Viridor Wood

Craig Higson · Status: Offline

RE: Viridor Wood

Keith Pilling · Status: Offline

Superb views of the Barn Owl hunting last night 8 30pm onwards, saw it take two lots of prey within 15 mins seems to prefer the west side of viridor.
cheers Keith.

Brian Harding · Status: Offline

barn owl seen very briefly last night as I was leaving about 10.40pm. flying over the open area by the car park, then flew across bolton road onto the other side.

if you are going on there at night watch out for the toads on the path. there are hundreds of them. quite easy to step on one if you are looking for birds and not looking at the path.

earlier in the day a male blackcap by the car park and a red admiral butterfly. are they rare? dont think ive seen one on there before :o/

Brian Harding · Status: Offline

little, tawny and barn owl last night. west side.

Brian Harding · Status: Offline

barn owl last night top end of the riding stables

Brian Harding · Status: Offline

cracking views of a tawny owl hunting last night on the west/three sisters side approx 9.30pm

also a barn owl crossed over bolton road onto this side as I was leaving.

Craig Higson · Status: Offline

Grasshopper Warbler reeling in one of the plantation areas on the western side of the road this evening.

-- Edited by Craig Higson on Friday 19th of June 2009 10:15:06 PM

Rachael Hill · Status: Offline

After reading postings last year we went and saw the barn owl a couple of times. There was a report shortly afterwards that one was found shot & I hadn't seen any other listings. Wonder if this is a new one? Anyone local know?

Keith Pilling · Status: Offline

Pleasant walk around the east side of the wood 7.30 pm till 9.00 lots of reed buntings, meadow pipits,skylarks, and a kestrel .Usually see at least one buzzard but not this evening. The last time I was round here which was last monday I was told by a group of dog walkers that they had seen a barn owl, I told them of last years sighting here that was possibly an escapee . However as I reached the far end of the wood there it was quartering the open area.

Cheers
Keith.

Gary Gorner · Status: Offline

skylarks and whitethrotes in full song and a nice surprise was a grey partridge. A few family parties of tits including willow,great,blue and long tailed. A song thrush was calling from the wood,one jay and at least 3 pairs of reed bunting near the railway bridge area.A pheasant was also in this area its been a while since i last did the circle but it is still a pleasant walk with marsh and pyramid orchids everywhere and butterflies seen were speckled wood,common blue,painted lady and small white.

Craig Higson · Status: Offline

Cuckoo calling from behind Baldwins farm last night. Other usual stuff - Whitethroat (Several) Willow Warbler (Several) Redpoll, Goldfinch over, Ketsrel, Grey Partridge, Pheasant, Skylark etc.

Tim Wilcox · Status: Offline

Rob Thorpe wrote:

Tim Wilcox wrote:

Went to try and find this bird but don't think I found the right field - only one to the East of A58 off riding Lane I could see was set back from the road near Rose Farm and had 2 horses - one pibald and one with a blanket and a white post with a red top but definitely no birds except some Woodies. Mostly the fields seemed to be grass.

That's the right field Tim, the one behind Rose Farm, it was on the fence at the bottom of the dip. The bird had gone when i checked today though.

Thanks Rob. I'll catch up with the little blighters In GMCR one day!

Rob Thorpe · Status: Offline

Tim Wilcox wrote:

Went to try and find this bird but don't think I found the right field - only one to the East of A58 off riding Lane I could see was set back from the road near Rose Farm and had 2 horses - one pibald and one with a blanket and a white post with a red top but definitely no birds except some Woodies. Mostly the fields seemed to be grass.

That's the right field Tim, the one behind Rose Farm, it was on the fence at the bottom of the dip. The bird had gone when i checked today though.

Tim Wilcox · Status: Offline

Went to try and find this bird but don't think I found the right field - only one to the East of A58 off riding Lane I could see was set back from the road near Rose Farm and had 2 horses - one pibald and one with a blanket and a white post with a red top but definitely no birds except some Woodies. Mostly the fields seemed to be grass.

Rob Thorpe · Status: Offline

Saturday 02 May 2009

1 WHINCHAT on east side of A58, in horse field off Riding Lane that backs onto Viridor.

-- Edited by Rob Thorpe on Sunday 3rd of May 2009 02:57:07 PM

-- Edited by Rob Thorpe on Sunday 3rd of May 2009 02:59:18 PM

Craig Higson · Status: Offline

Sedge Warbler and Whitethroat both new in. Usual other stuff.

Craig Higson · Status: Offline

West of the site - 2 Grey Partridge calling, c5 Willow Warblers, 2 Reed Buntings, Kestrel, 2 Redpolls over (presumably lessers!) the usual other culprits plus a Meadow Pipit doing its best impression of a Richard's/Tawny Pipit. Nearly had me on the phone to Mr McKerchar

Geoff Hargreaves · Status: Offline

Lilly lane farm,quick butchers 2pm ish

5 swallows

2 house martin

2 pied wagtails
some gulls over

cheers geoff

gull watching

thank goodness they made it back

Craig Higson · Status: Offline

Quick whizz round the West (Three Sisters) side of Lily lane/Bolton Road - At least 8 singing Willow Warblers. Judging by their behaviour I'd say some were newly arrived migrants. 2 Swallows over and 1 kestrel were about the only things of note.

Rob Thorpe · Status: Offline

at least 3 Swallow back at Lilly Lane Farm yesterday

Craig Higson · Status: Offline

2 Willow Warblers at least singing along path adjacent to Railway.

Bit difficult to see much else 'cause I was trying to keep up with a 9yr old on a bike

-- Edited by Craig Higson on Tuesday 14th of April 2009 02:19:56 PM

Geoff Hargreaves · Status: Offline

In the fields just to the side of the car park a pair of partridge feeding .

cheers geoff

Gary Gorner · Status: Offline

quick walk before taxing for daughter 4.00-5.00pm

2 woodcock
3 snipe
2 kestrel
2 jays
4 siskin
2 bullfinch
6 chaffinch
8 fieldfare
2 meadowpipits
31 lapwing
1 greatspotted woodpecker
all the usual tits near the feeders
4 magpies
8 woodpidgeon

Brian Harding · Status: Offline

pair of stonechat by entrance nr riding stables today.

Rob Thorpe · Status: Offline

2 Woodcock and 6 Snipe this evening

Brian Harding · Status: Offline

what looked like a peregrine flew over riding stables today, headed off towards 3 sisters. short tailed falcon, stubby looking.

on 3 sisters...
treecreeper among some long tailed tits.
male sparrowhawk
1 redpoll
F bullfinch on feeders, amongst usual stuff.

Brian Harding · Status: Offline

flooded field by riding stables...

approx 40 small brown birds round the edge of the pool. meadow pipits? (didnt have my bins)

also a male stonechat sat on the fence. same area.

party of tits on the 3 sisters included coal tit, and some siskin.

Geoff Hargreaves · Status: Offline

mid afternoon walk,

1 redwing

6 crows
2 magpie 30 goldfinch
6 wood pigeon 1 kestrel
1 sparrowhawk 2 skylark
2 robin 4 blackbird
gulls and skien of pinkfeet over,desperatley dull

but you,ve got to mooch now and again.

cheers geoff

Craig Higson · Status: Offline

Grasshopper Warbler reeling this evening. Walk past the 'totems' keeping them on your left. Bird was singing 200m past on the right of the path.

Brian Harding · Status: Offline

loads of gulls in the field opposite the cow field/hill at three sisters. at least 100. been there the last few days now and seem to be increasing in number.

Brian Harding · Status: Offline

approx 50 goldfinch near mortons dairy.

couple of kestrels on the other side.

on Monday this was.

Craig Higson · Status: Offline

Rob Thorpe wrote:

i myself was over there too this evening, didnt see any other birders, but had 3 Gadwall over, site tick!
Did anyone else hear the shooting in the wood near the railway, i had a quick look but couldn't find anyone (although quite what i was going to say or do to the gunman while armed only with a pair of bins and a scope i'm not sure)?

Do you mean the wood that runs alongside to the railway? Didnt hear them last night but have in the past. Then they were actually on the other side of the railway in some scrubby stuff shooting pigeons over the fields on the far side, which I presume is private land so there's nothing really to be done. If they were in the woods on the other hand....definitely a police matter given the location of the railway, and the fact that they wont have permission - Forestry Commision have their own byelaws covering this as well.

Rob Thorpe · Status: Offline

i myself was over there too this evening, didnt see any other birders, but had 3 Gadwall over, site tick!

Did anyone else hear the shooting in the wood near the railway, i had a quick look but couldn't find anyone (although quite what i was going to say or do to the gunman while armed only with a pair of bins and a scope i'm not sure)?

Keith Pilling · Status: Offline

Similar stuff to Craig and Geoff plus meadow pipits that looked like they were feeding youngsters and two Song Thrushes trying to out sing one another.

Craig Higson · Status: Offline

Nice to meet you too Geoff.

Keith Pilling also out and about - a regular GM birders outing.

I did the eastern side of the road and had similar species to Geoff plus the usual Willow Warblers, Chiffchaffs, Whitethroats and Blackcaps.

Sedge Warbler at the SE corner. At least two, possiblt three Grasshopper Warblers around the Totem Pole thing and two Grey Partridge the only real things of note.

Geoff Hargreaves · Status: Offline

tues evening stroll till dark

1 kestrel
4 swallows
10 woodpigeon
4 lapwing
2 reed bunting
40 starlings
2 magpie
6 blackbirds
2 grey partridge plus a cacophony of bird song from the hawthorns,insert robs list here

to many dogs but nice to meet craig higson

cheers geoff

Rob Thorpe · Status: Offline

Friday 2 May 08

afternoon/evening

Sedge Warbler 5
Grasshopper Warbler 2
Whitethroat 3
Willow Warbler 10+
Chiffchaff
Linnet 5
Yellowhammer pair
Swift 12
Swallow 3
Coal Tit
Willow Tit
Oystercatcher 2 over
Lapwing 4

Rob Thorpe · Status: Offline

Sunday 09/03/2008 am

Yellowhammer - singing by the horse stables.
Sonechat - 6, 3 pairs!
Woodcock
Lapwing - at least 3 pairs
Grey Partridge - 4, 2 pairs
Pheasant
Sparrowhawk
Kestrel - pair
Skylark - at least 16 singing
Meadow Pipit - 4+
Cormorant - over
Grey Heron - over
Jackdaw - 7 over
C.Crow
Magpie
Woodpigeon
LBB Gull - 2 over
Herring Gull - 1 over
B-h Gull - 1 over
Bullfinch - 6+
Goldfinch
Greenfinch
Chaffinch
Blue Tit
Great Tit
Long-tailed Tit - 6+
Willow Tit - pair
Blackbird
Song Thrush
Mistle Trush
Robin
Dunnock
Reed Bunting

-- Edited by Rob Thorpe at 11:51, 2008-03-10

-- Edited by Rob Thorpe at 11:54, 2008-03-10

Brian Harding · Status: Offline

female stonechat by the car park this morning.

mark3_alias · Status: Offline

Thanks for the info.

Brian Harding · Status: Offline

sun 24th early morning: nothing exciting;

6 greenfinch in a hedge together on bolton road.
2 or 4 goldfinch (could have been the same two flew back in front of me)
2 fieldfare
2 brown things, either partridge or pheasant, running around in the green field opp car park.
meadow pipit (i think)
lots of skylark
mistle and song thrushes
kestrel
reed bunting
usual tits, robins, blackbirds, etc
no barn owl

-- Edited by Brian Harding at 09:36, 2008-02-24

Brian Harding · Status: Offline

mark3_alias wrote:

I've never heard of Viridor Wood, I know my way to Pennington Flash how do I get to Viridor Wood from there.

might be easier just to park at the 3 sisters and walk to it from there. (assuming you know where the 3 sisters is)

follow the footpath down from kestrel drive and then turn right after the cow field and your on viridor. its signposted too. you cant miss it.

Craig Higson · Status: Offline

Geoff Hargreaves wrote:

not so much a wood as an area with some wood in it.

cheers geoff

Geoff Hargreaves · Status: Offline

mark,easiest way to help you,use the current A to Z (A4 size)viridor wood is on page 105 2h 2g 2f it isn,t on the map as viridor wood but its on both sides of the A58 bolton road between Stubshawcross and Bryn Gates find a car park in the middle of those two and your in the middle of it,not so much a wood as an area with some wood in it.

cheers geoff

mark3_alias · Status: Offline

I've never heard of Viridor Wood, I know my way to Pennington Flash how do I get to Viridor Wood from there.

Brian Harding · Status: Offline

theres a feeding station on the riding stables side too. although it never seems to have any food on it everytime ive been past. its sort of between the two entry points and has a bench right in front of it.

Geoff Hargreaves · Status: Offline

early afternoon on me own thank goodness,

80 wood pigeon rooosted 6 magpie
4 crows 6 chaffinch
4 blue tit 2 great tit
5 jays (big number here) 2 reed bunting
2 g s pecker 2 jackdaw over
1 snipe 1 woodcock(lifer and 2 minutes from home

)

and found a feeding station ,from the car park down the path towards abram when you join the big path turn left to the sub station and some kind soul is putting out nuts in one of the trees.

cheers geoff

Gary Gorner · Status: Offline

barn owl present and hunting best views ive had of a barn owl since 1980.

2 kestrel
1 woodcock lifer

thanks for the info rob.
1 stonechat
managed to stumble across feeders and sat down watching all the usual tits plus willow,bullfinch,reedbuntings,green and chafinch.

Rob Thorpe · Status: Offline

Barn Owl still present at dusk

also plenty of Grey Partridge calling

-- Edited by Rob Thorpe at 18:36, 2008-02-09

Geoff Hargreaves · Status: Offline

wed pm 15.30 till dark

50 jackdaw over
150+ woodpigeon over 30 in trees
50 fieldfare over 20 near car park
1 rob thorpe 1 walter
1 barn owl
2 crows

had some very good views of the owl which was perched up on a fence post at 4.00 near the monument then started to hunt over the area,although it,s not wearing any jessies it does seem rather tame and is reported to be a release/escapee which might explain it,s tolerance to walkers etc.

cheers geoff