Both Green and Common Sandpiper present today at 10:20.

Info thanks to Phil Rhodes

The binman said "There was a b----y great buzzard right over your house, while you were talking to your next door weighbour" I said yes there was one over yesterday as well!!! Little did I know his "buzzard" was an osprey and I missed it!!!!!!!!

Someone ask Pete what the binman said to him at around 10.38am

-- Edited by Steve Almond at 21:08, 2008-04-09

Do we have a time for this Osprey - is it the same as passed over east 3km S of J26 of M6, reported on Birdguides? That was also flying E (most fly N so perhaps same?)

Today 10 to 11.45

7 Oystercatcher
1 Little ring plover
1 Green sandpiper
20 Swallow
15 Sand martin
1 Buzzard
4 Reed bunting

Today with Phil Rhodes 10 to 12.15

1 Chiffchaff
15 Sand martin
2 Swallow
4 Oystercatcher
1 Wheatear
1 Snipe
2 Goldeneye

Walked round today 9.00 to 11.30 with Pete Lane

11 Tufted
30 Sand martin
4 Oystercatcher
1 Curlew
1 Skylark
3 Reed bunting
1 Chiffchaff

Had a chat with farmer Stan Terry who reports seeing a Barn Owl on Lock Lane near his farm on 23/3 at 8pm. It was sat on a post near his muckheap and is the first he has seen on the farm.

2.30-3.15pm

4 swallows
4 oystercatchers (one has been sitting for 4 days now, could anyone tell me the incubation period?)
18 cormorants
6 tufted
9 GCgrebe

Ring Ouzel reported here on Bird Guides this am

Ian edit your post below to read 1 Wheatear as per Phil

-- Edited by Simon Warford at 18:17, 2008-04-02

2.45-3.15 blowing a gale.

4 oystercatchers one sat in scrape it was excavating yesterday, seemingly oblivoous to the 20 cormorants surrounding it!
at least 13 tufted

31/3/08 early pm

male Wheatear in the horse paddocks to the left of farm.
2 fem Goosanders on left hand island.
4 Oycs.
singing Chiffchaff.



-- Edited by Ian Woosey at 17:39, 2008-03-31

Walked round today, 14.15 to 16.00 with Jane and Pete Lane

2 Oystercatcher
1 Kestrel
1 Buzzard
1 Snipe
7 Meadow pipit
5 Pied wagtail
2 male Wheatear in Lock Lane field

9.00-9.30am almost spring-like except for the light covering of snow.

24 cormorants (my biggest count)
4 wigeon (2m 2f)
9 GCG
little grebe
4 mallard (all male)
4 oystercatcher
plus usual

8.45-9.15 very cold blustery wind.

23 cormorants
100+ BH Gull (mostly in field)
5 Tufted (3m 2f this group have been present for several weeks now)
2 oystercatchers feeding in field
4 teal asleep on small pond
lots of canadas
plus usual

Sorry Judith but I think your request is out of order, I love birds and wildlife as much as anyone, but I can see it from an anglers point of view. The Royal Ashton AS have had the fishing rights on Rumworth for over 100 years and have managed the water to the benefit of both fish and wildlife, and there has been no conflict of interest until the arrival of increasing numbers of cormorants.
I know that in the last few years they have spent over £5000 stocking fish, most of which seem to have disappeared down the throats of our friends. The club is now in danger of folding due to the membership falling from 150 down to around 50 due mainly to the deterioration in fishing caused almost certainly by predation by cormorants.
It is true that the club applied for a licence to cull the numbers, but the decision was not taken lightly as most members are true nature lovers, and welcome the sight of other fish eating residents such as GC Grebe, heron and kingfisher.
Something will have to be done nationwide as many other waters are suffering in a similar way, and for birders to be totally obstructive, and behave in a completely selfish way is not helpful.

This am, on Lostock side of Rumworth, a Nuthatch in the small wood.

7.30-8.00am

22 cormorants
4 oystercatchers (1 pair on each island as usual)
7 GCGrebe
1 (m) kestrel which flushed at least 50 BH Gull- do they really need to be scared of a kestrel????
plus usual.

Pete, had 24 Cormorants and 2 Gadwall this am. Certainly my highest cormorant count for this site.

2.30-3.30 with Phil Rhodes

18 cormorants
4 pinkfeet (feeding in the field on far side)
2 curlew
4 oystercatcher
4 tufted
9 teal
plus usual GC grebe, little grebe, canadas, coot, moorhen and some fieldfare mixed up in a flock of starlings.

14.15 to 15.00

9 Goldeneye and 3 Tufted on the water plus a Stonechat in right hand field

11.30am

Blowing really strong over the water.

11 cormorants (sheltering on island-too windy for their usual perching stumps)
8 tufted
9 jackdaw (on island)
a few canadas on island looking broody
50+ BH gull
usual coots, moorhen.

10.30-11.15

3 oystercatchers for the first time they were all feeding together on the island seemingly at peace with the world, then after about half an hour an almighty battle broke out between two of them, they went at each other like two fighting cocks (which I suppose they were!) before one of them fled with the other in hot persuit.

12 cormorants

a few mallard,teal,tufted,coot moorhen,jackdaw.

3 pairs of GC grebe

small flock (12) lapwing)

10.15-11.00am

90% frozen.

3 cormorant (over)
200+ BH gull
30 teal
7 mallard
7 coot
4 moorhen
1 oystercatcher (feeding in field with lapwings)
500+ starling
1 sparrowhawk
50+ lapwing