7.45am to 10.05am

2 Great Crested Grebes back again. An adult and a youngster.
2 Cormorants
3 Grey Herons
Two skeins of Pink-footed Geese. Approx 300 + 51 heading W.
44 Mallards
1 Goosander. Only there for about 5 minutes.
4 Moorhens
15 Black-headed Gulls
18 Woodpigeons
2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers
2 Grey Wagtails
1 Pied Wagtail
1 Meadow Pipit
13 Wrens
3 Dunnocks
18 Robins
12 Blackbirds
1 Mistle Thrush
1 Chiffchaff
1 flock of Long-tailed Tits
Coal Tits, Blue Tits, Great Tits
3 Nuthatches
4 Jays
10 Magpies
20 Jackdaws
3 Rooks
9 Carrion Crows
12 House Sparrows
6 Starlings
8 Chaffinches
13 Greenfinches
17 Goldfinches
25 Siskins
4 Lesser Redpolls
8 Bullfinches

14.30 to 15.15

1 Great Crested Grebe
8 Cormorants
1 Grey Heron
18 Canada Geese
Numerous Mallards
1 Moorhen seen, presumably there were more hidden away from the wind.
40+ Black-headed Gulls
1 Herring Gull on a buoy. Very unusual bird here.

Pointless today trying to record woodland & field birds.

7.25am to 9.20am

3 Great Crested Grebes (I will now count the remaining yougster as an adult)
3 Cormorants
3 Grey Herons
17 Canada Geese on fields at Walsh Fold Farm
56 Mallards
1 Sparrowhawk
11 Moorhens
1 Redshank flying over. Heard flying over from the railway footbridge at 7.25am, and heard heading towards Affetside.
44 Black-headed Gulls
8 Woodpigeons
1 Great Spotted Woodpecker
1 Skylark
1 Meadow Pipit
10 Wrens
3 Dunnocks
34 Robins. Even more than normal every few yards.
16 Blackbirds
2 Mistle Thrushes
1 Goldcrest
All the common tit species, When all the leaves drop I may have a chance of counting them
4 Jays
8 Magpies
4 Jackdaws
2 Rooks
1 House Sparrow
6 Carrion Crows
8 Chaffinches
6 Goldfinches
5 Greenfinches
4 Siskins
8 Bullfinches

9am to 11.05am.

3 adult Great Crested Grebes + the five yougsters still reluctant to leave their parents and still begging for food. My mother says I have been doing the same for over 58 years and still counting !
3 Cormorants
2 Grey Herons
59 Mallards
2 Moorhens
13 Black-headed Gulls
6 Woodpigeons
1 Great Spotted Woodpecker
6 Wrens
1 Dunnock
21 Robins
8 Blackbirds
1 Chiffchaff
3 Goldcrests
Usual tit flocks, still too difficult to get exact numbers
12 Magpies, including one probing into a molehill
12 Jackdaws
8 Rooks
1 Carrion Crow
1 Chaffinch
6 Goldfinches
2 Greenfinches
Siskins heard flying over, could not see them for the mist
4 Bullfinches

7.45am to 9.50am

The five young grebes are back together again. Only two adults present today
3 Cormorants
2 Grey Herons
15 Canada Geese
48 Mallards
1 Sparrowhawk
1 Kestrel
4 Moorhens
12 Black-headed Gulls
1 Lesser Black-backed Gull flying over
2 Feral Pigeons
29 Woodpigeons
2 Collared Doves
3 Sand Martins
40+ House Martins passing through
7 Swallows
1 Meadow Pipit
1 Grey Wagtail
4 Wrens
1 Dunnock
24 Robins, again they seemed to be everwhere throughout the CP
6 Blackbirds
1 Chiffchaff
Usual tit flocks
2 Jays
5 Magpies
2 Jackdaws
1 Rook
7 Carrion Crows
4 Chaffinches
1 Goldfinch
1 Greenfinch
1 Bullfinch
(a lack of finches today, probably due to the windy conditions keeping them hidden)

17.35 to 18.50

Started off in the small conifer wood by the stables and immediately saw a Great Crested Grebe carrying a fish. The 5 young were calling loudly about 20 yards away by the flooded trees. I then watched a change in the feeding behaviour and what could be called cat & mouse behaviour. A Black-headed Gull was swimming around with the youngsters waiting for the adult to arrive. When she got there she took the young ones into the trees, away from the gull, and then started feeding where the gull could not get to them.

Some other birds :-
3 adult grebes in total
1 Cormorant
1 Canada Goose
48 Mallards
8 Moorhens
1 Coot
4 Black-headed Gulls (I passed 152 at Turton High School)
1 Lesser Black-backed Gull
1 Great Spotted Woodpecker
1 Grey Wagtail
8 House Martins
30+ Swallows

A small wader flew over the information centre through the swallow flock but I could not identify the bird or the call for certain. Sounded like a Curlew Sandpiper and did not sound like one of the commoner species. Not seen close enough or long enough to i.d. from it's fast flight. Unlikely to have landed anywhere due to high water levels.

David thats good to know that they are all still there. I have been a few times checking how they are doing since I saw you and you told me about them. I only live round the corner. Today I could only find 3!!! I was worried as yesterday a couple of Black Headed Gulls kept trying to land on one of them all the time. It kept going under water to escape but as a youngster there will be only so much continuous diving they can do. I assume the gulls think food is being given all the time that they can try and pinch.

18.30 to 20.30

3 adult + 5 juvenile Great Crested Grebes
3 Grey Herons
10 Canada Geese
Numerous Mallards
3 Moorhens
1 Coot
120 Black-headed Gulls
2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls over
20 Swallows
1 Tawny Owl

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

Well its mentioned in the famous "Birds of Bolton" written by John Cooper and John Wood. Sounds like it was never submitted officially.

Simon Warford wrote:

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

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There are no accepted (or published that I can find) records for Crompton Lodges in the 1980's Simon

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

John Carter wrote:

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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.

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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:

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

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US LEYTHERS HAVE ALWAYS BEEN ODD

Dennis atherton wrote:

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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