Saturday, 27th February 2016 - 12:30 - 16:00 hrs.

Walk from Red Rock / Bridge 63 (Leeds/Liverpool Canal) - along canal to Lady Mabel's Wood - River Douglas - back through Haigh Country Park (past Haigh Hall) and return

Thanks for your latest update Paul.

Tawny Owl x 2 (singles only in usual separate roosting sites)
Kestrel x 1
Goldcrest x 2 (1M and 1F)
Siskin x 1
Grey Wagtail x 4 (along banks of River Douglas)
Greenfinch x 1
Goldfinch x 7
Jay x 3
Rook x 100 (field next to canal past Bridge 63 towards Haigh)
Jackdaw x 25
Carrion Crow x 3
Coal Tit x 2
House Sparrow x 1
Long Tailed Tits x 5
Dunnock x 1
Blue Tit x 15
Great Tit x 10
Robin x 9
Chaffinch x 10
Blackbird x 8
Woodpigeon x 10
Magpie x 10
Moorhen x 2
Mallard x 8
Black-Headed Gulls x 15
Reed Bunting x 2
Cormorant x 1
Canada Geese x 4
Starlings x 70
Feral Pigeon x 5

3 Dippers chasing each other on the river this morning one in song

Sparrowhawk heard calling

2 Siskins, male and female in with a small mixed finch flock

freshly predated Mallard egg along the river bank and a broken stock dove egg under the bridge

4 Mandarin on the River Douglas by Wingates Road today

From Coppull Lane dam up to the River Douglas bridge in the Lower Plantations: 2 Nuthatch, 2 Goldcrest, 3 Lesser Redpoll, 2 Bullfinch

A pleasant couple of hours this morning.

2 Tawny Owls, both still single at separate roost sites

2 goldcrests feeding in a conifer barely 6 feet away from me at the upper plantations feeding station

Single Redpoll here too, someone has attached small sheets of fat to the trees here which is proving popular with the Tit species and does not seem to be palatable to the Grey Squirrels, nice one

Hall lane feeding station very active with common species good numbers of Chaffinch but no Bramblings yet, couple of Jays and a single Stock Dove feeding here too.

3 Mandarin today on the River Douglas, 4 Siskin in the Plantations, 1 Raven and 23 Goldcrest counted

 

At least 410 Jackdaw today feeding on stubble N of the country park by Riley Ln/Meadow Pit Ln

Tonight 20.30, no less than 3 singing Grasshopper Warblers, all visible. in bushes in field adjacent to the towpath south of Bridge 61 on the canal. Continued singing for the next 40 minutes.

Much more bad luck than good luck on the old Haigh estate this last week, the treecreepers mentioned in my last post were predated, as was a Willow Tit nest I had been watching. Last night I checked a Sparrowhawk nest that I had filmed building several weeks ago but had seemingly deserted only to find a female incubating, my joy was short lived as close by I found the scant remains of a Raven, I watched a pair in this area start nest building back in February, one afternoon I watched 4 Ravens chase each other displaying seemingly without any aggression only for all the birds to have disappeared the following week. I was left wondering if the town centre birds had chased this pair off, the remains are as little as six primary feathers bitten off cleanly more than likely by a fox. Whether the fox killed the bird whilst it was collecting nest material or had picked up an already dead bird Ill never know

www.flickr.com/photos/130499403@N07/



-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Wednesday 20th of May 2015 10:39:22 PM

Tonight
1 Whimbrel over calling but didn't get a sighting of it.


Jimmy

Lady Mabels Wood tonight
5 Willow Warbler
4 Chiffchaff
2 reeling Grasshopper Warblers might have come in last night.

Jimmy

Spent a couple of hours in the woods tonight staying after dusk to watch for Tawny Owls, one was at its usual roost site so waited a safe distance to see it leave, didnt fly too far and was joined by its mate which had been roosting nearby unknown to me, a bit of calling before they both left. On way home one started calling near last years nest site so went to check it out, unfortunately the tree has been cut down as have quite a few dead trees in the woods this year. Located the bird and listened to it hooting and kewicking for a while when another Owl flew into the valley and started to hoot, there was a noticeable difference in tones, Ive read only males hoot so was expecting some dispute but the first bird I had been watching flew over to the other bird landing beside it before mating with it, no aggression. The second bird then flew off after a minute or so before the first bird followed it some five mins later, whilst watching a bat also flew through the valley.
Couple of sightings from the weekend, 3 Buzzards, pair of Sparrowhawks, Dipper in song, Woodcock flushed by male Sparrowhawk, young Rabbits and frog spawn

Single Tawny Owl at roost today, surprised how exposed it was considering the wind

Good to see a Kingfisher on the Swan Pond this morning. Know they use the various small ponds in the Plantations but we very rarely see them.

Couple of hours this afternoon along the Dougy produced
singles of Woodcock, Kingfisher and Buzzard
5 Mandarins and several Redwings flying over

https://www.flickr.com/photos/123361074@N05/

Other birds today included 24 Goldcrest, 2 Siskin, Raven and 12 Song Thrush, the latter mostly feeding on Yew

Stonechat late afternoon along Sennicar Lane west of canal near Rothwell's Farm

Saturday, 27th September 2014 12:00 - 15:00 hrs.

After two weeks walking good chunks of the "up and down" tough Pembrokeshire Coastal Path - it was nice to do a "flat" easy walk nearer home!

Walk from Red Rock, Wigan (Bridge 63) along Leeds/Liverpool Canal to Haigh Country Park (circuit of Park) and then returned back. Perfect walking conditions (16 degrees and dry)

Pair of Kingfisher
Female Bullfinch
Jays
Pied Wagtails
Mistle Thrush
Dunnock
Wren
Chaffinch
Mallard
Moorhen
Robin x lots (making their presence felt after all the departures)
Blue Tit
Great Tit
Goldfinch
Magpie
Carrion Crow
Wood Pigeon
Feral Pigeon
Black Headed Gull
Jackdaw

Nice glide past by Buzzard on M61 on way home.

Yellow Wagtail this morning calling in fields along Pendlebury Lane between Rothwell's Farm and canal

Circular walk Sennicar Lane to Pendlebury Lane

2 Spotted Flycatchers
30+Swallows some feeding juvs
2 Collared Doves
4 Goldcrest

Jimmy

the Buzzards have fledged 2 youngsters, with the amount of fresh feathers around it appears Magpie had been on the menu for the young today

-- Edited by Paul Risley on Saturday 21st of June 2014 07:20:52 PM

Peregrine and 5 Ravens over Sennicar Lane, and a couple of Common Terns along the canal this evening..

This Evening walk from Wingates Lane
1 Buzzard
10 Linnets
12 Swallow
8 Willow Warbler
3 Whitethroats
4 Chiffchaff
2 Blackcap
Also 4 singing Goldcrests bottom of Sennicar Lane

1 Fox in fields adj Rothwell Farm which had a guard of honour of Jackdaws and Carrion Crows sat on every fence pole as it tried to feed in the field ditch.

Jimmy

-- Edited by Jimmy Meadows on Thursday 15th of May 2014 09:34:21 PM

Tawny Owl with fledged youngster today
Dippers also with fledged young

https://www.flickr.com/photos/123361074@N05/