Phil Lord has only just rung me (2pm ish) to let me know that he's found a first winter Glaucous Gull on Scotsmans Flash, a very good county bird indeed! Large Gulls don't roost on Scotties and only use it to rest, wash, preen etc, but it is possible it may stay a while so long as the boats don't come out! Well...
Pual Hammond and I had a Cuckoo at Moss Brow Farm, Rindle Rd. early morning. What with the mist and sun in our eyes it led us a merry dance for at least half an hour, until it flew across the road just in front of us. Later on we picked out a Little Gull preening on the Peat Pools, which led to a momentus occasio...
Willow Warblers are back at last! Two were singing this afternoon. Other signs of summer included two Chiffchaff, two Swallows, and two House Martins high overhead. Also seen: 1 Sparrowhawk 2 Linnets 2 Meadow Pipits 1m Bullfinch 1 Lapwing 2 Skylarks. The mystery 'grouse' reported by local kids s...
Whilst up Walker Fold (Bolton) this afternoon my son and I happened upon a Lizard on the path! Completely gobsmacked, we followed the little fella to a crack in some rocks were it couldn't escape from and we studied it to only afew inches, it was about 5 inches long, generally green but with rather intri...
Ring Ouzels reported to me today: 1. Moorbottom Rd, Holcombe Hill: 1 male, 3 females(Peter and Norma Johnson and Ian Campbell 2. Stalybridge side of Hobson Moor: 6 birds (sexes not yet known) (Barrie Adams) 3. copse at Hollingworth Hall Moor (SK008988) 2 males 2 females (Jack Christian) Lots to go at...
5 Ring Ouzel (3 males) this morning at Burnt Edge, Horwich. I first picked up a female chattering away in Holden`s Plantation, which then flew towards the farm, then came back with 2 males, and joined up with another pair. By this time Ian Mckerchar had `ambled` over from Two Lads, but they`d flown off h...
got to say went for ring ouzel so was driving around a lot in a new area to me,but i also saw 3 longtail tit 1 meadow pipit (almost sat on me knee lovely) 2 skylark 2 pheasant 6 woodpigeon 12 crows 1 coal tit(nest building) 6 chaffinch 2 pied wagtail 4 greenfinch 2 swallow had no joy with th...
An excellent morning at Hollingworth Lake with a pair Red-breasted Mergansers present early am (at least 0750) until flushed by a power boat at 0920 - therefore must be different from Audenshaw birds. 3 Kittiwakes ( 2 adults and an imm) from 0915-0945 at least. Also a drake Gadwall, 21 Wigeon, 20 Gol...
A House Martin passed over my house in Woodsmoor yesterday morning: my first of the year. They breed in this area, but I haven't seen the bird since, so can't be sure that it's 'one of ours'. I counted eleven Sand Martins over the Mersey yesterday evening from the bridge just below the viaduct near th...
A Greenshank was at the Peat Pools this afternoon (favouring the very back of the pools), along with a single Ringed Plover, 8 Little Ringeds and 8 or 9 Redshank.
JUST GOT BACK FROM A WALK ROUND THE WHOLE FLASH-ABOUT-30 BLACKCAPS,15-20 WILLOW WARBLERS,4 L R PLOVERS,2 RINGED PLOVERS-SUPPRISINGLY NO WHITETHROATS OR HURRUNDINES WHICH I WAS EXPECTING TODAY,BUT THE BIGGEST SUPPRISE WAS A WOOD SANDPIPER,PRETTY EARLY DATE FOR ONE OF THESE,RIGHT OPPOSITE THE...
A quick walk around Crompton Lodges last night: 81 Mute Swans - a few pairs nest building 16 Tufted Ducks - 10 male & 6 female 2 Kingfisher 3 Grey Heron Kane -- Edited by Kane Brides at 09:40, 2007-04-14
News from Andy Makin - he had a pair of Ring Ouzels this morning below the shelter belt at Adam Hill plantation, Burnt Edge but they couldn't be found later by someone who hadn't a lot of time to look due to work commitments. Yesteray, 3 Whimbrel flew over Two Lads Hillin the same area. This evening, Andy h...
This evening 2 R plover 5 LR plover 4 Redshank 5 Snipe 2 Teal 2 Mallard 7 Pied Wagtail 15 Lapwings 2 Kestrels 7 Herons flying over. Also 2 pair of Grey Partridge and 1 Curlew in f67, 3 Curlew in f69, GS Woodpecker in trees at edge of Rindle wood, Tawny Owl and Kestrel over Bedford moss.
A month or so ago Tim Melling (RSPB) and I did interviews with a relatively new magazine, the Salford Star, about Astley Moss East peat milling site. The reporter has done quite a good job - doesn't pull any punches - about the demise of the Nightjar, and the unique Salford Butterfly, there. Salford S...
hi all,I am about to invest in some 10x42 bins to help my county list off the bottom rung,but the choice and range is bewildering.The budjet is £80/£100 and i was wondering if any one has made a recent purchase they like, or some good (optically) second hand ones are available? cheers geoff and no ian i...
im visiting shore top tonight to see what is about if any one has any info on the place it would be much appriciated. it is just off ringly road in whitefield. i will post the sightings when i get back jake
driving through edgeworth towards blackburn when in the village i flushed 2 grey partridge at 8pm on Thursday 12 April -- Edited by sarfraz at 02:55, 2007-04-13
A male Blue Rock Thrush yesterday at Elan near Rhayader and not too far from the Gigrin Farm Red Kite feeding station. First record since the 2000 bird in Cornwall and it would have been extremely popular if it had the decency to hang about. Just got back from Wales and sadly it didn't hang about ! Still, w...
Coronation Power has submitted a planning application to build a 12 turbine wind farm, on the moors above Watergrove reservoir. Details of the proposal can be found at http://www.coronationpower.com/dev_crook.html This conflicts with the local development plan for the area. If this goes ah...
Just got back from Northern Cyprus yesterday (you didn't really think I was just not bothering to update the site did you ) and my trip report with some superb photos will be published soon. No sooner had I got home though when I find that the south side (Paphos etc) had had a couple of real megas, Blyths P...
