Ian, thanks for following up on these birds I was pretty confident of the three but they flew off before i got scope views of all but the first one. I think they will probably still be around the area somewhere but as we have already discussed it is a pretty large area and is also disturbed a lot! cheers Andy p.s thanks for putting it on the forum for me
No sign from 12:30-1:30pm today although there were very few of anything in the wood and a flock of 20 or so Siskin flew overhead towards the bed factory on North Lane whilst we (Paul Heaton and I) were there.
However, a young male Stonechat was right alongside the road (Ley Lane) in the field on the right as you turn off Princess Ave, roughly opposite the track down to the redpoll wood. Urban Stonechats...class!
Four Mealies present this am (inc. stonking males) in a flock of approx 15-20 Lessers with a flock of 25 or so Siskin in the same area. Views were excellent as the birds fed only 15 feet away at times and the flock was surprisingly easy to find and pretty stationary.
Access is off Princess Road, Tyldesley, turn onto Ley Lane and after 150 yards or so there is an obvious muddy track (with bollards in from of it) in between to two overgrown grassy fields (before the new houses being built). Follow this track to the obvious wood there with lots of Alders in and the flock has been in here, this morning along the side of the wood backing on to the council houses. There are many paths through the wood and Alders throughout so best bet is to raom around and listen out for them first.
On the 7th, Andy Isherwood found a single Mealy Redpoll amongst 20 Redpoll near Gin Pit village, Tyldesley. The birds were along the muddy track on the right after the grass field in the village, although they later flew off towards the back of the rugby club (Tyldesley RUFC). There may however, have been up to 3 present but a 2 hour search by myself today couldn't even produce any Redpolls let alone Mealies, although 30 extremely approachable Siskin were just beyond the bed factory at the top of North Lane.
