A quick walk round in the drizzle and it was fairly quiet
1 mistle thrush 1 kestrel 2 flocks of L.T.Tits - one mixed with a few goldcrests. several small flocks of chaffinch but no brambling seen today. Lots of blackbirds in the hawthorn. small flock of fieldfare (c30) over Lots of blue and great tits, robins.
Rindle road. Flying visit 2-45pm to 3-30pm - a sunny afternoon
feeding station:- 11 tree sparrows. 8 chaffinch 1 yellowhammer 3 great tits 2 blue tits 2 robins
buzzard strutting around field L.H. side of station. kestral on telephone wire starlings, pigeons (lots of both) all around blackbirds many goldfinches in small flocks.
G w egret feeding in ditch on left of rindle road 1030am-11am just before the barn conversions.Disturbed by dog walker and it flew up rindle road landing in ditch just before nook lane were it carried on feeding.
7 Tree Sparrows 9 Yellowhammer 5 Great Tit 6 Blue Tit 1 Jay at feeding station today then a soggy Mr Rowley came with Great White Egret in tow, saved me getting out of the white van.
No Sign of the Harrier, and to save time and space went to Snow bunting site this morning at werneth low road no sign of that either, bloody birds.
Rindle Wood is the wood off to the right of the road at the level crossing end of Rindle Road (as you look at the level crossing) and is situated at the end of the feeding station track.
I have been working on a Rindle Road site guide which will be being published on the website tonight hopefully.
According to Birdguides(sorry Ian didn't have pager on so can't plug Birdnet) the Gt. White Egret back down Rindle Road this am.Mustn't have liked it elsewhere and decided Astley is the place to be.
Tree Sparrow- 19 Lesser Redpoll- 6 (in the trees along the track) Chaffinch- 11 Yellowhammer- 4 Long-tailed tit- 6 Siskin- 1 over south Coal Tit- 2 (unusual here) Willow Tit- 1 Jackdaw- 80 in fields behind Rindle Cottages Starling- 300 in 1 flock behind Rindle Cottages
9-30am - 11am bright and fresh. between cutnook and astley road. blue, great and long tailed tits robins, blackbirds, crows, magpies in abundance. 8 skylarks 1 grey wagtail 1 pied wagtail 4 mistle thrush several flocks of starling mixed flock of chaffinch and brambling (c30 birds) 4 brambling seen but the birds were skittish and ducking and diving between the ruts in a potato field so there could have been more.The railway line is line a north/south divide for winter thrushes. The Astley side has loads of redwing and fieldfare but the Irlam side has seen very few (when I've been looking). Maybe when they have cleared the berries on the north they will migrate. cheers Mike
Great White Egret once again early this am (info thanks to Birdnet pagers) and at 10:40am it was still along Rindle Road feding in the ditch, then flew off towards Nook Lane and was not relocated (info thanks to Pete- Haydock birder).
The Great White Egret was still present this morning, atleast when I called in on my way to work at 7am, along the ditch before the fishing lake. Thankfully the bird had the common decency to hang around until I got back off my holidays so I could gatch up with it and I've now managed to see all 4 records of this species in the county, now all I have to do is catch it in flight from my son's bedroom window as the bottom of Rindle Road/Nook Lane area is visible from there, what a 'seen from your garden' tick that would be
A surreal sight though to drive right past it within 12 or so feet with the bird semingly oblivious, I made 4 passes before a dog walker flushed it
Birdguides, how very dare you Sure I've been away on hols and am experiencing some technical difficulties which are delaying updates to the Manchester Birding website but I assure you, the photos I have to upload onto the galleries are superb
Rindle road 7-30am - 8-45am cloudy and cold Bingo, I've seen the Egret at last, in the ditches and in flight, quite impressive and well worth the effort if like me you have not seen one before.
feeding stn. 4 yellowhammers 6 chaffinches 1 greenfinch 2 robins 2 dunnock (fighting) 6 tree sparrows blue & great tits. 20 fieldfare in hawthorn by stn. (small flocks redwing, fieldfare and mistle thrush generally) 25 r.l. partridge cheers Mike p.s. lots of blackbirds and starlings generally
Re-found the Great-white Egret at 07.20 in the ditch near Old Moss Farm, Rindle Road. It was pushed up and down the ditches either side of the road by a succession of dog walkers and 1 jogger and ended up in the ditch near the barn development. It flew SW at 08.10.
Feeding Station.
Red-legged Partridge 5 Tree Sparrow 8 Yellow Hammer 6-8 Willow Tit 2 Pinkfeet 37 NW Sparrowhawk mobbed by Carrion Crow Scattering of Fieldfare, Redwing, Mistle Thrushes.
Then, at 10.00 the Ring-tail Harrier appeared from the left passing behind the feeding station at no more than 75 metres. It angled across the next field, crossed the road and disappeared behind the barn development. I assume this is a juvenile bird because it was strikingly rufous below. (It couldn't be a Northern Harrier could it!! No, stop it!! As Ian says it's overwhelmingly more likely to be the commoner option)
Yes good to meet you finally too Dave! I was surprised to see the GW Egret again before it flew off about 3pm. I called at the peat pools on the way which was empty but Kestrel, Buzzard, 5 grey partridge and 8 linnet were along the way to it! No Hen Harrier but enjoyed the wait! Cheers Steve
I found the GW Egret in the ditch behind the new barn development at 14.15pm and followed it up Rindle road as it fished the ditches before it flew SW.
Met a gentleman from Yorkshire who had come to see the Egret and told me that he was positve that he had seen a Juv Marsh harrier earlier in the morning behind Rindle wood.
Watched for the Hen Harrier with Steve Collins but no sighting tonight.
GW Egret showing well at Rindle getting either side of the road down as far a Nook Lane this morning to 9.20am at least. It caught a frog in the ditch and took it to the field to try and kill it which it failed to do after trying for about 5 mins! It then dropped the frog and went back to the ditch leaving the frog in the field - probably with a headache !
Loads of Thrushes around and 500+ Pink-feet over in 6 skiens. Most going SE but 1 flock heading NW. Also Sparrowhawk hunting starlings.
I missed the GW Egret again yesterday morning by about 5 minutes. Nice to meet Steve Atkins, Simon Hitchen and their mate Alan. Feeding station, 2 tree sparrows 2 chaffinch 3 great tits 2 robins 2 stonechats(in field left of feeding stn.) 1 greenfinch
still lots of blackbirds, redwings, fieldfares, mistle thrushes in the hawthorn, starlings and pigeons in the fields 1 kestrel hunting cheers Mike
The Gt.White Egret was back at Rindle on the fields at about 11am,but could not re-locate it later,maybe its gone for good this time? Peregrine over Peat Pools at 10.30am
great white egret present along rindle road again early am (info thanks to paul hammond) and then later, on once again at the private site (info thanks to judith smith).
Re large raptor: classic V shape of gliding wings- pretty much excludes falcons or goshawk, so it's buzzard or harrier (sp. For either)
Paul - this morning, looking towards the peatworks, I and another birder saw a largish brown raptor which at first we thought was the Hen Harrier, but then we could not see a white rump on it. It seemed too large for a f. Sparrowhawk and I wondered if it was that escaped Saker that's been around for a few years, often on the peatworkings. Almost immediately afterwards, the other birder saw a raptor in the same general area that he was pretty certain had a white rump; I got an impression of 2 raptors in that area, with is bisected by the public footpath and its treeline, so not easy.
The egret was back at its private site at 1100, feeding well. But I guess the area will be frozen up first thing in the morning, so the Rindle ditches alongside the road will be a good bet. People need to keep going in their cars past it, though, if they stop, it will fly out of the ditch.
There was a goshawk a week or so ago that mike baron had at Houghton green pool(see the out of county Houghton green thread),that could easily have ended up at astley,could the raptor have been that?
Paul - this morning, looking towards the peatworks, I and another birder saw a largish brown raptor which at first we thought was the Hen Harrier, but then we could not see a white rump on it. It seemed too large for a f. Sparrowhawk and I wondered if it was that escaped Saker that's been around for a few years, often on the peatworkings. Almost immediately afterwards, the other birder saw a raptor in the same general area that he was pretty certain had a white rump; I got an impression of 2 raptors in that area, with is bisected by the public footpath and its treeline, so not easy.
The egret was back at its private site at 1100, feeding well. But I guess the area will be frozen up first thing in the morning, so the Rindle ditches alongside the road will be a good bet. People need to keep going in their cars past it, though, if they stop, it will fly out of the ditch.
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Judith Smith
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Lightshaw hall Flash is sacrosanct - NO paths please!
Nice evening tonight on Rindle road but blooming cold.large number of thrushes moving around redwing fieldfare, plus good number of starling.
Stayed till it went dark and as I was leaving just near nook lane large long winged raptor flew over the field, pulled the van over and phoned Pete Berry but he was too far away, the bird did a classic V formation flight over the trees then lost to view, was it or was it not the harrier,
I believe its still there but want a better view for the year list. so back again tomorrow,
The Gt.Wte. Egret flew back into Rindle Road from its secret hideaway at 4.15pm,also a Peregrine over.No sign of "The Thrush"it must have moved on. Pete Berry
The G.W.Egret was again in ditches down Rindle Road till 10.30 am when it flew west towards its"private feeding area". Last night in the hedgerow left of the barn conversions I briefly saw in my bins a "Orange Breasted Thrush" but could not get anything else on it.I didn't have my scope with me,but it definitely wasnt Redwing or Fieldfare.According to Andy Makin another birder saw what was probably the same bird earlier in the day in the same hedge.Both myself and Andy have give the place a good coat of looking at this morning without any luck,but it could still be in the area as there are still lots of thrushes about.Please respect the privacy of the occupants of the barn conversion if looking for this bird. Pete Berry
9am to 11am. bright but pretty cold. with Andy Makin. We trawled the area by car and on foot but no sign of GW Egret. However is was a good morning anyway as there were large flocks of Redwing and Fieldfare, probably several hundred of each in one area alone (in the field and hawthorn behind the flats). The feeding station turned up:- 8 Tree sparrows 4 chaffinch 3 great tits 2 robins 1 yellowhammer 2 blue tits just passed the feeding stn. there is a path to the right, a buzzard was on the grass verge, and in the field to the left was 32 R.L partridge. Just after Andy left the merlincame and a litte later a kestrel. I will try for the GWE again this evening Cheers Mike
The GW Egret was again at the private site at 1130 today, where there is suitable feeding. The landowner said it was there yesterday as well. I suspect that what is happening is that it roosts in Rindle Wood, starts feeding at daybreak in the ditches around Rindle Road but is getting disturbed by the road resurfacing men as they arrive. It then flies off to the private site, spending most of the day there, flying back late afternoon in preparation to roost.
Weekends might be a good time at Rindle as hopefully the roadworkers won't be around.
Unfortunately the private site cannot be overlooked from any point and there are no footpaths, and no access. The landowner has asked that I do not identify it.
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Judith Smith
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Lightshaw hall Flash is sacrosanct - NO paths please!
The Gt. White Egret was back on Rindle Road this pm,in the ditch on the lhs of road,50yds past Nook Lane. The bird has never flown towards the Peat Pools,it always flies off the opposite way(west).If anyone still hasn't seen it I would suggest either getting down there early am. or late afternoon when the bird comes back to roost in the area.