Mix flock of around 50. Gulls mainly blackheaded with a couple of lesser black backed on the newly ploughed field along side car park as a drove home this afternoon.
May take a closure look over the weekend as ploughed fields can throw up a few surprises

4pm till dusk. Migrants obviously arising, 53 Fieldfare, 4 Redwing, 15+ Blackbirds, 25+ Goldfinches, 10 Siskin.

3-5pm in the sunshine, 2 Stonechats, 1 Goldcrest, and quite a few Redwings were the highlights.

Flock of 25 or so meadow pipits in the pasture at the far western end plus at least 20 birds over. Usual tit flocks, goldcrest near the pond, great spotted woodpecker, siskins and redwings over as well but only heard so no counts. Plus all the usuals.

Another good day for meadow pipits moving over. At least 100 flying south in the hour I was there, plus a good number of skylarks. Redwings heard but not seen, and three goldcrests in a mixed flock with long tailed, willow, blue and great tits.

Some meadow pipit passage thisnpm with 50+ birds flying south. Redpoll ( presumably lessers) and siskins heard but not seen. Two buzzards over Mortons dairy and a single Chiffchaff near the paddocks.

Horse Paddocks path afternoon visit
15 Meadow pipit
10 Pied wagtail
6 Magpie
20 Wood pigeon
50 Starling
4 Swallow

cheers geoff

Afternoon wander,much as expected all the regulars plus

6 Meadow pipits,a treat at this site

cheers geoff

Best get this back to the birds methinks,late evening wander horse paddocks path

1 Kestrel
20 Wood pigeons
1 Lapwing
30 Black-headed gulls
20 Swallows
5 Goldfinch
2 Jay
3 Magpie
1 Yellowhammer ,heard only and would have been a site tick but I couldn,t find it

cheers geoff

Geoff Hargreaves wrote:

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cheers geoff,cowskin on wood

---

Do you mean "leather on willow", Geoff?

If this is another Cricket joke, you'll be in trouble with the chap who plays with odd-shaped balls

Steve

Horse paddocks path,20.00 21 ish
2 Lapwing
1 Mistle thrush
20 Wood pigeon
1 Kestrel
10 Swallows
1 Jay
5 Magpie
3 Grey partridge
the flock of little one,s had gone to roost

cheers geoff,cowskin on wood

Steve Suttill wrote:

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Well Geoff, it's this game played on a field with a bat and ball. The side that are in go out and bat until they're out...

...or until it starts raining again

Steve

---

Or until they go in for a little break consisting of sandwiches and a nice cup of tea

True sports have 'training' not 'practice' . Almost forgot it was a birding forum then... further off-topic comments on a seperate thread please

Geoff Hargreaves wrote:

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Steve yes (y) was intended to indicated some young present,on reflection i,m just being lazy so won,t do it again

But help me out what,s Cricket

cheers geoff

---

Well Geoff, it's this game played on a field with a bat and ball. The side that are in go out and bat until they're out...

...or until it starts raining again

Steve

Steve yes (y) was intended to indicated some young present,on reflection i,m just being lazy so won,t do it again

But help me out what,s Cricket

cheers geoff

Geoffy, what does (y) mean?

Are you meaning young birds? Or are you being familiar as in the current England Cricket team (Straussy, Cooky, Belly, etc.)
If so, it should be Spazza not Sparrowy

Stevie (or Sutty, if you must )

Horse paddocks path, quick hour 12 while 1ish
a cracking mixed flock of birds
60 House sparrows(y)
20 Goldfinch(y)
4 Great tit(y)
6 Coal tit (y)
4 Linnet(y)
6 Blackbird
1 Willow warbler
6 Starling
also around
1 Magpie
1 Kestrel
20 Wood pigeon

10 Rook who seem to have 'moved in' roosting 2 to each lamp post all last week
no sign of partridge

cheers geoff

Lots of house martins and swallows this evening, especially over the north western quarter where there were in excess of 200 house martins.

Wednesday 16 May 2012

1 Little Owl at Lily Lane Farm this evening

Horse Paddocks walk,Lily Lane Farm 20.00 20.30 even nippier

2 Linnet
2 Grey Partridge
6 Pied wagtail
2 Wheatear
1 Whinchatsomewhat elusive but worth the effort

cheers geoff

Tuesday 01 May 2012

This afternoon at Lily Lane Farm:
1 Whinchat
2 Wheatear
2 Pied Wagtail

Horse paddocks walk 20.00 21.00,just a bit nippy

Usual crowd, of note
2 Grey Partridge
4 Wheatear 3m 1f a proper treat views down to 4m

cheers geoff(and i,m no football fan but I do enjoy United losing and when they lose to City bliss

Cuckoo on the eastern side plus 2 Oystercatchers over.

Single Greylag Goose over then landing on the piles of maure in the fields to the north. Very strange behaviour! At least 6 Willow Warblers, Chiffchaff, blackcap, buzzard, plus usuals.

Craig Higson wrote:

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Willow warblers back tonight with at least 3 present. Chiffchaffs also present. 2 lesser redpoll over plus a single swallow. Rob Thorpe also had a couple of greylag geese over. Plenty meadow pipits in the horse paddocks.

---

Friday 13 April 2012
evening

As well as the Greylags I also saw:

27 Sand Martin (over > east)
5 Swallow (over > north)
2 House Martin (over > north)

Willow warblers back tonight with at least 3 present. Chiffchaffs also present. 2 lesser redpoll over plus a single swallow. Rob Thorpe also had a couple of greylag geese over. Plenty meadow pipits in the horse paddocks.

12.00 13.30 raptor watch horse paddocks path

2 pied wagtail
4 blackbird
20+house sparrows
1 lapwing
woodpigeons
1 linnet
2 wren
2 redshank,heard only
12 rooks
23 jackdaw,2 gathering white horse hair looking quite 'whiskered'
1 female pheasant
1 buzzard
1 kestrel
6 common crows

cheers geoff

19.30 till 20.30 I set up camp on the horse paddocks path gambled all on the one spot
3 mallard
1 reed bunting
1 kestrel
no sign of the short-eared owl

cheers geoff

After a hasty call to arms
1 short-eared owl,perched up
2 snipe over and around
1 grey partridge calling

cheers geoff

Short-eared Owl quartering the paddocks behind Liliy Lane Farm this evening. Great flight views and it spent quite a bit of time perched on a fence post soaking up the evening sun. Also a Tawny Owl calling at the back near Three Sisters and 30 Sand Martins over.

afternoon wander down the horse paddocks path

1 sparrowhawk
1 kestrel
2 grey partridge
15 pied wagtails
20 house sparrow
2 blackbirds
40 woodpigeon
15 meadow pipit
6 lapwing
and a cruel wind that cut through the layers in 20mins

cheers geoff

Late sightings for yesterday.

6 Goosander over.
12 Redwings over.
5 Bullfinch.

All the other usual suspects.

Horse paddocks path,13.00 14.00
11 pied wagtails
6 blackbirds
1 fieldfare
1 mistlethrush
2 grey partridge,

cheers geoff

5/2/2012 2.30 til 4.30pm

2 Buzzards
1 Kestrel
1 Sparrowhawk
2 Goldcrests
1 Treecreeper
1 Jay
Numerous Magpies, Woodpigeons and Crows,
Great, Long tailed and Blue Tits
4 Robins
1 Chaffinch
2 Blackbirds

Barn Owl present tonight.

An extended wander in the sunshine,with some smashing views of winter hill in the distance,a good start with a kestrel mobbing a buzzard, a small tit flock and numerous magpie,crow,jackdaw and blackbirds up towards three sisters,the horse paddocks turned up trumps again
300 starlings
34 black headed gulls
20 ish blackbirds
45 house sparrows
4 pied wagtails
6 grey partridge
40 fieldfare
14 redwing
20+ meadow pipits
1 kestrel
1 buzzard
wood pigeon,crows,gulls,cormorants over.

cheers geoff

Dawn at the totem pole,

woodpigeon,skylark,meadow pipit,couple of tits,gulls over,one very angry kestrel mobbing an unseen threat,then the horizontal rain started and I beat a hasty retreat,not the best birding.

cheers geoff

Quiet this morning. 5 grey partridge in the paddocks, single fieldfare, 3 jays, 35+ goldfinch, 2 willow tit and all the usual suspects. No sign of any owls.

couple of hours from 2-30pm - 4-40pm

didn't see any owls

1 buzzard
2 kestrel
chaffinch
2 pied wagtail in field with sheep
good flock of long tailed tit
great tit
3 stock dove
numerous blackbird
flock of approx 40 fieldfare
1 redwing feeding with blackbirds
plenty magpie
4 crow

-- Edited by Bernard McGurrin on Tuesday 22nd of November 2011 05:33:55 PM

Fantastic view of a Short-eared Owl seen at 2.20pm over the field with the beech tree (see yesterday's post by Craig Higson for directions). It was mobbed first by a Kestrel and then 2 Magpies and then lost to view.

We then parked on Riding Lane just a short way from the junction with Bolton Road. We could see three upright structures and presume these are the totem poles mentioned in previous posts. From this vantage point we saw a Short-eared Owl at 3.20pm and at 3.30pm (over the field with the presumed totem poles).

No sign of a Barn Owl.

9 Grey Partridge in the field at junction of Bolton Road and Riding Lane.

Thanks, Craig, for the directions - they were very helpful.

Geoff Hargreaves wrote:

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Short-eared owl still around at 2.15 although mobbed by crows and a jay
then lost to view,huge wigan tick

cheers geoff

---

Glad you got onto it Geoff. Having thought about it I need to check to see if its on my Wigan List. Might be a nice tick for me too.

For clarity - if you park on the car park, cross the road and follow the path anti - clockwise, you will come to a crossroads with a bench and a large beech tree. The open area beyond is where I first saw it, although I think it had been flushed from a similar area farther around the site.

-- Edited by Craig Higson on Sunday 20th of November 2011 05:26:04 PM

Short-eared Owl still present at 16:00.

Short-eared owl still around at 2.15 although mobbed by crows and a jay
then lost to view,huge wigan tick

cheers geoff

20/11/11

Short-eared Owl currently out hunting (1:40) on the Western side of Viridor Wood, in the open area that is enclosed by the main path.

Info thanks to Craig Higson

2 30 til 4pm today,
1 Buzzard
2 Kestrels
1 Goldcrest and 1 Goldfinch amongst a small flock of Long tailed tits
Numerous Fieldfares
1 Jay
4 Magpies
2 Crows
9 Grey Partridge

I had a good look round the site this afternoon but could only dig out the
following before back up arrived

12 goldfinch
1 willow tit
blackbirds
chaffinch
2 jay
10 jackdaw
numerous gulls over,

cheers geoff

13/11/11

No sign of any owls this evening with Mr Hargreaves & Mr Meadows. Mr Broome also drew a blank watching from Riding Lane. We did however observe the following:

4 Buzzards
2 Kestrels
15+ Stock Doves
30+ Skylarks
4 Cormorants
2 Meadow Pipits & a few Fieldfares..

Keith Pilling wrote:

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Short Eared Owl seen hunting in the Totem pole field for 20mins 4 05 till 4 25 pm before being chased off by 3 Magpies.

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!!! I went down hoping for Short-Eared Owl, but only got there at 4.35. The Barn Owl came through a cloud of mist at the far end of the totem field and gave a fantastic close-range fly past Hopefully the Short-Eared will have stuck around.

3 till 4 30pm this evening

2 Pied Wagtails
1 Blue tit
2 Robins
4 Meadow pipits
3 Magpies

1 Female Sparrowhawk
1 Female Kestrel
3 Buzzards



Short Eared Owl seen hunting in the Totem pole field for 20mins 4 05 till 4 25 pm before being chased off by 3 Magpies.

Barn Owl and Buzzard this evening in the totem pole field