3 Wheatear in field next to Plane Tree Farm, Crank Road early morning

11 Lesser Redpoll feeding in Pines west of Brownlow Farm this morning

This morning in the Brownlow Lane/Crank Road area: 3 Wheatear, 11 Fieldfare, 2 Swallow, 1 Siskin

2 House Martins this morning near to Billinge Plants and Chiffchaff in Coppice Wood - info per Chris Darbyshire

Chiffchaff in the clump of Willows by the Brickworks Pool this morning, silent at first, but feeding actively. After a bit of nosebag it tried a bit of song; also Goldcrest in the same Willows

A light Meadow Pipit passage, with 19 N/NE

Curlew went low SW

2 Oystercatcher

3 Great Spotted Woodpecker drumming in Bispham Woods

As usual lots of movement of large gulls - in two hours 1014 Lesser Black-Backed logged moving between SSE and SW, from both the directions of the Lancashire fells and the Ribble Marshes, with just 33 Herring Gulls. Later there were birds moving back northwards.

Buzzards in the area, also Bullfinch, Tree Sparrow, Linnet, Siskin and Yellowhammer

-- Edited by dave broome on Saturday 19th of March 2011 12:55:36 PM

Curlew heard over this morning
singles of Teal and Tufted Duck on the Brickworks
Siskin north
16 Skylark and a Reed Bunting on stubble off Smethurst Road

A Short-Eared Owl was being mobbed by Magpies and Crows low over Pimbo Bushes (just in to West Lancs) at 10:50 this morning. It then drifted in to GM airspace and spent a while hovering at height over the derelict brickworks, as a Magpie still harassed it. It finally drifted slowly over Smethurst Road and Bispham Wood, rising to a great height.

Also in the Smethurst Road area - Buzzard, Sparrowhawk, 1 Grey Partridge, 1 Tree Sparrow, Willow Tit, 10+ Skylark and several Yellowhammer

A total of 300 Fieldfare moved SW in three flocks; others (or the same?) were generally drifting around the area and dropping in to hedgerows

only small numbers of Redwing about

Five Siskin flocks, totalling 88, flew NE

A total of 9 Greenfinch and a flock of 21 Jackdaws flew SW and 25 Starling west

a single Crossbill flew west near the north end of Billinge Plants at 10:42 on Sunday morning

info per Chris Darbyshire

About 90 minutes this morning, from Brownlow Farm, via Crank Road, to Mountains Farm and back was fairly quiet on the ground - 300+ Woodpigeon out of Bispham Wood, 1 Goldcrest, 18 Mistle Thrush on the masts, 1 Redwing and the highlight - 35+ Tree Sparrow in hedgerows along the public footpath west of Brownlow Farm

A light southerly passage consisted of 31 Meadow Pipits, 11 Skylarks, 3 Cormorant high up plus one high west and a small number of Chaffinch; a flock of 14 Greenfinch were in a Hawthorn at Mountains Farm before flying strongly south; a flock of approx 30 finches (about 50:50 Linnets and Goldfinch) were picked up flying south over Pimbo and eventually passed Mountains Farm, then a couple of minutes later another flock of approx 20 Linnets flew rapidly south. The Hilbre Bird Observatory website mentions a passage of Linnet yesterday.

A Great Spotted Woodpecker must have fancied a wander, as it arrived quite high up, flying south from the Pimbo/Ashurst Beacon direction, before dropping in to Bispham Wood

About 180 Canada Geeses came off fields near to the Brickworks, but no sign of Rob's Barnacle Goose. It must have returned to Caerlaverock , or gone back to feeding on bread at Knowsley Safari Park

There was blatant cross-border acorn smuggling going on, as several Jays moved back and forth from Bispham Woods, down the slopes in to St Helens....

Returning past Brownlow Farm, the usual collection of Wood Duck were on the pond, along with Ringed Teal and a fine drake Cinnamon Teal. Then as I scanned through a Collared Dove flock, an unfamiliar call behind me turned out to be a outside aviary which I hadn't seen before, containing Waxbills...........



-- Edited by dave broome on Saturday 2nd of October 2010 04:02:28 PM

-- Edited by dave broome on Saturday 2nd of October 2010 04:07:44 PM

-- Edited by dave broome on Saturday 2nd of October 2010 04:10:40 PM

Thursday 30 September 2010
late morning

1 Barnacle Goose on the brickworks pool
1 Blackcap near the brickworks
1 Chiffchaff at Mountains Farm
1 Tree Sparrow over
4 Yellowhammer
many Meadow Pipit over

33 Meadow Pipit and 51 Swallow south in 1 hour early a.m.
also around Smethurst Road-Mountains Fm - 1 Wheatear, juv Whitethroat, 1 Chiffchaff, 4 Goldcrest, 2 Siskin, 11 Yellowhammer

Friday 17 September 2010

1 Blackcap and a very brief view of a phylloscopus warbler, looked like a Willow Warbler, with a tit-flock near the brickworks this evening.

A quick walk today produced 1 Whitethroat (nr Mountains Farm), 1 Chiffchaff (Bispham Hall-Smethurst Road), 1 Corn Bunting (by Brickworks pool) and a small Chaffinch-Yellowhammer flock feeding on stubble

Tree Pipit around mid-day, called overhead immediately north of the demolished brickworks off Smethurst Lane. 2 Pipits circled and landed together at the north end of a stubble field, but I couldn't relocate them.

Other birds seen included several Yellowhammers, 1 Tree Sparrow by the brickworks pool, 1 Blackcap, Jay, Kestrel and 2 Pheasant broods

-- Edited by dave broome on Saturday 28th of August 2010 01:44:47 PM

4 Crossbill flew south over Brownlow Farm at 0955hrs today.

They were not much above the height of the tree canopy, but I don't know whether they came out of Bispham Hall Wood or were just passing through. They flew on past the masts at Crank Road and towards the south end of Billinge Plants, but again I don't know whether they just continued southwards.

Several Tree Sparrows were in and around Brownlow Lane and I managed to confirm breeding for the tetrad

24/4/10 (06:00 - 08:00)

Sightings with Mr Thorpe:

4 Corn Buntings near Mountains Farm
3+ Yellowhammer
3 Lapwing
1 Kestrel
1 Fieldfare
10+ Lesser Black-backed Gulls (over)
1 Goldcrest (heard singing)

Found a great duck pond at Brownlow Farm, with such exotics as Wood Duck, Mandarin & Ringed Teal present...

Osprey today at 1700hrs, circling for 3 minutes, before heading NW

Info per C Darbyshire

Monday 12 April 2010

Birding on the edge! (of Wigan) this evening:
2 Buzzard
1 Oystercatcher in field between Brickworks & Mountains Farm
1 Lapwing over
loads of Lesser Black-backed Gulls heading NW
loads of Woodpigeon in to Bispam Wood
1 Pied Wagtail along stone wall near Mountains Farm
1 Goldcrest in conifer plantation
1 Willow Warbler at Brickworks

a small movement of Meadow Pipits this morning, 12 counted flying north in 2 hours, also a flock of 11 feeding around the brickworks pool car park

most activity centred on a bare field, ploughed some weeks ago, between the brickworks and Mountains Farm, which held Wheatear, 38 Yellowhammer, 15 Chaffinch, Reed Bunting, 64 Carrion Crow, 2 Stock Dove and a Pheasant

also seen were several Buzzard, 2 Linnet and a Peregrine which flew west and stooped in to West Lancs

-- Edited by dave broome on Saturday 27th of March 2010 12:51:26 PM

10 Yellowhammers by horse paddocks on Smethurst Road today

4/11/09 Midday

1 Peregrine over the brickworks pool heading NE
18+ Skylark
1 Little Grebe on the pool.

Missed most of them Dave by the time i got there
But Nr Mountain Farm
77 Fieldfare over
68 Redwing
34 Skylark
5 Yellowhammers
Just out of Area
Heatons House Farm
4 Tree Sparrows
1 Buzzard
Promised Land Farm
1 Buzzard being mobbed by Carrion Crows

Cheers Jimmy

0900-1030hrs this morning:
flying south 2033 Fieldfare (largest flock approx 200), 444 Redwing, 260 Woodpigeon, 4 Stock Dove with Woodpigeons, 16 Goldfinch, 7 Siskin, 22 Chaffinch
3 Brambling in Sycamores by brickworks before moving south
27 Starling west
also along Smethurst Road singles of Goldcrest, Bullfinch, Tree Sparrow, Corn Bunting and several Yellowhammer
48 Jackdaw on stubble, mobbed a female Sparrowhawk which passed through

a short visit off Smethurst Road this morning produced 183 Canada Geese in a stubble field, 8 Tree Sparrow, 2 House Martin, 3 Redwing, plus 18 Meadow Pipits south

This morning in stubble fields off Smethurst Road near to the former brickworks pool there were at least 16 Yellowhammer, with 2 Tree Sparrow and 10 Meadow Pipits. Also 1 Swallow and 1 Siskin both flying south

In 30 minutes this morning in the area north of Crank Rd: 20 Meadow Pipits flew south
3 Tree Sparrows west of Brownlow Farm
17 Chaffinch
singles of Goldcrest, Chiffchaff and Blackcap
Sparrowhawk, Buzzard, Kestrel

a total of 5 Siskins flew north this morning
1 Goldcrest
20 Corn Buntings feeding in ploughed field along Smethurst Road, between the brickworks pool and Mountains Farm
3 Tree Sparrows Mountains Fm
6 Yellowhammer
3 Lapwing

17 Corn Bunting feeding on a newly ploughed field along Smethurst Road today, plus 1 singing north of the brickworks pool
2 Siskin
13 Meadow Pipits flew north (my previous post should have said the pipits were flying north, not south- getting my directions/seasons mixed up)
Sand Martin at the brickworks pool

-- Edited by dave broome on Friday 3rd of April 2009 08:11:16 PM

80 Meadow Pipits this morning at Smethurst Road (55 feeding in horse pasture, plus 25 flying south in 30 minutes)

Lunchtime today:

90 Skylark, 35 Linnet, 10 Tree Sparrows on stubble near Mountains Farm, moving in and out of Greater Manchester!

3 Buzzard

Early morning:
50 Chaffinch and 30+ Skylarks on stubble fields (commuting between St Helens and Wigan)
13 Tree Sparrows feeding around a manure heap in the garden of Mountains Farm
7 Yellowhammer
1 Pink-Footed Goose landed briefly at Billinge Brickworks, before heading off in to the fog, where many Pink-Feet could be heard, down towards Rainford/Crawford
86 Meadow Pipit flew south in several flocks during 30 minutes, plus smaller numbers down on the stubble
173 Canada Geese and 1 Greylag on Brickworks Pool

Today:3 Redwing south
1 Wheatear
Peregrine
6 Goldcrest

141 Meadow Pipit south in 50 minutes early a.m.
2 Siskin
9 Goldcrest

Friday 12th Sep, early evening: Whitethroat near Mountains Farm
Conifer plantation west of Brownlow Farm: 73 Chaffinch, 10 Mistle Thrush, Nuthatch
2 Siskin flew in to Bispham Wood
2 Kestrel
Buzzard

Sunday 7th Sep:
2 Buzzard giving an excellent vocal display
Sparrowhawk
Kestrel
10 Goldfinch
100+ Swallows feeding

Quiet otherwise, so I entertained myself with clear views of the Lake District and a Red Arrows display over Southport - at least I think that' swhat it was, otherwise we're being invaded by th'Isle of Mon!!

Monday 8th Sep:
81 Meadow Pipits flew south in 1 hour early a.m.
1 Yellow Wagtail
50 Goldfinch feeding on Hawkbit near to Bispham Brickworks
Blackcap
Chiffchaff
2 Kestrel

This morning: Buzzard, Kestrel, 3 Yellowhammers, plus 4 Goldcrest and 4 Coal Tit in a small conifer plantation just inside Greater Manchester north of Crank Road

higher ends? is that near billinge hill?

Male Peregrine hunting early this morning, 85 Fieldfare west/north-west

-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Sunday 1st of November 2009 03:26:15 PM

-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Tuesday 1st of September 2015 09:30:57 AM