A pair of Wigeon on Scotman's today

At least 31 Goldeneye roosted on Scotman's tonight

Sunday 1st February 2009

08:30 -12:00ish

The only things of interest were as follows:
pair of Goosander on Scotman's
4 Snipe near Brick Island (Scotman's)
1 Snipe Ince Moss Landfill
20+ Lesser Redpoll nr Isherwoods
1 Shelduck SE over Rainford's Tip
1 Buzzard between Bryn Marsh and Park House Farm

Also, a dusk visit to Horrock's on Saturday produced 3 Woodcock



-- Edited by Rob Thorpe at 11:12, 2009-02-02

Cetti's Warbler still singing back of Pearsons lunchtime and even showed very briefly.

Horrocks rear pool mid am

plenty coot, mallard,b h gull,tufted and cormorant

1 juvenille swan(looking very sad on it,s own)
6 goldeneye 1m 4f
6 gadwall
1 great crested grebe
2 little grebe
2 shoveler

cheers geoff

Cetti's Warbler singing at Pearson's Flash this morning, in the usual reedbed east of the causeway at the back of the flash. In the NE corner, i.e. close to the cemetery and sewage works, best heard from the footpath parallel to Ince Brook. A couple of noisy Water Rails also in the vicinity.

oh poo,i,ll put it in the same draw as the china town warbler,but still a very nice bird to see.back to 159 it is.

cheers geoff

Geoff Hargreaves wrote:

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another gm/life tick for me

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that should be 'another GM/life race tick for me' Geoff, unfortunately they don't count as a seperate species as they are 'merely' a race of our own carbo Cormorants

Horrocks Flash 25/01/09

1 continental cormorant(sinensis). ,sunning it,s self on the front pool.Thanks to ian mck for confirming my i.d. so promtly.Although I,ve got some record shots of this one there,s a cracking picture of a continental in the gallery(25/01/06 ian mck)another gm/life tick for me

cheers geoff

Horrocks Flash 25/01/09 mid am

rear pool 1 pochard
4 goldeneye
2 wigeon
1 little grebe
14 teal
1 bittern ( flew into reed bed MAJOR horrocks tick)
front pool 1 probable continental cormorant(photos to ians for confirmation)

cheers geoff

-- Edited by Geoff Hargreaves at 15:55, 2009-01-25

Horrocks flash rear pool pm

4 gadwall
4 shoveler
9 greylag(same ones off the front pool)
1 goldeneye
2 wigeon
2 little grebe
lots of coot moorhen ect

cheers geoff

24/1/09 a.m.

Woodcock over, 3 Snipe, 9 Greylag Geese (Horrocks).
6 Goosander, 12 Goldeneye, 9 Common Gull, 4 Little Grebe (Scotmans).
11 Goldeneye, 1 Snipe, 5 Shoveler (Pearsons).
13 Teal (Bryn).
2 Great Spotted Woodpecker (Hawkley feeding station).

single Pink-footed Goose over Scotmans NW @ 08:35

Horrocks flash am 18/01/09
all the usual waterfowl plus

250+ b h gull (may have roosted)
2 tree creeper in with a tit flock
2 greylag making a welcome return
6 gadwall

cheers geoff

16/1/09 a.m.

f. Goosander, 7 Goldeneye, 4 Litttle Grebe (Scotmans).
16 Goldeneye, 4 Shoveler, 2 Gadwall (Pearsons).
2 Willow Tit (Hawkley Wood).
Sparrowhawk.
Kestrel.
Small numbers of Bullfinch dotted about, and lots of Magpie activity......otherwise,

12/1/09 a.m.

Cetti`s Warbler singing at the rear of Pearson`s Flash @ 10:30

10 Goosander, 3 Goldeneye, 11 Pochard (Scotmans).
18 Goldeneye (Pearson`s).
Buzzard (Bryn Marsh).
2 Snipe, 1 Goosander (Horrocks).
8 Shoveler, 6 Gadwall (Westwood).
Willow Tit, Great Spotted Woodpecker, 15 Moorhen (Hawkley feeding station).
Kestrel.

I could hear a Brambling somewhere behind Isherwoods on Saturday, I had a good look round but could only find loads of Chaffinch. Had another look today but again could only find Chaffinch.
There was a Weasel near the Pearson's Flash sewage place today and yesterday I found a dead Bank Vole on Rainford's Tip...

Scotmans
9 Goosanders
Pearsons
Cettis singing s/o path that runs through Pearsons but as usual not visable
Cheers Jimmy

Bittern seen from Hawkley reed bed at 12:10pm today.
Ken

Bittern on the ice by Hawkley Reedbed feeding station, but ran in to the reeds as I approached the screen

23 Goosander and 14 Goldeneye roosted Scotman's

-- Edited by dave broome at 18:12, 2009-01-10

10/1/09 a.m.

2 Goosander (pr), 12 Goldeneye, 8 Little Grebe, 6 Bullfinch (Scotmans).
4 Willow Tit, Great Spotted Woodpecker (Hawkley feeding station).

Willow Tit singing at the southern end of Scotmans.

Cettis Warbler singing from Pearsons Flash again this morning

Info thanks to Rob Thorpe

2.5 hours reed watching at Pearson's this morning (no Bittern)

Goldeneye 8
Pochard 6
Shoveler c10
Ruddy Duck 1 imm m.
Gadwall 1
Teal c6
Tufted Duck 3
Goosander 1 over
Mallard 2
Mute Swan 4
Coot 32
Little Grebe 2
Grey Heron 2
Grey Partridge 1
+ usual Gulls and Passerines

Cheers, John

Bittern showing well this morning from feeding station screen

Info Thanks to Walter Robinson

Could not hear Cetti"s this morn but 6 Goldeneye at the back end of Pearsons

4/1/09 a.m.

Shelduck, 15 Goosander {11 drk}, 12 Goldeneye, 14 Pochard, 10 Gadwall, Grey Wagtail, 4 Bullfinch (Scotman`s, 30% frozen).
13 Shoveler, 5 Goldeneye, 6 Teal, 28+ Lesser Redpoll (Pearsons, 95% frozen).

Cetti's - heard it just once this afternoon, and it appeared to be on the side adjoining the landfill (which is where Ken Linkman thought he heard it on 18th Oct). That was at 1450hrs.

2/1/2009
5 Goosander on Scotsman's. 1 male, 4 females.
Cheers,
Ken

Cetti's Warbler once again calling regularly from the back of Pearsons Flash reedbed this morning.

Info thanks to Rob Thorpe

Unexpected afternoon walk,from hawkley feeding station to horrocks rear pool
Lots of walkers on the Flashes today,but still managed a nice 49 total.

cheers geoffwell done rob on finding the bittern,hurts when you,ve just walked past it though

Bittern sat up in the reeds at Hawkley reedbed at 3:30pm

Info thanks to Rob Thorpe

Horrocks flash p.m visit

all as expected with a bonus of 2 goosander(nice treat for the front pool).
Around the canal/main line area 2 g s woodpeckers one drumming on the steel stantions

cheers geoff:

27/12/08 a.m.

c260 Pink-footed Geese NW @ 09:00

drk Goosander, 14 Common Gull (Scotmans).
13 Goldeneye (Pearsons).
2 Snipe (Bryn).
49 Teal (Horrocks).
Kestrel.
Great Spotted Woodpecker.

Horrocks Flash am,

rear pool,teeming with coot,mallard,tufted duck and b h gull of note
2 wigeon 10 gadwall 1 female goldeneye
rainfords,same again with 2 wigeon
front pool, same same but in sunshine for a change plus
1 great crested,1 herring gull and that mallard/farmyard cross which seems to have moved in.

cheers geoff

dave broome wrote:

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40 Goldeneye roosted on Scotman's Flash last night (Friday)

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Only 15 tonight

23/12/08 a.m.

16 Goldeneye, 6 Shoveler, 13 Teal, 5 Pochard, 2 Gadwall (Pearsons).
3 Snipe, 12 Cormorants (Horrocks).
12 Common Gull (Scotmans).
5 Lesser Redpoll (Moss Bridge).
19 Magpie (Park House Farm).
Kestrel.

Cheers Rob, I knew it wasn't quite right, not being from Wiggin an' all! Just the thought is almost irresistable (not!)

Nev Wright wrote:

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What a brilliant idea (the kebab, I mean). Now I can dunk my pies in pea juice without getting my fingers wet!

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Nev, It's called "Pea Wet", not Pea Juice!

Ince moss landfill 12 while 2,dismal, dreary, hard work need i go on.

2 kestrel 2 magpie
2 goldfinch 1 bullfinch

cheers geoff

What a brilliant idea (the kebab, I mean). Now I can dunk my pies in pea juice without getting my fingers wet!

20/12/08 a.m.

Buzzard perched up at rear of Pearsons, and 11+ Goldeneye ont flash.
Treecreeper & at least 4 Willow Tits between Bryn and Ochre Flashes.
23 Teal on Bryn.

(Nev, you can get a `Wigan Kebab` {4 pies on a stick} for less than 2 quid round here !)

Amazing, and all for £1.20!

40 Goldeneye roosted on Scotman's Flash last night (Friday)

At 1715 tonight in the rain and pitch black, I had to catch a cygnet which had been shot with an airgun near Bamfurlong Bridge - between there and the West Coast main line bridge. Luckily it's doing well, the slug is in my possession and if very lucky could be matched to a gun.
Anyone in that area - please look out for yobs with airguns and ring the police, as there will be an incident number for this and Bamfurlong police station (brand new) is nearby.

At least 116 Magpies roosted at Bryn Marsh tonight

2 Treecreeper round the back of H-Flash yesterday (13th)

6NL is a veteran Swan (his territory is Turner's Flash and he is at least 20 yrs old). He knows how to cope with ice!
Took another swan into care off the canal at Higher Ince today (suspected lead and dog bite). This cold weather makes them release fat stores and the lead that may be held in it.

11/12/08 a.m.

2 Ravens over SW @ 09:50, drk Goosander, 4 Goldeneye, Sparrowhawk (Scotmans). 64 Teal (Horrocks). Mute Swan `6NL` (Canal). 2 Willow Tit, Great Spotted Woodpecker (Moss Bridge).

c110 Pink-footed Geese NW @ 10:45 over Bryn Marsh.

5 Goosander Scotman's this morning

Casualties of the hard weather at Horrocks Flash today: one Mute Swan (caught and into care, just hungry but could not stand up) and one Little Grebe on the ice on the canal, which was alive when first seen, but by the time we got the long net to it, it was dead.

Jake Moot had a Treecreeper at Bryn Marsh and a Roe Deer nearby, as well, this morning.