An early morning visit to Piethorne today was rewarded with excellent close-up sightings of a immature Little Grebe on Ogden Reservoir. This is only the 3rd record for this species in the valley in the last 4 years and apparently only the 4th record here since 1996!
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The Shag was still at the lake this morning, although it now seems to have deserted the raft and prefers to rest up on one of the speed boats moored off the duck feeding area. The speed boat is now liberally splattered with Shag droppings! Just to confuse matters a lone Cormorant was on the raft. A R...
4 Whoopers – 2 Adults, 2 Juvs - flying low over Crab Tree Lane, Atherton at around 7.30am - Possibly heading for Bee Fold Lane Pond or Pennington Flash. ???
Quick visit to Crompton Lodges this am produced - 1 LBB Gull, 1 female Shoveler, 64 mute swan Inc 2 cygnets and a few goosanders. Also I manage to read the metal ring of a Finnish Black Headed Gull - Details sent to the BTO.
Kane
Moss lane area today held a male stonechat, juv merlin and plenty of winter thrushes, skylarks, mipits, finches and buntings (all being harried by the merlin)
Hope Carr was very quiet (it has been for about 2 years!!) a few goldcrests, thrushes and half a dozen or so snipe being the highlights.&nbs...
2 Ravens over Rindle RD. Also 48 Fieldfare on wires. 3 Tree Sparrows further along, numbers of Redwing. Buzzard, 3 Kestrels, a Sparrowhawk and a Snipe over - all Worsley Moss.
Andy Makin had 3265 Fieldfares in 20 flocks this morning, 4th Nov. going W until low cloud came down, then some landed and passage ceased. Also 4 Crossbills still in the conifers just past the Wilderswood car park on Georges Lane. He also had 175 Redwing in 7 flocks, 7 Lesser Redpolls, 1 Br...
The Shag is still present at Hollingworth Lake this am (7am onwards), despite appearing elusive at times, perhaps due to the bird feeding.
Also, a White -fronted Goose was present briefly at 8am, then flew towards the Akzo pond area but should realistically, still be in the area.
All informatio...
Andy Makin had 4 Crossbills on the path just past Wilderswood car park, Horwich today, down to 20 ft - they then flew E, possibly to Walker Fold Woods. He counted 2552 Fieldfares in 15 flocks flying W over Burnt Edge, and had 3 Bramblings in Tenements Clough off Coal Pit Lane.
The Bittern was showing in...
2 Green Woodpeckers near Aspull Sough. 2 Cormorants over. In a field belonging to Lower House Farm were 5 Grey Partridges. Along the canal near Shedfield bridge a very obliging female Kingfisher fished and rested. 4+ Tree Sparrows were settling down to roost in bushes along Pendlebury Lane.( thank...
At Piethorne on a crisp, sunny morning:-
At approx. 10.30 a.m. 120+ Redwings at low altitude moving west. Also at this time 170+ Fieldfares flying around aimlessly at low altitude in the valley. At 11.35 a.m. a large flock of 400+ Fieldfares passed over the valley at m...
Water Rail still at top of weir on River Irwell nr Rock Hall. Too dark for photos but managed some video clips. Hopefully it will show on a day when light is good.
A male Stonechat was along the canal towards the `Ruck`. 13 Fieldfares over heading NW. 18 Skylarks NE. 11 Redwings E. All viewed from the Ruck. On one of the paths 2 Skylarks were eating grit. A Buzzard over the Flash mobbed by 2 Crows and a Magpie. 7+ Goldeneye, a fem. Goosander, a fem. Tufty / Pochard hy...
Andy Makin logged 3053 Fieldfares in 33 flocks 10am-1230pm today (2nd Nov) going mostly W, also with them was a Snow Bunting (sorry Rob, it didn't land!), also 172 Redwings in 9 flocks 10am-noon, 79 Siskins 11am-noon, and all were periodically being harried by 2 Merlins, a Sparrowhawk and a Peregrin...
No need for a mad rush to the flash to catch up with this bird! I noticed it atleast 4 weeks ago (when having a brew there whilst skiving off work for half an hour!) and it is obviously an escape (it bears a small metal ring on the right leg), happily allowing you to walk right up to it, however, it is an e...
8 Teal & 3 Goosanders on Ogden. A Pochard was again seen diving for food on Kitcliffe Reservoir - Pochard is a scarcity at Piethorne - it is 3 years since the last series of records here! Also seen 24 Fieldfares, 2 Bullfinches, and 2 Great Crested Grebes. A pair of very noisy Rave...
1 Wheatear this morning (probably a Greenland bird as it was a large pale job)
1 Rock Pipit still present this evening
1 adult Yellow-legged Gull in the roost
Also c40 Golden Plover, c20 Goldeneye and 3 Pochard.
Just received (atleast 3rd hand) news from county recorder Judith Smith of a first-winter Shag on a raft at the west end of Hollingworth Lake at 12:40- a great record and hopefully the start of some good birds produced by these strong winds?
Should be more details to come on this sighting later.
Ia...
Just a quick whizz round Hawkley, Ochre and Bryn due to the weather. Kingfisher perched near to the feeding station. 2 Willow Tits ; one nr. Bryn Marsh, one at Moss Bridge. 2 Bullfinch along canal. 3 Ruddy`s on Ochre Flash. Usual supporting cast of Gadwall, Teal etc.
Goosander x 6 (2 drakes), Goldeneye x 2, Water Rail x 2, (one under the Rosehip bush in front of Horrocks Hide).drake Wigeon, Golden Plover briefly on the Spit. c35 Greenfinch at the Feeding Station, also a Willow Tit here. Sparrowhawk through. Snipe x 5 on the scrapes in front of Horrocks.
Glad...
Just a brief visit to Scotman's and Pearson's Flashes late this afternoon. 11 Wigeon, 3 Goldeneye, 8+ Little Grebe, lots of Shoveler, Gadwall, Ruddy, GC Grebes, Tufties and Pochard. Probably still over a thousand Coot.
91 Pinkfeet over Hindley Green at 1009hrs this morning.
Quite a few sightings reported to me today. A Crossbill flew over Pickley Green, Leigh (Phil Rhodes, not currently on email), am. and one was in Cecil Ave, Sale, yesterday but not today (John Butterworth).
10 Tree Sparrows at Pendlebury Lane, Wigan (Jimmy Meadows)
On Irlam Moss, a Barn Owl hunti...
8 Whooper Swans (found by Dave Winnard) including two juvs were on the reservoir from at least 11:00 hrs. They took flight south-west at 16:55 hrs, then flew back over the resr calling, headed east and then returned at 17:10 hrs landing on the water. They are presumably going to roost overnight.
Two...
The YlG from 24/10 on resv 1 at dusk. Closed wing appears to be fully adult, but Rob and Sonia Adderley saw the bird tonight with me and Rob reckons it is the same bird that he had in early October and that in flight it does show some brown on tertials, strangley absent at rest. Bill base is a strange peachy/p...
Phil Rhodes has just contacted me to inform me of a Richards Pipit at Rumworth at 16:20 this afternoon. The bird has been seen in flight (calling,) perched and has been videod, in the field off Beaumont Road with the footpath which runs down to the hawthorns at the shore of the lodge. The field cur...
