This morning's sightings from around the village included :-
Holts Fold :- 1 Skylark, 2 Pied Wagtails, 40+ Black-headed Gulls Pair of Canada Geese flew through heading for Jumbles, followed a few minutes later by a Greylag
Turton High School/Eagley Junior School :- 2 Oystercatchers, 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls, pair of Nuthatches, (12 Redwings yesterday)
Woodcock flushed in Tong Clough. No Siskins heard in the clough today, but I did get the odd ones flying over my garden coming up from here
This morning at Last Drop Village I found a Kestrel, a Pied Wagtail, & a Midtle Thrush.
From the Last Drop fields I saw Buzzards over Cox Green Quarry, over Turton Golf Course, and around Turton Tower area. Yesterday a Buzzard was at Birtenshaw School.
A Nuthatch in the copse at the top of Hospital Road.
Just a couple of Mistle Thrushes at Holts Fold.
I wandered across the Last Drop fields to see what was upsetting all the Magpies on Cox Green meadow. It was a Kestrel perched just below them. Dozens of finches here were mainly Goldfinches, with some Lesser Redpolls, one of the latter standing out with it's full red breast.
I left my house at 8am and immediately heard Pink-footed Geese. A skein of about 80 birds flew over heading NW.
(8.10am) A few Common Gulls with 200+ Black-headed Gulls on school playing fields.
(Mid-morning) Grey Wagtail on a wall by Chapeltown Road near King William pub (Lancs) Snipe flushed from a boggy field as I headed up to Holts Fold Farm 70+ Redwings on the same fields and in trees near Chapeltown Road Meadow Pipit on fields between Holts Fold & Last Drop. Kestrel on a telegraph pole 3 Redwings in trees by Conningsby Close
A couple of hours this morning checking the birds around the village.
1 Lapwing at Holts Fold Farm.
School playing fields (Turton High, Eagley Juniors, & Eagley Infants) 20+ Black-headed Gulls, 4 Common Gulls, 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull, 2 Redwings, 2 Nuthatches, 2 Bullfinches, & rather surprisingly a Grey Wagtail wandering around with a Pied Wagtail.
Other Pied Wagtails were seen at Holts Fold Farm, Lord's Stile Lane, Birtenshaw Farm, & along Darwen Road.
9.50am to 11.10am around Holts Fold. Birds included :- 1 Kestrel 3 Meadow Pipits 2 Pied Wagtails 1 Skylark flew over 6 Linnets 30+ Goldfinches 1 Greenfinch 5 Chaffinches c70 Starlings
After Holts Fold I checked the conifers by the golf course behind Last Drop, finding a mixed flock of Coal Tits & Goldcrests. From here I heard Crossbills flying across the golf course, but with trees in the way I could not see them. Competition Day on the course so I could not go onto the course to try and see where they landed. Pretty sure they stayed on the course, which means they stayed just over the boundary in Lancs.
A Sparrowhawk low over Hazelhurst Wood (Lancs) putting up 200+ Woodpigeons. Some of them flew over towards Bromley Cross, with some others heading down to Jumbles.
30+ Redwings flew over the farm heading towards Jumbles. They disappeared behind the farm buildings before I could finish counting them for an exact count.
Morning wander around Turton High School/Eagley Junior School, and then up to Holts Fold.
Schools :- 1 Greylag with 2 Canada Geese 50+ Black-headed Gulls 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls 1 Common Gull 4 Pied Wagtails 12 Redwings by Eagley Junior School flew towards High Meadows, so 4 seen there later were possibly from the dozen. 3 Mistle Thrushes along Chapeltown Road 2 Jays in a tree at front of Turton High School by Bromley Cross Road + the usual resident species
Holts Fold :- Only 3 Meadow Pipits this morning. A Cormorant flew over.
4 Snipe flew up from a field by Holts Fold Farm this morning. About 10 minutes later 2 of them flew across the field between the farm & Last Drop Village. Other birds around the farm included a Kestrel & 20 Swallows.
70+ Goldfinches around thistles in horse field + more around thistles by the farmyard Also 20+ Swallows A couple of Willow Warblers calling from the edge of the golf course
Raven flew into Tong Clough at lunchtime. Spent a few minutes in the tree tops before it had enough of Magpies & Carrion Crows harassing it. Maybe the same bird I saw flying low over my garden on Saturday morning heading towards the clough.
A Raven flew up from the path by Last Drop Village and landed on the nearby stone wall. It refused to budge when a Crow mobbed it and even allowed me close up photos. Still on the wall as I checked Holts Fold, where birds included :- 1 Kestrel 8 Swallows 1 House Martin 1 Skylark 1 Mistle Thrush
1 Kestrel hunting around the fields. Whilst chatting to a mate we had the pleasure of it landing on the wires at the farm, only a few yards away. It spent a few minutes staring at the ground unconcerned about our close presence. Swallows at the farm were not impressed with the Kestrel when it flew off through the farmyard. 2 Swifts flew through. Others seen around the village and very high above the village. Flock of 7 Mistle Thrushes 1 Pied Wagtail Lots of House Sparrows behind Last Drop included juveniles 3 Goldfinches 1 Lesser Redpoll + other regular common species
8 Swifts around the village at rooftop height this morning joined by a couple of others which flew in from Sharples direction.
c20 House Martins around the bottom end of Queen's Avenue. Good to see a pair nesting again near the top end of Queen's Avenue now that people have stopped hanging supermarket plastic bags out of their upstairs windows.
All reports I have had about the Oystercatchers at Birtenshaw School from when I was away have been the same. No sign of any juveniles but lots of Magpies on the roof.
Kestrel & a Meadow Pipit at Holts Fold this morning with the usual Swallows & Pied Wagtails. 32 Black-headed Gulls. I checked them all but could not find anything unusual.
Decent start to the day around Last Drop around 7am. 2 Whitethroats, 1 Willow Warbler, 1 Nuthatch, 1 Linnet, a couple of Lesser Redpolls, and of course the nesting House Sparrows.
Good finish to today's birding as well. The female Sparrowhawk near home from a couple of days ago was flying around my cul-de-sac when I got to my front door.
A tour of most of the village this morning in the drizzle to update this year's records.
Holts Fold/Last Drop/top of Hospital Road :- No sign of the Wheatear or the Reed Bunting from yesterday but a Lapwing is not a bad record at the farm. A Greylag flying over Bromley Cross heading for Egerton was joined by another one which flew across the golf course after hearing the noisy first bird. 1 Pied Wagtail at the farm, 1 Willow Warbler by the golf course, 1 Nuthatch along Windy Harbour Lane, 3 Lesser Redpolls.
Eagley Junior School/Turton High School :- Pair of Canada Geese, 16 Black-headed Gulls, 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull, 1 Blackcap, 2 Willow Warblers, 2 Goldcrests, 1 Nuthatch.
Birtenshaw :- 1 Grey Heron on the field behing the farm, Oystercatcher on the new school roof, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 1 Swallow, 4 Song Thrushes, 2 Goldcrests, 2 Nuthatches.
Tong Clough :- 1 Goldcrest, 2 Nuthatches, pair of Bullfinches.
Other species seen this morning :- Feral Pigeons, Woodpigeons, Collared Doves, Wrens, Dunnocks, Robins, Blackbirds, Long-tailed Tits, Coal Tits, Great Tits, Blue Tits, Magpies, Jackdaws, Carrion Crows, Starlings, House Sparrows, Chaffinches, Greenfinches, Goldfinches.
Whitethroat back on territory this morning between Last Drop & golf course.
Oystercatcher on the golf course at 7.45am. It had moved over to the footpath from Last Drop to Holts Fold at 12.30pm. This now seems to be a daily occurence, covering golf course & farm fields.
Holts Fold. Early visit at 7.15am, + late morning around 11.45am.
An Oystercatcher flew from a golf course fairway to the nearby field on my early visit. The bird was on the same field on my later visit, but as I crossed the footpath heading for Last Drop it flew off heading down into Bromley Cross.
Other birds here today included 2 Pied Wagtails, 1 Willow Warbler, 50+ Starlings, 2 Chaffinches, 4 Greenfinches, 3 Goldfinches, & 2 Linnets.
My first House Martin of the year. It flew across the front of me & then under the eaves of a house at the top end of Bromley Cross Road as I headed home from Jumbles.
Before my Jumbles trip I had a Linnet At Holts Fold around 9am.
Birtenshaw :- I went to check if Swallows were back at the farm. None seen but Andy the farmer said they had been back since about 3 or 4 days ago Pair of Oystercatchers at the school.
Turton School/Eagley Junior School :- Numerous Black-headed Gulls & an immature Lesser Black-backed Gull. Mistle Thrush & a Nuthatch among the usual stuff.
Holts Fold :- A strong biting wind meant no small birds showing & not many larger ones either.
Tong Clough & Eagley Lodges :- Pair of Canada Geese, 4 Mallards, 3 Moorhens. Female Sparrowhawk very noisy as it soared around, Woodpigeons, Collared Doves, Wrens, Dunnocks, Robins, Blackbirds, 1 Blackcap, 3 Chiffchaffs, Long-tailed Tits, Coal Tits, Great Tits, Blue Tits, pair of Nuthatches, Magpies, Jackdaws, Carrion Crows, Starlings, House Sparrows, Chaffinches, Greenfinches, Goldfinches, Siskins, Bullfinches.