06.09.07- 1-B.N.GREBE-STILL IN RAMMYS 3.30 PM,AND A CRACKING GREEN SANDPIPER AT THE FRONT OF NEW HIDE 3.45PM

-- Edited by JOHN TYMON at 17:56, 2007-09-06

-- Edited by JOHN TYMON at 19:58, 2007-09-06

29/8/07

Garganey & Green Sandpiper present @ midday.

(Barry Hulme)

john,nice to put a face to all those photos,i,ve put a bid in on e bay for one of those 1.7 adaptors you have ,maybe i.ll get lucky,
cheers geoff

Juv Kittiwake still present, couldn't find the juv Black Tern though.

kittiwake juv & black tern still at 6pm

17/8/07

juv Black Tern still present. (12.45)

(B.Hulme)

16/8/07 early morning

juv Black Tern still present, spending most of its time on the posts next to the compass post.

B.Hulme had Green & Common Sands earlier.

Wenesday 15th August.

Juvenile Black Tern present this am.

Info thanks to Barry Hulme

06-45-08-00hrs. 8thAugust 07
Ramies canal end. 2 Kingfisher. GC Grebe Adult with 3 Young. 4 Reed Buntings .
New Scrape. 2 Oystercatcher, 1 Little Grebe.
Horrocks Hide. 4 Common Tern. and 5 Goldfinch feeding on the thistle's by the main carpark...and a Black Swan!! on the main flash...:

-- Edited by kjs at 09:07, 2007-08-08

1/8/07

Greenshank on the spit @ 05.30

(info per B.Hulme, AKA `the early birder`)

Juvenile Willow Tits, Bullfinches and GS Woodpeckers at the Bunting hide earlier this morning.

Tuesday 24th July

Common Scoter still present early am at least
2 Black-tailed Godwits
1 Green Sand
1 Dunlin

All info thanks to Barry Hulme

Monday 23rd July, early am.

1 Little Gull
1 Black-tailed Godwit
1 Common Sandpiper
6 Oystercatcher
10 Stock Doves

all info thanks to Barry Hulme

11.07.07-same as yesterday but add 1 hobby-flew over new hide 4pm,1 black tailed godwit-by point,1 tufted with 4 young,1 gadwall with 5 young.

10/7/07

HOBBY - flew over New Hide towards main flash @ 08.00. (info per B.Hulme)

The Wigan council are going to decide on 28th February at the main council meeting whether to allow the Ruddy Ducks to be shot (as landowners they could refuse to let DEFRA shooters onto the land). The Community Action Party are opposing it, quite rightly, for the reasons elsewhere on this website. But I suspect the vote will go along party lines, as usual.
The RSPB needs to be persuaded to change their mind- let's face it, they have never taken the membership along on this one, and now the figures (just 7 reaching Spain in 2005, and 2500-5000 White-headed Duck there now they've stopped shooting them) are self evident. Our Ruddies prefer it here in the winters these days - why fly hundreds of miles to Spain? If any do go, the Spanish have £2m to spend to wipe them out.

Jimmy Meadows emailed me yesterday to say a fisherman's car window was smashed at Pennington Flash car park at Slag Lane. Probably best to leave cars at the bridge man's hut at the canal - plenty of parking there - if you are appraoching the Flash from that end.

went to penny today green sandpiper and two redshank ,5 snipe on the split.Plenty teal ,shoveller,gadwal,lapwings and gooseanders.also went to turners flash to see if the smew was about but no sign of it but had pleasure watching the ruddy ducks drumming.

This morning, Water Rails squealing from Ramsdale Flash reedbed. Also 3 Skylarks singing up by canal. 20+ Goosander, 5 Oystercatcher, 1 Shelduck, 1 Wigeon, no Willow Tits (again) - I'm not having much luck with them this year.

Hi Tom,

there is no hard and fast rule to county listing and as I said to Rob last year, much of what you count will be down to your own concience. On the face of it the Barnacles should indeed be countable on Cat C but all I can tell you is that for county year listing purposes non of the current listers (myself, Rob, Sonia and Brian) have counted them, unless they were considered wild (so none of us have Barnacle Goose on the list!). That we count Gyppo Goose, Mandarin Duck, R N Parakeet for me, is down to the fact that they don't occur 'naturally' anywhere in the UK, whereas Barnacle Goose does and could or indeed has occurred in a wild state in the county. That of course brings us to Greylag, Feral Pigeon etc etc........... For the sake of continuity it's easier not to count Barnacle Goose, atleast on your official list (for the website for instance) otherwise we'll all have to add it on and that'll bring me frustratingly close to the mythical 180, but if you could find another one I could add..............

Geese still there at 15.00 but flying about.

Also 5 Oystercatchers on spit.

I was up at Martin Mere earlier today. During the past few months the RB and Barnacles have been relatively easy to see from the United Utilities hide. Definitely no sign of them between 10 and 4.30. The encouraging news is the long staying female Marsh Harrier appears to be "nest" building.

Wed 14 Feb. a.m

( indirect report through B.Hulme from J.Lyon )

Present all morning, a Red-breasted Goose and c40 Barnacle Geese, on the field next to the Sailing Club and then in Rammy`s inlet.

This is almost certainly the feral flock that frequents Martin Mere and Marshside, which carries the ( presumed feral ) Red-breast with it.

More news to follow I would expect !

6th Feb

08.20

single Dunlin on `spit`
13 Shelduck
3 Oystercatcher
23 Goosander

( per B.Hulme )