Tony Coatsworth wrote:

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One turned up in Gloucestershire on December 9th and was still there today.

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Hi Tony

There is a relatively large number of Cattle Egrets turned up in the south - I was lucky enough to see the Frampton bird at Christmas while staying with a relative. Some of these appear to have moved around a bit - wonder if the Neston bird is one of these?

Mike

One just appeared in Neston - I've put directions in the the 'out of county' section
I've not seen a picture yet so don't know if it is the PF bird.

pictures of the mm biird seem to put it in the same age group as the penny bird

One turned up in Gloucestershire on December 9th and was still there today.

I see that a Cattle Egret has turned up at Martin Mere. Could be our ellusive bird.

I know Andy Makin had checked that area yesterday to no avail.

For what it's worth, in case it's still lurking in the area and didn't keel over during Sunday night, there are quite a few cattle visible from a concessionary footpath down the former railway connecting Lowton Civic Hall field to Byrom Lane. These are owned by the same farmer who has a few cattle in Pennington Flash Country Park. I checked along there on Monday morning after leaving the Flash (after checking the Golborne area on Sunday). There are lots of fields there and several Public Rights of Way, so it's just feasible that it could be skulking quietly there?? Wishful thinking I know.

I've spoken to Andy today and been treated to his full account, which fortunately even he agreed that had he a mobile phone, his views were so brief that it is highly unlikely that anyone could have twitched it. That said, he is getting a mobile phone this week after finally becoming so frustrated at not being able to share his sightings nor be informed of other peoples when he's out birding

As for birders at Pennington on Sunday, well you can only give people the information (take a horse to water/can't make it drink sort of thing) but it is likely that many were already out and busy. I visited Pennington 3 times during the day, checked all the fields along the East Lancs from Pennington to Astley, Astley Moss and Worsley Moss yet I didn't bump into any other birders at Pennington during the morning/mid afternoon other than Karl and then Rob Adderley, Andy Isherwood and Phil Rhodes after we all had the same idea of it coming back to roost, which it seems to have done but we were just too little late

Fact is that the bird was very elusive and despite what we think was not present on the golf course for large parts of the day, it was certainly not present anytime before Andy's sighting as he had thoroughly checked then it just appeared from nowhere. Where had it been? Who knows, but that's birding and sometimes, well...sh*t happens

-- Edited by Ian McKerchar at 20:50, 2007-12-05

I'm sure it could loose itself quite easily locally and reappear still. There hasn't been a new sighting on birdguides anywhere and the ones in Cornwall and Dorset were already there before, so I think it's still well worth looking out for.
Steve

hi steve /warfy -sorry i sounded a bit miffed in that post,probably because andy started birding with me and the original penny flashersabout 1980-he was a young wippersnapper thenthink the egret led many of us a merry dance.i was probably about 300 yards from it when andy was filming itive never seen one in 30 years at the flash so it shows what a good record it is.lets hope its not been had by the 5 foxes that roam that area of the flash near the golf coarse.im supprised its not turned up anywere else,but thats birding for yaill just have to find it again this weekend

-- Edited by JOHN TYMON at 19:10, 2007-12-05

Just read your post John, but no intent for any blame! It's great somebody got a picture let alone a video and really glad he did.
It just seemed from Judith's post that Andy's video was common knowledge and I thought the whole thing had been sadly missed (photographically!), and no one on the Forum had appeared to have seen the bird from previous posts.
I think better use of the emoticons by me may avoid confusion when using my odd sense of humour- after all I certainly didn't find it funny when Bolton beat Man U.
Steve

-- Edited by Steve Collins at 18:33, 2007-12-05

John, me and my Dad were straight down there just after Ian(11ish) but like a pair of idiots we grilled some of the surrounding fields and only had a quick look on the golfcourse at 1.30pm as it was pouring down. On the news of it last seen flying off south and what seemed like no further sign we left and went home. Another bad error it seems oh well heres for better luck in 2008 things can only get better. It hurts to look at the pics.

Lets start a whip round for a mobile for him

-- Edited by warfy at 18:29, 2007-12-05

Thanks Ian. Very much as I thought-Oh the ups and downs of technology! Great stills from the video and good to have a camcorder to hand.
Well done Andy.
Any chance of somebody being able to get him to put it on You-Tube. There's a recent one of a north wales spoonbill on, but I've no idea how it's done. Perhaps we could club together and tempt him with a mobile phone. Can't have that happening again .The suspense was killing me, and I wasn't there!
Steve

don't think anyone can blame andy!as at 3pm sunday there must have been a maximum of 4 birders on the flash-in fact i was there at 3pm,but had drifted to the teal hide unfortunately.andy was probably wondering himself like me where everyone was?i was searching on my own all pm sunday,and the only birder i met told me it had flown off at 10ambeing that no-one was on i assumed wrongly that was true and headed to the fields at plank lane to look for it.andy didn't have a phone so couldn't have let anyone know anyway.i had a phone ,but even if i had seen it on my own,i didn't have anyones phone number in it to ring,so it would have been the same if i had seen iti found it a bit strange that a warbler turnes up city centre manchester mid week and loads turn up,yet a sunday mega on the flash and apart from ian and others who shot on early not many turned up

-- Edited by JOHN TYMON at 07:12, 2007-12-06

Ian McKerchar wrote:

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Rather frustratingly it appears that the Cattle Egret has indeed been present at Pennington during the day today, being seen by a few birders and non birders alike on the golf course and apparently the cattle paddock on the left along the approach road, just after turning in off St.Helens Road. Unfortunately, for one reason or another the news has failed to get to me or anyone else and the birds latest sighting at 3 pm by a well known county birder who doesn't have a mobile phone only reached us at a time when despite actually being at the flash we couldn't relocate the bird

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No missing posts Steve or people out of the loop, the above post was all the information I or anyone else had, fact is there was no more! The footage by Andy Makin (who is the guy mentioned above in the 3pm sighting who doesn't have a mobile phone) was taken then and having just received the photos they hurt to look at...a lot Soon to be on the galleries where people can cry at will at the mega they missed

-- Edited by Ian McKerchar at 09:54, 2007-12-05

Camcorder footage???? ... Andy????...
Did I miss a posting or some information somewhere?
Frustrating.. Pray..No sign ..Dipped.. were in the postings I've got.
I couldn't go anyway but seems like a lot of people out of the loop here.
Steve

Photos of the bird on the way, guys. Andy has just been over with his memory card and I've sent a selection of the best to Ian for uploading. They are stills taken from his camcorder footage, which is superb.

yeah Dean plastered all over page three and it wasnt even in Bolton.

It doesnt mention the fact that everyone dipped(again)

-- Edited by warfy at 20:43, 2007-12-04

It made the pages of The Bolton Evening News today
My Dad text me to ask if i'd seen it

has no-one had a go at thismega today?my guess it is still somewere on the southbank,there are many fields around the back of the yaught clubs

-- Edited by JOHN TYMON at 19:21, 2007-12-04

no sign of egret but well impressed with large numbers of greenfinch at the bunting hide and a few reed bunting now showing around feeding tables along with chaffinch,bullfinch,willow,blue,great,coal tits.
Teal,shoveller,goldeneye and gadwal all on the increase.

-- Edited by Gary at 14:28, 2007-12-03

No sign up to 12 midday

Info thanks to Brian Fielding

No sign of the Egret 7.30am till 10.30am at least this morning despite a good turn out from the manchester dipping group.

Ian McKerchar wrote:

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The weather overnight looks very poor so the bird seems unlikely to leave overnight at least

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Oops, looking outside the night sky's as clear as a bell here with no wind, only 3 miles from Pennington...

arrived just after 4 after a mad dash from home to be given the bad news that the bird had dissapeared again, anyway tomorrows another day, heres hoping for a change of luck.

WAS ON FROM 2-4 CHECKED THE GOLF COURSE,RESERVE,BYROM LN ,PLANK LANE BUT NEVER SAW IT.FOUND IT STRANGE THAT THERE SEEMED TO BE VERY FEW BIRDERS ON,AND IF ANYONE HAD SEEN IT THEY DIDN'T TELL ME.THERE WERE JUST 4 CARS ON THE CAR PARK WHEN I LEFT AND IT DEFINATELY WASN'T ON HOLE 1 OF THE GOLF COARSE,OR 2 OR 3,HAS I CHECKED EM ALL.MUST HAVE BEEN ON THE CATTLE PADDOCK THEN ,WISH SOMEONE HAD TOLD ME,IT WOULD HAVE BEEN A FIRST FOR MENO CHANCE OF GETTING ON TILL NEXT WEEKEND FOR ME HAS 7-5 ALL WEEK AT WORKAGIAN I EXPECTED THE CAR PARK TO BE FULL OF BIRDERS,BUT WE WERE OUTNUMBERED BY DOGWALKERS TODAY:

If visiting to look for this bird the whole golf course and the horse and cattle paddocks are probably the likeliest locations to check.

Please note:

We must stay off the golf course! Walking on it will cause considerable damage and potentially cause relationship problems between the golfers and birders/wardens we can do without. If you see any birders walking on it please point this out to them. The golf course can be easily viewed from paths alongside the brook which is most easily accessed from crossing the rough ground opposite Teal and Lapwing hides and also more simply from the car park.

The cattle paddock is best accessed by parking in the first car park along the approach road to the flash, immediately on the left as you turn in off St.Helens Road. Walk back out onto the approach road and 50 or so yards further along until you bear left at a small turn off and through the gate to view the paddocks on the right. The paddocks have plenty of Juncus in them and if the bird is there is could easily be missed if it is sat amongst it. Not sure about entering ther field to check, one of the cattle had very big horns!

Whether on the golf course or paddocks please keep your distance, apparently it was disturbed a few times by birders on the golf course today, which is uneccessary which ever way you look at it.

Here's hoping it stays

Rather frustratingly it appears that the Cattle Egret has indeed been present at Pennington during the day today, being seen by a few birders and non birders alike on the golf course and apparently the cattle paddock on the left along the approach road, just after turning in off St.Helens Road. Unfortunately, for one reason or another the news has failed to get to me or anyone else and the birds latest sighting at 3 pm by a well known county birder who doesn't have a mobile phone only reached us at a time when despite actually being at the flash we couldn't relocate the bird

The weather overnight looks very poor so the bird seems unlikely to leave overnight at least, the golf course is shut tomorrow but dog walkers get on there early and tend to flush everything, so an early start might be essential to connect with it. Either that or just stay the whole day and listen for non birders chatting about funny little white herons their dogs just chased on the golf course. If you should get lucky with it and find yourself watching it on your own, please try to get the news out to someone quickly, I can't stand another day of this...

-- Edited by Ian McKerchar at 16:59, 2007-12-02

Still no sign at 2pm, Pennington has now been pretty thorughly checked, there still remains one or two areas around deepest Lightshaw and perhaps Dover that need checking, I (and I think Warfy too) have checked the fields along the A580 East Lancs Road and I've also spread the search a little wider and checked off Rindle Road/Nook Lane, Astley and even the heavily sheep and horse populated farmland area just west of Botany Bay Woods.

We now hope (and pray ) that it may return to roost somewhere around the flash this evening, watch this space...

Incredible!

Me and my dad checked lots and lots of fields at the west end of the flash and also had a look along the B5207 to the south of the east lancs finishing off checking the golf course again but no joy unfortunately.

=

henerz1 wrote:

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Is this also a first for Gtr Man Ian?

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Oh yes indeed! Two county firsts in a week and three for the year so far, with still four weeks to go...

Whoever said birding in a poxy little inland north-west England county was boring...erm, well I think a few of us may have, but how wrong we are



-- Edited by Ian McKerchar at 14:05, 2007-12-02

I was lucky enough to find this bird on the 1st hole of pennington Flash golf course near a flock of Black Headed Gulls. I had just arrived and luckily decided to check out the birds on the 1st hole as sometimes Grey wagtails are about. I spotted the Egret and observed it in disbelief as I knew that it was a rare find, little did I know it was a county first. It was walking around the grass near a big puddle where the gulls had settled and had a yellow bill and was hunched in stance. I initially was thinking Little Egret but the beak was clearly shorter and yellow! It also did not look much bigger than the gulls. I alerted the rangers in the office and we all enjoyed the bird for a few more minutes until it was disturbed by a crow. It flew towards the 2nd hole and out of sight. We all went searching around the reserve for it to no avail and ended up back at the first hole where it was spotted near the bridge over to the second tee. It was soon disturbed by a dog walker and it flew right over our heads and over the car park and then over the Flash to the South towards the farmers fields. I hung around a little while longer but it did not re-appear. I also saw a flock of siskin near the canal past teal hide as we were all looking for the Egret.
Neil Dowson

Is this also a first for Gtr Man Ian?

Having just spoken to the bird's finder, it seems there was never any doubt over it's identification and his original views of the bird on the golf course (just as he'd got out of the car!) must have been cracking.

Still being looked for...

Peter Alker (Pennington Flash head ranger) phoned me this morning to let me know an observer had seen what was probably a Cattle Egret on the flooded golf course at Pennington Flash, around 10:15ish. The bird was with gulls and wasn't much larger than a Black-headed in it's 'hunched-up' position, the original observer was sure it had an all yellow bill and Peter, who was without optics at the time was certain of it's overall size. The bird was flushed off the 2nd tee by dog-walkers and was then lost to view, but at around 10:40 the bird's identification was confirmed, seen very well in flight (all important features noted) and flew south across the car park and low over towards the cattle fields along the entrance road. I was only 1 minute away and checked all the cattle and horse paddocks in that area but to no avail, the bird is currently still being looked for...

-- Edited by Ian McKerchar at 12:05, 2007-12-02

-- Edited by Ian McKerchar at 12:06, 2007-12-02