4-5.30pm

After a bit of searching had really good views of the 4 Glossy Ibis feeding and flying.
They were in the field to the west of the usual one, behind the farm just along Chorley Old Road from Bob's Smithy.

Also seen:
2 x White Wagtail in with numerous Pied Wagtail around the farm
Skein of 17 Pink Footed Geese over SE

-- Edited by Chris Chandler on Sunday 20th of October 2013 10:05:44 PM

All 4 Glossy Ibis in the regular place in the field behind the Bob Smithy.. Walked over from Ramsbottom so rather glad they are. !. Happy walk home. !

Also today 8 Crossbills flew south west over Burnt Edge & Wheatear in fields above Scout Road.

Yesterday, 5 Crossbill over Georges Lane also a Ring Ouzel & 2 Brambling over with 2 Wheatear and 35 Robins grounded along Georges Lane.

Sightings between me and Andy Makin.

One of the birds in the swampy hollow.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/76345032@N04/10340543786/

-- Edited by Mark Battersby on Friday 18th of October 2013 07:12:29 AM

4 Glossy Ibises still there this afternoon, feeding in the swampy hollow below the green tank by the farm.
At Burnt Edge 1 male Kestrel on the power lines, and 2 Red Grouse flying over the heather just beyond the small plantation

Anyone know if the Black Redstart is still about?

This morning 8.30 - 10 burnt edge to holdens farm

c80 greenfinch at holdens farm with around 25-30 reed bunting
Only 53 redwing
First bullfinch for ages up here
3 stonechat
hardly any meadow pipits
1 fieldfare

Sightings for yesterday morning 07:15-12:15:

Redwing 3432 with equal numbers north across both sides of the moor, with individual flocks fewer in number but each containing larger numbers of birds.
Fieldfare 133 NNW
Crossbill 1 SE
Siskin 62 S
Brambling 7 S
Yellowhammer 1 S
7 TEAL N

Info thanks to Andy Makin

All 4 Glossy Ibis still present at 10.15. Same field just up from the pub.

Around 1645 the Ibis left that field and went further up north of pub within feet of the road, giving excellent views! They then went down towards the main road to feed feet away from the traffic. Having dipped them last weekend and watched them since around lunchtime it was nice to see them so close up and in some sunshine!

Tony Coatsworth wrote:

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In reeds 4pm

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Why were you in the reeds Tony? Or is it a misspelling and you were in Leeds at 4pm? Give us a clue

Today 1.40pm.
All 4 Glossy Ibises together among rushes, right at the top of the usual field past the footpath sign
and the wire ''fence''. but near Walker Fold Rd.
The fourth one flew in at 1.35 from the field directly across the road.

-- Edited by keith mills on Sunday 13th of October 2013 02:22:36 PM

Must have been a couple of thousand birds came past me between 7.30 and 9.30. Struggled with ID of most, but these were ones I managed!
Nearly all the Redwing were heading North - which surprised me a bit.

Meadow Pipit c20 (in fields)
Lapwing c30
Goldfinch c40
Greenfinch c10
Fieldfare c40
Redwing c500
Woodpigeon c30
Starling c50
Jackdaw c20
Carrion Crow 28 - all in the air at one time, seemingly having fun.
Raven 1
Pied wagtail 2
Kestrel 2
Wheatear 1

Then spent a couple of hours putting people onto the Glossy Ibis before calling it a day.

The birds were still in the area at 4.15pm. thanks to the couple with the young boy for pointing them out to me as I had walked past them once without spotting them. I sent another two carloads their way, nice to see so many people taking such an interest in them

4 glossy ibis back behind the pub at 9.50.

The were very mobile this morning, feeding for a while then flying to the next field along Walker Fold, often getting in the long grass and being lost from view. Came back to the usual field before flying off behind the farmhouse at the back of the field at 11.40, when I left.


-- Edited by Paul Wilson on Saturday 12th of October 2013 12:41:14 PM

Today's totals in just over a seven hour watch, mainly from Georges Lane with Andy Makin and myself;

5 Whooper Swan N at 7.45
38 Pink-footed Goose NW at 10.20
4 (boring) Teal NNW
11 Snipe N/NE
2 Song Thrush
9390 Redwing in 250 flocks
1890 Fieldfare
7 Mistle Thrush
6 Ring Ouzel- one group of three, one which flew within 20 feet past us at head height, one which landed in Wilderswood and remained on view for 15 minutes before possibly going to roost and one which flew along Mast Road with 2 Fieldfare)
3 Skylark
1 Twite over
3 Chaffinch
45 Greenfinch in small flocks
4 Goldfinch
Crossbills over on call only
80 Jackdaw
11 Starling NW
16 Reed Bunting through in ones or twos

4 reported at longton marsh this morning but more difficult to locate in a large area , I had a look this afternoon but no joy

Mike Cooper wrote:

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Are the glossy ibises still about as I would like to try and twitch them again from heywood as I dipped om mon 30/9. Would appreciate a response tomorrow morning

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Haywood's only a couple of mile away from the area they have been in ? ,it may be worth not waiting for someone to post, just pop up to Bob Smithies and its likely if they are still around they will be there :) many times when birds have been present for a while ,they are not posted as everyone assumes someone else already has, so don't assume because no one has posted they have gone. :)

To the bird information services which use the sightings on these threads in this forum and have just lifted those from my post below; these sightings, particularly all the Ring Ouzels, were in Greater Manchester you idiots (it's a Greater Manchester sightings forum after all)

-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Friday 11th of October 2013 09:11:34 PM

couple of hours at burnt edge from about 11.45. Would have been good to have had someone with me who's better at bird calls.

Meadow Pipits - too many for me to count. Every time I put my bins to my eyes there were about 10 or so moving in all different directions. + 100s of grounded birds.
Redwings - 124 in total, 10 grounded and groups of birds heading nnw in groups of 40, 18, 36 and 20
Fieldfare - I think 3. 2 then 1 a bit later. heading towards the mast
Wood Pigeon - c12 sse

There were possibly 5-6 Tree Pipits that i think I heard, a couple in with one of theredwing flocks
There were quite a few finch sp. but I couldn't id them, needed an experienced vis-migger!

Non vis-mig birds
Snipe 1
Stonechat 3 - Holden's
Kestrel 5
Buzzard 3

and lots of the usul stuff.

Still not had a merlin on Horwich Moors! Been trying for 4 years!

Ibises were right up to fence as I headed back, giving great opportunities for at least one of the guys there to take about 12 billion pictures!

The 4 Ibises were on the east side of the B6226, quarter of a mile north of Bob's Smithy heading towards Horwich, at around 11.30 am

4 Glossy Ibis still putting on a good show still behind Bob's Smithy pub

4 Glossy Ibis behind Bob Smithy by the roadside.

Yesterdays (5th Oct) superb Visible Migration watch 7am-2.30pm, highlights between myself, Andy Makin, Paul Wilson, Karen Foulkes and Simon Ghilks.

372 Pink-footed Geese SE
6 Goosander south
29 Golden Plover south including a superb flock as high as the top of the mast
82 Skylark - includes 19 seen by Ian.
5,168 Meadow Pipit all S or SW, record October count.
173 Pied Wagtails - record count.
2 Merlins chasing Meadow Pipits.
239 Redwing
Imm Marsh Harrier south
Ringtail Hen Harrier SE
2 Yellowhammer SW
14 Buzzard
345 Chaffinch
8 Crossbill
14 Siskin
2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers south
65 Swallow

Today with Alan Warford in rather foggy conditions;

677 Pink-footed Geese (120 NW & 577 SE)
454 Meadow Pipit SW
73 Pied Wagtail
19 Redwing
3 Swallow

Also a male Ring Ouzel around the main mast building, just in GM late morning.

-- Edited by Simon Warford on Sunday 6th of October 2013 08:03:49 PM