Marsh Harrier but I dont know the area!

Whitethroat singing behind Rivington House on Horwich Loco Industrial Estate for the past couple of days. Perhaps displaced from Red Moss by the fire?

This morning with Simon Johnson. Bad news a fire last week seems to have destroyed about one third of the main moss, unfortunately the area right accross the middle. Hardly any Sedge Warblers singing but not suprising really given the habitat loss, which probably couldnt have happened at a worse time of year. The cause of the fire isnt yet known according to the Bolton News.

Only birds of note were a fly over Raven & Common Tern.

-- Edited by Simon Warford on Saturday 29th of May 2010 09:33:22 PM

23/5/10 pleasant mid morning stroll

Tree Pipit singing(even got a pic through my new camera Ian)
Green Sandpiper
Grasshopper Warbler 2
Garden Warbler 2 (1 by old tip mound and 1 near Motorway)
Reed Warbler 1
Whitethroat 6+
Plenty Sedge Warblers
Buzzard 1
Redpoll 5

Female MARSH HARRIER still present this afternoon, when it appeared to fly off north west around 5.30pm, just in time for the Adderley's to see it.

Also 2 Grasshopper Warblers, 10 Sedge Warblers, 3 Whitethroat, 2 Willow Tit & 30 Swift.

2/5/10 pm with Phil Rhodes

MARSH HARRIER - Female present till 3pm at least, has a feather missing in its secondaries.

Reed Warbler 2
Sedge Warbler 10 singing birds
Willow Warbler lots
Chiffchaff lots
Blackcap 2
Redpoll 10+
Swallow 40
Snipe
Water Rail

Female Marsh Harrier hunting over Red Moss at 2-20.

Info thanks to Simon Warford and Phil Rhodes.

Possibly in area for a while after my and Andy Makins recent sightings over Horwich moors.

Present this afternoon:

Single Green Sandpiper
5 Snipe
16 Teal

Info thanks to Phil Rhodes

1.30 - 6.30pm later joined by Judith, Andy Makin, Ken and Jill.

Spent 4 hours down here today after flushing a warbler @ 14.30 which possibly could have been an Aquatic Warbler. I flushed the warbler down one of the tracks and could only get flight views of it flying away from me each time landing in the bottom of juncas patches out of view and it eventually flew into the middle of the peat bog miles from reach. It was very clean lookin, Golden yellow in colour with 2 prominent yellow stripes down its back, but just couldnt get to grips with it other than in flight! It then became like looking fr a needle in a haystack.

Otherbirds

Crossbill calling over west
Snipe 22
Lapwing 11
Teal 18
Buzzard
Spahawk
Kestrel 3
Swallow 200 south with 14 House and 16 Sand Martin
Grey Wag south
Whitethroat
Sedge Warbler
Jay

9/8/08 in heavy rain

Snipe 14
Repoll 3
Little grebe 2
Water Rail

not the best of mornings!

2/08/08 Mid morning

Tree Pipit
Willow Tit
Repoll 3 - think have bred in area as one seemed to be a begging for food
Lapwing 100
Swift 45
House martin 20
Whitethroat
Blackcap

Tried somewhere abit different this afternoon,

Buzzard,
Kestrel 2
LRP
Lapwing 110
Snipe 6
House Martin 40
Swift 50
Sedge Warbler 6
Whitethroat 10
Gropper
Redpoll 5 inc 2 male on territory
Water Rail 2 heard
Loads of Reed Buntings and Mpipits

Si

-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Friday 18th of January 2013 10:26:33 PM