11.00-14.00

Butterflies : Lots of Speckled Woods, 2 Brimstones, 1 Gatekeeper (Looking very shabby) and 4 Meadow Browns.

Dragonflies : Lots of Common Darters and Southern Hawkers, 6 Brown Hawkers and at least 6 Migrant Hawkers.

Also 1 Emperor seen over Horrocks Flash. The only damselflies seen were several Common Blues alongside the canal towpath.

I can't recall seeing such an abundance of dragonflies anywhere previously, although today's large hatch of winged ants may

have proved an attraction for them. At one point I had 4 male Southern Hawkers flying around me simultaneously, one of which

was seen to catch a hoverfly. An alder alongside Pearsons Flash held large numbers of Alder Leaf Beetles.

A small Common Toad was seen alongside the towpath.

A bat which I guess to be noctule based on size was hunting in the open clearing towards the far end of Hawkley Hall High School 2pm today until disturbed when a magpie made a dart at it. Bat got away and departed in direction of Ochre Flash

Saturday 3rd August 10.00-13.30

Pretty muted for birds but some superb insect life. Loads of dragonflies, Brown Hawkers and Common Darters plentiful, saw one very nice Common Hawker, a Ruddy Darter and a couple of Black-tailed Skimmers as well as a probable Emperor and another Hawker that looked like a Southern, but I am not totally confident with them so couldn't be sure.

The Butterflies were superb, the celebrated Painted Lady invasion certainly true, 20+ along the canal but the highlight of the day was walking over the bridge and heading away into the light woodland and meadows south of Pearson's on that side of the canal. As I walked down through a big patch of thistles and cow parsley and such, the buzz of insects was so loud and there were easily 50 Painted Ladies along with Gatekeepers, Common Blues, Peacocks and Red Admirals, in about 30 square feet around me. A Brimstone was a nice treat too. There would have been a few hundred of the Painted Ladies in the whole meadow I reckon, superb. There are at least 3 separate meadow patches down that track and with the sun out it was bliss.

14.30-17.30

Odonata: No dragonflies were seen, lots of damselflies though.

Common Blues were abundant by Scotsmans and Pearsons Flashes.

A few Blue Tailed were noted alongside Pearsons, or along the towpath opposite Ochre Flash.

2 Emeralds were on the tall vegetation by the willows on the walk along the towpath on the walk down to Horrocks Flash.

A single Azure was sat on a willow alongside the towpath opposite Bryn Marsh.

Singles of Common Blue and Brimstone butterflies were seen, as was a 2-Spot Ladybird.

A few large mayflies were doing their aerial dance by Pearsons Flash.

2 "Oedemira Nabolis" type beetles were on flower heads alongside the towpath.

Painted Lady at Horrocks Flash today

A young Hedgehog was at Horrocks Flash this morning, looking lively and healthy 

11.30-14.30

Along the towpath between Poolstock and Horrocks Flash

3 Brown Hawker dragonflies and 2 Common Blue damselflies.

1 Common Blue, 1 Gatekeeper and numerous Meadow Brown butterflies, with one of the later almost taken by a Brown Hawker. A single 5 Spot Burnet Moth on Red Clover by Pearsons Flash

-- Edited by John Williams on Sunday 24th of July 2016 01:18:20 PM

A Weasel and a male Orange Tip by Scotman's Flash today

Brimstone by Turner's Flash today

Keith Williams wrote:

---

I walked along the canal yesterday at 11.30am from Lily Lane, Platt Bridge towards Horrock's and was surprised to see a bat flying round behind the houses, halfway to the railway bridge.


I presume this is unusual but am no bat expert. Small bat, possibly a pipistrelle?


Cheers


Keith

---

Probably is one of the Pipistrelle's Keith but as to which one you'd need echo location equipment to measure the call.

Midday

1 Migrant Hawker above Pearsons Flash

Also a freshly dead Smooth Newt on the towpath by Horrocks Flash.

Hi Bernard, I also saw a black Rabbit at Horrocks Flash, on August 2nd. I thought I'd posted it and a check showed there are two Wigan Flashes (other wildlife) threads, which I hadn't noticed. Never seen one at the Flashes before, but have on occasions elsewhere.

5 Brimstone this morning between Bryn Marsh and Ochre Flash, along footpath from canal to Park House Farm
Also on a circuit from Welham Road to Bryn Marsh 32 Speckled Wood, 10 Peacock, 5 Gatekeeper

a short distance off the Flashes, a Brimstone today at Westwood Lane

Singles of Red Admiral and Small White today, plenty of Migrant Hawkers around the site

15.00-17.00

6 Southern Hawker dragonflies along the canal tow path between Pearsons and Horrocks Flashes, 1 chased a Caddis Fly over the canal, but stopped the attack almost at the

point of contact.

1 Small Tortoiseshell butterfly.

1 small clump of Toadflax still in flower along the tow path.

2 Roe Deer by Bryn Marsh this morning
Southern Hawker and 12+ Speckled Wood in vicinity

A very bright Brimstone along the path by Hawley Hall School/Reedbed this afternoon.

Friday 20th: Brown Hare on Rainford's Tip, seen from Bryn-Wigan train

-- Edited by dave broome on Sunday 22nd of April 2012 07:34:26 PM

6th April, in flower at Pearson's Flash: Marsh Marigold, Skunk Cabbage and either Scented or Scentless Mayweed
molehills near Scotman's

at the SE of Scotman's today, 100+ Perch in a pool on the brook where it emerges from under the canal at Moss Bridge
Rabbits near Bryn Marsh, should keep the local Buzzards happy
Marsh Marigold in flower at the Hawkley feeding station

Horrocks Flash 04/03/12
30/40 frogs spawning in a small pool next to the railway,located by sound ,a first for me

cheers geoff

1 butterfly seen on Saturday. I suspect it was probably a Small Tortoiseshell, but it flew very high!

Roach or Rudd,both are resident in the flashes but very difficult to identify in the water,both are shoal fish,roach are more likely to hug the bottom whilst rudd like to take food off the surface

geoff