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As a novice birder I know I have a lot to learn. So getting birding magazines has been really useful for me as has surfing birding websites. I've also joined the rspb and the wwt and the birder code is very clear; also common sense. However, if anyone wants to pass on any tips about birding to help me...

re atherton feeding station ,i am sure you mentioned it but i don,t know where it is

kingfisher(in flight) mistle thrush,2 shelduck,jay,great;blue;longtailed tits,15+redwing,cormorant tufted,teal,and the usual smew on horrock,s 1 gs woodpecker heard by Mr Woosey, seen just after by me in a garden.all in all a pleasant day,s birding

still with us at 1pm *-- Edited by Ian McKerchar at 12:34, 2007-01-08*

still with us at 1pm

-- Edited by Ian McKerchar at 12:34, 2007-01-08

07/01 150+ Lapwings & 70+ Golden PLovers on a bulding site on Ashton Moss around 4pm today ( ashton park garden centre - Lord Sheldon Way ) Also 100+ stralings, 1 Heron, 10 Pied Wagtails & 1 lonesome but very loud robin.

fem. Scaup - first found around Rammy`s Scrapes then flew off onto main flash. Re -found in front of Boat-house but swam away towards Plank Ln end.

drk Wigeon with 26 Gadwall from Lapwing Hide. 5 Goosander, 16 Snipe, 26 Cormorant, Grey Wag, GBBG, Herring Gull.

The 2nd. winter ICeland Gull in again tonight,also 2 Y.L.Gulls,300+ G.B.B. Gulls,and 2000+ H/L.B.B. Gulls

Etherow CP 7th January 2007 08.05-10.55 Egyptian Goose 2 Dipper male Goosander on R.Etherow and pair on Keg Pool 2 drake Mandarin heard both Great Spotted and Green Woodpecker 2 Kingfisher male and female Sparrowhawk in separate sightings Raven 20-30 Redwing 20-30 Sis...

Both birds could be seen in the nest hole this morning at the site used in the past few years. The low sun shone right into the hole so both could be clearly seen.

Hello from a new member! I'm a keen GM birder from Wigan (Worsley Mesnes) and my regular birding haunt is (obviously) the Wigan Flashes. I've spotted many birds there. I spotted my first Bittern on Bryn Flash (while fishing) last July. I saw a Kingfisher yesterday near the culvert on Scotman's...

Still with us today, also a Peregrine.

The Smew was still at Horrocks Flash today, with 4 female Goldeneye, on the pool adjoining the canal.

Crompton Lodges, 60 Swans, 52 Tufted, 3 G.C.Grebe,120 B.h.Gull, 3 C.Gull, 2 L.B.b.Gull. On the Hacken Lane side of the pack, 7 Teal, willow Tit + 2 Roe Deer.

I saw a flock of 30+ diving duck leaving Salford Quays this morning at about 7.45am. They circled and headed off East presumably to CWP. The birds will be spending the night feeding in the Manchester Ship Canal basin as in the past. They can be viewed at night by the bright ambient lights of the qua...

Apparently there is now a waiting list for permits for the above.Presumably because of access problems to the site permit numbers are being limited by United Utilities.If you already hold a permit but do not use it very often I would ask that you might consider not to renew your permit to...

I have heard that a Long eared Owl is roosting at Pennington at the moment. Does anybody know about this or any other places which they are at the moment? Thanks

as ian says in his introduction to the forum you should use your proper name to sign in to the forum,if like me however you signed in and then read ian,s instructions(doh) you,ll find it hard to edit your psuedonym.what i had to do as follows,log in with psuedonyn then go to edit details,delete the acc...

12 Goldeneye, 2 Little Grebe + Goosander at Croal-Irwell confluence. Crompton Lodges, 150+ Black headed Gull, 8 Common Gull, 3 Lesser Black backed Gull+Kingfisher+Greylag. Shore Top, 13 Teal, 10 House Sparrow+ Kestrel.

here goe,s. if your new to birding and like me sick of trawling through commercial site,s watch the sighting,s board,this is good info and very helpfull,i,ve just added red crested potchard to my tick list (thanks everybody) .With this addition to the site I think the discussion,s can be vari...

The 2nd winter Iceland Gull put in an appearance tonight at 3.30pm

All's quiet on the western front! A drake Pintail basically flew through Pennington today, heading west around 12:35 Best I could muster I'm afraid, it's not the most productive period I've ever seen in the county at the moment, although with Smew, Scaup and 2 Great Northern Divers we shouldn't...

a bit late i know but a red letter day for my local patch the regular,s coot, mallard, cormarant,swan,grey heron,tufted,moorhen,canada geese, the visitor,s goosander, snipe,shoveler,kingfisher,goldeneye,and not least a smew,all viewed from the towpath am Happy New Year

2 Green Sandpiper, 42 Snipe, 3 Wigeon, 4 Gadwall, 139 Teal, Little Grebe, 200 Redwing, 50 Fieldfare, 2 Reed Bunting, 3 Bullfinch and Spahawk.

Late afternoon at Pennington for the gull roost: 6300 Black-headed, a couple of hundred Commons, very small numbers of Lesser Black-backeds and Herrings and a single Greater Black-backed. 2 Pintail (male and female) also down at the Plank Lane (western) end. -- Edited by Ian McKerchar at 17:16, 20...

The redhead Smew is still at Horrocks Flash today (viewed from canal towpath, reported by Ian Woosey). A drake Pintail (ex-Wigan Flashes) is on flooded fields at the Landgate roundabout, where the southbound slip road to the M6 leaves the A49 at J25. There is a pull-in off the roundabout. (Rep...

Both Great Northern Divers still present on no. 2 reservoir. Also 65 Pink-footed Geese over East at 9.45am.

turned up 01/01/07 10am fishing on the main water veiwed from towpath more towards abram than wigan it,s a female

Jimmy Meadows text'd me to say he had all 3 species of Woodpecker at Crooke Wood, Wigan, today (SD547075) but the Lesser flew off S over the canal and river to a line of trees adjoining the railway line, off Ackhurst Lane. The Smew - that may have roamed off, up the Abram Flashes to the Wigan Flash...

A second winter Iceland Gull came very late (approx 4 o'clock-ish) into the gull roost at Heaton Park Reservoir tonight (access strictly by permit only) and was slightly overdue, given the reasonable numbers in other nearby counties! Given that the gull roost here is usually relatively poor durin...

Apparently there is a Smew (redhead) at Pennington Flash today, although having received the news atleast 3rd hand, I have no idea where abouts. More to come from others with better 'gen' hopefully

Have a great New Year everyone -- Edited by Ian McKerchar at 13:23, 2006-12-3...