22/6/09 Evening stroll

Raven over Sennicar Lane,
2 Buzzards over Golf Course,
Common Tern along canal,
Yellowhammer near Shedfield Bridge.

Great Spotted Woodpecker,
Skylark,
Kestrel,
Sparrowhawk.

Water treatment ponds

pair of Coots with 1 youngster 2nd pool
Reed Warbler and Reed Bunting both singing in 1st wetland area
pair of Reed Buntings carrying food in 2nd wetland area
Green Woodpecker heard

Canal nr Dairy pit

4 young Swallows
Yellowhammer singing
Kestrel over

Sadly found the remains of one of the young Green Woodpeckers underneath the nesthole tonight, not sure what was resonsible for taking it. no sign of other young but didnt look for to long. one of adults seen nearby
other sightings, Tawny Owl being mobbed by blackbirds.
Female Sparrowhawk in nest area chasing Jay, no droppings under nest yet but big increase in prey remains on plucking posts.
Bullfinch

Late post for yesterday, 4/6/09

Garden Warbler along the canal near Basin Quay,
3 Buzzards - Lady Mabels/Thorn Hill area,
2 Sand Martins over Sennicar Lane,
Common Tern flying along the canal.

Fledged youngsters of the following seen from various areas ;

Nuthatch,
Whitethroat,
Pied Wagtail,
Blue Tit,
Jackdaw,
Magpie.

Douglas Valley near thornhill viaduct

female Manderin with 8 small young on river douglas
Coal tit and Great tits feeding fledged young
Treecreeper
Nuthatch
Blackcap
G S Woodpecker

This Morning
2 Garden Warblers nr Basin
Along the Canal
Willow Tit Feeding Young
Chiffchaff Feeding Young
Goldfinch Feeding Young
Mallard with 11 Ducklings

Cheers Jimmy

a Lesser Whitethroat singing along Riley Lane today. Info thanks to Terry Thorpe.

A pair of whimbrel flying over meadow pit lane near little scotland 8am.

9am - 12
fem Sparrowhawk leaving remains of juv Blackbird
Buzzard, longest angled stoop I have seen from over canal bridge (one on main path through haigh hall) to behind the rugby union club were I lost sight of it
pair of manderin, courtship display on pond just over canal bridge

lady mabels woods and fields to senniar lane,

3 pheasants calling
male Kestrel
4 Goldfinches
pair whitethroats
good numbers of willow warblers
3 poss 4 male reed buntings singing
bullfinch
sadly no skylarks heard here in what was once a hotbed for them and same on local patch, fields near lower house farm

Lapwing displaying over fields, lower house farm, last year they appeared here about same time after nest failed in fields around senicar lane,
Green woodpecker again heard but not located


-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Thursday 30th of April 2009 05:17:35 PM

18/4/09 am

Little change from yesterday evening, unsurprisingly, though the Wheatear must have moved on and the Curlew wasn`t evident.

The drake Mandarin was perched high up in a tree along the canal, and the 2 Buzzards were roaming wide all morning. These birds must soar all over Wigan, as I watched them drift over Whitley, Boars Head, Whelley and New Springs. They were last seen displaying over Thorn Hill, at which point they were intercepted by a Sparrowhawk and seperated.....

Whitethroat,
2 House Martins,
f Blackcap,
Treecreeper,
Stock Doves,
6+ Swallows,
Willow Warblers & Chiffchaffs aplenty.

Buzzard doing territorial display flight interupted by mobbing Kestrel
Sparrowhawk soaring up
Green Woodpecker heard
G.S. Woodpecker excavating nest hole
8 Jackdaws
male manderin sat in tree on Hall lane, no sign of female or tree hole

Hi Ian,

This was ringed as an adult male in Sept 2005 at Healey Nab, near Chorley.

9/4/09 Early am

2 Mandarin (pr) on canal @ Shedfield Bridge,

Oystercatcher over, heading SE (to the Flashes no doubt),

2 Curlews still present in fields between Sennicar Ln & Pendlebury Ln.

3 Willow Warblers (my first )
3 Swallows,
many Chiffchaffs
4 Stock Doves,
Kestrel,
Sparrowhawk,
3 Nuthatch,
Bullfinch,
3 Reed Bunting.

Mute Swan (SLI). As this was sat on the canal bank I could read its metal ring as well as its darvic - W19690...........does anyone know whether this is a BTO ring or a British Museum one (which I`m sure I`ve read about somewhere) ?

4/4/09 Late afternoon

Not much to report, but it keeps me occupied..............

Whelley Loop Line & Dairy Pit :

2 Buzzards (one over Aspull Sough and the other over Higher Lane).

Willow Tit,
3 Chiffchaff,
Kestrel,
4 Coal Tit,
2 Great Spotted Woodpecker,
2 Stock Dove.

Evening Shift,

Whelley loop line,
Greenfinch
Song Thrush

Water treatment ponds to shedfield bridge
Willow tit (1st for a while for me)
Raven over fields
walked round fields listening for Partridge calling but no luck

20/3/09 am

2 Mandarin (pr) over River Douglas @ Thorn Hill,

2 Buzzards & 2 Sparrowhawks over Thorn Hill. Another Buzzard (or one of same two ?) later on over Upper Plantations.

Single Tree Sparrow along Pendlebury Lane.

2 Grey Wagtail,
Skylark,
4 Meadow Pipit,
2 Redwing,
4 Bullfinch,
Goldcrest.

Aye pal, that would be about reet. They were circling, calling, and generally mooching about (maybe even displaying ?) all the time I was out....

My mother has seen two of them over her house in Whelley this afternoon...........Beltin`

16/3/09 pm

Pair of Mandarin on the Basin,

3 Buzzards circling over Aspull Sough & 2 Sparrowhawks displaying.
2 Siskin on Whelley Loop.

Grey Wagtail,
Treecreeper,
Skylark,
Stock Dove,
Kestrel.

13/3/09 am

3 Curlew, 20 Common Gulls, 4 Skylark, and 6 Lapwings in fields off Sennicar Lane.

Willow Tit near Shedfield Bridge, 2 Treecreepers & 2 Stock Doves near Hall Lane Bridge, and 2 Mute Swans on the Basin (one of them wearing blue Darvic SLI).

2 Kestrels and a handful of singing Reed Buntings in Lady Mabel`s Wood.

walk round the area this morning
2 Grey Heron off a little pool in the woods
Pr Mute Swan on the Basin one had Blue Darvic Ring SLI
Lady Mabels Wood
1 Meally Redpoll with 7 Lesser Redpolls
3 Singing Reed Buntings also 1 singing at the Golf Course side
8 Lapwings in fields farther up from the wood and singing Skylark
Curlew over calling
Green Woodpecker calling from the old railway line
Pendlebury Lane
1 Tree Sparrow in the bushes nr the houses then flew towards Samuel Folds Cottage
Dipper on the Douglas bottom of 64 Steps
Wingates Lane
Pr Mandarin on Douglas opp WRU Club Entrance

Hall Lane Feeding station
4 Reed Bunting

Also lots of Nuthatch in the Plantations calling and 2 GS Woodpeckers

plus all usual suspects

Jimmy

Evening walk from whelley loop line to canal produced,
Buzzard,
Kestrel,
20+ Magpies,
8 Mallards,
4 Moorhens
and highlight for me was 1 possibly 2 Grey Partridge calling, amazing how these birds cling on here.

Hall Lane feeding station.
Good numbers of Chaffinch, Gt and Blue tits, 2 coal tits, Goldcreast.

sennicar lane, grey wagtail, fieldfare

basin qauy, 3 manderin, 20+ Mallard,

canal, 11 canada geese, kingfisher

22/10/08 p.m.

60 Pink-footed Geese over NW @ 14:45

drk Mandarin on the Basin Quay,
Willow Tit nr. Shedfield Bridge,
Kingfisher along canal,
2 Sparowhawks, Kestrel, 2 Goldcrests, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Bullfinch, Small numbers of Mistle Thrushes and Redwings.