14.30 - 15.30 hrs.

Siberian Chiffchaff showing well .... it's certainly a wick 'un compared to the other 2 Chiffchaff.

Other sightings same as Marks plus Wren and Sparrowhawk over.

Nice to meet the finder, Paul Hurst.

Roger.

Bill Myerscough wrote:

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What a fantastic find and ID Paul. Well done! That's certainly raised the profile of Wince Brook. Just hope that you are not expecting a bit of peace and quiet and the area just to yourself tomorrow....when half of the members of this forum descend on the area to have a look for this bird!

Have you got that rarity report form filled out yet?

Best wishes,

Bill.

-- Edited by Bill Myerscough on Friday 1st of February 2013 06:18:34 PM

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It isn't peaceful and quiet at all, Bill! I've never seen another birder on the Wince before, so it was a bit of a change to be chatting with groups of birders as they came and went! I hardly recognise the place. The Siberian Chiffchaff has been showing well, though it is just as energetic as the previous days. The sun was out too, so there was some good light for photos.
As for the rarity report, it's coming along just nicely.
Cheers,
Paul

Siberian Chiffchaff still present this morning in its usual spot just upstream from the bridge.

Info thanks to Iain Johnson

I managed to squeeze in a little visit just before midday today, and, like Ian just said, all three Chiffchaffs were present, including the Siberian Chiffchaff who has finally managed to empty the battery in my camera, as I tried again and again to get a decent photo. I don't know how many photos I've taken over the past week, but I can safely say two thirds of them at least are either empty or blurred!

Ian McKerchar wrote:

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All that said it was a terrific bird, a real rarity in the county and a very good find indeed . Quite remarkable really that the small area of bushes along the brook there should attract 3 overwintering Chiffchaffs anyway, although the amount of midges out today in the still and rather warm air was surprising.

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And to think that just over a month ago I was overjoyed at finding just one wintering Chiffchaff!

dave broome wrote:

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Paul, from Wood Lane I went over the footbridge then left on to a footpath over a series of boardwalks. When I went through a stile or squeeze gap in to a more open area, just past a pylon on the left, I walked in to the mature copse to overlook the river valley and the Woodcock flew up from the leaf litter. Thanks for the directions to the Chiffchaff's favoured spot.

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Thanks for the location of the Woodcock, Dave. It seems that I've missed a good bird on my patch.

Cheers,
Paul

What a fantastic find and ID Paul. Well done! That's certainly raised the profile of Wince Brook. Just hope that you are not expecting a bit of peace and quiet and the area just to yourself tomorrow....when half of the members of this forum descend on the area to have a look for this bird!

Have you got that rarity report form filled out yet?

Best wishes,

Bill.

-- Edited by Bill Myerscough on Friday 1st of February 2013 06:18:34 PM

dave broome wrote:

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A minimum of two, probably three Chiffchaff today, alongside Wince Brook in the vicinity of the footbridge off Wood Lane/Albany Street. The bird resembling Siberian Chiffchaff was feeding several times along the banking, a short distance upstream of the bridge, near the Buddleia mentioned by Paul Hurst, a Privet overhanging the river and low down among dead Japanese Knotweed canes. It was unfortunately silent while I watched it. I did hear a normal Chiffchaff call once.

Watching upstream from the bridge is a good spot, as the main downfall of the Chiffchaff's favoured area is that it's difficult to avoid overlooking private gardens. A change in the river bed does create noise at that point though.

Also seen: 3 Goldcrest, 2 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 1 Woodcock, 14 Siskin, 2 Teal, 1 Grey Wagtail

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Glad you could see it! I was wondering if it had already decided to move off! I'm happy I'm not the only one to have seen it now.

You said that you had also seen a Woodcock. Could you tell me where (or in what conditions)?

Cheers,
Paul

Lawson Dauer wrote:

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Was that 'my' link Ian? Sorry! Not being very techy, such things never enter my thinking.

-- Edited by Lawson Dauer on Wednesday 30th of January 2013 02:11:04 PM

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Absolutely not a problem

Just popped over for an hour, and sadly enough the Siberian Chiffchaff wasn't has showy as last time. I found it fairly quickly (in its favourite bush), but it was a lot more active, moving along the brook more often, even going past the bridge. I saw it for only 20 minutes, and then it disappeared with the only other Chiffchaff I could locate. However, I think I heard a Chiffchaff from the gardens behind the brook, so maybe it has decided to follow it and leave the brook for a bit. It couldn't have gone off with all those high winds, could it? Even the other Chiffchaffs were hard to find. The bird called once, though I didn't manage to record it once again!

(By the way, why has the width of this thread suddenly grown?)

I would also suggest (if you have them) wellingtons in all but the driest weather. Although the main pathways are all very obvious, there are very few that don't have little dips & hollows that collect quite large pools & patches of mud.

Colette,

Walk down the slope at the back of the hall & you come to a stone bridge. The easiest 'tour' is then either turn left onto the pathway immediately before the bridge & walk downstream. Eventually, after about 1/2 mile you will come to a metal bridge where you can cross over the river - you are now looking at Silburn Way lodge. Turn right once over river & progress upstream via the various lodges, back to the stone bridge. Alternatively, when you first approach the stone bridge, cross the river there, then turn immediately left - in effect, the first route but in reverse.

Hope all this makes sense.

Just popped over for an hour and a half, and within 1 minute I was happily watching the (supposed) Siberian Chiffchaff and its cousins jumping about low in the vegetation. It's favourite bush (a butterfly bush, I think) has the very precise coordinates 53.544695,-2.183509, but you can find it all along the ledge of the brook from the bridge (Near Wood lane/Albany street), to about 70 yards up stream. It is showing incredibly well. I just had to sit on the other side of the brook and observe it as long as I want!. Few more pics taken, and a few more plumage details all giving weight to its identity. The bird is still as silent as ever, with a possible call or two at one point (which I think I managed to record, but there was a lot of other birds about). It seems that you are able to park along Grimshaw lane, but don't take my word for it!

Collette Collier wrote:

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So I just follow the path round.? I no that sounds a bit daft but its ok if you no the area but I've got pretty dire sense of direction (and a dodgy hip so try to limit my walking somewhat. Not lazy honest)

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There are paths, but there you could just walk anywhere. It all depends if you want to get wet and muddy or not! There is also a board walk, which sort of follows the brook, but it is very slippery where there is no chicken wire to give it grip. Also bear in mind that the land isn't flat, there is a sort of line of hills and with all the rain, the sides of the hills can be very slippery. It is incredibly muddy at the moment. Because it is a strip of land, you basically have to retrace your steps if you want to go back.

I did see a goldcrest hanging around with the Siberian chiffchaff this morning, singing like mad again. Finally, Before this morning I was going to say that I haven't seen a Great Spotted Woodpecker since October, but I heard one this morning, so I can happily say there is still one nearby, probably closer to the Greengate side where it is more wooded.

Hi guys

Just picking up on this thread, I live not far from gardeners arms roundabout. I've never heard of wince brook but guessing its pretty local to me.? Please could someone guide me to a good spot where you can park and where the main places for birding are. (If that's even possible) ?

I'd like too see woodpeckers of any type and goldcrest anything really out of ordinary.?

Thanks in advance guys

Not sure I know where the Gardners Arms is - I'm sure that there used to be more than one of them in Middleton.

Anyway to answer your question, Wince Brook Nature Reserve is the green strip of land along the Wince Brook, which a tributary of the River Irk and runs between Rochdale Road at the Western End (where the Brook joins with The Irk in Alkrington Woods) and Greengate at the Eastern End. The Western end used to be farmland (at least it was when I were a lad) and the Eastern end was once Brookside pitch and putt course (sadly missed by myself). When the farm finally went and St Dominic's comprehensive was demolished and the surrounding land built on, the land kind of fell into disuse. It was always fairly course grassland where cows were kept and there used to be hare that could often be seen 'hareing' over the fields ... But of late has just been a green space where people went to walk their dogs.

Rochdale Council has in recent years made a start at improving the paths and putting up nice 'Wince Brook Nature Reserve' signs at ether end. The ground is pretty rough and in weather like this it does get very wet and boggy, so wellies are a good idea at most times of the year!

The brook itself is quite shallow but generally fast flowing, but is popular in winter at least with Mallard and Teal, plus fairly regular Goosander. There are plenty of corvids (mainly Magpie and Carrion Crow), but Rook also used to be regular. The bushes hold the usual small passerines and the fields can hold Meadow Pipit (and Yellowhammer in my youth). There is often a Kestrel hunting from the powerlines and Sparrowhawk are fairly regular. In summer there are plenty of the common Warblers, good numbers of butterflies and there certainly used to be Sand Martin nesting along the brook.

There isn't much in the way of woodland, with an area of Silver Birch in the area down from the junction of Mainway East and Kirkway (near the Apple and Pear pub). I have heard Great Spotted Woodpecker in that area, but the habitat is not as good as that in Alkrington Woods.

As for Goldcrest, I heard and saw them regularly in a small copse at the Western End. You can park at Peach Bank near Warwick Mill, just down from the church of the latter day saints. walk down to the brook and cross over the bridge. More or less straight-ahead there is a small copse with a house on the hill behind it. You will usually hear their call coming from the area of the conifers. I think that Paul has seen them elsewhere, but that was a great spot for me during 2012.

Alternative parking places would be on Kirkway - but not too close to St Peter's school. Alternatively, there are probably several residential streets off Grimshaw lane where you could park and then take one of the paths to one of several bridges over the brook.


Rochdale' Green action plan for Middleton - withseveral mentions of Wince Brook

http://www.rochdale.gov.uk/PDF/2011-09-14_Middleton_GI_Aug_2011.pdf


-- Edited by Charles Farrell on Monday 28th of January 2013 10:06:59 PM

One of the best birding days I've had for a very long time!

A record of 30 species seen on one trip, meant I had finally broken the 27 species barrier. The highlight was the female STONECHAT that was hanging around Greengate end, which brought my patch list to 49.

Other highlights include:
50+ Teals
10 Redwings
15 Siskins
1 local Kestrel
1 Grey Wagtail (same bird as last time)
1 Goosander
1 Common Gull over
1 singing Goldfinch

But it was the Chiffchaffs which proved the most intriguing. I always saw a Chiffchaff hanging around the bridge in the middle of the reserve (slightly closer to Kirkway than Greengate), but today I saw 3! If that wasn't enough, one of them was distinctly paler and greyer, with a longer supercilium, so I'm pretty sure it is at least the subspecies abientinus, if not a subspecies further east... though I'm still rubbish at deciphering the subtle differences between subspecies, so I doubt that the bird has come further than Scandinavia.

Yet, the most memorable moment of all was when the heavens opened up and left me staggering through the hail, looking for some sort of evergreen tree or bush. I quickly located some evergreen bushes, and found them already taken by a little singing Goldcrest. Sheltering under the little bushes, I watched the bird searching for insects, singing the whole time, puffing up its little crest and showing of the vivid orange underneath. It was only a yard away at times. It was amazing to see this bird so close, both of us sheltering under the same bush, both keeping an eye on each other. The sun quickly came back and the Goldcrest suddenly had enough of me and flew off to another bush.

This is why I go birding...


-- Edited by Paul Hurst on Sunday 27th of January 2013 10:18:16 PM

Bill Myerscough wrote:

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A small flock of c10 Meadow Pipit were flushed from off a slipped bit of sandy river bank near the Greengate end of the Wince.

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Wow! Well done, Bill! That is only the second time I've heard of meadow pipits on the reserve, so it must be some sort of mega sighting (relatively)! My only record of meadow pipits is one calling as it flew off.
By the looks of it, you had a vastly more productive trip than the one I did last Sunday, which was so glum I didn't even bother to post my sightings on the forum: no Goosanders, only 12 Teal, and very little thrushes (I notice you saw some Redwings as well!).

While I'm at it, better post the rest of my (scant) sightings from last Sunday (19/01)
Local Kestrel
A flock of Goldfinches
Quite a few gulls flying about (as usual)
An adult male Grey Wagtail with some sort of moult in the primaries (sole real highlight of a cold, dark, trip)

Cheers,

Paul

An unfortunate family mix-up meant that instead of going for a walk at Dovestones to look for some Crossbills and check out the feeders, I ended up stuck in the Manchester sales...
So I only managed to get a late walk on the Moss (as the people here call it), with the darkness and the weather severely dampening my spirits, not even interested in taking my usual field notes.
But the discovery of 3 Lesser Redpoll soon cheered me up! I've been looking for these birds for some time, so the fact that I found them on my patch makes it a bonus! Unfortunately, they didn't stay long, and flew off beyond the houses and away. But I'm keeping a big lookout now, especially as there's lots of alders about.

Visit yesterday (Sunday), from 12 to 13:30.
After visiting this place when it was raining and when it was warm and sunny, I was interested to see what birds I would see when it was freezing! But once again I only found 27 species, which is roughly the same as my previous visits (see previous posts), but once again I saw different birds, with 2 site tick to boot.
All the mud was frozen, so it was easy to get about. Highlights were a Little Grebe down the Middleton junction end, hanging around the bend of the brook where the current isn't as strong. I read up that they prefer slow moving rivers, so I suppose that this one has moved in with the cold. Another site tick and my first of the season was a flock of Siskin, hanging around some alders (which I had never noticed before). The Kingfisher has been seen again, at the bend beyond old 'spiky pipe', just like a couple of months ago. I'm happy it's sticking around, it's proof that the waters are cleaner. Finally, Goosanders numbers are up to 5-6, another consequence of the cold?

List Highlights:
1 Little grebe
10 Siskins
1 Kingfisher
1 Kestrel
1 Jay (the same one who surprised me a couple of weeks ago with his "Kewik" call.)
1 Grey wagtail
2 Bullfinches (local couple)

Lots of Blackbirds: with every visit I'm seeing more and more, usually in the same places. Still no other thrushes.
I have to say, doing the same circuit every two weeks for that Winter Thrush survey is helping me get a good idea of the avifauna in the area, I'm starting to expect the same individuals in the same areas now. Before I just wandered about aimlessly taking little notes.

Sun 18th Nov (10:40 - 11:05):
Quick scan of the Middleton end around Kirkway. Lovely Clear Blue sky and not too cold.
- Kestrel hunting from perches in the taller trees and the power lines
- 2 Greenfinch feeding with 2 Goldfinch
- Chaffinch calling
- Goldcrest
- Mix of Great, Blue and Long-tailed Tit feeding in conifers
- Small numbers of Jackdaws, Magpies, Woodpigeon and the usual small passerines

Hi Paul,

Very interested to read your post and the earlier one from Charles and to see that this area now has its own thread.

Wince Brook is not far from where I live in Chadderton and although I don't visit the area too often I did survey part of the eastern end of the brook (towards Greengate) for the recent BTO and GM Breeding Birds Atlas projects. I certainly agree that the area is under watched and I'm quite sure that whilst the brook was once polluted it now appears to have very clean waters and hence the presence of species such as Kingfisher, Goosander, Teal and Grey Heron. Mallard and Moorhen, in most years, seem able to raise some young, which is great as I regularly hear stories of Mink along the nearby Rochdale Canal. Grey Wagtail seems to be present on most on my visits and I hope and almost expect to find Dipper one day soon, particularly with a few pairs now resident along the River Irk, into which the Wince flows.

The Goosander count is a good one, particularly so for October. Not sure what the record count is but my own highest count was of 7 (2 males, 5 females) on 8th February 2012 and was in the middle of a spell of harsh winter weather. I've also seen Snipe feeding along the edge of the brook in similar conditions, when all their usual preferred haunts were probably iced over. My highest count of Teal here was c30, once again during harsh winter weather, on 7th December 2010.

Good luck on your future visits.

Best wishes,

Bill.