This afternoon, a small Canada goose with the greylag flock. I reckon most likely Richardson's due to a combination of size, colour, lack of chin strap and bill shape. Also note the diffuse white collar, very faint but it is there.
I guess it's most likely an escape but interestingly the bird was associating with greylags rather than the Canada goose flock two fields away, and obviously occasional wild bean and whitefronts do associate with greylags. Also I watch this flock of greylags pretty regularly for this very reason, just in case a wild goose joins up with them. This is the first time I've seen this bird and it was not with them yesterday.
P. M visit Single Drake Pintail 8 Wigeon Single female Goldeneye 40+Teal 12+ Gadwall 2 Shoveler 70+ Lapwing Single Fieldfare and single Redwing with a group of 14 Blackbird by Lightshaw Hall Single Lesser Redpoll flew over Single Male Kestrel
Plenty of Reed Warbler around Dover Basin today and also a Lesser Whitethroat. A Gadwall had 9 very small ducklings on the canal there too! Other birds included 2 Shelduck and a fishing Common Tern.
Lightshaw had a few Redshank and 2 drake Shoveler but was otherwise relatively quiet.
Walked down the canal from Dover Lock to the next bridge along. I didn't go down to Lightshaw Flash but viewed from the towpath. At least 3 Grasshopper Warblers singing plus the usual Reed Warblers, Blackcaps, Chiffchaffs and Willow Warblers. Two Common Terns flew down the canal. Two Greylag Geese with 7 goslings on the canal. A Little Egret was on Lightshaw with at least three Shelduck and a single Shelduck was on Dover Basin.
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No one on their death bed ever said they wished they'd spent more time at work. http://bitsnbirds.blogspot.co.uk
Early visit to Lightshaw before the sun disappeared today.
24 Black Headed and 2 Lesser Black-Backed gulls on the water, along with 8 Shoveler, 4 Gadwall, 8 Teal, 9 Canada Geese, 2 Mute Swan, 7 Coot, 2 Tufted Duck and 6 Shelduck which were distinctly feisty with each other.
On the banks were 4 Reed Bunting, 3 Lapwing, and over the water, 20 or so Sand Martin.
Most surprising (to me at least) was a flock of c.50 Fieldfare in trees and feeding in the field between Lightshaw and Byrom Woods. 2 Redwing were with them. In the same field were 2 Oystercatchers and 13 Lapwing. Estimates not easy when birds feeding on the ground now as the grass getting quite long.
5 Willow Warbler 15 Chiffchaff 1000+ Sand Martin appeared when the sun came out 5 female Goosander Cetti's Warbler singing at Dover Basin 30+ Shoveler 3 Buzzard
Good number of thrushes feeding this morning with 400+ Redwing, including a very dark Icelandic coburni bird, 100+ Fieldfare and several Song Thrush. A Brambling dropped in calling and 5 Whooper Swan flew SE at 10:20
Cracking afternoon walk from Plank Lane swing bridge to Dover Lock and back via Lightshaw Lane and Byrom Hall Woods. Shame about the lack of birds, where were all the duck on Lightshaw??, not one in sight, no Egret either. 1 Buzzard and a few Redwing was about all that could be worth mentioning, enjoyable walk still.
100 or so hirundines of all three species this afternoon. Swallows by far the most numerous, with House and Sand Martins only present in low numbers. A single Yellow Wagtail flew over the eastern screen. Singles of Buzzard and Kestrel.
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No one on their death bed ever said they wished they'd spent more time at work. http://bitsnbirds.blogspot.co.uk
Cettis warbler heard where the footpath to the west of Lightshaw meets the canal towpath by the 'pond'. Also sedge warbler heard there and reed warbler seen. A pair of grey partridge were on the footpath to the south of the meadows and a male yellowhammer was seen (and two others heard).
A Red Kite flew NW through the Abram Flashes and on towards Platt Bridge/Wigan Flashes around 14:09-14:20 (blurry record shot attached).
Other birds included 10 Shelduck, 27 Stock Dove and 1 Cettis Warbler. No sign in three hours of an Osprey seen earlier in the day.
-- Edited by dave broome on Saturday 2nd of June 2018 05:59:46 PM
Fist time here in over a year for me walked down the canal from Pennington:
Green woodpecker just of canal near the bench that looks over the meadow
6 buzzard 4 circling 2 in trees
2 wigeon male and female
2 shelduck
3 oystercatcher
1 female goosander
15 lapwing
20+ teal
10 shoveler
Post for yesterday.Walked down the lane to Lightshaw from the main road. In the large field on the right there was a flock of Carrion Crows numbering around 100.Along the lane itself were. Collared Dove x2 Starling x4 Blackbird x6 Blue Tit x6 Magpie x6 Black Headed Gull x12 Chaffinch x3 Fieldfare x1 Blackcap x4 Tree Sparrow x2 Pheasant x3 Wood Pigeon x10 Common Buzzard x5 Long Tailed Tit x8 The flash itself was 95% frozen .Therefore nothing on it at all. On the surrounding fields were Canada Goose x4 Mute swan x3 Grey Heron x2 moorhen x1 Mallard x8 Coot x10 Cormorant x1
Very very quiet this afternoon viewing from the south eastern screen. A single Wigeon was perhaps the most interesting thing. Singles of Swallow and Sand Martin hinting at what the hirundine flock at the opposite end - 10 or so birds - might have been composed of. Still a large number of Canada Geese, but I've lost patience counting them!
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No one on their death bed ever said they wished they'd spent more time at work. http://bitsnbirds.blogspot.co.uk
Water levels very high this evening, but clearly not as high as they have been as many of the adjacent fields had plenty wildfowl in them, mostly out of sight unfortunately. There were well over 200 Canada Geese present. Teal and Gadwall were obviously around as I could hear them but couldn't see them as they fed in the flooded fields. There were also three wigeon present.
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No one on their death bed ever said they wished they'd spent more time at work. http://bitsnbirds.blogspot.co.uk
Late afternoon stroll calling at the eastern screen only. Most numbers are minimum as I only had bins and there were quite possibly/probably more of each species.
Late morning / early afternoon visit to Lightshaw Flash with Simon Gough.
- no sign of Cattle Egret while we were there - Grey Heron at least 3 - Sedge Warbler 1 along canal - Whitethroat 3 - Reed Bunting at least 5 - Linnet 1 male - Skylark 2 - lots of Lapwing - Stock Dove 4
Nice to meet and chat with Craig Higson.
-- Edited by Rob Creek on Sunday 25th of June 2017 05:30:05 PM
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 bird is
Cattle egret showed well when I arrived at 12pm in front of the screen, it took a short flight & returned to the same area. Later on it took flight again with everything else ( didn't see what sent them up) & dissapeared further away & out of view but soon returned & stayed on the spit of the flash until I left at 1.15pm. No signs of any idiots whilst I was there, let's hope he gets named & shamed. 2 shelduck with 9 juveniles 1 redshank 3 grey herons 30+ lapwings Several house Martins & swifts around.
-- Edited by steven burke on Saturday 24th of June 2017 03:51:51 PM