visit here which is a SSSI and stonker invert site particularly beetles being old oak wood land unique in GM. Phyllobrotica quadrimaculata (Skullcap Leaf Beetle) Anthocomus rufus Bright red Malachite Beetle and a beetle from the small Histeridae - Clown beetles which are very difficult to ID but w...
Not a birding holiday but I was expecting to see a few things of interest. As it turned out I only saw two new species for me. Yellow-legged Gull and Alpine Swift. I have never seen so many Swifts at one time, there were well over a hundred birds constantly swooping about, often passing within a couple of f...
Whilst enjoying a cheeky pint in the Black Swan pub beer garden in Hollins Green this evening I was amazed to see a Kingfisher sat on a wire fence across the duck pond in the pub grounds! I was alerted initially by it's call. It flew off after a few seconds.
On a recent family holiday to the island I managed half a day at the S'Albufera Des Grau Natural Park (28/08/14), the park has good facilities and seems very well run (the trail maps and instructions given at the information centre were first rate), birds seen; Little Grebe ( I can honestly say I've nev...
Just got back at 10.30 from a late afternoon visit with Phil Owen to Brandon Marsh in Warwickshire - we left Hale at 3pm and arrived at the reserve at 6.30 after taking one and a half hours to cover the last three miles of the M6 down to J2. When we arrived on site we luckily bumped into a local birder who knew w...
hi all - thought some of you might be pleased to hear that Wigan Council and GMP have mounted a couple of operations trying to tackle the off-road problem on Bickershaw, and have seized a landrover and a few motorbikes. More operations are planned for later in the summer, so please keep reporting any in...
birds seen today 18 july 2015lapwing 11 ....,black headed gull 3 .....,grey heron 1 .....,stonechat AD male 1 .....,grey wagtail 4 AD and JUV .....,pied wagtail 1 .....,wheatear 1 AD , 2 JUV. ..... house martin 9 .....,swallow 5 .....,woodpigeon 5.thanks john webb
Wednesday 15th July 2015 (2 day delay in reporting due to obtaining confirmation of species) Walk from Alsop en le Dale, Biggin Dale, Tissington Trail River Wye: 2 Dipper, 2 juvenile Mallards Biggin Dale: 4 Chiffchaff, 1 male Redstart and 3 juvenile Redstart, newly fledged Blackcaps (that same mor...
This trip (June 8th to 21st) fulfilled several ambitions for us: to travel for the first time beyond the arctic circle, to visit the spectacular Lofoten Islands en route, and to sail round the North Cape of Norway into the Barents Sea and to visit Murmansk for a first taste (in our case) of Russia. For qu...
I just spent a week visiting my older son who has lived here for 19 or so years.
I generally do a little low key "year listing" round the city parks, and like to compare the differences in the seasons. I realized that in 20 or so visits, I had never actually been here in May before.
Black Kites a...
Great views on Sunday 14th June of the Melodious Warbler. The bird is currently showing well opposite Marsh Lane Nature Reserve in Hampton in Arden and within a couple of minutes of arrIving, I was soon treated to great views as it sang away on various branches. At one point, the bird landed on a gorse bu...
For sale: Canon EOS 50D including battery grip, five batteries, two battery chargers all with original box. Canon EF 400mm f/5.6 USM Lens with box and carrying case. Black Rapid carrying strap. Lowepro camera Backpack 3 x SanDisk Ultra 8gb (30mb/s) memory cards. The camera body is second hand and do...
From the weekend
1600+ Black-headed Gulls and 140 Common Gulls in field at Hornby Sat afternoon. Spooked by a large Peregrine and put on spectacular displays with Starling-like close flocking
20 Whooper Swans with 19 Mute Swans, 2 Buzzards and 2 Ravens at nearby Melling
River Lune at Halton -...
Been looking on the internet at various makes/models etc and its sending me dizzy.a lot of the directions you get in books,magazines,forums etc are given in grid reference form and I am basically looking for a unit for that purpose.the Garmin nuvi 550 seems to work as a traditional sat nav and 'off roa...
Up last friday morning at 4.30am and filled feeders by 5am . . Gold and Greenfinch began to arrive then the Squirrel. . . . . . .
A battle then commenced - it was squirted and whacked with my fiberglass pole. But it kept coming back and it brought a juvenile with it. . At 5.45am I decided to take the feeders do...
Two streams flow into the old/now drained Jack Key's Reservoir and effectively become the River Darwen upon flowing out northwards towards the town centre. A mid morning walk around the old reservoir didn't throw up too much other than usual woodland birds plus a couple of Whitethroat, several Bla...
This year's holiday gite is located about 30km north of Marmande, in Agnac near Eymet. To the west of Eymet there is a fairly large lake, Lescourroux, which we've visited twice so far. First visit was disappointing, with just Little Egret, Mallards, Herons and a fleeting Kingfisher. Second visit be...
Originally posted today by Dave Ousey: Though we have not been known for going to difficult places to see rare birds, Three A Team members decided to give it a go. So when a Cretzschmar`s Bunting was found on Bardsey and a booking system was in place (kindly policed by Lee Evans) after sleeping under boa...
Masses of Guillemots, Razorbills & Kittiwakes. Lesser numbers of Fulmars. 30+ Eiders, 6 Puffins, 4 Shags and a steady offshore passage of Gannets. 1 Rock Pipit, 1 Yellowhammer, 2 Linnets, 1 Swift, plus a steady trickle of Swallows along the cliff top. 1 Common Seal.
Seen from offices at Abraham Moss Grey Squirrel with no tail. It was interesting to watch this Squirrel as they rely on their tails so much for balance, but it seemed to have lost none of the agility associated with these creatures and appeared to be feeding on sycamore seeds.
Cetti's Warbler this morning near the culvert between the two lakes (know locally as Red Pond). Apologies for not putting on the thread name that Parson's Meadow is in Worsley Mesnes, Wigan. Various access points inc via St Jude's RLFC at Keats Avenue or along the cycleway through the garage court at...
I've been working in Bury at Wellington Street right beside the Irwell removing Asbestos from the old paper mills which got demolished quite a few years ago and I am 99% sure I seen a otter early this morning running under a old Victorian culvert on my site, as anybody ever seen an otter on the Irwell? The...
