09.15 - 10.30
C3 & C4
1 Chiffchaff
100+ Redwing
3 Fieldfare
3 Buzzard
3 Kestrel
3 Raven
8 Common Snipe 3 Lapwing

-- Edited by Gordon Newman on Saturday 21st of October 2017 11:30:19 AM

Cetti's Warbler calling again this morning otherwise quiet

Couple of hours this afternoon, windy. Not many small birds about.

4 Gadwall
2 Great Crested Grebe
2 Little Grebe
1 Pochard
7 Tufted Duck
1 Water Rail
1 Snipe
1 Kestrel
2 Jay
1 Stonechat
1 Grey Wagtail
Mixed Tit flock
30+ Goldfinch


Large Thrush flock went over to high to identify.

morning dog walk

1 pied wagtail amongst a flock of 8 long tailed tits, 2 other tit flocks mainly consisting of long tailed tits but also with great tit and blue tits mixed in, robin, wren, blackbird and dunnock all foraging under overhanging bushes after the rain, usual magpie,carrion crow and wood pigeon but in general pretty quiet,
diggle flash- 5 gadwal and 1 great crested grebe on stock pond, pair of great crested grebe on main flash with two recently fledged young this pair always seem to breed pretty late, 2 adult mute swan with 2 remaining cygnets, c 50 tufted duck, c 30 coot, 2 little grebe, 5 mallard, 3 moorhen, 2 lesser black backed gull, 14 black headed gull.

speaking to a couple of friends yesterday and they were asking why i wasn't posting as often, nothing sinister just a change in my work shift patterns means the majority of the walks i take with the dogs are now done in darkness so generally i don't see anything to report

08.15 - 09.45
C3 & C4 only
single Yellow Wagtail flew over SW calling
single Whitethroat
single Blackcap in sub song
otherwise quiet

Few hours this morning,

1 Kingfisher
2 Little Grebe
12 Tufted Duck
2 Great Crested Grebe
5 Linnet
2 Stonechat, both youngsters
3 Whitethroat
1 Sedge Warbler
1 Reed Warbler
5 Reed Bunting
2 Skylark
5 Meadow Pipit
2 Lapwing
1 Kestrel
1 Water Rail

Plus all usuals

kingfisher on stock pond this morning, 1 grey heron, 2 great crested grebe ( they seem to have lost their youngster only ever saw a single always being carried on a parents back but been no sign for at least 3 days now) 2 moorhen, several coot and 3 mallard also all on stock pond,
diggle flash - good numbers coot, 2 families of little grebe 2 young in each, 1 great crested grebe, 3 tufted duck, 4 mallard, 8 black headed gull, pair mute swan with 3 remaining cygnets, moorhen with 1 young,
great tit, blue tit, 1 juvenile whitethroat, blackbird, dunnock, robin, magpie, carrion crow, wood pigeon,

decent numbers of very noisy gulls over diggle flash @06-00 am presumably from an overnight roost all bar a few black headed gulls had left by 06-10, , i picked out 2 great blacked backed gulls, 5 adult and several juvenile lesser black backed gulls and 2 common gulls amongst 70+ black headed gulls,

Hour straight from Penny, Very quiet.

3 Kestrel, including youngster.
1 Buzzard, scruffy looking bird, had secondaries missing from both wings.
2 Whitethroat
2 Reed Warbler
1 Meadow Pipit

little grebe with at least 2 young on diggle flash i think there was another in the reeds but i never actually saw it,pair of mute swan with 6 cygnets, plenty of young coot with parents, 5 well grown mallard ducklings, 2 young moorhen, plenty tufted duck, 1 grey heron, reed warbler, sedge warbler, 1 lesser whitethroat showing really well, 4 whitethroat, blue tit, great tit, robin, dunnock, blackbird, magpie, carrion crow, wood pigeon, approx 10 each of swallow and swift over field beside flash,

Out for a hour early this morning, still very windy and it was really quiet. The only birds of note were a Female Whinchat in C6 with an Insect and a Lesser Whitethroat also C6.

common tern over diggle flash this evening being harassed by lesser black backed gulls

Early this morning,

A Hobby was present this morning seen hunting on the border of C4/C6. Lots of Warblers singing including, Grasshopper, Sedge, Reed and Willow Warblers. A total of 8 Whitethroats were singing. A Single Garden Warbler was singing in C6, also two juvenile Blackcap in C6. 1 Water Rail heard in Nevisons Flash. Decent numbers of the usuals about Meadow Pipit, Skylark, Reed Bunting. Singles of Linnet, Snipe, Kestrel and Little Grebe.

Early this morning,

Highlights,

1 Female Whinchat
2 Stonechat
2 Grasshopper Warbler
1 Male Cuckoo, Heard only
1 Grey Partridge, Flushed
1 Kingfisher
2 Willow Tit, 1 C9 the other C6
1 Common Tern, Diggle Flash

07.30-08.30
C3 and as far as New Water only
1 Hobby briefly showed an interest in a passing Swallow before departing east
1 Raven mobbing a Buzzard
1 Kestrel
Grasshopper Warbler, Whitethroat, Blackcap, Reed Warbler all singing loudly

Cuckoo in flight over woodland behind Diggle Flash early afternoon

cuckoo flew from church yard on Bickershaw lane @05-50 to trees around stock pond calling before settling down still calling first of the year for me, decent numbers of warblers, blackcap, whitethroat, sedge warbler, reed warbler, grasshopper warbler, chiffchaff and willow warbler all seen, skylark, reed bunting, great tit, blue tit, dunnock, wren, kestrel, buzzard, pheasant, magpie, carrion crow, wood pigeon.
diggle flash- 4 pairs of coot with young a 3, 2x2s, and a single on the stock pond, mallard with 6 ducklings also on stock pond, tufted duck, mute swan, moorhen, great crested grebe, 3 little grebe, black headed gull, 2 lesser black backed gull.

Male Cuckoo present this afternoon in C8, also a Female Whinchat in the same area.

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

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

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.

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!

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

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)