1f Wheatear at Holts Fold

Last Drop area this morning. Birds included :-

1 Pheasant
1 Blackcap
1 Willow Warbler
2 Linnets

2 Common Terns flew over Birtenshaw this morning.
They came from Astley Bridge direction, so probably Doffcocker birds, and headed off to Jumbles.

A few Swallows & a Kestrel at Holts Fold this morning

Oystercatchers & a hovering Kestrel at Birtenshaw

Holts Fold this morning :-

Mediterranean Gull with Black-headed Gulls
1 Lapwing
2 Meadow Pipits
1 Willow Warbler
2 Lesser Redpolls + a few Goldfinches

Pair of Oystercatchers on the roof of Birtenshaw School.

Birds betweeb Birtenshaw & Oaks Farm included :
1 Grey Heron, a drumming Great Spotted Woodpecker, Song Thrushes, Blackcaps, Chiffchaffs, Nuthatches, & Bullfinches.

Pair of Oystercatchers at Eagley Junior School this morning

Holts Fold this morning :-
1 Oystercatcher
1 Meadow Pipit
1 Pied Wagtail
1 Reed Bunting

Pair of Oystercatchers at Turton High School before 8am.

Late morning around the Birtenshaw fields I was surprised to hear a Reed Bunting calling from a pond.

Oystercatcher at Holts Fold this morning

Turton High School / Eagley Junior School playing fields (8.20am)

2 Oystercatchers
1 Mediterranean Gull
A few Black-headed Gulls
1 Pied Wagtail
A Jay flew across

Pair of Oystercatchers at Turton High School playing fields (8am)

Pair of Oystercatchers at Turton High School (8am)

This morning's sightings from around the village included :-

Holts Fold :-
1 Skylark, 2 Pied Wagtails, 40+ Black-headed Gulls
Pair of Canada Geese flew through heading for Jumbles, followed a few minutes later by a Greylag

Turton High School/Eagley Junior School :-
2 Oystercatchers, 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls, pair of Nuthatches, (12 Redwings yesterday)

Woodcock flushed in Tong Clough.
No Siskins heard in the clough today, but I did get the odd ones flying over my garden coming up from here

This morning at Last Drop Village I found a Kestrel, a Pied Wagtail, & a Midtle Thrush.

From the Last Drop fields I saw Buzzards over Cox Green Quarry, over Turton Golf Course, and around Turton Tower area.
Yesterday a Buzzard was at Birtenshaw School.

30+ Redwings in Tong Clough this morning.

A Nuthatch in the copse at the top of Hospital Road.

Just a couple of Mistle Thrushes at Holts Fold.

I wandered across the Last Drop fields to see what was upsetting all the Magpies on Cox Green meadow. It was a Kestrel perched just below them.
Dozens of finches here were mainly Goldfinches, with some Lesser Redpolls, one of the latter standing out with it's full red breast.

Kestrel at Holts Fold this morning, 6 Mistle Thrushes this afternoon.

50+ Jackdaws around the village this afternoon.

Raven flew low over Flag Inn this morning

A Fieldfare with 7 Mistle Thrushes & 20+ Starlings at Holts Fold this morning

I left my house at 8am and immediately heard Pink-footed Geese. A skein of about 80 birds flew over heading NW.

(8.10am)
A few Common Gulls with 200+ Black-headed Gulls on school playing fields.

(Mid-morning)
Grey Wagtail on a wall by Chapeltown Road near King William pub (Lancs)
Snipe flushed from a boggy field as I headed up to Holts Fold Farm
70+ Redwings on the same fields and in trees near Chapeltown Road
Meadow Pipit on fields between Holts Fold & Last Drop. Kestrel on a telegraph pole
3 Redwings in trees by Conningsby Close

Holts Fold at lunchtime :-

2 Lapwings
1 Redwing
1 Nuthatch
2 Rooks

A couple of hours this morning checking the birds around the village.

1 Lapwing at Holts Fold Farm.

School playing fields (Turton High, Eagley Juniors, & Eagley Infants)
20+ Black-headed Gulls, 4 Common Gulls, 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull, 2 Redwings, 2 Nuthatches, 2 Bullfinches, & rather surprisingly a Grey Wagtail wandering around with a Pied Wagtail.

Other Pied Wagtails were seen at Holts Fold Farm, Lord's Stile Lane, Birtenshaw Farm, & along Darwen Road.

Birds around Holts Fold this morning included :-

1m Stonechat
1 Meadow Pipit
3 Pied Wagtails
1 Kestrel
2 Linnets
8 Goldfinches
1 Chaffinch
1 Siskin

9.50am to 11.10am around Holts Fold. Birds included :-
1 Kestrel
3 Meadow Pipits
2 Pied Wagtails
1 Skylark flew over
6 Linnets
30+ Goldfinches
1 Greenfinch
5 Chaffinches
c70 Starlings

After Holts Fold I checked the conifers by the golf course behind Last Drop, finding a mixed flock of Coal Tits & Goldcrests.
From here I heard Crossbills flying across the golf course, but with trees in the way I could not see them. Competition Day on the course so I could not go onto the course to try and see where they landed. Pretty sure they stayed on the course, which means they stayed just over the boundary in Lancs.

9am at Holts Fold.

A Sparrowhawk low over Hazelhurst Wood (Lancs) putting up 200+ Woodpigeons. Some of them flew over towards Bromley Cross, with some others heading down to Jumbles.

30+ Redwings flew over the farm heading towards Jumbles. They disappeared behind the farm buildings before I could finish counting them for an exact count.

Just one Meadow Pipit this morning

2 Linnets at Holts Fold Farm late morning

Morning wander around Turton High School/Eagley Junior School, and then up to Holts Fold.

Schools :-
1 Greylag with 2 Canada Geese
50+ Black-headed Gulls
3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
1 Common Gull
4 Pied Wagtails
12 Redwings by Eagley Junior School flew towards High Meadows, so 4 seen there later were possibly from the dozen.
3 Mistle Thrushes along Chapeltown Road
2 Jays in a tree at front of Turton High School by Bromley Cross Road
+ the usual resident species

Holts Fold :-
Only 3 Meadow Pipits this morning.
A Cormorant flew over.

Eagley Junior School (8.15am)
1 Common Gull with 40+ Black-headed Gulls on football pitch. Nuthatch calling from inside the school grounds.

Holts Fold (mid morning)
1f Wheatear
c30 Meadow Pipits
4 Pied Wagtails
1 Mistle Thrush

120+ Meadow Pipits at Holts Fold this morning.
Also had half a dozen Swallows flying through.

4 Snipe flew up from a field by Holts Fold Farm this morning. About 10 minutes later 2 of them flew across the field between the farm & Last Drop Village.
Other birds around the farm included a Kestrel & 20 Swallows.

2 Swifts over Last Drop this morning at 8.15am.

2 House Martins with the Swallows at Holts Fold

Holts Fold this morning

70+ Goldfinches around thistles in horse field + more around thistles by the farmyard
Also 20+ Swallows
A couple of Willow Warblers calling from the edge of the golf course

Raven flew into Tong Clough at lunchtime. Spent a few minutes in the tree tops before it had enough of Magpies & Carrion Crows harassing it.
Maybe the same bird I saw flying low over my garden on Saturday morning heading towards the clough.

A good start to my day at 7am.

A Raven flew up from the path by Last Drop Village and landed on the nearby stone wall. It refused to budge when a Crow mobbed it and even allowed me close up photos. Still on the wall as I checked Holts Fold, where birds included :-
1 Kestrel
8 Swallows
1 House Martin
1 Skylark
1 Mistle Thrush

Last Drop/Holts Fold this morning :-

1 Kestrel hunting around the fields. Whilst chatting to a mate we had the pleasure of it landing on the wires at the farm, only a few yards away. It spent a few minutes staring at the ground unconcerned about our close presence.
Swallows at the farm were not impressed with the Kestrel when it flew off through the farmyard.
2 Swifts flew through. Others seen around the village and very high above the village.
Flock of 7 Mistle Thrushes
1 Pied Wagtail
Lots of House Sparrows behind Last Drop included juveniles
3 Goldfinches
1 Lesser Redpoll
+ other regular common species

8 Swifts around the village at rooftop height this morning joined by a couple of others which flew in from Sharples direction.

c20 House Martins around the bottom end of Queen's Avenue. Good to see a pair nesting again near the top end of Queen's Avenue now that people have stopped hanging supermarket plastic bags out of their upstairs windows.

All reports I have had about the Oystercatchers at Birtenshaw School from when I was away have been the same. No sign of any juveniles but lots of Magpies on the roof.

11 Swifts passed over at 8.30am.

The usual odd Swift still around the village this evening.

Lunchtime wander.

Kestrel hovering low at Last Drop Village.

Holts Fold birds included :-
6 Swallows
4 Pied Wagtails
Family of 6 Mistle Thrushes

Turton High School :-
1 Mediterranean Gull
48 Black-headed Gulls
2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls

Turton High School / Eagley Junior School (9.50am)
2 Mediterranean Gulls
40+ Black-headed Gulls
1 Lesser Black-backed Gull

At 11.05am 3 Common Terns flew over the village, heading towards Astley Bridge, and then presumably they would continue towards Doffcocker Lodge.

Kestrel & a Meadow Pipit at Holts Fold this morning with the usual Swallows & Pied Wagtails.
32 Black-headed Gulls. I checked them all but could not find anything unusual.

Whitethroats behind Last Drop Village.

Decent start to the day around Last Drop around 7am.
2 Whitethroats, 1 Willow Warbler, 1 Nuthatch, 1 Linnet, a couple of Lesser Redpolls, and of course the nesting House Sparrows.

Good finish to today's birding as well. The female Sparrowhawk near home from a couple of days ago was flying around my cul-de-sac when I got to my front door.

A pair of Linnets landed by Holts Fold Farm at lunchtime.
Also a pair of Swallows & a couple of Pied Wagtails here.

A good finish to today's sightings when I had the company of a female Sparrowhawk checking out gardens around Boonfields & Elm Grove.

A tour of most of the village this morning in the drizzle to update this year's records.

Holts Fold/Last Drop/top of Hospital Road :-
No sign of the Wheatear or the Reed Bunting from yesterday but a Lapwing is not a bad record at the farm.
A Greylag flying over Bromley Cross heading for Egerton was joined by another one which flew across the golf course after hearing the noisy first bird.
1 Pied Wagtail at the farm, 1 Willow Warbler by the golf course, 1 Nuthatch along Windy Harbour Lane, 3 Lesser Redpolls.

Eagley Junior School/Turton High School :-
Pair of Canada Geese, 16 Black-headed Gulls, 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull, 1 Blackcap, 2 Willow Warblers, 2 Goldcrests, 1 Nuthatch.

Birtenshaw :-
1 Grey Heron on the field behing the farm, Oystercatcher on the new school roof, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 1 Swallow, 4 Song Thrushes, 2 Goldcrests, 2 Nuthatches.

Eagley Lodges :-
5 Mallards, Moorhens nesting, 4 Lesser Black-backed Gulls flying over, 1 Blackcap, 2 Chiffchaffs, 1 Willow Warbler.

Tong Clough :-
1 Goldcrest, 2 Nuthatches, pair of Bullfinches.

Other species seen this morning :-
Feral Pigeons, Woodpigeons, Collared Doves, Wrens, Dunnocks, Robins, Blackbirds, Long-tailed Tits, Coal Tits, Great Tits, Blue Tits, Magpies, Jackdaws, Carrion Crows, Starlings, House Sparrows, Chaffinches, Greenfinches, Goldfinches.

1f Wheatear + 1m Reed Bunting at Holts Fold around 11am.

Whitethroat back on territory this morning between Last Drop & golf course.

Oystercatcher on the golf course at 7.45am. It had moved over to the footpath from Last Drop to Holts Fold at 12.30pm. This now seems to be a daily occurence, covering golf course & farm fields.

Female Wheatear at Holts Fold (10.30am)

Holts Fold. Early visit at 7.15am, + late morning around 11.45am.

An Oystercatcher flew from a golf course fairway to the nearby field on my early visit. The bird was on the same field on my later visit, but as I crossed the footpath heading for Last Drop it flew off heading down into Bromley Cross.

Other birds here today included 2 Pied Wagtails, 1 Willow Warbler, 50+ Starlings, 2 Chaffinches, 4 Greenfinches, 3 Goldfinches, & 2 Linnets.

My first House Martin of the year. It flew across the front of me & then under the eaves of a house at the top end of Bromley Cross Road as I headed home from Jumbles.

Before my Jumbles trip I had a Linnet At Holts Fold around 9am.

Morning wander around the village this morning.

Birtenshaw :-
I went to check if Swallows were back at the farm. None seen but Andy the farmer said they had been back since about 3 or 4 days ago
Pair of Oystercatchers at the school.

Turton School/Eagley Junior School :-
Numerous Black-headed Gulls & an immature Lesser Black-backed Gull.
Mistle Thrush & a Nuthatch among the usual stuff.

Holts Fold :-
A strong biting wind meant no small birds showing & not many larger ones either.

Tong Clough & Eagley Lodges :-
Pair of Canada Geese, 4 Mallards, 3 Moorhens.
Female Sparrowhawk very noisy as it soared around,
Woodpigeons, Collared Doves, Wrens, Dunnocks, Robins, Blackbirds,
1 Blackcap, 3 Chiffchaffs,
Long-tailed Tits, Coal Tits, Great Tits, Blue Tits, pair of Nuthatches,
Magpies, Jackdaws, Carrion Crows, Starlings, House Sparrows,
Chaffinches, Greenfinches, Goldfinches, Siskins, Bullfinches.