[Osprey_watcher]

I live in a village called Wardle which is on the Lancashire/Yorkshire border.
A few minutes walk from my front door is a country park that has a resevoir and a nature reserve with a hide. I often walk up and sit in the hide for an hour or so watching the birds and taking photos (none of which are any good). I spend a lot of time in the lake district watching the ospreys that breed there.

[Stephen Dunstan]

Hi Eddie,

Which country park is that? I am vaguely aware of Wardle, but didn't think it was in Lancashire.

Stephen.

[Sandra (Taylor)]

That must be Watergrove you're talking about, Osprey watcher! Know it well. We live even closer to the border - at Walsden, a few miles from you. In fact if you walk over the moor from Watergrove you'll have to pass our house to complete your circuit.

Watergrove is the local patch of our pal and I bet you've seen him in that hide.

Looking forward to waxwings - bet you are too. Watergrove seems to hold lots of rarities throughout the year. Our friend is always telling us what he's seen.

Sandra

[Stephen Dunstan]

I thought Watergrove was in Greater Manchester?

I'm confused...

[Osprey_watcher]

Stephen, officially Wardle is in Greater Manchester but us locals have always refused to recognise the county border changes and never use Greater Manchester. Once a Lanc, always a Lanc.

Sandra, yes that's the one. Saw my first ever Green Woodpecker on Sunday at Watergrove. But the small ponds in the nature reserves were frozen over so not much happening there. There was what looked like a Great Crested Grebe on the reservoir, but I thought they only came in the summer and it was a long way out even with binoculars.
And one of my best mates works for Gordon Riggs. He's at the Rochdale branch but spends some of his time at what he calls 'The Yorkshire Branch'.

[Sandra (Taylor)]

Don't think Greater Manchester ever appears on addresses, does it Eddie? Wardle definitely in Lancashire.

I live just over the road from the garden centre. Had some waxwings nearby at beg. of this year. I wonder how many of the garden centre visitors walked underneath the trees they were in without noticing!

Sandra

[brian fielding]

i have visited watergrove many times in the last two years, i was lucky enough to help identify the broad-billed sandpiper there this year with steve atkins and chris johnston, happy days