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Post Info TOPIC: BICKERSHAW COUNTRY PARK (formerly Bickershaw Rucks)


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RE: BICKERSHAW RUCKS


grey wagtail around diggle flash this am, 1 lesser whitethroat, 6 whitethroat,

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14.15 - 16.45
2 male Whinchat - C8
2 Sparrowhawk -C3
1 House Martin

plus usuals
along with all the motorbikes and quad bikes

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An hour this afternoon, C8,9 and 10

3 Grasshopper Warbler
4 Whitethroat
1 Willow Tit
1 Kestrel
5 Skylark
3 Sedge Warbler
2 Reed Warbler
1 Kingfisher
1 Little Grebe
1 Common Tern
1 Singing Yellowhammer, rare on this site.

Plus all usual suspects

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Scott robinson


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Hour mainly around C8,

2 Grasshopper Warbler
3 Whitethroat
4 Linnet
3 Skylark
6 Meadow Pipit
5 Reed Bunting
2 Blackcap
9 Chiffchaff
2 Willow Warbler
1 Snipe Flushed
8 Grey Partridge Flushed
2 Jay
Few Swallow hunting.

Plus all usuals

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Scott robinson


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morning dog walk
7 greenfinch picking grit on old car park, great tit, willow warbler, chiffchaff. blackbird and robin all into double figures, 2 wren, 3 dunnock, 1mistle thrush, 4 pheasant, 2 meadow pipit, 2 blackcap, whitethroat heard but not seen, 5 reed bunting, 3 blue tit, 2 jay, 7 jackdaw, magpie, carrion crow, wood pigeon, 2 skylark.
diggle flash- 3 reed warbler, 1 sedge warbler heard but not seen, 2 grasshopper warbler from field to side of flash, 1 drake gadwall, c30 tufted duck, 2 mute swan, 14 coot, 1 lesser black backed gull, 3 moorhen, 3 great crested grebe, 2 little grebe, 2 mallard, 2 swallow hawking over water.

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It's also an important feeding area for nearby breeders, such as hirundines & swifts; also for bugs, some plants & other wildlife

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Those who keep piping on about developing "brownfield" sites before any others need to take a peep at Scott's list for Bickershaw today. The warbler variety alone, with the additional importance of numbers of locally declining 'grassland' species - Skylark, Meadow Pipit, and Linnet - (as well as Stonechat) knocks the "build on brownfield first" suggestion for six. As for the 4x4s, we've tried for years to get shut of them, without success. When/if the site acquires 'Country Park' status, perhaps there'll be a greater determination to send them packing. For the record, the future of the site has been discussed at umpteen meetings for at least the last fourteen years, and, hopefully, the time will come when any lingering doubts about its vulnerability will be dispelled!

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Mooch this afternoon, C5,6,7,8,9

7 Grasshopper Warbler
5 Whitethroat
6 Blackcap
1 Lesser Whitethroat
4 Sedge Warbler
3 Reed Warbler
6 Skylark
4 Meadow Pipit
2 Linnet
4 Reed Bunting
15+ Chiffchaff
15+ Willow Warbler
1 Stonechat
10+ Swallow
5 House Martin
2 Little Grebe
4 Great Crested Grebe
25 Tufted Duck
1 Gadwall

Motorbikes everywhere again and 4x4 tearing places up.

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Scott robinson


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06.15 -07.45
C3 & C4 only
single Whimbrel flew NNW over New Water @ 07.13
4 Grasshopper Warbler - 2 C3, 1 C4 & 1 reeling C5
pair of Lapwing displaying
2 Whitethroat
2 Blackcap

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Male Wheatear on edge of New Water @15.15

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07.45 - 11.00
9 Grasshopper Warbler - 6 C8, watched one singing from top of thicket for 30 mins occasionally dropping to the floor before quickly returning to its singing perch, others reeling in C2,3 & 5
1 Sedge Warbler
3 Whitethroat
3 Blackcap
plenty of Reed Warbler
5 Sand Martin
12 Swallow

no sign of Cuckoo yet (thought they might be early this year but got it wrong)


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morning dog walk
willow warbler 20+, great tit, chiffchaff,blackbird,robin,reed bunting all into double figures, 4 blue tit, 2 long tailed tit, 4 blackcap heard only 2 of them seen 1 in particular giving excellent close up views,6 pheasant, 2 grasshopper warbler heard only 1 of them seen and then only briefly, 1 mistle thrush, whitethroat heard only,magpie, carrion crow, wood pigeon, 2 jay, several jackdaw,
diggle flash- 3 little grebe, 2 great crested grebe, pair of gadwall on stock pond, 4 mallard, 2 canada geese, 2 mute swan, 30+ tufted duck, 16 coot, 4 moorhen, 8 black headed gull, 2 lesser black backed gull,

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07.45 - 10.15
C2,3,4 & 6
7 Reed Warbler - 4 NF, 2 Central ditch, 1 New Water
1 Grasshopper Warbler - showed briefly in C5
1 Whitethroat -C4
2 Raven flew from C4 over C5 and landed on phone mast in Firsdale Industrial Park and stayed there for an hour before leaving
Willow Warbler calling from everywhere



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Mooch this afternoon, C3,4,5,6 and 8

3 Grasshopper Warbler, cracking views of one of them.
2 Whitethroat
1 Reed Warbler
11 Willow Warbler
13 Chiffchaff
3 Blackcap
5 Linnet
4 Reed Bunting
6 Skylark
10+ Meadow Pipit
1 Water Rail
1 Kestrel
1 Willow Tit

Grey Wagtail flew over and Kingfisher heard only.

Plus all usuals.

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Scott robinson


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An amazing spectacle of well over 4000 sand martins at Tinker Joe's yesterday evening. There were a few coming and going up to 8pm, but it really got going at about 8:10pm when thousands came in. I've attached a photo with a crude grid in an attempt to count them.

In the field we'd estimated 3 - 5000 birds, and I just wondered how accurate we had been. I haven't counted every bird in every square on this image, but I have counted birds in every other square, and for the rest estimated the number based on counted squares if you see what I mean. If you add up the totals for each square it comes to 4005 birds. Bearing in mind that not every bird is on this photo because there were smaller flocks on the periphery of the main swarm, an estimate of 5 - 7000 birds might have beeen more accurate. Even so, not a bad attempt in the field and what an amazing number of sand martins!



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Between one and two thousand Sand Martins roosting at Tinker Joe's Flash last night - with occasional murmurations. No build-up : several hundred appeared overhead in oval ball formation at 2208 hrs. - and they and many others down in the reeds within ten minutes!

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A Treecreeper was either nest building or visiting existing nest in C3, the latter the more likely, as I didn't notice it carrying any nesting material, although it was constantly popping in and out of the hole. Will keep a close eye on it when passing.


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I can add a extra Grasshopper Warbler and a Reed Warbler to Gordon's sightings.

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Scott robinson


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07.25 - 10.15
1 Grasshopper Warbler - reeling from Blackthorn on edge of path between C8 & C10 (I was ready with camera 10ft away but I didn't even manage to see it never mind photograph it)
1 Whitethroat - C4
1 Grey Wagtail - C3
2 Lesser Redpoll
Pair of Buzzard copulating rather precariously on a thin branch in C8 with the male still displaying later on
Mute Swan on nest - FTF
3 pairs of Linnet - 2 C4 + 1 C8
2 pairs of Little Grebe - C10
plenty of Chiffchaff & Willow Warbler
a few Sand Martin over and 5 Blackcap

-- Edited by Gordon Newman on Sunday 9th of April 2017 10:56:27 AM

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08.15 - 11.15
1 Whitethroat
6 Blackcap
25+Chiffchaff
30+ Willow Warbler
constant flow of Sand Martin over North early on
5 Buzzard
1 Raven
3 Willow Tit
1 Bulfinch
30+ Tufted Duck - DF

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6 sand martin + 2 swallow over diggle flash this am, 11 chiffchaff

wednesday morning a nice clean yellow + white cockatiel around stock pond.
Tuesday morning 2 whooper swans over north-north east @06-50

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10.00 - 13.00
C2,3,4,5,6,7,8 & 10

8 Willow Warbler
12 Chiffchaff
100+ Sand Martin
2 Swallow
6 Buzzard together over C3 with 4 of them displaying
2 Sparrowhawk displaying over C8
3 Little Grebe - C10
1 Pink-footed Goose - feeding and looked healthy on Fir Tree Flash (not really associating with Canada Geese so probably dropped in on migration?)


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7 chiffchaff,1 willow tit, 3 reed bunting, 3 pheasant, great tit, blue tit, 5 jackdaw, dunnock,wren,blackbird, robin, carrion crow, magpie, wood pigeon, 1 kestrel,
diggle flash- 3 goldeneye 1m 2f, 4 mallard, 2 little grebe, ( 5 yesterday am) , 1 great crested grebe, 4 lesser black backed gull, 16 black headed gull, 2 mute swan, tufted duck, coot, 2 moorhen, 2 canada geese, 1 cormorant,

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1 drake goldeneye on diggle flash, 2 little grebe,
5 singing chiffchaff, 3 singing skylark, 1 sparrowhawk, several reed bunting, 1 cock pheasant,



-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Tuesday 28th of March 2017 03:46:56 PM

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08.15 - 10.00
C3 only
2 Raven
1 Blackcap singing
6 Chiffchaff
3 Water Rail calling
2 Snipe
2 Linnet

Late news for yesterday evening
8 Goosander flew West over C3

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First light, Stunning morning.

Highlights,

2 Stonechat, Male and Female C8
8 Reed Bunting C6 and C8
5 Skylark C6 and C8
4 Meadow Pipit C6 and C8
3 Linnet C8
1 Kestrel C8
4 Chiffchaff C6 and C8
2 Snipe C10
1 Water Rail, Nevisons Flash
c25 Goldfinch C8
1 Goldcrest C6
1 Kingfisher, Fir Tree Flash. Same place as yesterday probably same bird.

Good numbers of the usuals about and lots of singing.








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Scott robinson


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11:00 till 13:00.

3 Chiffchaff C6 and C8
6 Skylark C5,C6 and C8
3 Meadow Pipit C6
3 Linnet C8
6 Reed Bunting C8
2 Buzzard C4
1 Male Stonechat C10
1 Kingfisher, Fir Tree Flash.
2 Jay C6
1 Nuthatch, Rare on this site.
3 Greenfinch, don't see many Greenfinch either.


Plus all usuals.



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Scott robinson


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08.00-10.30
9 Chiffchaff - 4 C3, 4 C6 & 1 C4
at least 3 Little Grebe very vocal in C10
2 Gadwall - C10
1 Snipe - C2
2 Grey Partridge - C5

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2 willow tit in trees around stock pond, 3 singing chiffchaff, a single pink footed goose over heading east. 5 long tailed tit,

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4 singing chiffchaff this morning one in particular giving excellent views first of the season for me, 3 goldeneye on diggle flash 1m 2 f

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diggle flash- 3 goldeneye 1m 2 f, 2 canada geese, 2 mute swan, 5 mallard, 2 moorhen, 2 grey heron, 1 cormorant, 2 great crested grebe, 1 little grebe, 4 lesser black backed gull, black headed gulls, coot, tufted duck, kingfisher flew across stock pond,
great tit, blue tit, 4 reed bunting, 3 mistle thrush, 2 bullfinch, goldfinch, blackbird, robin, 1 kestrel, 1 cock pheasant,dunnock, wren, magpie, jackdaw, carrion crow, wood pigeon.

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morning dog walk
19 goldfinch, great tit, blue tit, 2 bullfinch, robin and blackbird both into double figures, 1 jay, dunnock,wren, 2 mistle thrush, 3 reed bunting, 2 skylark, 3 pheasant,
diggle flash- 2 goldeneye 1m 1f, mallard, coot, tufted duck, moorhen, 1 common gull amongst black headed gulls,2 great crested grebe, 1 little grebe seen 3 more heard only,

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morning dog walk
2 bullfinch with several goldfinch, decent numbers great tit, 4 blue tit, 1 jay, c30 jackdaw over, 9 canada geese over, 2 cormorant over, mixed finch flock in trees around old anglers car park included 8 greenfinch, 4 goldfinch and 3 chaffinch, 2 collared dove, robin and blackbird into double figures, 3 dunnock, 1 wren, 3 reed bunting, magpie, carrion crow, wood pigeon,
diggle flash- 1 canada goose, 1 cormorant, 1 drake goldeneye, 2 gadwall, 3 malard, 2 little grebe, 2 great crested grebe, tufted duck, coot, 2 moorhen, black headed gulls,

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This morning,

4 Skylark, two singing a welcome sound. smile
3 Meadow Pipit
6 Reed Bunting
2 Water Rail
1 Chiffchaff
1 Great Spotted Woodpecker
1 Jay
30+ Goldfinch
1 Female Stonechat
3 Mistle Thrush
2 Linnet
1 Snipe

Plus all usuals.


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Scott robinson


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07.30-09.30
2 Chiffchaff C3 & C6
1 Kingfisher FTF
Water Rail very vocal again

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09.00-12.30
1 Chiffchaf singing
1 Raven
1 Kingfisher
1 drake Goldeneye
5 Water Rail heard only
3 Siskin heard only
plenty of Skylark and Reed Bunting singing throughout whole area
1 Greenfinch (not seen here very often)
1 pair of Great crested Grebe
4 Snipe


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morning dog walk
2 skylark singing @06-50 this morning, 5 reed bunting, great tit, blue tit, 1 kestrel, 3 mistle thrush, 3 pheasant, blackbird,robin,dunnock, wren, goldfinch, 2 collared dove, magpie, carrion crow, wood pigeon, 2 cormorant over, 5 lesser black backed gull over,
diggle flash- 2 goldeneye 1m 1f, 4 mallard, tufted duck, coot, 3 moorhen, 2 great crested grebe. 2 little grebe seen 2 more heard only, 1 mute swan, black headed gulls, 2 canada geese,

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Half hour mid morning, C3 only, male and female Siskin, also single Lesser Redpoll.

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3 goldeneye on diggle flash 1m 2 f,

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early morning dog walk managed to beat the bad weather that came in laterbiggrin
pair stonechat, 16 very noisy canada geese over,2 meadow pipit, 4 reed bunting, 3 chaffinch in with a small goldfinch flock, great tit, blackbird, blue tit, dunnock, at least 8 robin, magpie, carrion crow, wood pigeon,
diggle flash- @06-35 a 1st winter iceland gull spent 5mins circling low over the water before flying off in a north easterly direction ( possibly came from the pennington gull roost), 7 black headed gull. 2 lesser black backed gull, 5 gadwall, 2 mallard, c30 tufted duck, c20 coot, 1 mute swan, 5 little grebe seen on main flash with 1 more heard on stock pond, 1 cormorant over, 2 moorhen,

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Couple of hours this afternoon,

Small number of Thrushes, Mistle, Song and Redwing seen.
13 Long Tailed Tits
1 Goldcrest
2 Jay
1 Female Stonechat
1 Chiffchaff
4 Reed Bunting
2 Meadow Pipit
1 Skylark
1 Kestrel
1 Little Grebe
1 Goldeneye
c25 Tufted Duck
5 Gadwall

Water Rail and Kingfisher heard only.

Plus all usual suspects.

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Scott robinson


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morning dog walk
pair stonechat nr top of new road, 2 collared dove, 2 chaffinch, 1 house sparrow, 14 goldfinch, 6 blackbird, 5 robin, 3 dunnock, 2 wren, 2 reed bunting, great tit, blue tit, 1 kestrel, magpie, carrion crow, wood pigeon,
diggle flash- 1 m goldeneye, 3 gadwall, 5 mallard, 1 cormorant, 1 great crested grebe, 2 little grebe, 1 canada goose, c50 tufted duck, c30 coot, 2 moorhen, 8 black headed gull,

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Female Stonechat in C5 midday

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late news for yesterday 25/02/2017
mid afternoon

2 Whooper Swan flew north
1 Curlew (heard only)
1 Water Rail
1 Buzzard

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morning dog walk
3 redpoll feeding with 11 goldfinch, 1 house sparrow with 3 chaffinch, great tit, blue tit, robin, blackbird, dunnock, wren, 2 reed bunting, magpie, carrion crow, wood pigeon, 4 lesser black backed gull over,
diggle flash- stock pond busy today with 1 cormorant, 1 grey heron, 2 mallard, 2 m pochard, 2 gadwall and small numbers of coot, tufted duck and black headed gull, larger numbers coot, tufted duck and black headed gull on main flash with 2 canada geese, 2 little grebe seen 1 more heard only, 3 mallard, 4 moorhen, 2 mute swan,

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Posts: 2010
Date:

morning dog walk
pair stonechat, 3 skylark, 4 reed bunting, 12 canada geese over, 5 mallard over, great tit, blue tit, goldfinch, blackbird, wren, robin, dunnock, 4 mistle thrush, magpie, carrion crow, wood pigeon,
diggle flash- c25 each of tufted duck and coot, 16 black headed gull, 4 moorhen, 1 little grebe, 1 cormorant, 1 grey heron, 2 gadwall, 2 mallard,

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morning dog walk
pair stonechat, 3 reed bunting, 3 mistle thrush, several blackbird and robin, 3 wren, 2 dunnock, 23 goldfinch in flocks of 14, 5 and 4, great tit, blue tit, 6 long tailed tit, magpie,carrion crow, wood pigeon, c 40 jackdaw over,
diggle flash- tufted duck, coot, black headed gull, 1 lesser black backed gull, 2 mallard, 2 gadwal, 2 canada geese, 1 cormorant, 1 m pochard, 3 moorhen,

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Birds alongside the top of the access road off Smiths Lane this morning included 2 Stonechat, Snipe, Willow Tit and a Reed Bunting in partial song 



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morning dog walk
1m stonechat, 8 long tailed tit, decent numbers great tit wiyh a few blue tit, dunnock,robin, wren, blackbird, 2 collared dove, 2 reed bunting, 4 goldfinch. magpie, carrion crow, wood pigeon
diggle flash- 1 cormorant, 1m pochard, 2 mallard, 2 moorhen, c20 each coot and black headed gull, c30 tufted duck, 2 lesser black backed gull, could only see 1 mute swan this morning but the male does tend to have a day out somewhere every now and then

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Mooch this afternoon,

28 Tufted Duck
2 Pochard
1 Little Grebe
2 Great Crested Grebe
1 Mistle Thrush
4 Redwing
2 Linnet
3 Reed Bunting
5 Meadow Pipit
1 Stonechat
1 Jay
Brilliant views of a Goldcrest, literally down to 3 foot it didn't seem bothered at all, flitting about tirelessly.
12 Long Tailed Tits
Had a nice mixed flock of Finches in around C11, Redpoll, Siskin, Goldfinch and Chaffinch.

Plus all usuals.

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Scott robinson
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