Not much on a closed to traffic park and very frozen lodge
2 Shovellor Heron 2 Coal tits all usuals

not much other than about 8 goosander on back lodge with a heron and two more above weir.

First Light
6 Goosanders on main lodge, 2 on fishing lodge 2 on river
Long Tailed Tits everywhere
Heron and Kingfisher on back lodge
One possibly two tree creepers high up on tree in woods at back of rear lodge
Usuals

First light everything frozen
44 mute swans
Lot of canada geese with frost on their back
three goosanders on river one drake
tree creeper on tree near red bridge
and that ws it

A clear frosty morning for the Saturday morning walk with Bolton RSPB.

The best of the usual stuff :

Buzzard...1 in tree near river.
Sparrowhawk... 1 over low
Goosander... 7 (with 3 drakes)
Song Thrush....3 heard with 2 seen.
Mistle Thrush...1
Bullfinch...pair
Grey Heron...3 or 4
Among the Gulls were at least:
Common Gull ...2
Herring Gull ....2
Lbb Gull...1
Cormorants... 2 over.


-- Edited by keith mills on Saturday 14th of January 2012 01:19:10 PM

Only 35 Swans which is a reductio from the usual 50 odd but could be due to nearly 300 Canada Geese flapping about the place.
Only thing of note were 8 Goosander (4m 4 fm) and a heron
Things look a sad and run down here Toilets and Hide not open at 9.45 some bins not emptied, several board walk side bars missing, the tern raft stil beeched on the bank from several months ago.

A quick walk round in the gloom today produced:

1 Cormorant on the smelly and very fast flowing River Irwell
1 Kestrel over and on the trees behind the river.
1 Song Thrush singing high up in a tall tree in front of the locked hide.
15 Goosander on the smaller lodge at the back (7m 8f)
1 Juvenile Heron on smaller lodge
3 Goosander on main lodge (2m 1f)

All the massess of usual regulars (Mutes Swans, Coots, Mallards, Canada Geese, Moorhens) but no treecreepers or Goldcrests that I was hoping to see. A few Tits and Robins were singing and calling the wooded areas along the walkways.

Today I saw no less than 30 goosanders on 2 of the lakes. I dont recall seeing this many before. Also saw a black headed gull with a black head in December. It mustnt realise its winter !

In the bird hide I saw of note, 2 coal tits, 4 greenfinches and 2 chaffinches and a bullfinch.

-- Edited by DAVID KENNEDY on Wednesday 14th of December 2011 02:35:37 PM

Late PM Crompton Ldges

Shoveler Pair
Goosander 10
G.C. Grebe 1
Tufted Duck 38
Mute Swan 60
Few Moorhen
Lots Canada Goose,Mallard and Coot.

Saw this am
5 Goosander (3F 2M Plumage) 3 cormorants, Juvenile Heron, Pied Wagtail Great Crested Grebe, Pair of Bullfinches Coal Tit flock of Goldfinches and Long Tailed Tits, Treecreeper

Late posting for yesterday (4/11/11)

A Grey Wagtail was on the river pebble banks near the red bridge. Great views down to three or four metres - didn't seem bothered about me. Fantastic colours and long tail. Unfortunately the light wasn't great for photos, but I did try.

The usual waterfowl were present on a walk round the lodges with a flock of long-tailed tits, two great tits, two robins being the highlights in the wooded areas and two different (juvenile?) herons on the river and one on a lodge.

2 goosander and a treecreeper

Not much Two Goldcrest Coal tit and 50 Mute Swans heron 2 pied wagtail and one white wagtail.

not much
Greater Spotted Woodpecker
Two Juvenile Herons
Coal Tit and a dead swan removed by council

55 mute swans, about hundred canada geese, (Swans seem a lots happier with less of these feathered monsters) 2 Great Crested Grebes,15 tufted ducks a young heron the male goldeneye and a cormerant that was about it.

Common Sandpiper.

Quick visit this morning. Usual Goldeneye on the Sunblest shores of Lake Crompton. Few tufted ducks and three common tern, two of which were juvenile. Loads of Canada Geese that have taken over around the car park side to the point that swans are restricted to the other shore and seem to be decreasing in numbers. Even humans are excluded from the area by a mass of the feathered monsters. Time for a cull? Lots of young coots and a juvenile Heron.

180 Mallard, Oystercatcher feeding on the grass with the Geese.

Not much really, one common tern, twelve tufted ducks have reappeared, the male goldeneye gets even tamer, female teal on back lodge, two young heron squabbling and a dipper flying up the river towards the weir.

Cheers Henry. That's only about a mile or so from Ringley where Green Woodies are occasionally seen. Still a good record from another one of our underwatched areas.

Hi Simon.
I saw it fly low over the south end of Nob End LNR towards Little Lever. I think it had been feeding nearby and was flushed by a dog-walker. Hope they become more regular in the area.
Henry.

Green Woodpecker is a good record in this area Henry, where abouts did you have it ?

06/07/2011 - 5am-10am - Crompton Lodges, Nob End LNR and Darcy Lever areas covered:

61 Mute Swans
189 Canada Geese
2 Great Crested Grebes + juv
c120 Mallards
1 Moorhen + juvs
22 Coots
1 Tawny Owl
8 Sand Martins
1 Grey Wagtail
1 Pied Wagtail
1 Green Woodpecker
2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers
1 Garden Warbler - at top end of Darcy Lever near model aircraft field
6 Blackcaps
2 Willow Warblers
3 Chiffchaffs
2 Whitethroats
2 Treecreepers
8 Coal Tits
7 Jays
1 Siskin - flew over
2 Bullfinches

-- Edited by Henry Cook on Wednesday 6th of July 2011 11:53:27 AM

Visit this morning. Curious sight of 201 Canada Geese in one large bunch at the car park side of the main lodge and 55 Mute Swans in a single bunch on the opposite shore. Of note family of Goldcrest with two young, tree creeper and two black cap in woods behind lodges. The Goldeneye male made a reappearance so has not moved on. Two herons and two Tufted Ducks and four Great Crested Grebe along with one chick on the rest of the lodges.

On central lodge raft has come loose and hit the far bank. Pleasantly surprised to see one juvenile great crested grebe chick on main lodge with parents, considering the abuse the coots give the adult pair over the past three years, this is an achievement. A pair of bull finches, two black caps in the woods, dipper heard on river and sand martins near canal viaduct at Nob End. The male Goldeneye appears to have gone.

Male golden eye still present and getting very tame or foolish. Posed fir some very good shots 2m away. On a sadder note 2 common terns appeared to have failed to breed. Not clear why. Were sat on eggs two weeeks ago. Just perched on the raft AM no sign of any chicks. Similar with Great Crested Grebes. Only other things of note chiff chaff and black cap. Swallow Swift and Sand martins.

male Goldeneye still present today.

8 common terns, goldeneye, 50 swans, few if any tufted, black caps, great spotted woodpecker, grey wagtail pair

2 Arctic Terns around at 7 45am to 8am.

Sunday 24th

Goldeneye very obliging.
Chiffchaff and Blackcap giving excellent views up towards the heath area.

-- Edited by David Craven on Monday 25th of April 2011 04:14:41 PM

Not much quite quite Goldeneye still present

2 Common Tern yesterday 18th April + Goldeneye & Teal hanging around with a female Mallard.

Common tern being mobbed by gulls
Coal tit and LT tit with nesting material
Blue tit with young in a hole
Chiff Chaff x 2 Willow Warbler x 2 Black cap x 3
GS Woody
Jay
Goldeneye
and sparrow

goldeneye still there
though saw a common tern
Heron
blackap and wilow warblers on river and that was it

goldeneye teal still present, Two GCGrebes one getting duffed up by the coots same every year

Two chiff chaff, coal tit, and willow warbler in wods behind lodges

pied wagtail dipper river

e

AM over 50 swans 2 Oyster Catcher Rather tame Goldeneye still there lets you get to within 10 metres heard black cap in woods few swans nesting heron and that about it

Late afternoon (after Man Utd beat West Ham 4-2).

Single male Goldeneye
One pair of Great Crested Grebes doing a little bit of their dance on the main lodge
Mute Swan pair nest building at one end of main lodge
2 Coots on nests and many others about
1 Grey Heron in trees
Several Moorhen
1 pair of Teal, male agressively seeing off anything that came near him
Loads of tufties, black-headed gulls, Canada Geese, Mallards, Mute Swans etc

Some pictures on my blog (address below)

-- Edited by Martyn Jones on Sunday 3rd of April 2011 04:29:09 PM

50 Swans 18 Tufties 2 GC Grebes
4 Sand martins 2 Goosanders
In woods Chiff Chaff two tree creepers a pair,1 Goosander, Dipper lower weir GS Wood pecker fly over cormerant

lot of burning at nob end

-- Edited by Ian Boote on Saturday 26th of March 2011 12:52:34 AM

Redshank, on main Lodge, 7am.

Very sunny but frosty morning
Flock gold finchers carpark
three flocks of LT Tits River CarparK Woods
Pair of very tame Goosanders baCK OF Main lodge allowed me to get up to 8 feet to them from path.
Three Treecreeper, One a pair on tree between lodges one in woods
pied wag carpark

Nuthatch, behind wildlife lodges.

45 Swans seem to have reduced
35 Tufties seemed to have increased
12 Mallards in the woods seem to be hiding
5 Goosanders on lodges
2 Oyster catcher main lodge bank
2 GC Grebe displaying but will probably be bullied by the coots they always do
fly over heron
flock of lt tots very very close in a hedge
Dipper flying up and down ricer
2 goosander on river
mistle thrush

Had a lovely walk round this afternoon in the sunshine!!
8 goosander on the lodge to the right of the main one, 4 male 4 female.

This pm :
16 Goosander on one of Crompton's Lodges. Drakes in the minority.

Late afternoon Crompton Lodges

17 Goosander (7 Male)
53 Mute Swan
33 Tufted Duck
1 F Pochard
2 Common Gull
Lots of Canada Geese, Coot & BH Gull

-- Edited by Alan Warford on Wednesday 19th of January 2011 05:28:58 PM

Raven behind Cemetery. On Crompton lodges, female Teal, 2 Pochard, 2Goldeneye, 4 Goosander, +8 Goosander on river.

Corvid roost this evening from Radcliffe road entrance opp Farmer Arms.

Jackdaws 800
crows 60.

First vist to this side of the park, looks as if it could be good.


Keep Birding

misty morning
on mainly frozen lodges usuals at least 56 swans
woods jays GS woodpecker
River
2 cormerant 6 Goosander, drake manderin, dipper, treecreeper
hide
2 coal tits

Redhead Smew landed very briefly on Crompton Lodges around midday today before heading off east. Also Raven over.

Info thanks to Kane Brides

Peregrine over at 12:35