Lapland Bunting (male) still present at 11am today.

Info thanks to Andy Isherwood

We had some decent views this morning, much better than yesterday. It took some finding though. It was in a stubble field with Skylarks and a couple of Reed Buntings, and in all the time we watched (for about an hour and a half), the flock didn't fly once, and without a scope, I don't think you would even have known that there was a bird (any bird!) in the field. But once you got onto it, and if you stayed on it, it did show quite well at times.

Also nine Grey Partridge and about 50 Pink-footed Geese over.


-- Edited by colin davies on Sunday 2nd of January 2011 10:58:34 AM

-- Edited by colin davies on Sunday 2nd of January 2011 10:59:30 AM

Lapland Bunting still present at 09:15 this morning.

Info thanks to Paul Hammond

Lapland bunting showing reasonably well at 15:15 with about 50 Skylarks.

The exact location took some finding, we toured the area for about an hour before finally getting there. We tried all sorts, Mill Lane, Lands Farm, and just to confuse matters, the works which is shown on the map is now a housing estate.

In the end we parked in Turner Street off Hindley Road and then walked SE for 100m and then walked right to the 5 bar gate with 3 mounds of earth. The bird was in the stubble field to the right.

It wasn't easy to pick out the bird, we met two birders walking back who hadn't seen it, and a couple joined us for 30 minutes but left 15 minutes before we found it.

Boy it was cold as well! The car said 4'C, considerably warmer than last week, but that northerly wind made it feel a lot colder to me.

Lapland Bunting till 1215 at least with approx 70 skylarks, difficult to see in stubble field. Occasionally flushed by dogs and dogwalkers, giving reasonable flight views.

Also

Yellowhammer c70
Reed Bunting 3+
Chaffinch 2
Linnet 6+
Golden Plover over
Grey Partridge 8+

-- Edited by Alan Warford on Saturday 1st of January 2011 01:52:35 PM

Lapland Bunting still present 11:30, also single Golden Plover.

Info thanks to Andy Makin

Lapland Bunting still present at 11:05 with 70 Skylark though mobile and elusive in stubble. 60 Yellowhammer also present.

Info thanks to Phil Rhodes

Lapland Bunting again present with 24 Skylark at 09:50 this morning.

Info thanks to Andy Makin

Up to 2pm today:

Corn Bunting
40 Yellowhammer
65 Skylark
16 Linnet
4 Reed Bunting

Info thanks to Phil Rhodes

no signs of lapland or corn bunting as of 10.00 am people still there hopeful of a return but two sparrowhawks may have a say in that lots of yellowhammers and skylarks. Take your wellies very sticky now on stubble field.

Added this splendid bird to my county list yesterday just before noon. Many thanks to Phil Rhodes first and foremost for finding it, to Ian for his alert and Simon and Andy for making sure I didn't flush it as I bustled up over the ice-strewn field!

There were also at lease 20 Fieldfares and as many Redwings in the tussocky grassy area before the stubble field.

An excellent and well deserved "double" find for Phil half a mile from his house, amazing to think that this is the first lowland Bolton Corn Bunting for 20 years, and found within 5 minutes of the Lap Bunt of which there has been 6 or so recorded in this remarkable winter for this species. It took an hour and a half for the Corn Bunting to return, with the Yellowhammer flock, to the field Phil found it in. It seemed to go missing to the north amongst the 100 of thrushes in the hedges.

Also seen here today Woodcock, Kingfisher, 25 Linnet, 20 Yellowhammer, 8 Skylark, 50 Chaffinch & 10 Meadow Pipit.

If only a few others would get out and search these generally under watched areas, its amazing what can be found.

-- Edited by Simon Warford on Tuesday 28th of December 2010 10:31:06 PM

Turner St is the street to look for - park and walk to the end, through stile and bear right along public footpath till you come to stubble field.

Also nice to meet watching were: Ian Bithnell, Geoff Hargreaves,and Judith.
Andy Makin and,I think,Rob Adderley ,were coming and going.

might have been myself Keith, I was there for 30 mins or so. Cracking find by Phil and great views!

No sign of the Lapland since it was flushed by the sparrowhawk. I stayed until 2.40 but couldn't locate it! Nice to meet Rob Adderley though!

The map shows some works near to where the bird was and adjacent to Gillibrands.
Grid ref. for the works I make to be SD652039.

Cheers

-- Edited by keith mills on Tuesday 28th of December 2010 04:07:49 PM

Thanks

From M61 Jn 5 follow A58 towards Westhoughton, turn left onto B5235 Leigh Rd. Go past Daisy Hill station turning right into Hindley Road.
Gillibrands farm is on LHS near Mill Lane.

-- Edited by Alan Warford on Tuesday 28th of December 2010 02:49:40 PM

Where Is Sewage works? Thanks Terry

Lapland Bunting... feeding very close to the path down from the soil mounds.
Views down to 30 feet . ..watched bird for 40 minutes..... up to just after 1.0pm.
when it, and a Skylark, were flushed by a Sparrowhawk.

This is a first for me
Also nice to meet watching were: Ian Bithnell, Geoff Hargreaves,and Judith.
Andy Makin and,I think,Rob Adderley ,were coming and going.

Plenty Fieldfare ,Redwing , Starlings around too and an excellent Corn Bunting on the wires
Thanks to Phil and this site!

-- Edited by keith mills on Tuesday 28th of December 2010 02:11:27 PM

-- Edited by keith mills on Tuesday 28th of December 2010 02:18:10 PM

Lapland Bunting still present 12:30 atleast.

Also Corn Bunting still present (Phil Rhodes/Simon Warford)

Info thanks to Simon Warford

This morning:

male Lapland Bunting at Daisy Hill near Westhaughton. In stubble field by sewage works (at Daisy Hill end) and Gillibrands Farm, viewed from five bar gate and three mounds of soil. Showing well.

Info thanks to Phil Rhodes


-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Tuesday 28th of December 2010 11:41:49 AM

21st December:

8 Meadow Pipit
3 Grey Wagtail
200 Redwing
80 Fieldfare
2 Yellowhammer

Info thanks to Phil Rhodes

Today up to 2:15pm:

80 Skylark
40 Yellowhammer
20 Reed Bunting
Single Tree Sparrow
30 Chaffinch
15 Meadow Pipit
2 Woodcock
3 Snipe
5 Golden Plover over south at 2:15

Info thanks to Phil Rhodes

All feeding together in a stubble field at 1:20pm today: 60 Skylark 20 Yellowhammer 15 Reed Bunting Info thanks to Phil Rhodes