20+ Waxwing over Skitters wood at 3:15 this afternoon towards Liverpool Road area

1 Whooper Swan south over Skitters Wood this morning, among a flock of c20 Herring Gull!

c.50 Pink feet SE over Billinge Lane at 9.20am

6 Redwing at Skitters Wood this morning

A newly fledged House Martin was on the ground among planters by Ashton library this morning, watched by several people and picked up by one of the librarians, there are a couple of nests on the building. After being photographed in the librarian's hand it flew off

1 Swift was feeding over Skitters Wood on the evening of Thursday 6th September

Siskin south over Skitters Wood this morning

Wed 8th: 1 Siskin south over Skitters Wood early morning, Oystercatcher calling over there 2240hrs

2 vocal Common Tern west over Ashton Market 17:30hrs (if they were looking for the fish stall they need to come on Saturday or Tuesday..)

Wednesday 02 May 2012

Many House Martin back over the town center this evening
also a Swift and a Swallow over the house, heading NE.

Oystercatcher north over Skitters Wood this morning

Goldcrest singing today at Skitters Wood
Great Spotted Woodpecker Booths Brow Farm Downall Green

Thursday 19 April 2012

Morning walk to Bryn Station:
Blackcap singing at King George Close
Blackcap singing at Wigan Road/Alexandra Road
Goldcrest singing at Carnegie Drive
2 Chiffchaff singing at Bryn Station

Tatton Drive,
Swallow going north 08:30.

Priory Road,
2 Chiffchaff singing
also Goldcrest

Jimmy

-- Edited by Jimmy Meadows on Thursday 19th of April 2012 09:50:33 PM

Thursday 12 April 2012
On an early morning walk to Bryn Station

1 Siskin north over Hilton Street
1 Goldcrest singing along Wigan Road
1 Chiffchaff singing at Bryn Station

a low-flying Sparrowhawk was causing chaos amongst the town centre pigeons and Jackdaws just after mid-day.

singing Blackcap at Skitters Wood this morning

Friday 30th March: 2 Red-Legged Partridge Booths Brow Road, singing Yellowhammer and Skylark Brocstedes Farm

Wed 28th at least 4 Redwing roosted at the town end of Skitters Wood

Wednesday 28 March 2012
mid morning

Goldcrest and Coal Tit singing at Carnegie Drive

Chiffchaff singing at Bryn Station

Sunday 25 March 2012
Another hot sunny day, 19.5'C

Over the garden:
4 Rook
2 Bullfinch
1 Siskin (> north)
1 Meadow Pipit (> north)

Ashton Heath:
2 Chiffchaff
1 Coal Tit

Old Sewage Works:
2 Mistle Thrush
3 Chiffchaff
1 Coal Tit
1 Jay

Peter Street Scrub:
1 Chiffchaff

-- Edited by Rob Thorpe on Sunday 25th of March 2012 09:04:48 PM

Saturday 24 March 2012
sunny, light SE breeze, 19'C

some sights and sounds from an unseasonably hot afternoon (and evening) in the garden:

4 Mallard (over)
2 Buzzard (over, one mobbed by Lesser Black-backed Gull)
2 Sparrowhawk (local pair)
Lesser Black-backed Gull (many over, mainly > south)
Herring Gull (several over, mainly > south)
Black-headed Gull (several over, mainly > south)
7 Rook (over)
2 Carrion Crow (over)
1 Magpie
1 Chiffchaff (heard, distantly)
Chaffinch
Greenfinch
Goldfinch
1 Siskin (over > north)
2 Linnet (over > north)
2 Bullfinch (over, only second (or is it third? can't remember) record here)
2 Pied Wagtail (over)

Coot calling in flight over Skitters Wood this evening, in twilight at 19:30 (as I went to the bin!), seemed to be flying west/south-west before turning north

dave broome wrote:

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(two females having a prolonged bout of chasing and occasional calling, with a male sitting quietly nearby)

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At the risk of upsetting all the lovely female users of this site....it's good to know some things are the same whatever the species ;-p

Wed 21st March: Chiffchaff singing in Skitters Wood, 3 Great Spotted Woodpecker (two females having a prolonged bout of chasing and occasional calling, with a male sitting quietly nearby)

Chiffchaff singing today at the Stubshaw Cross former reservoir site (a small woodland by Stubshaw Cross Labour Club)

Sunday 18 March 2012

female Sparrowhawk caught a Feral Pigeon in our front garden this afternoon, then started to pluck it, pigeon still struggling, before being spooked by the neighbour's dog. The Sparrowhawk left without the pigeon, which disappeared(!?)

Also 1 Siskin heard flying overhead, direction unknown.

230 Fieldfare at Edge Green Common/Ryding Lane yesterday, 1 singing Yellowhammer, 3 Buzzard over

Redwing heard overhead after dark tonight.

North Ashton this morning: 3 Red-Legged Partridge along public footpath near Cranberry Ley, also along there Buzzard, Goldcrest, Coal Tit, Reed Bunting and singing Yellowhammer plus 1 Siskin north; Kestrel, pair of Grey Partridge, singing Yellowhammer and flock of 12 House Sparrow off Soughers Lane

-- Edited by dave broome on Friday 9th of March 2012 08:58:45 PM

Mon 5th March: at least 2 Curlew calling over Skitters Wood/A-in-M town centre 21:15hrs, flying E or NE

130 Fieldfare and a Great Spotted Woodpecker on the Wigan side of Booths Brow Road, Downall Green this morning

Friday 02 March 2012

Curlew over house at 13:50.

Wednesday 29 February 2012

Curlew over Bryn Station at 08:30, heading NW.

Teal calling as it flew N over Skitters Wood at 19:20 this evening, Tawny Owls calling from the wood, pair of Goldcrest today

Wednesday 22 February 2012

A flock of c30 Lapwing flew east over Tesco Express on Bolton Road, just before 9am.

12 Grey Partridge Tues 14th Feb between Gladden Hey Farm and Leyland Mill Lane

Saturday 14 January 2012

34 House Sparrow in the garden, mid-afternoon.
1 Great Black-backed Gull over, heading south.

-- Edited by Rob Thorpe on Sunday 15th of January 2012 11:24:33 PM

Saturday 14 January 201

3 Greylag Geese west over the house at 13:00ish

Thursday 10th Nov: a tight flock of 2000 Starling flew high and fast NW over Skitters Wood at 07:40

Friday 4th Nov: calling Yellowhammer and Reed Bunting both went east over Skitters early a.m.

Peregrine east over the A49 at Landgate 09:15 this morning, stooped towards the farmland

I could hear plenty of Redwing flying over whilst I was cycling home from Wigan to Ashton this evening.

Approx 160 Pink Feet West over Ashton town centre at approx 10.45am today, plus I could have sworn I just heard a Redwing going over.

5 vocal Grey Partridge were a surprising occurrence in gardens on the edge of the town centre end of Skitters Wood this morning, singing Chiffchaff also present

4 House Martin still around a nest site today

as per Simon's Warford's Horwich Moors post today, Meadow Pipit passage continued over Skitters Wood right through today, albeit sporadic

6 south as soon as I opened the front door early morning, but no more over the next few minutes; 40+ mid-afternnoon inc a flock of 15; a few heard but not visible just before sunset

Craig Higson wrote:

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Sounds like Skitters Wood is turning into the new birding capital of Wigan Dave. By the way - what is that picture on your avatar??

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Mystery Bird: Channel-Billed Toucan, in gardens on the edge of Skitters Wood a few years ago

Probably not identifiable from the world's worst ever bird photograph. It is shown (?) in the fork of a Sycamore, where it was drinking, in our front garden . It's facing to the right, holding its monster bill up at angle of 45 degrees.


Tawny Owls calling in the wood this evening

Wednesday 28 September 2011 Peregrine over, fairly low, heading south at 17:35.