Pendlebury lane
mixed flock of house and tree sparrows
pair of Dipper
pair of Manderin
Buzzard
Kestrel

Sennicar Lane
charm of 60+ Goldfinch

Douglas valley, pendlebury lane and sennicar lane

7 manderin, 6 male 1 female. another pair m+f further along
single Dipper and Woodcock
couple of tree sparrows near the houses
Heron landed in fields on opposite side of canal
6 fieldfare mixing with large flock of Starlings
Sparrowhawk flying very low across fields at sennicar lane

late report for yesterday, Sat 6th. pm

walk from copull lane to thornhill viaduct along Douglas valley

Dipper
Buzzard
3 Manderin 2m 1f
3 skeins of pinkfeet, all heading west 200-300 birds in each
2 Ravens heading towards town centre
7 Fieldfare
tree creeper
good numbers of blue, L.T. and great tits, single coal tit
nice view of a Fox hunting on opposite bank

31/1/10 am

Aspull Sough & Shedfield Bridge area:

1 Raven (over, heading towards the town centre)
2 Buzzard
2 Green Woodpecker
1 Snipe (over)
2 Skylark (over)
1 Great Spotted Woodpecker
1 Kestrel
1 Sparrowhawk
2 Bullfinch
1 Fieldfare
17 Goldfinch

16th Jan

water treatment ponds and nearby fields
Dipper on the outlet stream of the ponds
Kingfisher on the 1st pond
Green Woodpecker in fields
Buzzard on sheep carcass

Woodland
tree creeper
Heron over
cracking view of a male Sparrowhawk about 40 feet away who stayed long enough for me to get 4 photo's on automatic which all turned out blurred

8/1/10 am

Quick hour round Aspull Sough & Shedfield Bridge:

1 Buzzard
1 Yellowhammer
1 Little Grebe
84 Herring Gulls & a few Lesser Black-backed Gulls >NE
1 Bullfinch
1 Coal Tit
1 Great Spotted Woodpecker (1 Green Woodpecker heard)
Tufted Duck still present, along with 1 Coot & 4 Moorhens. Strangely though, no Mallards

6/1/10

2 Buzzards over Whelley entrance
2 Dippers on River Douglas
11 Snipe flushed from a ditch off Sennicar Lane (most I`ve ever counted at this site)
1 Little Grebe & 25 Mallard on Aspull Sough
1 Sparrowhawk
5 Nuthatch (3 on feeders at Hall Lane lodge)
7 Siskin in Lady Mabels Wood
3 Lapwing
2 Great Spotted Woodpecker (1 Green Woodpecker heard)
2 Grey Heron
5 Moorhens ice-skating on the canal
Bullfinches, Coal Tits, Redwing, Fieldfare, Pheasants etc.......

11-30 to 3-30

Loop line, Water treatment ponds and nearby fields
single male bullfinch
4 greenfinch
2 Buzzards
single Fieldfare
5 Redwings
single female Reed bunting
single Snipe
single Lapwing over and another single in fields on senicar lane
2 Woodcock
single Green Woodpecker

Woodlands

3 Tawny Owls, checked the site of the single roosting bird first and was pleasantly surprised to find a pair there then made the trek to the other roost hopeing to make it 4 Owls only to find just a single bird here
3 Coal tits
Nuthatches in several places
single G.S. Woodpecker

34 species in all

12.30 - 3.30
Whelley loop line

Male Bullfinch
small tit flock, mainly long tailed, single coal tit present
8 Goldfinch

Woodland

single Tawny Owl at roost
singles of Nuthatch, Tree Creeper and Goldcrest
Female Sparrowhawk over
Kingfisher on pond near to hall lane
2 Roe deer running across field on hall lane
2 male Reed Buntings at feeding station + 3 Moorhens underneath
disturbed Female Sparrowhawk from bushes here, she flew straight at a great tit about 20 feet away from me which managed to avoid her, cracking view
single G.S. Woodpecker

fields near water treatment ponds

another sheep carcass already located by 2 Ravens and a single buzzard, plus the usuall hoard of Magpies
2 Female Reed buntings
2 Greenfinch
5 Redwings
Fieldfare
A nice afternoon despite the weather

21/12/09 am

Usual route of Whelley Loop Line up to Shedfield Bridge, along the canal to Sennicar & Pendlebury Lanes, then back through Lady Mabels Wood produced the following:

2 Ravens in the field behind the stables on Pendlebury Lane,
2 Buzzards, watching 22 Magpies and 2 Foxes argue over a sheep carcass near Aspull Sough,
5 Tree Sparrow: 3 (with a Reed Bunting) near Samuel Fold Cottage, Pendlebury Lane, and 2 at Rothwells Farm, Sennicar Lane,
2 Snipe
6 Siskin
1 Sparrowhawk
2 Kestrel
3 Skylark
3 Bullfinch
29 Lapwing over
About mid-morning there was a noticeable movement of gulls coming from the Rigby Landfill/Worthington Lakes direction, all moving south. Predominantly Herring Gulls, but a few Lesser Black-backed, 2 Common Gulls and 1 Great Black-backed.

47 Pink-footed Geese NW @ 12:35 rounded proceedings off......

40 species seen in total.

Sun 29th pm
Upper Plantations,
3 Mute Swans on canal near basin, 2 adults 1 Juv
40 Mallard
Heron on Golf coarse
2 Redwing
Tawny Owl roosting
2 Nuthatch
3 Bullfinch
good numbers blue and great tit, chaffinch and blackbirds

31/10.09 Early morning

Rothwells Farm:

One of the Ravens flew in from the south @ 09:30 and took up one of its (their) usual perching posts along the fences.
9 Skylark
12+ Meadow Pipit
1 Kestrel
1 Rook
Lesser Black-backed & Herring Gulls were streaming over all morning in a south-westerly direction, but the biggest single flock was of 110+

Kingfisher fishing near Shedfield Bridge
60+ mix of Fieldfare & Redwing >SE
32 Jackdaw >NE
Sparrowhawk
7 Reed Bunting
Green Woodpecker heard near Whelley Loop Line.

19/10/09 Morning

1 Buzzard perched up behind Aspull Sough
1 Reed Bunting

2 Kingfishers along canal @ Basin Quay
33 Mallard
2 Mute Swans with 2 cygnets

3 Willow Tits near Shedfield Bridge
5 Redwing
9 Blackbird

1 Kestrel @ Rothwells Farm
7 Meadow Pipit.

10/10/09 Morning

Rothwells Farm area:

1 Raven
2 Buzzard above School Covert (another sighting later on of a single perched up near Aspull Sough, with 14 Magpies in attendance.)
2 Snipe over
2 Skylark
16 Herring Gulls over >SE in a perfect `V` formation
2 Reed Bunting.

1 Kingfisher
1 Kestrel
1 Common Gull
2 Bullfinch
1 Green Woodpecker heard near Shedfield Bridge.

29/9/09 Midday

Literally the first birds I saw after getting out of the car were 2 Ravens being mobbed by Crows right over the Plantation Gates/Balcarres Ave entrance in Whelley, just a few doors up from my parents house
They flew off over Whelley Hospital towards the town centre.....

Not much else of note after that excitement:

1 Kingfisher
1 Kestrel
2 Coal Tit
at least a dozen each of Jays & Magpies

19/9/09 Midday

Just for the record, and a bit of interest (well, to me at least) was a Little Grebe on one of the small pools at Aspull Sough Water Treatment Works. It was quite happily swimming about and diving in the water which can best be described as being the same colour of Heinz Tomato Soup. The (few) Mallards that have been seen here are permanently coloured orange......

Little else of note from a four hour mooch :

1 Kingfisher near Hall Lane bridge
19 Goldfinch
2 Great Spotted Woodpecker

10/9/09 Morning

1 Spotted Flycatcher on wires at Sennicar Bridge, doing what it says on the tin. Rather uncannily this is more or less the exact same spot that Paul had one eleven days ago, but this must be a new bird moving through......?

2 Buzzards & a Sparrowhawk together over Thorn Hill.
1 Green Woodpecker on Whelley Loop Line.
1 Kingfisher along canal @ Sennicar Bridge.

2 Great Spotted Woodpecker
3 singing Chiffchaff
1 male Blackcap
1 juv Kestrel
5+ Willow Warbler
Cormorant over.

Sennicar lane;

Spotted Flycatcher, near to canal bridge, on left going up the lane flying from fence posts and low bushes into field
male Blackcap
Whitethroat
Greenfinch
Goldfinch, good numbers including recently fledged young
Swallows still going to nests under bridge, good numbers
Swans on canal, blue ring SLI with unringed partner and 6 well grown cygnets
Comic Tern with noisy youngster in attendance
Buzzard near thornhill viaduct
4 manderin on river douglas in lower plantations close to coppull lane
2 willow tits in same location

young buzzard in good voice
2 young Sparrowhawks moved into douglas valley, both calling.
2 Kingfishers
1 Dipper
2 Nuthatches
2 Jays
almost forgot 4 manderin and 2 young moorhens

-- Edited by Paul Risley on Sunday 9th of August 2009 05:28:29 PM

juvenile buzzard calling for food
also while sitting at edge of field waiting for a photo oppertunity of the buzzard a falcon came low over the trees at high speed and shot past me before I could even get bins on it, dark back but didnt see underparts and then it had gone
pair of ravens
pied wagtail with 2 young

butterflies
2 peacock
1 speckled wood
good numbers of meadow browns, gatekeepers and large whites

2 young Sparrowhawks heard calling in nest area tonight, short visit so not sure if any more have fledged.

fledgling male Sparrowhawk on ground near nest, half eaten blackbird nearby so parents are feeding him, hope he makes it off the ground soon as there are foxes in area. 2 other young visible on nest.

Sennicar Lane;
2 young Kestrels on barn roof, another one in large gutters eating something
4 crows, 1 flew at feeding wood pigeons in longish grass and attempted to grab one returning to fence post with a pigeons tail feather in its beak
2 Tree Sparrows
5 Goldfinches
5 Mistle Thrushes
Skylark

Thanks Ian, wondered why we'd never spotted it.
Cheers,
Phil

Alreet Jackdog ?

The "feeding station" which comprises of a bird tray, some fat-balls and nut-bags hanging from branches, is located on the left-hand side of the road going up to the Lodge in one of the parking laybys, next to the entrance to Lady Mabel`s Wood (a five bar gate). Blink and you will miss it - don`t expect an official feeding station like the one at Pennington - it is topped up by members of the public and is prone to heavy disturbance, situated as it is on the side of the road.