7.40am to 10.00am

4 adult and 5 very noisy and greedy juvenile Great Crested Grebes. They are now split into two groups, still being fed by their parents, but with bigger fish. At one stage one parent was unable to get a large fish down the throat of one of the young, and after several tries and a lot of messing with the fish, he/she gave it to another of the young which swallowed it no problem. Wonderful to watch.
2 Cormorants on reservoir + 2 flying over
2 Grey Herons
10 Canada Geese
61 Mallards
3 Moorhens
9 Black-headed Gulls
1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
2 Feral Pigeons
13 Woodpigeons
1 Great Spotted Woodpecker
2 Swallows
3 House Martins
1 Grey Wagtail
12 Wrens
16 Robins
6 Blackbirds
1 Chiffchaff
Usual tit flocks
2 Nuthatches
1 Jay
5 Magpies
7 Jackdaws
5 Carrion Crows
14 Rooks
3 Chaffinches
14 Goldfinches
1 Greenfinch
15 Siskins. Not quite in the CP, seen and counted in flight from the railway footbridge between Hillside Avenue and Grange Road

8.25am to 10.20am. A check of all the CP before the rain came.

5 adult + 5 juvenile Great Crested Grebes
3 Cormorants
4 Grey Herons, all on Bradshaw Brook
10 Canada Geese
71 Mallards
5 Moorhens
50+ Black-headed Gulls
1 Lesser Black-backed Gull flying over, 2 were at Turton High School earlier
2 Feral Pigeons
19 Woodpigeons
8 House Martins high above
3 Swallows
8 Wrens
2 Dunnocks
11 Robins
4 Blackbirds
1 Song Thrush, along Grange Road
1 Chiffchaff
1 Goldcrest
Usual Tit Flocks
1 Nuthatch along Grange Road (yesterday there were at least four at the North end of the reservoir)
7 Magpies
12 Jackdaws in field with horses and rabbits along Grange Road
6 Carrion Crows
1 Chaffinch
2 Goldfinches

8am to 9.50am
4 adult + 5 juv Great Crested Grebes
3 Cormorants
4 Grey Herons
9 Canada Geese
70+ Mallard
4 Moorhens
40+ Black-headed Gulls
16 Feral Pigeons
6 Woodpigeons
1 Kingfisher
1 Great Spotted Woodpecker
2 House Martins
27 Swallows on wires up the access road
a few Wrens and Robins
1 Dunnock
4 Blackbirds
1 Willow Warbler
2 Goldcrests
Resident Long-tailed Tits, Coal Tits, Blue Tits, and Great Tits
1 Nuthatch
2 Jays
8 Magpies
12 Jackdaws
3 Carrion Crows
30+ House Sparrows at top of access road near Bradshaw Road (normally only a few)
2 Chaffinches
5 Goldfinches
6 Greenfinches
1 Siskin
3 Bullfinches
1 Crossbill flying low above conifers near the Information Centre (I have yet to see any land here on the few occasions I have seen them)

Sightings from footbridge at overflow :-
1 Grey Heron
1 Dipper which has been using overflow pipies for a couple of weeks





-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Friday 24th of August 2012 05:50:38 PM

Single Common Tern present this afternoon.

Info thanks to David Lumb

I also note the record in famous 'A Check-list of the Birds of Bolton' states "only one reported record". Without an observers name or substantiation from another source this record goes the way of so many officially unreported birds, which is a massive shame

-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Sunday 22nd of January 2012 07:46:18 PM

I should have also added, or any other site in 'Bolton' either

First winter Shag showing very well by the bridge at the north end of Jumbles Reservoir early afternoon, totally oblivious to sunday dog walkers as it stood on rocks by the bridge.

The second record in Bolton following one at Crompton Lodges in 1983 I think. (This one being currently in the Lancs. part of Jumbles).

John Carter wrote:

---

A Little Egret was hunting in the shallows on the upper part of Wayoh reservoir this morning. At one point it was a metre away from a Grey Heron, giving a good indication of the relative sizes of the two birds.

---

Unfortunately not actually in the county of Greater Manchester , obviously still a very nice record though.

-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Friday 15th of July 2011 02:48:34 PM

Walked over via Ranges. Back via Wayoh and Broadhead Brook..0545 till 1530.
Saw the following;
Ranges;
2 Grey Partridge in Harcles Quarry
Cuckoo by Paddys Pond
c10 Wheatear in Ranges area
Green Woodpecker (h)
Kestrel
f Sparrowhawk

Jumbles area;
Common Sandpiper
4 Common Tern
2 Great Crested Grebe
Green and GS Woodpecker (h)
2 Dipper
Treecreeper
Goldcrest

Walking back (Mainly through Lancs); Common Tern, Cormorant, Goosander, Oystercatcher, Whitethroat, Lesser Whitethroat, Grasshopper Warbler, Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Blackcap and Garden Warbler

Rob Archer

GM Sitings this afternoon:
3 Common Terns
2 LBB Gulls
1 Heron
4 GC Grebes
A few BH Gulls and Mallards
Nice Ice cream at the Cafe.

Walked over to Jumbles from home over the Ranges and back via Affetside. Great day.
0730 till 1400. Saw the following;
f Sparrowhawk over Saplin Wood
Green Woodpecker on the Ranges.
7 Skylark in total ..2 singing on the Moors.
1 Curlew below Lark Hill. First of the year here for me.
Not much on Jumbles..1 GC Grebe and a few Mallard and Canadas.
(Wayoh Res in Lancs is always better. Goldeneye,Pochard,Goosander,Tufties Cormorant, Teal and GC Grebe)
c 40 Redwing nr Harry Fold Farm, Affetside
1 f Sparrowhawk Harry Fold farm
In Two Brooks;
1 Grey Heron
1 Kestrel
1 Kingfisher (h)
1 f Sparrowhawk

Rob Archer

Walked over to Jumbles from Rammy. There was a War in progress on the Ranges so went over the Moors and back via Affetside. A good day out. 0815 to 1700
Saw the following:
5 x Dipper
Mallard,Canada Geese, 2 x Common Gulls and a few BH Gulls on the Res
(Pochard,Teal,Tufted Duck,Goosander and Cormorant on Wayoh Res in Lancs.)
1 x Grey Heron
2 x Kestrel
Great Spotted Woodpecker (h)
2 x Green Woodpecker
1 x Grey wagtail
4 x Fieldfare
14 x Redwing
2 x Mistle Thrush
4 x m Goosander over Two Brooks
Lots of Long tailed, Coal,Great and Blue tits
4 x Nuthatch
1 x Treecreeper climbing a gable end on a cottage
Raven (h)
Jay
Many Chaffinch,Bullfinch,Goldfinch and Greenfinch
4 x Siskin

Rob Archer

Lovely walk round today, followed by a sandwich in the cafe !!
Great views of a dipper from the bridge near the outflow into Bradshaw Brook and a gray wagtail at the same place. Half a dozen common terns over a very low res, a common sandpiper and a couple of oyster catchers picking muscles out of the mud and enjoying the contents. Other sightings:

Goldfinches
Wood pigeons
Magpies
GC grebes
Canada Geese
Swallows
Blue tits
Willow tit
Mallard
Crow
Blackbird

Thanks John T i will do that,

i just got a email from Ste at the bolton rspb group with a map of the boundarys and i see what you mean about half of jumbles being in gm and the other half not, the brook i covered was in the gm half, got some nice pictures of nuthatch and dippers that day,


ps, i dont think us leythers are odd, i was born in leyth myself

Dean Macdonald wrote:

---

That's just odd Maybe they thought it was Leigh gate

---

US LEYTHERS HAVE ALWAYS BEEN ODD

Dennis atherton wrote:

---

I did not realize, i was on bradshaw brook and all of the birds mentioned were seen at the first bridge along bradshaw road from lee gate, about two hundred yards up the road from the crofters, there is a public footpath down to the bridge and that was the most active part of the brook i found, the closest street to the area i was was rigby road along bradshaw road very near to lee gate, not sure if this is the manchester area or not?

send any records in to the Leigh ornithological society Den,as for some reason its in thier recording area,which ive always found strange as the rivvy res's are not,and they are a lot closer to Leigh

I did not realize, i was on bradshaw brook and all of the birds mentioned were seen at the first bridge along bradshaw road from lee gate, about two hundred yards up the road from the crofters, there is a public footpath down to the bridge and that was the most active part of the brook i found, the closest street to the area i was was rigby road along bradshaw road very near to lee gate, not sure if this is the manchester area or not?

Judith Smith wrote:

---

Which end of Jumbles were you? Not all of it is in Greater Manchester...

---

Spent the afternoon today up and down the brook, lots of sightings of dippers, grey wagtails, loads of nuthatches, great spotted woody, chiff chaffs, best two sights of the day were two tree creepers chasing each other up and round a tree and also a great looking goldcrest at the top of the tree as usual but only a small tree so a good view just as i was leaving

Adult Bewick's Swan for 10 minutes at 2:30pm today.

Info thanks to Phil Rhodes