1 dazzling adult Kingfisher at roe green fishing pond that would have started fishing if it hadn't of seen me from its perch.

Late post for Monday 9th August.
Early morning
One male pheasant in the cow field. The cows are getting quite aggressive as they have young and chased me out of the field.
Family of moorhens on the pond with two young
5 adult canada geese dropped in briefly
1 grey heron
1 flock of goldfinches that peaked around 40+ members
1 male kestrel joined the female hunting in the field, the first male i've seen in worsley. Hopefully they might have been breeding nearby
One probable gropper. Heard a reeling noise in the scrub field, sounded louder than any grasshopper or cricket i've ever heard. When i moved towards the noise it stopped. It then started again about 30 yards away, as if i had flushed it and it had started reeling again after flying 30 yards. Unfortunately i didn't see the bird

In the field next to Roe green cricket club this evening.

Heron over
Female kestrel hunting (i think the same one as in the other field.)
Family of long tailed tits
family of magpies
Buzzard heard.
At the fishing pond in the field:
family of moorhen (2 chicks)
1 Kingfisher flew low over the pond, the first i have seen in worsley for months

to add to the usual suspects seen this morning in the field opposite bridgewater school:

1 oystercatcher over
1 cormorant over
1 wren with fledglings

at the fishing pond opposite bridgewater school this early am:
2 whitethroat
2 goldfinch
plenty starling
2 moorhen
plenty house sparrow
2 bh gull (many more flying over)
1 gbb gull (over)
snipe drumming (heard)
woodcock roding
female kestrel hunting in surrounding field
lots of swift
12 house martin
2 swallow

The pair of swans from around Worsley Courthouse appear to have just raised 1 cygnet this year, the same as last year.

A morning trip along the canal between Worsley and Astley produced the following:

Whitethroat, Blackcap, Willow Warbler, Chiff Chaff, Heron, Buzzard.
Sedge Warbler 'parachuting' near to the landfill.

Family of Swans with 4 cygnets. Looking at the size of the cygnets it's a good possibility that this is the same pair that were seen in the same area a couple of weeks ago with 7.

Hi Gary

Can you direct me to where the filtration lagoons are in Worsley Woods as I would like to take a look. Thanks Duncan

today quick mooch through woods:

5 tufted duck (3 m 2 f) - odd as didn't see any here yesterday and in previous years they have 'wintered' on the dam and not 'summered' and there were none in winter that i saw

also 1 buzzard circling

Filtration Lagoons 4pm to 5pm:
Reed Warbler
Sedge Warbler
Reed Bunting
Buzzard
Heron
Coot
Swallows & Swifts
Lesser Whitethroat
Whitethroat
Willow Warbler & Chiffchaff

Checked full length of canal between Worsley and Lower Green Lane. No sign of the swan family from earlier this week.

In the field opposite bridgewater school 7.15 - 9.00

Many of the regulars metioned below but highlights included:

1 snipe
1 common tern (stopped briefly at pond then flew NW)

In field off worlsey road opposite bridgewater school

1 heron
1 swallow
8 swifts
3 house martins
1 moorhen
3 reed warbler
4 goldfinch
plenty corvids
plenty house sparrow
1 skylark
1 whitethoat
that remaining coot has dissapeared

5 Whimbrel were in fields to the south west of the filtration lagoons around midday today.

stuff of note this pm

1 buzzard and 1 chiff chaff by filtration lagoons

pair of tufted duck on the dam in the woods (interesting as none this winter) - hopefully a breeding pair. + 1 little grebe.

1 kingfisher in the delph on the fallen branches at 7.35 this morning
the electric blue on it seemed extra bright today, breeding plumage maybe?

Of note in the woods this afternoon:

14 Siskin, with males singing and displaying
2 Water Rail (in the marsh bit!)

Hi Joey,
I've sent you a PM.
Steve

Hi Ian
I went lucking for the lsw as well today but no luck.
woods:
female sparrowhawk perched in tree was a nice opener
roving lt tit flock (20+) along with grt tits and blue tits.
3 nuthatches
2 treecreeper (1st of the year)
1 gsw
1 jay
finch flock that contained goldfinches and smaller birds, probably siskins but couldn't be sure
12 magpies feeding on dead ewe i reported a couple of days ago
betfred lake completely frozen
stoat/weasel and fox footprints

Canal and Delph:
1 heron
many mallard
8 bh gulls
4 moorhen
2 fieldfare
3 redwing
1 very pale buzzard over

Filtration lagoons:
10-15 shovelers (mostly male)
2 coot
1 heron
2 swan
3 canada geese
8 teal (again mostly male)
2 buzzard scrapping in mid air over (including the earlier pale one)
sparrowhawk over
many gulls heading east
3 reed bunting
nothing in field adjacent

Also just want to comment on how blissfully quiet it was without motorway noise. Never before in worlsey have i been able to hear birds so clearly it makes you wonder just how wonderful the woods must have been before the motorway was built
quite possibly a once in a lifetime opportunity and it was certainly relished



-- Edited by Joey Eccles on Tuesday 5th of January 2010 09:05:24 PM

8-10.30am this morning

In the woods:

many tit flocks consisting of blue, great and longtailed tits, throughout woods
large flock of goldfinch 30+
2 gs woodpecker
8 nuthatch
lots of blackbird and robin
song thrush
numerous mallard on mostly frozen betfred lake
teal and grey wagtail on surrounding streams coming from lake
wren about
2 jay
1 heron
redwing flock in field adjacent to bridgewater school
also in same field a freshly dead ewe, probably died in night.

On canal:
this years juvenile swan
lots of mallard

Titration lagoons:

some better species here with

10 shoveler (8m 2f)
6 teal
2 coot
two swan, probably parents of juvenile
2 canada geese
little grebe
grey heron
3 reed bunting
6 field fare in adjacent field
at least 500 gulls (mostly if not all herring gulls) heading over to the east


-- Edited by Joey Eccles on Sunday 3rd of January 2010 12:37:37 PM

-- Edited by Joey Eccles on Sunday 3rd of January 2010 12:38:25 PM

Kingfisher catching fish by Delph and canal this morning at around 7.40. Beautiful and a nice surprise

not much on this morning,

1 grey wagtail catching flies by brook
1 tuftie on pond next to betfreds
1 gr tit nest
Lots of dunnock,
goldfinch
1 decimated treecreeper nest
On canal
swans nesting
abandoned moorhen nest
Pair of canada geese

Spent another hour in the woods this morning, 12 tufties (6males 6 females) on the pond outside BetFred's house on pond. I flushed at least 6-7 snipe from frozen area in front of reeds and i also flushed a kestrel from its roosting site. 3 teal also on pond (2m 1f) and 1 coot. Also i moorhen quite high up in a tree that surprised me!
In woods: treecreepers still carrying material into nest site, lots of nuthatch calling. lt, coal, bl and gr. tits about, 1 possibly 2 chiff chaff and lots of woodpigeon.
Lastly, heard lesser spot and turned to see a small bird flying away from me. still no tick!

spent an hour in woods 3.30 onwards.
identified a nuthatch and treecreeper nest
flushed a jay
at least 2 possibly 3 singing chiff chaff
1 male bullfinch
various tits
tufties, mallards and teal on pond in front of betfred
went looking for the lsw at the particular spot with my 9 year old step brother, we were watching the nuthatch when another bird similiar in size, flies behind them in a striking way (gliding and splaying out its wings then tucking them in again). all i saw was a silhouette but then he asked (without knowing what the lsw looked like) 'is there a black and white nuthatch?'. can't confirm for definite but it was pretty likely it was in fact the lsw. still no worsley tick though

Hi Ian/Joey
Re-Lesser spot
Yes thats the exact location,but when reaching the top of the tract to the right of the boardwalk turn right again and walk back along the path through the woods this should bring you back to the `OLD WARKE STONE WEST`its on this circuit
i have located the female 3 times.
A good pair of boots is a must as the tract gets quite boggy in parts.
Good luck Ian.