Unfortunately there's always one idiot who spoils it for the rest.
This morning an idiot (I refuse to use the term birder or photographer because he was clearly neither) decided he'd climb over the metal gate and clearly and knowingly trespass on private farmland at Lightshaw in order to get close and undoubtably disturb the Cattle Egret in the field by the canal side. He didn't appear to have binoculars but certainly had a camera and a very long range photo was taken of the idiot.
If anyone can identify said idiot or knows him then please do have a 'word' with him about his selfish and thoughtless actions or feel free to get in touch with me.
Lightshaw Hall Flash Good views in my scope for over 30 minutes of the Cattle Egret. Both County and Life tick for me. Arrived at Western viewing screen just after 1pm. No sign of it for 30 minutes. Then it was seen flying onto the top of a tall hawthorn by the left shore, and well down the flash. After preening for 2 minutes it dropped down onto the shoreline where the reeds stick well out ( two thirds down?) More preening until it was approached by a Grey Heron. Cattle Egret then flew up and down to the left of the viewing screen before landing in open ground about 90 yards to the front left of the screen. After 15 minutes it was approached, on foot, by another Grey Heron and the Cattle Egret turned and edged away, into clumps of Juncus etc. where it could only just be seen. Still present at 2.15pm.
-- Edited by keith mills on Friday 23rd of June 2017 05:28:19 PM
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Rumworth List 2019, species to date: 63 Latest: Sand Martin, Reed Bunting, Redshank, Pink-footed Goose, Curlew.
Cattle Egret still present around the western end of Lightshaw Hall Flash at 2:30 pm and showing well.
Info thanks to Keith Mills
p.s. If adding sightings for this bird could users please ensure they state that the bird is at Lightshaw Flash or not as the case may be. This thread is for the whole of the Abram Flashes which also includes others areas this bird could well relocate to, so it's best not to just let readers assume where the birds is
Cattle Egret showing well until I left at around 11.15. It was on the far side of the flash as I arrived but followed the cattle to be in front of the screen giving some excellent views. A GM lifer for me. Now on 199... The magic 200 is next!
Thanks Rick and Dave for your help. Much appreciated.
Where the A573 crosses the Leigh Branch Canal there is a canalside car park on the opposite side of the road to the Dover Lock Inn. Enter that and turn right along the towpath, passing Dover Basin after a few hundred metres, then you'll see a gated footpath on the right down on to a footpath along a dismantled railway line. Follow this path and Lightshaw Hall Flash is on your left. The Cattle Egret may be visible from a gate for a cattle pen, but carry further on along the path and there's a footpath to the left up to the western viewing screen. Good luck
Highlights from a visit early afternoon today were a flock of 12 Yellowhammer by Lightshaw Flash, with plenty of displaying Teal on the flash itself and a Water Rail, 3 Goosander and 4 Pochard on Dover Basin.
Green Sandpiper over and Curlew > high NW just before noon. Single Grasshopper Warbler reeling briefly and Yellow Wagtail by pasture field below canal at far eastern end (below old railway embankment).
Linear walk from Plank Bridge car park - along Leigh Branch of Leeds/Liverpool canal - Lightshaw Meadows (circuit of) - Dover Lock - and return.
Saturday, 16th July 2016. 14:30 - 17:00 hrs
Common Tern x 7 (including cracking view of one catching fish from canal) Kingfisher x 3 separate sightings Common Whitethroat x 1 Reed Bunting x 1 Song Thrush x 1 Buzzard x 1 Kestrel x 1 (hovering above field behind Dover Lock pub) Jay x 4 separate sightings Chiffchaff x 2 Lapwing x 3 Goldfinch x 15 Swallows x 10 Swift x 60 House Martin x 80 Collared Dove x 1 Grey Heron x 3 Wren x 1 Mute Swan x 4 Great Crested Grebe x 1 Coot x 50 Moorhen x 4 Cormorant x 4 Blue Tit x 1 Blackbird x 3 Mallard x 50 Black-Headed Gull x 5 Herring Gull x 4 Woodpigeon x 30 Carrion Crow x 5 Magpie x 20 Feral Pigeon x 5
Grasshopper Warbler reeling on Lightshaw Meadow this morning as I went past on Mountain Bike. 1 Common Tern just past Dover Lock fishing and successfully catching a fish, cracking views.
Walk along Leigh branch of Leeds/Liverpool Canal from Plank Lane Bridge car park - Lightshaw Meadows - Dover Basin and return
Saturday, 21st May 2016. 14:00 - 16:30 hrs.
Common Tern x 3 Shelduck x 2 Redshank x 1 Sedge Warbler x 2 Gadwall x 2 Pied Wagtail x 1 Chiffchaff x 1 Lapwing x 6 Swift x 20 Swallow x 7 Mute Swan x 2 Coot x 2 Chaffinch x 1 House Sparrow x 1 Robin x 3 Blue Tit x 1 Cormorant x 1 Mallard x 7 (and total of 10 chicks) Woodpigeon x 50 Feral Pigeon x 10 Carrion Crow x 4 Magpie x 10 Starling x 3 Blackbird x 4 Male Pheasant x 1 Canada Geese x 7 Black-Headed Gull x 3 Collared Dove x 1 Buzzard x 1 (on way home above East Lancs - crossing into Tyldesley) Skylark x 2 Jay x 1
-- Edited by Steve Judge on Saturday 21st of May 2016 09:47:07 PM
This morning, 1 cuckoo heard and seen well, 2 common terns displaying, 5 shelduck, 1 common sandpiper, 2 shoveler and 2 Cetti's warblers singing. Add the latter to the two Cetti's I saw earlier in the morning at Pennington, and that's 4 singing Cetti's warblers on a short bike ride from Lowton to Lightshaw! Who would have imagined that a few years ago?