Morning dog walk!
Migrants trickling back- 1 common whitethroat,1 grasshopper warbler heard a weakish reeling,7 willow warbler,2 chiffchaff, 5 wren, feeding in the same smallish alder 1 greenfinch,2 goldfinch, 4 blue tit,3 great tit and 2 long tailed tit, 3 mistle thrush, several robin and blackbird, 6 meadow pipit, 14 reed bunting mostly males, didn't count the skylarks but would guess around 15-20,
Diggle flash-6coot,4 tufted duck,2 great crested grebe,2 mallard,1 moorhen,1 grey heron,2 mute swan, a single pink footed goose flew across the water quite low looked like it was going to land then picked up and flew south easterly,


-- Edited by Bernard McGurrin on Thursday 16th of April 2015 11:18:56 AM

Morning dog walk
2 chiffchaff, 2 willow warbler, several robin singing,6 blackbird 1 had set up almost directly opposite a mistle thrush and a singing match seemed to be in progress,blue tit,dunnock,great tit,reed bunting,meadow pipit, not as many skylark singing as yesterday but still at least 7 singing and a few more flitting around, 2 cock pheasant squabbling, magpie,carrion crow,wood pigeon, kestrel picked up what I think was a worm from side of new road,
Diggle flash- 2 mute swan,8 coot, 2 mallard,2 black headed gull

Afternoon stroll 4 bullfinch, 1 blackcap giving superb views

No Cuckoo for me this afternoon but a first Reed Warbler of the year was nice in reeds in C4. As Bernard posted Skylarks everywhere awesome sight and sound.
Plenty Meadow Pipit and Reed Bunting about.
1 Buzzard C3
1 Water Rail, New water

Just waiting for the awesome Swifts return now.

Plus all usuals.

Morning dog walk approx 2 and a half hours neither sight nor sound of cuckoo I suppose it could have been in passage rather than one of our regulars,
4 chiffchaff,5 willow warbler,1 blackcap,at least 18 skylark with I think 11 of them singing, 3 meadow pipit,7 reed bunting,1 pheasant,1 raven over being harrased by carrion crows,1 kestrel,plenty of robin and blackbird singing,2 mistle thrush,blue tit,great tit,wood pigeon,magpie,
Diggle flash-10 coot, 4 tufted duck,2 mute swan, 1 each of moorhen,great crested grebe,mallard,grey heron and black headed gull,

16.15 - 17.45
C3 &4
16 Willow Warbler
9 Chiffchaff
2 Reed Warbler
1 Sand Martin
2 Water Rail tantalisingly close but out of sight

No sign of Cuckoo for me yet

Good mooch this afternoon no sight or sound of Cuckoo for me either and very little to add to Bernards sightings other then 1 Blackcap and 3 Linnet over.

no further sight nor sound of cuckoo, just checked last few years 2014 april 18th, 2013 april 15th, 2012 april 20th, so slightly earlier than recent years,
other birds seen include, 2 possibly 3 kestrel, 2 buzzard, 1 sparrowhawk, 2 mistle thrush, 1 chiffchaff, 3 willow warbler, 5 long tailed tit, 4 chaffinch, robin,wren,dunnock, blackbird, pheasant, meadow pipit, skylark, reed bunting, great tit,blue tit, magpie, carrion crow, wood pigeon, collared dove,
diggle flash- 7 coot, 3 tufted duck, 1 great crested grebe, 2 little grebe seen 2 more heard, 1 mallard, 1 cormorant, 2 mute swan, 2 canada geese over.

Cuckoo seen and heard in field behind diggle flash @12-37

7 - dusk.

80+ sand martin over the new water reedbeds, originally over nevisons. this is the time of the year that the 1000 were roosting last year. round about 8 o'clock
2 chiffchaff
2 grey partridge
4 tufted duck
2 bullfinch

water rail heard.
2 willow warbler heard

-- Edited by james hall on Sunday 12th of April 2015 09:47:34 PM

-- Edited by james hall on Sunday 12th of April 2015 09:48:16 PM

-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Sunday 12th of April 2015 09:55:10 PM

Morning dog walk
2 chiffchaff, 4 willow warbler,4 chaffinch, wren,robin,long tailed tit,blackbird,mistle thrush, reed bunting, skylark, meadow pipit, 2 grey partridge,3 pheasant heard only,blue tit,great tit, magpie,jay,carrion crow,wood pigeon,
Diggle flash- 5 coot,4 tufted duck,3 great crested grebe,2 mute swan,1 mallard,1 moorhen,3 black headed gull

30 mins before work this morning
c3
3 Willow Warbler
2 Chiffchaff
1 Pochard

-- Edited by Gordon Newman on Sunday 12th of April 2015 10:37:05 AM

Few birds to add to Bernards sightings this afternoon,

Water rail calling from Nevisons flash
Single Buzzard C3, Probably same bird as yesterday
Song Thrush C6
Grey Heron C6

Morning dog walk-wet and windy but typically now I'm home its dried up
3 willow warbler 1 seen 2 heard only,2 chiffchaff,2 mistle thrush, robin,blackbird,reed bunting,great tit,blue tit,collared dove,wood pigeon,carrion crow,magpie,
Diggle flash-9 tufted duck,7 coot,2 mallard,2 mute swan,1 little grebe,3 black headed gull,

Afternoon mooch,

Plenty skylark about with singing birds in C1,C2,C6 and C8. Also decent numbers of Reed bunting majority being in C3 and C6
1 Juvenile swan C3
1 Buzzard C3
1 Great crested grebe, Fir tree flash
2 Tufted duck, Fir tree flash
1 Kingfisher, Fir tree flash
1 Goldcrest C6
1 Willow Warbler C6
Plenty Chiffchaff singing

Plus all usuals

Morning dog walk
Willow warbler heard singing but not seen, singing blackcap again giving good views, chiffchaff,blue tit,great tit,long tailed tit,dunnock,wren,blackbird, mistle thrush, jay, magpie, wood pigeon, carrion crow, kestrel, meadow pipit, skylark, reed bunting, cock pheasant,
Diggle flash-10 tufted duck, 2 mute swan male chasing 2 Canada geese around the flash,14 black headed gull, 2 mallard, 8 coot,3 little grebe,1 great crested grebe,1 moorhen, all seen on my first walk around the flash just after 7 am walked round on my way back at 8-45 and it was almost deserted,

Morning dog walk
1 singing blackcap showing well, at least 4 singing chiffchaff, mistle thrush,1 kestrel,blackbird,3 long tailed tit,robin,wren,dunnock,chaffinch,skylark at least 5 singing with more at ground level,5 meadow pipit,11 reed bunting,1 song thrush foraging amongst dead leaves etc,usual blue and great tit,magpie,wood pigeon and carrion crow,
Diggle flash- 8 coot,2 mute swan,4 mallard, 1 little grebe seen 1 more heard,grey heron,2 Canada geese over, 1 great crested grebe,

Oystercatcher over calling @20-05

18.45 - 19.45
C3 only
1 Willow Warbler
3 Swallow
1 Blackcap
3 Chiffchaff

Early morning dog walk
Diggle flash very misty over the water atmospheric but restricted view- coot,mute swan,great crested grebe,mallard, moorhen, reed bunting,skylark,meadow pipit,blue tit,great tit,long tailed tit,goldfinch,chaffinch,blackbird,mistle thrush,chiffchaff, magpie, wood pigeon, carrion crow,

8 Swallow NW 19.45

Morning dog walk-quite foggy
2 singing chiffchaff 1 giving good close views, mistle thrush, quite a few singing robin and blackbirds, 2 long tailed tit, 3 chaffinch, blue tit,great tit, reed bunting,magpie,wood pigeon,carrion crow,
Diggle flash- couldn't see right across flash birds I could see 6 mallard,2 little grebe,1 great crested grebe,7 coot, 3 Canada geese, mute swan,

evening stroll
2 grey partridge, pair bullfinch, 3 little grebe, tawny owl heard calling from direction of owens farm.

Morning dog walk
Diggle flash- a single swallow buzzed over the water twice before heading off ne possibly over the horse fields, 9 coot,7 tufted duck,3 great crested grebe,5 mallard,2 moorhen,1 grey heron,2 mute swan,6 black headed gull, reed bunting,skylark,meadow pipit,chaffinch,great tit,blue tit,chiffchaff, blackbird, dunnock, wren,robin,mistle thrush, magpie,carrion crow,wood pigeon,

evening stroll very little to add to morning sightings 2 possibly 3 kestrel, 1 herring gull, 1 redshank over, 9 starling, i set out at the same time as yesterday hoping the short eared owl would be in the same area but no sign of it,

Morning dog walk
At least 5 chiffchaff,4 mistle thrush,small flock of mixed chaffinch and goldfinch 4 of each, blue tit,great tit,2 willow tit,wren,robin,blackbird,magpie,wood pigeon,carrion crow,grey heron over,meadow pipit,skylark,reed bunting,2 grey partridge,pheasant,
Diggle flash-2 little grebe, 3 great crested grebe, 2 mute swan, 3 moorhen, 9 coot, 4 mallard,

06:45 Till 8:00 Dry but overcast

No sign of Short eared owl this morning
6 Chiffchaff
Female Sparrowhawk C4
1 Male Wheatear C1
6 Reed bunting C6,C4 and C3
1 Goldcrest C6
Wafter rail Nevisons flash
2 Common Snipe C10

Plus all usuals

Short eared owl hunting at approx 19-00

19.00 - 20.00
C3 only
30+ Sand Martin NWN @ 19.45
pair of Kestrel mating

additions to Scott's and Bernard's sightings mid morning C3 only
male Sparrowhawk displaying briefly
2 Kestrel displaying

C3 and C4

1 Jay
1 Grey heron, New water
1 Water rail
2 Chiffchaff both singing
1 Kestrel
2 Mistle thrush
6 Long tailed tits
4 Reed bunting
2 Rooks, first Rooks seen for a long time on this site

Plus usuals

Morning dog walk- a tad preoccupied so didn't really take numbers
Mistle thrush,blackbird,robin,wren,dunnock,blue tit,great tit,chaffinch,goldfinch,magpie,carrion crow,wood pigeon,meadow pipit,skylark,pheasant,mallard Canada geese and grey heron over,
Diggle flash- 9 coot,3 mallard,2 mute swan,1 moorhen,1 great crested grebe, 4 Canada geese chased off main flash by male swan 2 more left on stock pond either slipped by his radar or were deemed far enough away to be no problem,

Late am/early pm
2 redwing in trees above flash before heading nw,3 mistle thrush,1 chaffinch, at least 6 dunnock 3 singing,2 wren,4 robin, 3 blackbird, 2 long tailed tit,1 pheasant,7 skylark 3 singing, several meadow pipit and reed bunting, usual blue and great tit,magpie,wood pigeon and carrion crow,2 cormorant over,
Diggle flash- 3 tufted duck,7 coot,2 great crested grebe, 2 little grebe, 2 mute swan, 1 moorhen,

18.30 - 20.00
41 Fieldfare East @ 19.45
2 Chiffchaff
2 Grey Partridge
Great crested Grebe and Mute Swan both sitting on nests
1 Water Rail squealing from central ditch

morning dog walk - much better weather
1 mistle thrush, 2 jackdaw, dunnock, blue tit, robin, great tit, 2 long tailed tit, blackbird, magpie, carrion crow, wood pigeon, 3 canada geese over, wren, 12 skylark, 16 reed bunting, 5 meadow pipit, 2 grey partridge, 1 pheasant seen 3 others heard,
diggle flash- 2 little grebe, 2 great crested grebe, 2 mute swan, 2 grey heron, 1 moorhen, 4 tufted duck, 10 coot, 2 black headed gull.

Kristian I have sent you a PM

Mike S

Kristian if you have a sat nav type this postcode in WN7 5ES this will take you to Edna road, once you are on Edna road go to the top and you will come to a derelict labour club go right on to the white concrete road follow that round and you will come to Fir tree car park. The area is quite big and has three flashes Fir tree flash, Nevisons flash and Diggle flash, there is also a lot of scrubland and small areas of reed beds. Cheers scott

I am thinking of visiting this site tomorrow (as the weather if forecast slightly better than it has been recently) and I was wondering if anyone might be able to give me some advice as to where to park, the best areas to visit and the different habitats. I see the location "Diggle Flash" is referred to frequently, yet I presume it is not like Pennington or Wigan Flashes in size?

Thanks, Kristian

-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Wednesday 1st of April 2015 08:25:03 PM

morning dog walk
diggle flash- 4 tufted duck, 3 little grebe 2 of them fighting, 2 great crested grebe, 2 mute swan, 8 coot, 1 moorhen, 12 reed bunting,blue tit, great tit, blackbird, robin, wood pigeon, carrion crow, magpie, 2 singing mistle thrush, 1 singing chiffchaff, flock of c40 domestic or feral pigeon over,

Morning dog walk- very windy and cold
Most of the small birds seen just off the concrete road behind school playing fields trees either side acted as a wind break far warmer than anywhere else on walk, 3 chiffchaff, 1 goldcrest,1 long tailed tit with nesting material, great tit,blue tit,robin, blackbird, 1 singing wren,2 singing mistle thrush,2 Canada geese over,3 meadow pipit,1 skylark,cock pheasant heard only,only small numbers magpie,crow and wood pigeon,2 mallard and 2 lesser black backed gull in flooded fields,
Diggle flash- 5 reed bunting,8 tufted duck,11 coot,2 mallard,4 great crested grebe,1 little grebe attacking a moorhen,2 mute swan,1 black headed gull,1 grey heron,

Late afternoon dog walk, with my usual impeccable timing I'd been out 15mins Max when the heavens opened and I took another soaking not many birds to add to morning sightings
2 grey heron 1 over 1 on diggle flash, 1 cormorant on diggle, 40+ starling over with a single redwing tagging on, 2 Canada geese being harassed by resident mute swan on diggle flash, 1 great spotted woodpecker.

Early morning dog walk
2 chiffchaff only 1 singing,1 raven over,robin,2 mistle thrush singing,2 jay,blackbird,blue tit,great tit,magpie,wood pigeon,carrion crow,meadow pipit, 7 lesser black backed gull among 30+ black headed gulls just off site in flooded fields at Ryan's farm,
Diggle flash-10 coot,8 tufted duck,6 mallard,5 black headed gull,3 little grebe,2 mute swan,2 moorhen,1 great crested grebe,,3 reed bunting,

Redshank over calling in the dark @21-36

Morning dog walk in the rain
1 mistle thrush living up to its stormcock nickname blasting its song out from atop a tree in the pouring rain, also 2 skylark singing in the rain, 2 buzzard,5 meadow pipit,4 reed bunting, small numbers blue and great tit,blackbird,robin,magpie,wood pigeon,carrion crow,
Diggle flash- 4 tufted duck,13 coot,2 black headed gull,2 great crested grebe,2 little grebe,4 mallard,2 Canada geese being chased by the pair of resident mute swan,1 moorhen, 1 grey heron,

Morning dog walk- light rain turned to heavy rain
1 singing chiffchaff, 1 mistle thrush singing away even during the heavy rain, small numbers great and blue tit,blackbird,robin,magpie,wood pigeon, carrion crow,
Diggle flash- at least 7 tufted duck, coot, black headed gull, 1 great crested grebe, 2 mute swan,1 moorhen, grey heron over, little grebe heard only,

Morning dog walk
3 chiffchaff,1 greenfinch with 2 goldfinch, 3 wren, 6 dunnock, 4 robin,3 blackbird,3 mistle thrush,12 skylark, seven meadow pipit,8 reed bunting,3 jay,2 grey partridge,blue tit,great tit,kestrel,magpie,carrion crow,wood pigeon,green woodpecker heard yaffling but not seen, water rail heard from choked pond,
Diggle flash-16 coot,12 black headed gull,4 tufted duck,2 great crested grebe,2 mute swan,1 cormorant,

morning dog walk - cold, wet and windy to start did stop raining
Diggle flash- 14 coot, 5 black headed gull, 2 mute swan, 2 great crested grebe, 1 little grebe, 3 mallard, willow tit heard but not seen, reed bunting,
only 1 singing chiffchaff this morning, 1 buzzard being harassed by carrion crows and magpies, blue tit, robin, great tit, blackbird, dunnock, wood pigeon, 2 skylark, 3 meadow pipit,

Water rail and male Yellowhammer from New water this afternoon.

morning dog walk
4 singing chiffchaff this morning 3 seen 1 heard only, reed bunting,skylark, meadow pipit, 2 mistle thrush, 1 song thrush, buzzard,kestrel, robin, wren, blackbird, blue tit,great tit,magpie,wood pigeon,carrion crow,small group of 5 dunnock one of which was much smaller than the others
diggle flash- 3 little grebe 2 on main flash 1 on stock pond, 19 coot, 2 mute swan, 5 mallard on water 5 more flew over, 1 cormorant, 1 grey heron, 2 moorhen, 11 black headed gull,1 great crested grebe,no tufted duck visible this morning,

Willow tit and Raven to add to Bernards sightings this afternoon, Willow tit in C9 and Raven over C6.