Worsley woods and Warke dam.

Joey Eccles · Status: Offline

RE: Worsley woods and Warke dam.

Steven Nelson · Status: Offline

Kingfisher flying along the wooded overflow stream towards the dam within a few feet of me catching the sun as it went. Stunning !

Dave Thacker · Status: Offline

Worsley woods this morning;

2 Nuthatch
1 GS Woodpecker
2 young Coal tits

Not much around the Dam area except for 12 Mallard and what looked like a Polecat/ferret cross hunting in the silted area to the right of the wooden viewing platform.

40+ Swallows around the motorway bridge, still a couple of nests occupied.

Filtration lagoons

1 Sedge warbler
3 Reed Buntings
1 Heron
6 Goldfinches

Joey Eccles · Status: Offline

11 am - 1pm

in woods:

2 chiff chaff
4 wren
15+ robin (includ. 2 juveniles)
c.30 blackbird
2 song thrush
10 gr tit
5 blue tit
2 lt tit
8 nuthatch (including a family party of 5, 2 adults 3 fledglings, great views of the parents feeding young.
A gr. spot woodpecker nest; the young kept poking there heads out the hole, nearly ready to fledge. the adults were milling about in other trees
2 chaffinch
2 dunnock
1 jay

At dam and stream down to delph:

1 grey wagtail
1 coot
2 carrion crows
lots of mallard
1 grey heron

On canal:
swans still incubating
2 wrens with nest
lots of mallard with 2 females having 17 ducklings between them!

At filtration lagoons:

20+ swallows ( 3 or 4 nests under bridge)
15 swift
3 house martin
1 male reed bunting
Lots of birdsong

-- Edited by Joey Eccles on Thursday 28th of May 2009 01:29:09 PM

Joey Eccles · Status: Offline

Quick 15 minutes as i walked to my grandma's house.

In woods:

Blackcap
wren
flock of lt tits
Elusive jay harrassing blue tits
Nuthatch nest (2 adults and young)

On dam:

1 grey wagtail

Not bad for 15 minutes!

Thanks,
Joey

Dave Thacker · Status: Offline

9am-1pm

Worsley woods
2 GS Woodpeckers
3 Nuthatch
1 Treecreeper
2 Willow warblers and plenty singing

Warke dam
1 Kingfisher
2 Tufted ducks
1 Little grebe
1 Grey wagtail

Filtration lagoons
4 singing Sedge warblers
1 Reed warbler
8 Reed buntings
2 Tree sparrows
3 Willow warbler
2 Whitethroat
4 Buzzards over
2 Jays
3 Tufted ducks

Along the Bridgewater canal to the Moorings pub [ closed and boarded up] and back to Worsley turned up a pair of Blackcaps and a Sparrowhawk.

Also 3 Roe deer seen in the fields between the canal and the old scout camp

Up to 25 Swallows are rebuilding nests under the motorway bridge over the canal.

-- Edited by Dave Thacker on Monday 25th of May 2009 01:40:34 PM

Dave Thacker · Status: Offline

7.45-12.30pm
Worsley woods

Spent hours looking for a LS Woodpecker this morning, no sign at all

Birds seen included ;

Male Sparrowhawk being mobbed by 5 Magpies
2 GS Woodpeckers
8 Nutchatch
2 Treecreepers
5 Bullfinch
2 Goldcrests
Plenty of tit flocks

Warke dam
13 Teal
1 Heron
Water rail heard

Worsley Filtration lagoons
2 Shoveler
8 Teal
2 Canada geese
3 Bullfinches
1 Buzzard over
350+ Starlings swirling around the fields eventually landing in trees near Botany bay woods.

Also found carcase of a Mute swan ringed DH4 , possible victim of a Fox/dog attack.

Dave Thacker · Status: Offline

9.45am-12.10pm

Worsley woods
2 Nuthatch
5 Siskins
1 GS Woodpecker
1 Sparrowhawk with damaged tail feathers but flying ok
4 Redwings
Mixed tit flock 20+ with 5 Goldcrests

Warke dam
2 Herons
2 Little grebes
2 Teal
1 Kingfisher
16 Mallard

Filtration Lagoons
2 Buzzards over
1 Heron
5 Reed buntings
12 Redwings feeding on berries
2 Mute swans
The vegitation around the Mute swan nest site has now died down and you can see two unhatched eggs still in the nest. I'm suprised that the corvids have not touch them.

Dave Thacker · Status: Offline

12 - 2.15pm

Around the woods and dam area,
6 Nuthatch
2 Treecreepers
1 Coal tit
1 Goldcrest
5 Great tits
12 Jays
3 Mistle thrushes
6 Mallard
1 Heron
2 Pied wagtails
2 Bullfinches

Filtration Lagoons
2 adult and 3 large young Mute swans are still there
2 Teal
3 Mallard
3 Coots
3 Reedbuntings
8 Goldfinches
Large flock of Mpipits in the next field
1 Buzzard
At least 5 Swallows and 4 House Martins still feeding over the pools

Dave Thacker · Status: Offline

Worsley woods and the dam area were very quiet today,

GS Woodpecker 1
Treecreeper 2
Heron 1
Little grebe 1
Grey wagtail 4
Kingfisher 1

There are still 5 Swallow nests being visited by parents feeding young under the motorway bridges beside the canal.

Filtration lagoons

Sedge warblers 2
Reed warbler 1
Grasshopper warbler 1 ,heard not seen
Chiffchaff 1
Mute swans, a pair with 3 young , same as last year
Little grebe with at least 2 young
Goldfinches 12
Reedbuntings 3
Skylark 1
Buzzard 1
Canada goose 1
Coots 6
Moorhen with 3 young

Dave Thacker · Status: Offline

5.45- 8.45am
Worsley woods
Plenty of bird song this morning but not so easy to see them with the amount of leaf cover.
Treecreeper 5
Nuthatch 3
GS Woodpecker2
Chiffchaff 1
Willow warbler 2
Sparrowhawk 1
Song thrush 1

Warke dam
Heron 1
Mallard 4
Kingfisher 1
Common Sandpiper on the mud.

Filtration Lagoons
Mute swan 2
Canada geese 26 with 12+ chicks seen
Little Grebe 2
Coots 6
Mallard 2
Heron 1
Reed buntings 5
Reed warblers 3
Goldfinch 2
Whitethroat 2
Willow warblers 3
Buzzards 4 over fields
Kestrel 1

Plenty of Swallows ,Swifts and Martins feeding over the lagoons but no Swallows have began building their nests under the motorway bridges yet

Dave Thacker · Status: Offline

12.30-3.15 pm
Worsley woods
3 GS Woodpeckers , 1 seen inspecting nesting hole.
12 LT tits
6 Great tits
3 Coal tits
2 Siskin
2 Bullfinches
4 Nuthatches
3 Treecreepers
4 Greenfinches

Warke dam
2 Little Grebes
11 Teal
7 Tufted duck
1 Heron
1 Kingfisher
Plenty of Coots and Moorhens
1 Redshank feeding on the small mud flat near the reeds, quite a rare sight for the dam.

Filtration Lagoons beside the Bridgewater canal
16 Teal
8 Mallard
1 Kingfisher
5 Snipe flushed from the pond edges
1 Stoat
5 large Bumble bee`s seen flying , spring is here

Dave Thacker · Status: Offline

9am - 2.30pm.
Considering what I mentioned in my last post about the lack of birds in Worsley woods in November. I thought that I would give it one last look this year and was very surprised on the amount of birds about.
In the woods,
GS Woodpeckers 4
Treecreepers 6
Nuthatches , I stopped counting after 18 ,they were all over the place.
Great tits 10+
Blue tits 4
LT tits 20+
Greenfinches 4
Bullfinches 5
Bramblings 7
Jays 3
Siskins 12+
Goldcrest 7
Most of the finches and nuthatches were seen near the small cottage, go through the gate next to the cottage and after 75m turn right , up the small rise and into the trees.
On Warke dam
Little Grebe 3
Teal 12
Mallard 8
Kingfishers 2
Sparrowhawk 1
GS Woodpeckers 2 in trees next to path
Siskins 4 in trees next to path

In the small wooded vally behind the dam,
Grey Wagtails 2
Treecreepers 3
Bullfinch 2

At the Delph next to Worsley road
Mallard 9
Heron 1
Treecreeper 1

Filtration Lagoons beside Bridgewater canal
Coots 13
Teal 8
Mallard 9
Moorhen 3
Pied Wagtails 2
Kestrel 1
Mpipits 3
Reed buntings 4
Large flock of Pinkfooted geese over 140+ flying west at 12.03 pm

Along the canal up to Vicars hall lane Bridge
4 decent size flocks of finches between 15 - 40 birds .One flock had at least 16 siskins, 4 Bullfinches and 12+ Goldfinches.
Lots of Redwings and Corvids over
Flock of 160+ Starlings in the trees beside childrens play area on Vicars hall lane.

On the walk back to Swinton
Sparrowhawk hunting over the hedges along Leigh road near Worsley Garden centre.
Kingfisher at the Delph.

If the LS Woodpeckers still live in Worsley woods then this time of year has probably the best chance of finding them while the trees are bare of leaves and you can see the tree tops

-- Edited by Dave Thacker at 15:42, 2007-12-31

Dave Thacker · Status: Offline

This morning 8.30-11.30am
Wardley woods,
Just 1 GS Woodpecker and 4 Jays

Worsley woods,
Not many birds about just a small flock of Blue and Great tits and a lot of dead trees.

Warke dam
8 Teal
7 Mallard
1 Little Grebe
1 Kingfisher

Filtration lagoons and Bridgewater canal
The pair of Mute swans and their 3 cygnets are still OK , spending their time paddling up and down the canal .
On the lagoons,
12 Mallard
9 Teal
1 Heron
8 Coots
12 Moorhens
In the area around the filtration plant,
1 Kestrel
6 Goldfinches
2 Pied wagtails
18 Canada geese over

It is getting hard work to see any birds in Worsley woods these days , the numbers of birds that I use to see in the 70/80/90`s are certainly not there any more.

Dave Thacker · Status: Offline

Kingfishers are still showing well and very close up at the Delph beside Worsley road in the centre of Worsley village . Three present yesterday evening at 6.30 pm .A very good photo opportunity!!

Dave Thacker · Status: Offline

Hi Judith
Its a pity the site can`t be made bigger. As the reed beds have developed the bird life has increased. Plenty of Swallows were feeding in the pools today and I had an excellent close view of the Water Rail and the Reed warbler.

Judith Smith · Status: Offline

Hi Dave - the site of the lagoons is on the county database as Worsley filtration lagoons. I usually check it annually but haven't got round to it this year! I think as the reedbeds develop, it should be good. As you say, it's easy to get to from the towpath. It's a good feeding site for hirundines, especially all those swallows that breed unter the M60 bridges!

Dave Thacker · Status: Offline

I had a pleasant walk through Worsley and along the Bridgewater canal this morning.

In Wardley woods , 2 GS Woodpeckers, 1 Treecreeper, 2 Goldcrest, 8 LT Tits.

Worsley woods was very quiet, hardly any birdsong at all , only 1 GS Woodpecker and 3 Bullfinches seen.

Warke Dam had plenty of Mallard swimming about and 2 Grey wagtails sat on the fallen tree at the overflow end. Also 2 Kingfishers kept flying along the length of the lake until they flew over the dam end and along the overflow stream in the trees.I followed them along the stream and finally caught up with them at the Delph beside Worsley road. Both Kingfishers chased each other around and even flew through the tunnels under the road until they settled on the metal gate at the entrance of the small tunnel near the house. A third Kingfisher flew into the Delph from the Bridgewater canal tunnel and the chasing started again.

Along the Bridgewater canal just under the motorway bridges were 2 families of Swallows sat on the metal fence , 4 adults and 9 juvs all lined up in a row.

Just passed the motorway bridges is the filtration plant which is trying to clean up the orange canal water .There are a number of small ponds full of reeds and sedges. I`m not to sure if its private but there is a path part way round. Present were;

2 Little Grebes
1 Water Rail and another calling
1 Reed warbler
2 Sedge warblers
2 Mute swans with 3 large young
12 Canada geese
7 Grey wagtails
2 Yellow wagtails
6 Reed buntings
5 Yellowhammers
1 Heron
Plenty of Coots and Moorhens both with young
2 Buzzards flying over.

An excellent morning walk