Birds in field by side of track off Kiln lane used to vet access to Highr id Res
Three very close to track with snipe 12.30

Originally posted by Frank Wood today:

Four glossy ibis feeding on newly ploughed fields today Thursday, Oct 3, next to High Rid Reservoir off Old Kiln Lane, Bolton. The fields are a few hundred yards from their previous feeding site near Bob's Smithy pub.

This morning in Old Hall woods en route to Barrow Bridge :

Great Tit
Coal Tit
Blue Tit
Chaffinch
Willow Warbler x2
Nuthatch x3
Blackcap (male) x1
Wood Pigeon
Collard Dove
Carrion Crow
Jay (heard)
Robin
Blackbird
Wren

Sightings from yesterday (1st June) from the Old Hall woods and fishing pond (between Old Hall Clough and Old Hall Lane) at 5.30am

Grey Heron x2
Mallard
Blackbird
Mistle Thrush x2
Song Thrush x1
Robin
Wren
Great Tit
Blue Tit
Coal Tit x3
Blackcap x2
Goldcrest x2
Nuthatch x4
Treecreeper x2
Willow Warbler x1
Chiffchaff x1
Greenfinch x2
Chaffinch +20
Carrion Crow
Magpie
Jackdaw
Jay x2
Wood Pigeon
Collard Dove
Great Spotted Woodpecker x1

In the fields on the reservoir side of Old Kiln Lane at 10.15 today:

C 200 Starlings with c30 Redwing mixed in. Also 18 Carrion Crows in proximity.

12.30 to 13.30

7 Little Grebes
13 Mallards
6 Tufted Ducks
21 Coots
1 Kestrel
50+ Black-headed Gulls
1 Woodpigeon
2 Grey Wagtails
1 Pied Wagtail
1 Meadow Pipit
5 Wrens
12 Robins
4 Blackbirds
60+ Redwings/Fieldfares. A chap who I presumed to be the farmer was walking across the fields with a gun. Even though he wasn't shooting at anything he flushed a mixed flock from bushes as he approached them. They were as expected mostly Redwings, but there were a few Fieldfares mixed in.
Long-tailed Tits, Blue Tits, and Great Tits.
1 Jay
5 Magpies
6 Carrion Crows
1 Rook
11 Jackdaws
Numerous House Sparrows
5 Chaffinches
2 Greenfinches
1 Goldfinch
1 Bullfinch

Hi David,

Many thanks for that. I have visited the areas around Wilson Fold both this year and last year and they look interesting. I spotted a Green Woodpecker there in the earlier part of this year which was nice and small numbers of Lesser Redpoll too. Good luck in your quest!

Best wishes,

Bill.

7th October.

Brilliant sunny conditions at High Rid early this morning in sharp contrast to the thick fog in Oldham and Rochdale.

A Willow Tit was heard calling from a scrubby area just below the embankment at the western end of the reservoir. Good views were eventually had of this bird and indeed I suspect there may well have been two of them. I had a quick look through earlier posts on this thread and can't find this species as being mentioned here before.

Also 1 drake Pochard loosely associating with the flock of c20 Tufted Duck. I notice that the growth of aquatic weed along the northern edge of the reservoir is considerably less here this year than in the corresponding period in 2011. This possibly accounts for a count of only c30 Coot, when there were 47 here 2/10/11 and 54 on 9/10/11. I have also noted similar at Blackleach CP where the current count of Coot is I would guess somewhat less than half the c140 counted on 16/10/11.

Plus 3 Grey Wagtail (5 here 16/9), 2 Swallow, 8 Little Grebe and with c50 Meadow Pipit down and feeding along the paths and embankments in the south-east corner of the reservoir.

Nuthatch, Jay, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Bullfinch and Coal Tit in the golf course woodland.

Cheers,

Bill.

Today up to 2.10pm:

2 Redstart (male and female)
3 Wheatear
Peregrine
50 Swallow
Goldcrest
Meadow Pipit
7 Little Grebe
9 Tufted Duck

Info thanks to Phil Rhodes

12th Feb.

am in the low cloud/mist/drizzle.

c25 Coot, c10 Tufted Duck, 4 drake Pochard, 7 Goldeneye, 6 Little Grebe, 1 adult Herring Gull amongst the flock of c110 gulls.

3 Nuthatches - a pair and a singleton in the woodlands next to the golf course.

Cheers,

Bill.

Dunlin feeding near the jetty at 3:55 today and also 4 Goldeneye, 2Pochard, 4Tufted Duck and 6 Little Grebe.

Info thanks to Phil Rhodes

20th November.

8.00 to 9.20 am. Visibility at best 200m, more often considerably less.

Fair selection of wildfowl - 1 Shoveler, 1 Wigeon, 2 Gadwall, c60 Mallard, 1 Goldeneye (also here 6/11), 1 Canada Goose, c55 Coot, 6+ Little Grebe, 5 Tufted Duck, 8 Common Gull, c55 Black-headed Gull, 2+ Pied Wagtail and 1 Grey Wagtail.

In the woodlands adjacent to the reservoir and golf course, - Jay (heard), 1 Treecreeper and least 2 Nuthatch.

7 Teal on the reservoir on 6/11.

Cheers,

Bill.

7 Wigeon flew in at 13:34 today.

Also present, 34 adult Mute Swan, 6 Tufted Duck and 6 Little Grebe.

Info thanks to Phil Rhodes

Single Swift south at 3:10 today

Info thanks to Phil Rhodes

This pm.

Still 99% frozen. Very small free area against north bank being used by Mallards(15)

Fair size Gull roost , circa 200. Quite nervous and coming back to middle of ice,
which made it difficult to sort the 2 larger gulls within the Black heads,especially as
the wind was eye-watering cold.
Nothing else moved except dog walkers and 2 moorhens in the field.

Female Common Scoter still present today, per Andy Makin.

Female Common Scoter still present at 1.30 pm

Scoter still present 1pm, right out in the middle. I was a little disappointed when I arrived because there was a remote control speedboat being zoomed around when I arrived but I needn't have worried - it didn't seem to bother the scoter at all!!!!

-- Edited by Holly Page on Saturday 16th of October 2010 02:55:44 PM

FEMALE SCOTER STILL PRESENT AT HIGH RID RES THIS MORNING @10AM.
EASY TO SEE.
OVER AT PUMP HOUSE END.

Scoter still present at 1pm

Info thanks to Phil Rhodes

Yellow Wagtail this morning with 5 Meadow Pipit, eventually flew west at 7:58am

Also single Wigeon, 7 Little Grebe and 3 Swallow

Info thanks to Phil Rhodes

Monday 30 August 2010
late afternoon

1 Curlew (over)
2 Pied Wagtail
1 Grey Wagtail
3 Spotted Flycatcher in the hedges that run down to the north shore, along with...
2 Willow Warbler

-- Edited by Rob Thorpe on Monday 30th of August 2010 07:11:03 PM

20-30 Redwing twittering in the tree-tops overlooking Bolton Golf Course. Also GS Pecker'

On the water:-

Little Grebe 1
Canada Goose 5
Tufted Duck 16
Goldeneye 8
several each of Mallard and Coot
Moorhen 3
BH Gull ca 30

I can't imagine it waddling over to Lower Rivington Reservoir either way