Surprised to see a Whinchat early this morning, only seems like five minutes ago when I saw two on spring migration on the 6th May and todays bird was more or less in the same spot as one was in spring. Further evidence that autumn migration is well under way was a fresh juvenile Wheatear hopping around the edges of the main UK Coal car park.

Its not all been doom and gloom for breeding birds, lots of juvenile Starlings feeding on the site along with freshly fledged Chiffchaffs, Whitethroats and Reed Buntings being fed by adults. There are more Whitethroats this year compared to 2011 and Reed Buntings are also up on last year with 14 singing males this summer. On the downside hardly any Grasshopper Warblers(unless my hearings going!) and Willow Warblers are also down on last year with only 3 singing birds this summer. Linnets are definitely up with 23 seen today including young birds. Also today 62 Lapwing, 70 (20+ juvs) Goldfinch, 7 Grey Partridge, 16 Skylark, 250 Woodpigeon, 4 Stock Dove and the Swift migration is in full flow with 150+ moving south in 3 hours.

One evening in the middle of last week at least 450 Lesser Black-backed Gulls were present with them all flying off north-west just before dusk.

Great weather for my second Breeding Birding Survey this morning and the place was alive with birds. As soon as I parked up by the main buildings at 6.45am the first of two Whinchats was perched up on tall grasses. Numbers of Lapwings and Skylarks are down though as a result of large areas of bare earth which has replaced last years grassland. No sign of any Little Owls on the site now with no birds present where they were last year. On the plus side a Cuckoo was singing in the same area where one was seen last year. Whitethroats widely scattered with 17 singing males along with six Willow Warblers, six Chiffchaffs, four Blackcaps and a single Garden Warbler but no Grasshopper Warblers on site yet. Other birds included 15 Reed Buntings, four Grey Partridge, three Stock Dove, three Oystercatchers, single male Wheatear, 120 Woodpigeon, six Sand Martin, two Swift, 25 Swallow, single Buzzard, Bullfinch, five Linnets and a Shelduck was a surprise on a small bit of floodwater on the old tip.

49 species recorded in total.

Female Merlin (south) this morning and Raven (north) this afternoon over the old Exide Batteries factory.

At 8.00am this morning a Short-eared Owl was hunting over the spoil heap on the west side of Cutacre. Viewed from the public footpath that runs round that side. Also a Brambling and 5 Partridge.

Info thanks to Andy Makin.

Cheers Simon

Simon..... Could you tell me how to get to the site and where is best for parking, is the main entrance just off the A6 near the old Norweb Depot?

First survey of the summer today produced 6 singing Grasshopper Warblers, 17 singing Whitethroat, Sedge Warbler, 6 Grey Partridge, 2 Raven, 2 Buzzard, Little Owl and 70 Sand Martin.

The pools where I had a Little Egret last year have now been replaced by a 100 foot deep quarry!

Still 9 Golden Plover on Plodder Lane.

Unfortunately a dead Barn Owl was picked up on the A6 this week.

Steve Suttill wrote:

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Thanks guys

I know the site well as my late father-in-law lived nearby and I used to go to see the GP and Lapwing flocks there whenever I dropped him at the hospital.

I'm sure Ian McK will correct me, but I believe the strength of the white line from the head down to the flank is a better indication of race than the blackness of the "face" and breast. Will look carefully at Dennis' photos.

Cheers, Steve

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I haven't studied these for a few years now, not since the nice annual early spring flocks disappeared from the Moss Lane area in Astley. It is thought that birds attaining such full and distinct breeding plumage (i.e. extensive black on the underparts) are from the northern race 'altifrons' and perhaps their annual early gathering also hint at a more northerly breeding destination anyway. Trouble is that there is much variation between the two races (northern and our UK breeding race) plus again between the sexes which clouds the situation somewhat and has lead to some believing there are no distinct races within Golden Plover. I'm not sure what if any, work has been done on this (and if so I've missed it!) but I did hear a couple of years ago murmurings that such plumage variation was dependant on breeding habitat selection and that apparent 'northerns' often attain a much drabber plumage depending on where they are nesting . Frankly I've lost track of it all

The 5 Golden Plover that I saw were viewed feeding among short green shoots.
They were all 'side on' and disappeared sometimes in the furrow.
However I noted that no black marking could be seen, just the whitish line on the head and neck. Although lower parts of the bird were hidden, the birds that I saw were not in striking plumage.
It may well be that Dennis Atherton, who first found these birds, has Photographs.
I had considered the anomaly with the site name thread. As Plodder Lane is over 2.5 miles long ,I thought Watergate Lane ,which passes through the fields to be a better guide. The OS map shows the name ''Edge Fold'' at the Lane's Junction.
By the way I learnt that an underground canal runs under these fields.


Hope this helps ,Steve.

-- Edited by keith mills on Tuesday 12th of April 2011 07:10:43 AM

As the Golden Plovers already seem to be paired up and settled into their breeding territories on our local moorlands, are these ones at Cutacre migrants heading for proper arctic tundra? Are they showing plumage characteristics of the northern race?
I'd be interested in local observers' opinions.

Cheers, Steve

At least 39 Golden Plover still in ploughed field off Plodder Lane 6pm, some in lovely breeding plumage, seen on way back from the Reebok.

There is nowt worse than posting a sighting on the infomation super highway that is Gmbirding only to read that birders turned up on your tip off and the birds were not there anymore, Gutted, i now feel redeemed

i had a very nice 50 ish on tuesday, but only 7 tonight, so i am very happy to see Alan also got a large flock too, briilliant

Great to see Keith also got them after a few attempts, sorry i dragged you away from your Ouzel search, hopefully you will get that one tommorow,

Watergate the truth!
Thanks to Dennis the Golden Plover located tonight at 6.45 pm:
In ''green shoot'' field next to the ploughed Watergate Lane fields(nearer to Farnworth)
When I arrived 5 Showing quite close to the road down from Plodder Lane to the Cattery.
Dennis just leaving had seen 7.
Thanks again Dennis for your perserverance here and the phone call.




-- Edited by keith mills on Friday 8th of April 2011 09:26:11 PM

Sorry Keith, me neither, two hours hunt tonight from 6-8pm this time with camera, covered all the adjacent fields, both sides of motorway and also all the hills around cutacre,

no sign at all, gutted never seen one locally

on the otherside of the motorway junction tonight from cutacre in between plodder lane and the junction, 7pm 50 ish golden plover in ploughed fields to the left as driving down from plodder lane

Brief stop today on A6 enroute from Daisy Hill (Lapland Bunting) to River Irwell.
3 Buzzards and 2 Raven all on same Electricity Pylon having a spat.

-- Edited by Alan Warford on Sunday 2nd of January 2011 08:03:48 PM

Sightings from recent survey work 12th+13th Sept,

Green Sandpiper 2
Golden Plover 2
Lapwing 60
Snipe 25
Grey Partridge 7
Skylark 36
Meadow Pipit - 124 over the 3 spoil heaps & further 110 flew south early am.
Linnet 16
Willow Tit
Swallow - approx 100 south early am
Peregrine carrying prey.
Blackcap 6
Garden Warbler 2
Chiffchaff 6
Whitethroat 4
Redpoll 3 south
Woodpigeon 260+

The excavation of coal has now moved to the southern end of the site and the west side where they were excavating earlier in the year should be restored soon. Its amazing how quickly a landscape can change.

Where we saw you, from our position was 4:18 miles three miles would end up in Tyldesley

-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Wednesday 4th of August 2010 10:09:07 PM

Simon Warford wrote:

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You lot need to work on your distances, its only 2 miles from the Peat pools to Cutacre, lets hope your bird counting is not as bad

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Oh dear , 4.18 miles between the two according to Google Earth. Clearly mine is quite accurate

Ok lets not get too carried away

You lot need to work on your distances, its only 2 miles from the Peat pools to Cutacre, lets hope your bird counting is not as bad

Was funny though

Warfy on Cutacre is a common resident

That sighting must be worth tournament points, a bald Warfy head from 4 miles away!

This evening,

Little Egret, single Green Sandpiper, 20 Snipe, 500 Goldfinch, 2 Buzzard, 3 Little Owl, 4 Partridge, 2 Grasshopper Warblers.

and amazingly I received a phone call from a well known birder who was watching me from Astley Moss through his scope!! Theres no escaping.

Grasshopper Warbler singing still yesterday evening. Of interest, where I park now on the Over Hulton side, a chap from one of the large houses that overlook Cutacre started talking to me, and he went on to show me some footage from his CCTV of a pair of Mandarins that were nesting on his garden pond(its a big pond), then the footage went on to show a Fox taking all 11 eggs from the nest at 6am in the morning!

-- Edited by Simon Warford on Friday 4th of June 2010 08:41:55 AM