10.20am to 11.15am mooch around Last Drop/Holts Fold.
On my way up there I saw 30+ Goldfinches fly into the trees at what used to be Blair's Hospital, houses now.
Pied Wagtails on roofs at Last Drop Village, around the 18th green, and at Holts Fold Farm (14)
Meadow Pipits on the wires at Holts Fold. They flew off as I was counting them joining a flock of Greenfinches which I had not seen, in the bushes by the golf course. The mixed flock flew off across the golf course showing the flock to be 50+, most of them Greenfinches. With some Meadow Pipits still around + the ones flying off I counted 20+ pipits. Not long after the mixed flock flew off a small flock of Chaffinches flew over to the golf course.
80+ Starlings at the pylon on farm fields near the bottom of Haydock Lane. 21 Woodpigeons, most of them on the same fields.
House Sparrows at Last Drop & Ramwells Court.
2 Song Thrushes with a few Blackbirds in a garden on Windy Harbour Lane.
Turton High School at 7.40am :- 100+ Black-headed Gulls, 4 Common Gulls, 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
Holts Fold/Last Drop at 10.30am :- 2 Meadow Pipits, 8 Pied Wagtails, 1 Mistle Thrush, 1 Jay, 51 Jackdaws flying over, 40+ Goldfinches. 4 Carrion Crows flying from Last Drop Village included 2 with apples in their mouths. No apple trees there so I do not know where they found them.
28 Meadow Pipits at Holts Fold this morning as the mist cleared after 10am. Also counted 28 on wires after mid-day. 1 Skylark flying over 7 Pied Wagtails. Another flock of 13 on the golf course 1 Grey Wagtail flew from the golf course to Last Drop 1 Kestrel 2 Mistle Thrushes 1 Jay Mixed flock of Goldfinches/Greenfinches. About 10 of each species. 1 Siskin
20+ House Martins with 20+ Swallows at Holts Fold at 8am, all of them put up from the wires by a male Sparrowhawk. 10 Meadow Pipits. Goldfinches split into a few smaller flocks this morning.
Goldfinches everywhere (150+) with a few Chaffinches & Siskins Greenfinch flocks of 8 & 16 broke off from the Goldfinches. 200+ Starlings 22 Swallows 55 Woodpigeons 19 Pied Wagtails. Most of them seen on golf course and at Holts Fold. A Grey Wagtail with them seen only on golf course.
A flock of Long-tailed Tits & a Nuthatch in gardens on Hospital Road.
Very misty at 7am and no sign or sound of any Swallows or finches at Holts Fold.
Much better at 10.30am when I got back there as I saw a dozen Swallows flying about. Still no sign of finches until a female Sparrowhawk flew into some distant thistles and put up 100+ Goldfinches. I did not spot any Greenfinches amongst them.
The House Martins which dropped in at Holts Fold yesterday still there at 7am this morning with the Swallows, making a flock of 200 birds. All the birds flew up as I was heading off past the golf clubhouse. It looked like they were leaving the area. No sign of any this afternoon. 100+ finches still around, with a few Siskins.
If I had done a full count instead of rushing off to check the Edgworth Moors maybe I would have got the Arctic Skuas !
Checked the flocks at Holts Fold at 7.45am before heading across to Egerton. Goldfinches/Greenfinches approximately 150 c90 Swallows on wires Other birds included a Kestrel on the wires, a Great Spotted Woodpecker behind the Last Drop, and a Grey Heron flying off the pond at the golf course. Also 20 Pied Wagtails at the 18th.
At lunchtime I went back to Holts Fold to check for butterflies. Not many finches about and only a few Swallows. I did not find any butterflies but it was a good idea anyway as at 12.30pm dozens of House Martins started flying in from over the golf course. Most of them stopped to land on the wires, with the others flying about close by. It took a few minutes before birds stopped arriving by which time I had counted about 120 birds. Lots of the missing Swallows from this morning also flew in to join them.
9.10am to 9.50am around Last Drop & Holts Fold. Also had a check for anything different at noon.
1 Kestrel 3 Black-headed Gulls 13 Feral Pigeons 42 Woodpigeons 1 Collared Dove c40 Swallows 1 Meadow Pipit No Pied Wagtails at Holts Fold but 16 at the golf course 2 Wrens 5 Robins 2 Blackbirds 2 Mistle Thrushes 6 Magpies 4 Jackdaws 4 Carrion Crows 19 Starlings this morning but about 160 on wires at lunchtime. As usual each time I tried to count them some dropped to the ground. Approximately 80 finches when seen in flight. Seemed to be just Greenfinches & Goldfinches, no Siskins heard.
Full tour of Last Drop/Holts Fold/Hospital Road area from 7.10am.
1 Grey Heron flying across 3 Black-headed Gulls 72 Woodpigeons, most of them on farm fields near Chapeltown Road 2 Collared Doves 30+ Swallows 2 Pied Wagtails which flew over to the golf course which took the total at the 18th green to 23 2 Wrens 4 Robins 3 Blackbirds 1 Willow Warbler 2 Goldcrests 2 Coal Tits 2 Great Tits 3 Blue Tits 1 Jay 3 Magpies 1 Jackdaw 3 Carrion Crows 70+ Starlings 10+ House Sparrows 3 Chaffinches Goldfinches/Greenfinches. A tractor driving into the farmyard put the whole flock up and this time I counted a little over 200 birds up in the air. 2 Siskins
Before I got a chance to check the finches a Kestrel flew in and landed on the wires putting everything up, which meant I had about 300 birds up in the air (Swallows, Goldfinches, Greenfinches, & Starlings.
The only birds not panicking were 8 Meadow Pipits on nearby wires.
Holts Fold/Last Drop from 7am to 7.30am & another mooch on way back from Jumbles late morning.
1 Kestrel 1 Black-headed Gull 1 Feral Pigeon 44 Woodpigeons 80+ Swallows on the wires at the farm 3 House Martins with the Swallows 3 Pied Wagtails 5 Robins 1 Blackbird 1 Coal Tit 2 Great Tits 2 Blue Tits 7 Magpies 11 Jackdaws 4 Rooks flying over 9 Carrion Crows 16 Starlings 10+ House Sparrows 1 Chaffinch The large flock of Goldfinches & Greenfinches, similar numbers to last visit Siskins heard flying over, a few individuals
1 Kestrel 1 Black-headed Gull 1 House Martin flying around 20+ Swallows 1 Meadow Pipit 3 Pied Wagtails 1 Grey Wagtail flew past me. Not long after I found it on top of the greenkeepers' unit on the golf course. 3 Robins 1 Blackbird 1 Whitethroat 3 Goldcrests 5 Magpies 1 Rook flying over 2 Carrion Crows 7 Starlings 8 Chaffinches 30+ Greenfinches 100+ Goldfinches 3 Siskins 1 Linnet 3 Bullfinches 1 Reed Bunting
Last Drop/Holts Fold was even better than yesterday. Surprising what a couple of fields of Ragwort and thistles can attract. Also horses churning up one of the fields may be helping.
8.20am to 9.10am :- 1 Kestrel 1 Pheasant 3 Black-headed Gulls 2 Feral Pigeons 14 Woodpigeons 1 House Martin 20+ Swallows 5 Meadow Pipits 3 Pied Wagtails 1 Wren 4 Robins 1 Blackbird 1 Coal Tit 1 Great Tit 2 Blue Tits 3 Magpies 1 Jackdaw 10 Carrion Crows 18 Starlings 2 Chaffinches c30 Greenfinches 100+ Goldfinches 1 Siskin with the Goldfinches + 1 flying over 3 Bullfinches
Additional sightings from 12.30pm to 12.55pm :- 1 Wheatear 2 Rooks flying over More than one Siskin about when I got back here but I was surprised to see a flock of 30+ fly away from the Goldfinches flock. A few minutes later another 10 flew across from the edge of the golf course, the ones I heard on my return. 1 Reed Bunting
Half hour this morning (8am to 8.30am) and it took me another half hour to check all the birds gain this afternoon (14.20 to 14.50) around Last Drop and Holts Fold.
1 Buzzard overhead this afternoon 14 Black-headed Gulls 9 Woodpigeons 20+ Swallows Meadow Pipits and Pied Wagtails included some wandering on the golf course road together. Half a dozen of each species. 1 Dunnock 5 Robins 2 Blackbirds 1 Whitethroat 1 Willow Warbler 1 flock of Long-tailed Tits 1 Great Tit 1 Jay 4 Magpies 5 Carrion Crows Only 9 Starlings this morning but 120+ this afternoon A few House Sparrows at Last Drop 1 Chaffinch 100+ Goldfinches 20+ Greenfinches. Hard to get an exact count as they were mixed with the Goldfinches. Could have been as many as 30. 1 Linnet. On wires in the morning, on thistles in the afternoon. I think it was the same bird. No sign of any others amongst the Goldfinches.
Went to check butterflies around the scrubland behind Last Drop Village (see other sightings for insects seen). As I was mooching around the thistles I was astonished to see a Kingfisher fly past me. It had come from the direction of Holts Fold Farm and then followed the footpath along the edge of the golf course towards Cox Green Quarry. Beyond Holts Fold Farm is Jumbles so maybe the one seen earlier this morning down there ? My first ever record for Turton Golf Course.
Other birds seen :- Dunnocks, Black-headed Gull, Swift, a few Swallows, Woodpigeons, 2 Whitethroats, Magpies, Carrion Crows, Greenfinches, Goldfinches, Bullfinch.
Started the day's birding checking school playing fields. A dozen Black-headed Gulls at Turton High School. 3 Canada Geese at Eagley Junior School 1 Grey Heron at the top of these fields, presumably there is some frogspawn there.
Finished off today's birding late morning at Holts Fold Farm/Last Drop. No winter thrushes for a change, probably explains the extra birds at Turton Tower this morning. 1 Skylark 2 Pied Wagtails 7 Black-headed Gulls 21 Woodpigeons 7 Rooks 10+ Magpies 10+ Carrion Crows 20+ Jackdaws 15 Starlings 2 Nuthatches Plenty of House Sparrows at top of Haydock Lane & Last Drop A few Chaffinches, Greenfinches, & Goldfinches
Horse field full of Redwings when I got there at 11.35am. Seemed more than usual, especially when footpath by the field to Last Drop was also covered in Redwings. When birds from footpath flew up, as did the field ones, I estimated at least 120, As usual a few Fieldfare were on the field, with 15+ Goldfinches with a few Chaffinches. Yesterday I searched all the golf course for Skylarks without finding any but had two on this field this morning, with a couple of Meadow Pipits. Two Mistle Thrushes were on a different field.
As I headed over the fields from Last Drop to Cox Green Road a Lesser Redpoll flew over. Another 20+ Redwings were by Cox Green Road with a few Siskins heard.
Nobody around Turton High School/Eagley Junior School this morning at 8.30am so did a full count. 80+ Black-headed Gulls 2 Lesser black-backed Gulls 6 Common Gulls 5 Feral Pigeons 9 Woodpigeons 4 Dunnocks 5 Robins 5 Blackbirds 1 Mistle Thrush 4 Long-tailed Tits 10+ Blue Tits 2 Great Tits 1 Nuthatch 2 Carrion Crows 3 Rooks flying over 50+ Starlings c10 House Sparrows 2 Chaffinches 1 Goldfinch 2 Greenfinches
11am on Holts Fold fields. 40+ Redwings, 5 Fieldfares, 1 Meadow Pipit, a dozen Goldfinches, & a few Chaffinches.
Tong Clough 1.20pm. 10+ Redwings & a Buzzard flying over.
A Grey Wagtail by the stream in Tong Clough was a surprise this afternoon. Also had Bullfinches with the more usual Chaffinches, Goldfinches, & Greenfinches.
7 Swifts flying up from Darwen Road at 7.30am as I headed for Last Drop.
Pair of Mallards, a Swallow, a Great Spotted Woodpecker calling, and a male Bullfinch at Last Drop. A Grey Heron flew past very low. Pair of Whitethroats as usual on the scrubland at the back. Yesterday I saw 2 drake Mallards following a female along Carlisle Street, and the day before Mallards were seen by a mate walking along Ramwells Brow. Other mates have recently told me of birds on various streets around the village.