Goldcrest today Coppull Lane/Bottling Wood area

Wingates Lane and Sennicar Lane-Pendlebury Lane west of the canal today:
3 singing Chiffchaff, 2 Coal Tit, 6 Tree Sparrow, 2 Nuthatch

a couple of hours in brilliant sunshine
Lower Plantations
Jackdaw 5 over
Great Spotted Woodpecker 3
Nuthatch 5 plenty more heard
Kestrel(f) 1
Stock Dove 2
Song Thrush 2 plenty more heard
Blackcap 1 heard singing near the rowing pound but couldn't get a sighting
no Dipper- too many daft big noisy dogs in the dougy grrrr
no Treecreeper- though i heard at least one singing
School Lane
Rook 20+
Fields next to Lady Mabels Wood
Curlew 2

48 Meadow Pipit over fields between School Covert and Winstanleys/Barker's Cottage in one hour today, moving between N to ENE
also 1 Sand Martin NE
constant activity and a variety of calls on and around the rookery
1 Linnet

couple of hours this afternoon

Buzzard, several times soaring over.
female Sparrowhawk on the soar also
single Tawny owl at roost
pair of Long Tailed Tits and a pair of Moorhens nest building
pairs of Mandarin Ducks, Coal Tits and Treecreepers in Lower plantations.
singles of Jay, Nuthatch and Redwing

-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Tuesday 20th of March 2012 11:06:30 PM

8am - 8.30am

quick walk along canal from the Crown Pub to Shedfield bridge, 12 Greenfinches in and around the tall hedges near to canal bridge over Wigan road. finally caught up with the Water Rail at Shedfield Bridge, new site tick and almost certainly would never have seen it without you guys mentioning it, a big thanks

10/3/12 (am)

Red Rock Moorings to Sennicar Bridge:

3 Curlews, 2 Cormorants, a Buzzard, 10 Canada Geese, 2 Skylarks, a Reed Bunting, a Kestrel and 2 Collared Doves all seen from along the canal..

-- Edited by Rob Thorpe on Saturday 10th of March 2012 06:51:01 PM

9/3/12 (am)

Whelley Loop Line to the Walled Gardens:

A Water Rail was feeding out in the open in the short reeds at Shedfield Bridge late this morning. Mr Meadows and myself were first alerted to this bird on the 29th of February by Mr Morton. The first and only time I have recorded Water Rail previously in HCP was on the 10th March 2005, uncannily at this very same spot and almost matching the exact same date ! The importance of this present sighting can best be quantified by the fact that Mr Broome actually twitched it

Nothing else of real note apart from the Tufted Duck was up at that end of the canal as well, and a couple of Treecreepers were chasing one another around near Mowpin Cottage..

-- Edited by Ian Woosey on Friday 9th of March 2012 03:18:03 PM

2nd March: 4 Siskin, 4 Bullfinch and 2 Coal Tit in the plantation by Barker's Cottage

A quick hour along the River Douglas today produced my best total so far of 21 Mandarins, also 3 Dippers but unfortunately no further sightings of the Kingfisher

-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Sunday 26th of February 2012 11:16:30 PM

12.45-4.20pm

Whelley loop line to Pennington lane and back. first time back on own patch proper for a while

plenty Redwings and Goldfinches in sheep fields at Aspull sough, one of the ponds here full of frogs mating, checking other ponds later for more frogs and flushed a Buzzard carrying one.
single Skylark also on sheep fields, all to rare this side of the woods these days.
both Tawny Owls still roosting together
11 Mandarins flushed from usual area
single Dipper singing and showing well
Kingfisher flying down River
managed a quick count of 6 Tree Sparrows in the hedges, plenty more Sparrows of both species about hidden in other hedges
single Willow Tit
single male Tufted Duck still on Canal with Mallards and quite approachable, wish I'd took some bread for him
enjoyable afternoon apart from getting a twig springing back and hitting me in my eye

-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Sunday 26th of February 2012 11:17:23 PM

parked up on hall lane on way home from work, no signs of the Tufted on basin quay and only one Mallard, short walk along Canal and could hear some more Mallards on Golf Course pond, hidden by reeds, was just going to give up thinking he'd be on there with them when I spotted him further down Canal with another pair of Mallards and a pair of Canada Geese Cheers Ian a cracking sighting for HCP

-- Edited by Paul Risley on Tuesday 21st of February 2012 07:49:31 AM

17th Feb: 40+ Magpie and 3 Reed Bunting roosting at Aspull Sough

11/2/12 (am)

Whelley Loop Line to Sennicar Lane:

1 Snipe - Aspull Sough area (two on the 9th)
2 Grey Partridges - field North West of Shedfield Bridge
16 Lapwings and 23 Stock Doves - field off Aspull Sough
1 Sparrowhawk, 2 Kestrels, 8 Canada Geese, 2 Coal Tits..

6/2/12

Red Rock Lodge to the River Douglas:

1 Peregrine (heading East) - over Thorn Hill Viaduct
1 Snipe - Rothwells Farm
1 Buzzard - over School Coverts
7+ Tree Sparrows - Pendlebury Lane
1 Kestrel (calling & displaying !) - Sennicar Lane
1 Skylark (singing) - Bawk House Farm
3 Treecreepers - Thorn Hill Viaduct

Top Lock - Haigh Hall 2.30 - 4.30pm, an enjoyable couple of hours

A White/Cream coloured Rook was mixed in with the flock feeding in the fields on opp side of canal between top lock and the road bridge near the Crown pub
3 Goosanders 2M 1F also on Canal here which is just out of HCP recording area, luckily as I got closer to them they flew off towards HCP along the canal and gave me a new site tick
little else showing along the canal due to the blustery conditions, in the woods the pair of Tawny Owls were at their usual roost site being buffeted about by the wind
a pair of Nuthatches were at the feeding station as were several Robins, no food out though, I'd taken an apple for the voles but none of the birds seemed too impressed by it
Adult male Sparrowhawk shot low across the path about 10 feet in front of me disappearing back into the bushes
A large flock of Finches conservatively 160 individuals coming in to roost in the Rhodedendrons near the miniture Railway, very flighty, at first I thought they were all Greenfinches but then saw some Chaffinch and Goldfinches
single Kestrel and a male Reed Bunting in the field off Higher Lane near junction with Wigan Road

Wigan RSPB Walk today
Highlights
2 Sparrowhawk
1 Buzzard
1 Grey Wagtail
1 Dipper
pr Tawny Owls in roost
2 Treecreepers
Goldcrest
Nuthatch
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Coal Tits a plenty
5 Mistle Thrush
5 Goosander over
Plus all usual species

Cheers Jimmy

12.30pm - 4.30pm

Meadow pit lane Fishing ponds down to Whelley loop line

despite a good look for the Goosanders drew a blank, still a very enjoyable walk anyway.
Kingfisher near Sennicar Lane bridge and again down on the River Douglas later,
Female Sparrowhawk actiely hunting in the twenty bridges area
pair of Great Spotted Woodpeckers giving brilliant views in the sun in the same area, also
singles of Kestrel, Tree Creeper, Nuthatch, Grey Heron, Goldcrest and Mistle Thrush. usual Tit flocks, Corvids starlings and both species of Sparrows.
15 Redwings near canal, pair of Mute Swans and 2 pairs of Canada Geese on canal
the 2 Dippers were again on stream at Aspull sough near to Waterfall

1pm - 3pm

Aspull Sough and Lower Plantations

2 Dippers on the stream behind the school again
6 Siskins in the trees here also
a single Woodcock flushed off the field adjacent to the ponds
pair of Tawny Owls at the usual roost
singles of Coal Tit and Nuthatch

1pm - 3.30pm
Sennicar and Pendlebury lane area

single male Teal, on the River douglas with 3 Mallards, new site tick
approx 10 Manderins back in usual area
single Dipper
4 Bullfiches (3M, 1F)
Willow Tit (heard only)
Cormorant over
single G.S. Woodpecker
pair of Mute Swans on canal. blue ring no SLI and mate
single Kestrel
3 Tree Sparrows in front hedge on Pendlebury lane, plenty more Sparrows in vicinity

-- Edited by Paul Risley on Tuesday 27th of December 2011 04:03:15 PM

20/12/11

A mid-afternoon stroll from Red Rock Moorings to Lady Mabels Wood turned up the usual suspects - Buzzard, Sparrowhawk, and a stunning male Kestrel hunting near Sennicar Lane. Lots of corvids and Starlings in fields off Rothwells Farm, and a Cormorant flying along the canal. Heard a distant Raven but couldn`t locate it..
Mistle Thrushes, Collared Dove, Greenfinches, Bullfinch, House Sparrows, Jays, Moorhen etc

17/12/11 (am)

Single Common Snipe flying over Aspull Sough this morning. A hunting Kestrel in Lady Mabels Wood disturbed a Buzzard from its slumbers and a Sparrowhawk was on the prowl over Hall Lane. Great Spotted Woodpecker on Whelley Loop Line.

10/12/11

Whelley Loop Line to Sennicar Lane:

Single Raven over Shedfield Bridge (heading purposefully West) this morning, and a Kingfisher perched near the bridge. Roughly in the same area was a group of 5 Common Gulls loafing in fields, a Sparrowhawk hunting, and 5+ Siskin with a sizeable Goldfinch flock; some also in Lady Mabels Wood. Kestrel and 6 Bullfinches along the canal opposite the Golf Course..