Two days of good weather with the river at normal level for the first time in four weeks, Sunshine, light easterly, one to 8 degrees.
Sightings for two full days...
Blue Tit...good numbers all round showing signs of nesting and in Song
Great Tit....as above.
Coal Tit....better numbers for many years.
Long-tailed Tit....Several on the feeders, and small flocks at Irwell vale and Chatterton.
Goldfinch....over last couple of years the most increased finch in the area, still in many charms of 20 plus.
Chaffinch.....again good numbers in most woodland, none heard in song.
Bullfinch....difficult to say but I think numbers are down, two pair regular at feeding station, pairs at Porritt lodge and Lumb.
Greenfinch.....none seen did have 3/4 Near East view lodge last weekend but none over these two days.
Robin....everywhere and many in song
Wren....as above.
Dunnock....good numbers with several displaying.
House Sparrow.....good colonies in Chatterton and Irwell vale.
Nuthatch.....numbers as good as ever.
Blackbird.....after being fairly scarce during the winter there numbers seam ok.
Song Thrush.....only one or two feeding along the railway bank, but yesterday evening several in Song around the route.
Redwing.....flock of 16 in Lumb wood today.
Great Spotted Woodpecker......5/6 pair two of which were in and out of nest holes.
Green Woodpecker......one calling in Lumb Wood.
Jackdaw....many hundreds moving south and back north up and down the valley, several building nests in chimneys around Strongstry and Irwell Vale.
Carrion Crow.....good numbers moving around, some nest building in Strongstry.
Magpie....Several pairs especially in Irwell Vale
Jay.....Several have visited the feeding station all winter, either more in the area or they are more tolerant of disturbance.
Dipper.....three pair on territory one in full song today.
Kingfisher......one Male was quite interested in the bank in Strongstry where the Sand Martins nest, another was near a usual nest site in Irwell Vale.
Grey Wagtail.....disappointingly only one seen at Alderbottom.
Mallard....many pairs on the river.
Moorhen.....single on a small lodge in Lumb.
Goosander.......five including one Male at Alderbottom.
Grey Heron (see note below).....one sitting bird near soap works in Irwell vale.
Gulls....over the two days a steady movement of Gulls overhead mostly Black-headed with some Lesser Black Backed.
Wood Pigeon.....large flocks around Buckden wood and Helmshore road areas.
Collared Dove....several pairs especially in Irwell vale.
Stock Dove.....one regular pair at feeding station.
Buzzard....one yesterday over Chatterton and two over Lumb wood today.
Kestrel....one unusually in Chatterton wood yesterday.
Woodcock....over the last couple of years odd sightings of this species, but this spring PaulG has had several flushed around Porritt lodge and especially Chatterton wood which is privately owned, with permission we have checked and found possibly two pair, these will now be left undisturbed but we will check for displaying males over the next couple of weeks.
Note....There is a private lodge in the fields below Lodge Farm, Holcombe Road, if I remember rightly I was told a long time ago Herons bred there, so I checked and found four nests, three were occupied and the other looked used but no birds seen, while there I found two more interesting species, a single Little Greebe was feeding happily, only saw one, more interesting was a pair of Coot which looked very much at home on the lodge, I cant find any record of these two species on this water, any records would be appreciated.
Thank you for the records, over the last couple of years a lot has changed in this area, grants have been given by Natural England for fencing to protect a local SSSI site from grazing by stock, the lodge in question is now fully fenced and gated.
I have spoken to people who used to fish in there a long time ago and it did not appear to have a name then, it was drained sometime in the late seventies and it filled naturally albeit at a lower level, I have checked old maps but no name, it does not appear on any United Utilities web site.
