Pochard still present at 4pm sat under the bridge.

When I first saw it early on Sunday it's head was lied to the side and it appeared to have a dent in the middle of its back indicating a strike of some kind but later on it appeared to have recovered but never moved from where it was sat

Mon 4th March. 10.00 hrs.

Drake Pochard still under Tanners Mill bridge ..... on R/hand side of concrete (under a green stanchion), if you were driving into the mill.
It appears bright eyed and alert enough ..... just not moving at all.

Roger.

Yes Steve,it was.We were lucky seeing the water rail right away but I had been twice before with the briefest look of it's back end.We are the last vestige pf the former Age Concern group which I lead from Ashton.

Sorry update on the pochard it is ALIVE and appears to be resting under the bridgealso water rail showing for 5 minutes at the royal George ditch

What you think killed it? Mink maybe?

Dead male pochard under the bridge that that links tanners mill near the Clarence pub

Bill Beckwith wrote:

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Also saw dippers from bridge lower down river with cottage on one end.

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As I was walking home on Friday about 12.30 I looked back towards Wright Mill bridge and saw 4 people on the bridge, presumably watching the Dippers. I guess you were one of the quartet, Bill?

Best place to see water rail,surely,is on path below wooden bridge facing ditch.Had good views there on Friday lunchtime.Also saw dippers from bridge lower down river with cottage on one end.Also 3 little grebe,tufted duck.coot and mallard on Royal George Lodge from mill side and also heron in area.

Thank you for the directions, Ashley and Roger: I've found the spot. However, no water rail (4.00 pm). I'm not saying it wasn't there though - for one thing I have no binoculars (to be rectifiied when I go to Leighton Moss next month, I hope) so if it wasn't close to the little bridge I would probably not have seen it. Also, at that time on this lovely day, as I looked along the ditch I was looking directly into the sun. I'll try again on a cloudy day, or during a morning. No moorhens there (though I can imagine there often are, as you say) - just Canada geese feeding in the field alongside.

Mallards on Manns, two moorhens (and more Canadas) on the grass (Pasture side) and a wren in the long grass by the path.

And (compensation for lack of water rail) brief but good views of a dipper in the stream close to the bridge over Wellihole Road.

Water rail showing very well at 7-30 this morning, from the little bridge.

Sat 2nd March. 07.00 hrs.

At least 3 Great Spotted Woodpeckers having a drum off around Tanners Mill.
Mistle Thrush.

Roger.

Liz .... from where you are standing ,,,,, walk through the cottages on your left before the canal and along the path that will bring you to another terrace of cottages....... turn left to face the Royal George Mill property conversions ...... the path begins in the R/hand corner and goes down the back of the apartments .......... you will see the sedges growing across the field ..... view from the little wooden bridge.

Roger

Liz follow the footpath through where the campsite is, keep going and there is bridge on your right that crosses the river. Go over this and the path gets bit muddy, just before the path becomes very narrow near some hedgerow there is a ditch between two fields. Normally tons of moorhen in that area if it helps.

Thurs 28th Feb, pm:
Flock of jackdaws "tumbling" over White Lea.
Great spotted woodpecker (heard but not seen) drumming in trees near Higher Hollins Farm.

Friday 1st March, pm:
Second attempt to see water rail. I think I must be looking in the wrong place . If I stand on the bridge on Wellihole Road, facing Friezland, I have a pond to either side just ahead, and then the canal, but where is this ditch ?

Pleasant stroll up the river to Uppermill and back with Dave Sanderson (good to have a natter, Dave).

Water Rail showing well - until I got my camera out

3 Little Grebe, 2 Coot and a pair of Tufted Duck on Royal George Lodge.

Pair of Dipper putting finishing touches to nest on river near Mossley border.

A pleasant 40 minutes at the ditch with Andy Platt and Little Riggers.

Water Rail showed well several times.

3 Siskin
Blue Tit
Great Tit
Long-tailed Tit
Robin
2 Mistle Thrush
Song Thrush
8 Moorhen
Grey Heron
2 Great Spotted Woodpecker
Grey Wagtail
2 Blackbird

Royal George

At last, the Water Rail gave excellent, prolonged views out in the open.it was flushed by a dog walker at 0820hrs and no further sign. Makes up for the numerous rear end views as it disappeared into the juncus

5 Moorhen
Grey Heron

Coot on Manns

12.30 - 14.30: wonderful spring-like weather

Sewage works: 6 occupied nests in Heronry, 2 redhead Goosander on river. 2 very quick Dippers!

Royal George: 3 Little Grebe still present, 1 Coot on Manns pond.

Water Rail still in ditch, contentedly cheeping away whilst searching for food.

Mossley boundary: pair of Dipper collecting moss for nest-bulding.

Fri 15th Feb. 07.25 hrs.

Brilliant views of the Water Rail for at least 20 minutes ...... was out in the open feeding confidently when I got there. Really boggy now with all the melt-water.

The Moorhen were feeding in the middle of the field so the Rail had the ditch to itself and was only spooked when a Canada goose flew in honking

Roger..

A quick look at the ditch behind the Royal George Mill for water rail this morning, no sign of the rail
but I had a nice view of kingfisher. There were a couple of little grebe and a couple of goosander
on the Mill pond.

This morning WeBS visits.

Waterside Mill (Tanners) lodge: anglers got there before me, so no countable birds. Dipper on the island was a first for me though.

Royal George Mill lodge:

3 Little Grebe - developing breeding plumage
2 Coot - one on lodge, 1 on Manns pond
5 Goosander - 4 drakes
78 Black-headed Gulls
1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
4 Moorhen
9 Mallard
8 Canada Geese

1 Grey Wagtail over Uppermill.

1 Jay along canal near Saddleworth Rangers.

No sign of the Water Rail (showed very well last Saturday morning!!).

Male Great spotted woodpecker drumming, and at least three nuthatches and a couple of Coal tits at the water rail ditch.

2 Little Grebe on the lodge itself.

Pair of Goosanders on pond on the opposite side of the road from the lodge, with a LBB Gull, 4 Common gulls and c120 BHG's in the field beside it.

Only 2 dippers seen along the river between Uppermill and the garden centre.

Sat. 2/2/13 - 0830:

brief but clear view of Water Rail in its favourite ditch as it crossed the ice from one clump of rushes to the next (and I only had to wait for two minutes )

Sorry,

Great spotted woodpecker drumming.

Ashley Edwards wrote:

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GSW Drumming

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Ashley, could I please direct you to have a read of the sticky threads at the top of the county sightings forum please

Flying visit today

3 little grebe
2 goosander m+f
GSW Drumming

No sign of water rail but hard due to glare off water of sun

Thurs 31st Jan. 07.30 - 08.30 hrs

Great Spotted Woodpecker.
Nuthatch.
Mistle Thrush (pair).
Moorhen (4).

No sign of the Water Rail.

Roger.

The briefest of views of the rear end of a Water Rail as it disappeared into the rushes in the ditch near Royal George lodge at 1440hrs.

Friday 25th Jan. 15.30 hrs.

Water Rail.

In the Ditch (Thanks Steve & Mark). 30 minute wait for a 5 second sighting.

Only 20 yds down the ditch viewed from the little bridge on the path accessed from Royal George Mill car-park.

Also 1 Heron & 4 Moorhen.

Roger.

Tues 22nd Jan. 07.45 hrs.

Royal George Lodge. Viewed from Well i'Hole Bridge only.

26 Canada Geese.
1 Coot.
Pair Little Grebe.
1 Nuthatch.

Roger.

-- Edited by Roger Baker 3 on Tuesday 22nd of January 2013 09:55:50 AM

Wont admit that the girlfriend spotted it first though! Will definitely be going back to have another look, stunning bird to see. Never thought I would see that only few miles from my house

Found it then ash?

Water rail
Litte Grebe x 2
Buzzard
Nuthatch calling
Long tailed tit flock
Goosander flying over, may have been heading castleshaw as went there briefly after and was a lone individual near the gulls on lower reservoir
Several moorhens and single coot (keeping the Grebes company)
Heron x 3

Mark Rigby wrote:

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Water Rail has been seen for the last 3 winters in the reedy ditch in the field to the west of the lodge.

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the clumps of sedge between the ditch and the canal are also worth a look...

Think me and the Mrs will spend a bit of time there this weekend then

Water Rail has been seen for the last 3 winters in the reedy ditch in the field to the west of the lodge.

Where was the water rail? Spent tons of time trying to spot one at Burton Mere at the weekend!

Royal George lodge (fields to west end)

Heron
Nuthatch
Canada Goose
8 Moorhen

No sign of yesterday's Water Rail

Hi Mark,
Tried to add to Greenfield post, but added new post by mistake. Stables at Higher Tunstead have brambling, hard to spot around feeders in amongst chaffinch, siskin, goldfinch, greenfinch with jay and nuthatch regular. Waxwing flock flew north to roost at 4 pm on 4th and 5th , but not seen since. Large flock of field fare 40-50 at Hawkyard too.

Royal George Lodge

Coot
2 Little Grebe and another on the 'manse'

This afternoon's WeBS visit - morning spent waiting for builder

Royal George Mill lodge:

1 Coot - first here for many months
3 Little Grebe
3 Moorhen
35 Mallard
26 Canada Geese

plus Grey Wagtail on the river,

Many thanks will give it a try in coming weeks, many thanks!

Ashley,

There is a path along one side of Royal George Lodge - enter from a small wooden gate on the left at the north (church side) of the hump-backed bridge on Well-i-hole Road. On the other side of the road you can walk down the track towards the Manns cottages - natives are quite friendly

Heronry and some good Dipper sites are best viewed from the bridleway which follows the old railway line. Good place to start is diagonally opposite the Royal George pub on Manchester Road (there's a small car parking area across the road). You can follow the bridleway up to Greenfield village (or further if you like). Good return walk by turning left down the village main street and joining the canal towpath at Tesco. This will take you back to Royal George Lodge and the Manns.

Good Luck!

Steve,

I have been reading your posts here for a while and am a local to the area (Carrbrook and Heyrod) and was wondering how you get access to the ponds and walks that you talk about? I only know of being able to see the ponds from the road, is there a particular place that we could find and then do a tour of the places that you talk about?

Cheers,
Ashley

Walk up the valley and back this morning.

Four Heron nests already occupied by birds staking a claim. A Cormorant in breeding finery was also present.

2 Dippers on the river by the ETW busy foraging for food. Both colour-ringed with orange over metal on right leg. The left leg rings were red over orange and blue over red as far as I could make out. Both ringed locally.

2 Little Grebes on Royal George Lodge.

At least 2 pairs Goosander on river.

Very foggy this morning - but dry :

128 Canada Geese, 20 Mallard, 3 Little Grebe, 8 Black-headed Gull, 2 Moorhen.
18 Pied Wagtail in flooded field. Dipper singing on river (with metal ring).

This morning WeBS visits - very little ice left

Waterside Mill (Tanners) lodge: got there before the human fishermen - 1 Cormorant, 1 Kingfisher, 10 Canada Geese, plus Grouse heard calling from the moors.

Royal George Mill lodge:

3 Little Grebe
76 Black-headed Gulls
5 Common Gulls
4 Moorhen
12 Mallard
just 2 Canada Geese

plus Dipper (unringed) on the river,

Royal George Mill lodge: ice has retreated to 20% coverage today

32 Black-headed Gulls on the ice.
2 Little Grebes back on the lodge.
No Mallards
No Canada Geese - but a flock of 130 in the field by the canal as you head back towards Mossley.

Royal George Mill lodge 80% fozen this morning:

50 Black-headed Gulls skating on the ice.
2 Little Grebes have moved onto the inlet channel across the road by The Manns.
Dipper (with metal ring) singing on riverbank.