3/9/2007 Early evening - brief ish visit tonight.

Redstart still present in its hedge tonight but seems to get more elusive, cant see it lasting much longer. Also 2 Lesser Whitethroats still below withins and still nibbling away at those blackberries by the stream, they dont seem to move from the same 2 bushes.

Also 3 Yellow Wagtails (1 fem & 2 1st Winters) still with the highland cattle 7pm plus Wheatear and 2 skylark same field.




-- Edited by warfy at 20:28, 2007-09-03

Missed the Garden Warbler - damn that rain. Managed to see two Lesser Whitethroat (thanks Ian, for pointing out the area they were in) and a fleeting glimpse of the Redstart.

Very busy with birders this morning. Good to put a few more faces to names.

As I only live down the road, i'd better get my lazy self up there to have a walk round tomorrow morning - see if i can find them all. There's a couple of birds there i have never seen!.

-- Edited by rezMole at 07:37, 2007-09-02

large mixed flock of swallows sand Martin house Martins 200 +
14 great Crested Grebe
110 coots
4 Grey wags
8 mute swans
35 B H gulls
6 Willow Warblers
3 Chiff-Chaff
1 garden warbler
1 Lesser Whitethroat
1 Redstart
mixed flock of tits 8 L T tits 8 Blue tits
15+ Goldfinch several juveniles
small wader seen going into vegatation in fied bottom of res the one with horses in near the paintball lot
poss snipe.

many thanks for the local site directions simon.

1/9/2007 Early am

Juv Ringed Plover
Snipe 1
Spotted Flycatcher 1 (new bird) Creek
Blackcaps 7+
Lesser Whitethroat 1 Below Withins
Garden Warbler 4, 1 Canal, 3 Creek.
Yellow Wagtail 2 1st Winters with the highland cattle below Old Hall Farm
Whitethroat 1
Willow Warblers 6+
Little Owl 1
Grey Wags 2
Loads of Goldfinches/Greenfinches/Swallows and Sand Martins.

S & A Warford


-- Edited by warfy at 12:22, 2007-09-01

The bushes by the stream below withins res must have warbler magnets at the moment. This a.m. spent about 30 mins. there to see:
3/4 lesser whitethroats
5 blackcaps
1 garden warbler
3/4 willow warbler
also 4 greenfinch, 3 blackbirds, 2 goldfinch, 2 wrens and 1 robin.
On elton were 7/8 common tern and over 100 swallows.

29/8/07 1915-1945

Brief visit to area below Withins Res with Simon, fem/imm Redstart still in hedgerow. (Elton tick for me).
2 Lesser Whitethroats in bushes by stream. Otherwise fairly quiet.

Alan

Myself and Paul Hammond searched all round tonight from 5.45pm to 8.00pm but did not manage to relocate the bird.

Somehow dissapeared from the ditch without anyone seeing it

PS - just for the record i dipped..

We did have 2 Spotted Flycatchers on wires near Old Hall Farm tonight.

-- Edited by warfy at 22:01, 2007-08-28

Loving this week off work just back from another 3 hours this time camped in the creek and the area just below Withins right up to Crow Trees Farm.

These are in addition to the earlier sightings from this morning:-

Redstart - 2 (1 in hedge running from withins res to the cemetry though elusive as anything this afternoon and 1 showing much better in bushes by the stream below withins)
Garden Warbler 2 Creek, 1 below withins and 1 Crow Trees Farm.
Lesser Whitethroat - 1 half way between Creek and wader point and 1 below withins.
Whinchat - 1 Creek
Blackcap at least 5 in the Creek, 7 below withins and 3 Crow Trees Farm.
Whitethroat 6+ below withins
Sedge Warbler 3 Creek.
7 Snipe Capsticks Marsh
Kingfisher below withins

Ian - Thanks for the assistance with the Redstart, looks like we might be in for a good week


-- Edited by warfy at 16:56, 2007-08-28

Also at Elton this a.m.
Saw similar stuff except the garden warblers (I did not go into the dip though).
Also a female redstart in hedge below withins res. P Johnson found it yesterday a.m. I found a wheatear in same hedge yesterday p.m and the redstart was still there this morning at 8.30. a.m.

Simon
Yes it was me. I didnt know it was you (does this make sense?).
Yes I did get my scope on it and Im almost certain it was not a common buzzard, it just was not right,the head seemed to long and I was reminded of a description Ive read of a pigeons head. I did discuss this with Peter Baron on the phone and I wanted him to say it was a Honey Buzzard ,alas he didnt get a good enough view. My problem is Ive never seen one before and Im not totally certain(or do I just want it to be?). I saw no plumage detail as it was in silouete(oh God I wish I could spell!), but honestly Im sure it was not a common buzzard.
Perhaps you will see one on Monday along with all the greenish warblers, good luck.

25/8/2007- 8am-11am Thrashed every hedge, field and scrubby area this morning warming up for Spurn, almost forgot to look on the res..

No sign Black Necked Grebe
5 Snipe
2 Shoveler
4 Tufted Duck
12 Mute Swans (incl 2 well grown cygnets canal)
1 Spotted Flycatcher - Canal
3 Garden Warblers (2 Canal near bennys and 1 Dip)
3 Blackcaps(canal same elderberry as the gardens)
1 Lesser Whitethroat - Dip
9 Willow Warblers
2 Reed Warblers Dip
3 Grey Wagtails
5 Common Terns
2 Kingfishers (1 Res, 1 Dip)
2 G S Woodpeckers
2 Pheasants
1 Cormorant
1 Stock Dove
2 Little Owls
1 Juv Sparrowhawk
1 Swift

and at 10am i caught a glimpse of a Buzzard sp. whilst in the dip but only got about a 1 second view as it disapeared behind a hedge and i have since spoken to Pete Baron who also saw it from the other side of the res who has since spoken to Ian Campbell who also saw it from the canal and Ian particularly who probably had the best view thought it may have been a Honey Buzzard! The bird flew fairly low and ended up going west being mobbed by crows. It seemed quite low down and all 3 of us didnt get conclusive views, so it may well be the one that got away. When i saw it from the dip i ran up to the boating club but failed to see it again. So frustrating being in the dip if i was by the sailing club i may be saying ive just had a Honey Buzzard

Oh well a reasonable morning none the less, right im off the Reebok to get even more depressed.







-- Edited by warfy at 12:45, 2007-08-25

No sign at 5.30pm apparently

Spotted flycatcher preening itself in hedgerow this am plus 19 pied wagtail feeding around cattle at Old Hall Farm.

Back to reality (just spent two weeks in Cyprus) decided to visit, can this be true? the 3rd best birdsite in Gtr Manc.
8.30 am and its ****ing down,that bit was no surprise!.
100ish swallows over the res, plus about 70 coot, 1 cormorant and 8 swans. Also 62 house martins sat on telephone wires, looked like they were thinking of sunny Africa.
I apologise for the ****, but I couldnt use this word to describe where I stayed in Cyprus!,its a good job we dont have S****horpe in our area!!!
Cheers Ian

5/8/2007 Early am

2 young Little Owls farm
Reed Warbler & Blackcap in the dip
10 Mute Swan and 1 Common Tern res

Otherwise pretty quiet.


-- Edited by warfy at 14:44, 2007-08-05

All will be glad to know that I have heard the plans to open the Manchester Bury and Bolton Canal, widely hyped a few years ago, have been quietly dropped...

Paul, there were 3 common sandpiper there this morning.
Cheers Ian

Went round Elton this am nothing much about, 1 common tern in fact. Was told about a tufted duck on the canal with 8 small young so went to see, sure enough cute as can be all 8 present. Whilst watching saw a strange sparrow sized finch on the tow path,its not in the collins guide. Beak a bit hawfinch shaped, top mandable dark, bottom pale. Two small pale patches above beak. Head back and wings brown, tail darker brown and slightly cocked. Belly pale with thin brown flecks. It was quite tame, I could get to six feet and I presume it was an escaped cage bird but has anyone any idea what it could have been
Cheers Ian

Saturday evening, showery

Kingfisher
2 Oystercatchers
Male Tufted Duck
Grey Wagtail
7 Mute Swans
60+ Lapwings
3 Common Whitethroat
Chiff Chaff
3 Red Buntings
Many Sand Martins, House Martins, Sallows & Swifts.

Apart from moorhen, mute swans, coots, mallard and canada geese - the usual on the lodge where I live, there was a fishing grey heron and two common tern again today. Really enjoy watching the tern fishing, from my front door.

Also Little owl sat on fence near the farm, a Grey Wagtail near the boat house, a young Grey Heron obligingly sitting in the reeds letter me get a few close-up photos and four jays.

-- Edited by rezMole at 13:47, 2007-05-13

5th May, early am - Just 2 Little Ringed Plovers of note not much else though.

-- Edited by warfy at 12:44, 2007-05-05

Good record Simon, you should have entered the tournament, 3 Little Gulls would be worth 6 points