Adult Mediterranean Gull over Scout Road this morning. Later, just off the moors, 3 were among Black-Headed Gulls in fields below Bob's Smithy Inn along Old Kiln Lane
-- Edited by dave broome on Tuesday 28th of March 2017 11:21:01 AM
Layby off Matchmoor Lane - Burnt Edge - Holdens Farm - Gilligant Farm - Hampsons Farm - Colliers Row - side of Walker Fold wood - Sugar Loaf Plantation - and return via Burnt Edge back to Matchmoor Lane.
Quiet birdwise - too cold for me to go to top of Winter Hill - so stayed in foot hills!
Kestrel x 6 separate sightings Stonechat x 1 Fieldfare x 7 Dunnock x 2 Magpie x 10 Great Tit x 1 Robin x 3 Carrion Crow x 5 Grey Heron x 1 Buzzard x 1 (seen on M61 on way home)
Visible migration from Scout Road today, 07:50-11:50 included:
40 Pink-footed Geese over NW 3 Snipe 3 NW 1 Golden Plover 280 Lapwing N in 12 flocks 377 Woodpigeon N/NE 3464 Redwing N/NE in 81 flocks 901 Fieldfare in 34 flocks 1 Waxwing low NE with Redwing and a further 3 birds low E 1 Ring Ouzel 1 NE tagging on to Redwing flock 1 Brambling N 1 Crossbill S
Today's visible migration watch 8-11am from Matchmoor Lane:
2546 Pink-footed Geese; 3 skeins NW numbering 168, 7 sKeins SE numbering 878 and 1 skein of 1500 E 6 Whooper Swan SE at 08:20 2224 Woodpigeon; with 10 flocks NE and 31 flocks N/NW 75 Brambling S
Visible migration watch from Matchmoor Lane today 07:30-10:00:
Single Woodcock directly south at first light A single Waxwing SE 7 skeins of Pink-footed Geese SE numbering 634 and 1 skein NW numbering 25 20 Goosander 20 SE 445 Woodpigeon NE and 200 SW 1545 Starling N/NE in 6 large flocks 11 Brambling S
Other highlights from today's visible migration watch this morning included:
Whooper Swan 3 SE Woodpigeon 1172 in total Stock Dove 60 NW with 13 woodpigeon Fieldfare 96 NW Starling 1419 in total Brambling 13 N Crossbill 1 N Reed Bunting 23 N
Whooper Swan 2 SE over Horwich 08:05 Brambling 56 N in 4 flocks and two singles Bullfinch 13 N Crossbill 13 N in flocks of 8,2,1,1,1 Reed Bunting, notable N movement with 21 in a short 15 minute spell
Late news for yesterday included 2563 Woodpigeon S.
Today's moors visible migration highlights 7-11am thanks to Simon Warford and Andy Makin:
Whooper Swan 3 SE at 8:30am Pink-footed Goose 9374 in 40 skeins; with 104 NW and 9270 SE Woodpigeon 3776 S in 43 flocks Fieldfare 613 S in 8 flocks Brambling 5 S
Highlights from today's visible migration sightings at Scout Road:
29 Crossbill S and 10 N 1 Brambling N 3548 Fieldfare WSW, with 200 of those in through in 20 minutes between 08:50 and 09:10 1139 Woodpigeon S 13 Whooper Swan over SE (record shot below) 1 Merlin
Late news for yesterday's visible migration highlights from Scout Road, 07:15-11:00:
Pink-footed Goose 147 SE Woodpigeon 390 S Redwing 52 S Fieldfare 369 S in 9 flocks Brambling 7 Siskin 13 S Twite 5 S Crossbill 2 down in Gale Brook Plantation
This morning's visible migration highlights from Scout Road 07:30-11:30:
Woodpigeon 663 SW Fieldfare 763 in 17 flocks S/SW Redwing 63 S Song Thrush 28 S in two low flocks S Brambling 4 N and 1 S Crossbill 4 down in Gale Brook plantation
Late news for visible migration highlights from Scout Road 07:30-11:15:
Whooper Swan 20 E/SE Pintail 15, flew in from the east and departed SW Pink-footed Goose 2659 in 9 skiens SE and 12 skiens NW Woodpigeon 729 mainly SW Tree Sparrow 5 S Fieldfare 383 mainly NW Redwing 208 mainly NW Brambling 8 S Crossbill 43 S in 4 flocks
Today's visible migration totals from Scout Road, 07:30-11:45:
Pink-footed Goose 4955 over in 19 skiens all heading SE Woodpigeon 1567 S/SW in 30 flocks House Martin 1 S Redwing 824 mainly W/SW in 23 flocks Fieldfare 568 W/SW in 14 flocks Crossbill 13, with 10 S and 3 N
Whooper Swan 6 E Woodpigeon 1168 S/SW in 36 flocks Fieldfare 272 S in 4 flocks Redwing 113 S in 7 small flocks 23 Crossbill over with three flocks S and 2 N Stonechat 7 on the moors around the mast buildings
Highlights from this morning from Andy Makin and myself:
4 skeins of Pink-footed Geese, with SE and a skein of 16 NW 579 Fieldfare S over Scout Road in 16 flocks and 120 feeding at Holdens Farm before heading off NW 343 Redwing S in 16 small flocks 23 Ring Ouzel with 18 over Scout Road in two flocks and 5 together S over Higher Meadows 67 Crossbill S over Scout Road 2 juvenile Hen Harrier over Smithills Moor, one of which had earlier in the morning been hunting over Wildersmoor/Two Lads Hill
Highlights from today's watch from Scout Road, courtesy of Phil Rhodes and Andy Makin:
3 Hen Harriers hunting over Smithills Moor, presumed some of the same individuals as seen yesterday 4 Tree Sparrow 1 Ring Ouzel flew east early morning, probably out of its roost 857 Redwing mainly SSW in 23 flocks 391 Fieldfare SSW in 13 flocks 35 Siskin S 13 Crossbill SE 5 Brambling SE 3 Golden Plover NW
Visible migration sightings from Scout Road all day today thanks to Andy Makin:
Merlin 1 SE Hen Harrier 8 sightings during the day involved at least 5 individuals Single Long-eared Owl seen coming from long distance south over the moor briefly landed on a dead tree and departed Ring Ouzel 1 east with Fieldfare and 1 adult male over NE Fieldfare 1741 in 31 flocks the largest of which was 450+, all heading S/SW Redwing 4272 W/SW in 100 flocks the largest of 500 Swallow 12 S Brambling 2 E Crossbill 3 S