Neils UK list. based in Lancashire (1 Viewer)

[purpleturtle]

1/1/12 Home (Billington, Lancashire)

1. Carrion crow
2. Starling
3. Goldfinch
4. Cormorant
5. Wood pigeon
6. Chaffinch
7. House sparrow
8. Collared dove
9. Jackdaw
10. Blackbird
11. LBB gull
12. BH gull
13. Robin
14. Great tit
15. Mallard
16. Blue tit
17. Dunnock
18. Magpie
19. Jay
20. Rook

 

[purpleturtle]

4-5/1/12 Burholme farm, Dunsop bridge

Having just about recovered from a cold, I set out to see the reported Dark bellied brent goose at Dunsop Bridge. Weather was abysmal with most sightings through the car windscreen but my wild-goose-chase paid off when the weather cleared on the 5th.

21. Pheasant
22. Mistle thrush
23. Common buzzard
24. Moorhen
25. Coal tit
26. Long tailed tit
27. Kestrel
28. Oystercatcher
29. Teal
30. Dark bellied Brent goose
31. Wigeon

at the in-laws

32. Lesser redpoll

 

[purpleturtle]

6/1/12 Rishton reservoir

Went looking for the reported WF geese, but found a more exotic goose!

35. Mute swan
36. Coot
37. GBB gull
38. Canada goose
39. Great crested grebe
40. Egyptian goose

 

[purpleturtle]

9/1/12 Home

41. Wren
42. Grey heron

Dean clough reservoir

43. Goldeneye
44. Tufted duck

Rishton reservoir

45. White-fronted goose (6 European , 2 Greenland)
46. Goosander
47. Red breasted merganser
48. Herring gull

 

[purpleturtle]

13/1/12 Newton marsh

49. Shoveller
50. Redshank

Marton mere

51. Reed bunting
52. Fieldfare
53. Water rail
54. Pochard
55. Smew (redhead)
56. Snipe
57. Cetti's warbler - reasonable views of 2 birds, both calling
58. Pink footed goose (skeins over)
59. Great spotted woodpecker
60. Song thrush
61. Goldcrest
62. Gadwall
63. Pintail

 

[purpleturtle]

15/1/12 Stocks reservoir

Looking for the reported Great Grey Shrike, the area was very busy with dog walkers and mountain bikers. I found a pair of common crossbill (strangely) just sitting on a wall at eye level. I set-up for what would have been my best crossbill photo yet....... but a couple of noisy ramblers scared them away at the last second. It infuriates me that these people who can clearly see that you are doing something, just barge on through regardless.:C

Never did find the GGS

64. Common crossbill
65. Barnacle goose (flock of 30 flew in)

 

[purpleturtle]

17/1/12 Stocks reservoir

I returned for another crack at the GGS. 1.5 hours of searching only added greylag to my yearlist. At the last minute when I was walking back to the car, there it was high atop a tree near the car park. I set up the tripod for a record shot.....and off it flew. Across the full width of the res. This bird is very mobile and is being found in different areas around the res. most days.

Anyway, at least I found it

66. Greenfinch
67. Greylag goose
68. Great grey shrike

 

[purpleturtle]

21/1/12 nr Spring wood, Whalley

Nearly killed a female sprawk as she swooped low right over the bonnet of our car. Good views though!

69. Sparrowhawk

 

[purpleturtle]

24/1/12 St Marys lighthouse island, Whitley bay

70. Pied wagtail
71. Curlew
72. Turnstone
73. Ringed plover
74. Golden plover
75. Eider
76. Guillemot
77. Red throated diver
78. Purple sandpiper
79. Dunlin
80. Rock pipit
81. Sanderling

 

[purpleturtle]

30/1/12 Dunsop Bridge

Only a single redwing today amongst numerous fieldfare. 1 treecreeper found by call and then another 2 with a mixed tit flock. 1 dipper in full song and at least another pair further down river Dunsop. 2 raven over. Dipped on nuthatch, siskin and grey wagtail. All expected here.
Also, possible evidence of otter found on river bank. A 15" trout half eaten, it would have taken a big predator to catch this fish!

82. Redwing
83. Treecreeper
84. Dipper
85. Raven

 

[purpleturtle]

3/2/12 Newton marsh pool

Short visit to Newton marsh yielded 21 shelduck with the numerous wigeon, teal and mallard crowding the small unfrozen part of the pond. Expected BlackTailed Godwit and merlin too but not luck.

86. Shelduck

 

[purpleturtle]

7/2/12 Leighton moss

50 minute journey from home had me re-ticking last years Glossy ibis again, the visitor centre feeders ticked-off nuthatch (4), marsh tit (1) and bullfinch (many) but the salt marsh was also frozen, so no greenshank, spotshank or blackwits.
Lillians hide gave good views of water rail, only 1 little egret, no bittern and a female marsh harrier fly-by.

87. Glossy ibis
88. Bullfinch
89. Nuthatch
90. Marsh harrier
91. Little egret
92. Marsh tit

 

[purpleturtle]

10/02/12 Conder green/Glasson

93. Little grebe
94. Black tailed godwit
95. Spotted redshank
96. Meadow pipit
97. Grey plover

 

[purpleturtle]

19/2/12 Dean Clough reservoir

A lovely morning so I decided to go and see the reported redhead smew only 2 miles from home. I've already ticked smew a few weeks ago but its always a nice bird to see. Found a pair of stonechat as I approached the res. and heard a skylark in song but couldnt see it.

98. Stonechat

 

[purpleturtle]

24/2/12 Knott end on sea, Lancashire

After finishing my Friday delivery run, I continued on to Knott-end-on-sea for some fish and chips. The best chippy in the Fylde for me. I arrived at high tide and immediately spotted a knot. Numerous dog-walkers here disturb the birds so I got a couple of digiscoped shots while I could. I browsed the building site/ruin at the ferry slipway for the reported Black redstart but only found some pied wags sunning themselves.

I returned after my fish and chips and got the briefest of glimpses of the black redstart. Not a long enough view for a record shot but I was satisfied to score my century in Feb this year.

99. Knot
100. Black redstart

 

[purpleturtle]

6/3/12 Brockholes NR LWT

Targets today were tree sparrow, kingfisher, grey wagtail, med gull and skylark.
I heard skylark singing overhead today but couldnt see any of them. Found a single tree sparrow singing (as best as a tree sparrow can sing) and a beautiful kingfisher on the River Ribble.
A male sparrowhawk, a circling buzzard and 3 roe deer were to be found in Boilton wood. Then I managed to pick out the pair of med gulls amongst several hundred black headed gulls. Also a minimum of 4 ringed plover staking out territories on the main island and a single knot.

101. Trees sparrow
102. Kingfisher
103. Mediterranean gull

 

[purpleturtle]

9/3/12 Marton mere, Blackpool

When I saw that my delivery route included Blackpool, I planned a visit to Marton mere.
Bittern, siskin and a reported female brambling were the targets.
I had to wait about 15 mins at the feeding station hide until a siskin visited. I heard, then saw another pair in the alders behind the hide. I was about to give up on the brambling thinking perhaps someone had mis-ID'ed a chaffinch, but sure enough she eventually turned up to feed at the table with the reed buntings.
I went round to the Fylde bird club hide where some of the reeds had been cut back, no luck with the bittern but managed to get a digiscoped shot of one of 3 water rails . Cetti's warbler was also calling in this area.

104. Siskin
105. Brambling

 

[purpleturtle]

10/3/12 Whalley, Lancashire

Walking down to the village, I looked over the bridge and saw that the grey wagtails have returned to their territory on the river Calder.

106. Grey wagtail

 

[purpleturtle]

16/3/12 Harbour lane, Preston

I stopped of on my delivery route today to look for yellowhammer (sadly an absent species from my area of East lancs) in this usually reliable spot. Found a pair of partridges instead.

107. Red legged partridge

 

[purpleturtle]

Catch-up

I've been distracted by work etc recently and now see that I havent updated my list since March!

Ok heres a quick round-up (still in order seen)

108. Little ringed plover 1st of the spring migrants @ Brockholes
109. Skylark Heard earlier in year many times, but took a while to see one @ Brockholes
110. Chiffchaff many heard and one seen @ longridge fell whilst dipping on the GGS
111. Swallow
112. Sand Martin @ River Calder (both species late due to weather)
113. Green sandpiper @ River Calder (Altham)
114. Blackcap males were heard singing earlier in year
115. Willow warbler @ Langden valley
116. Common sandpiper @ Conder pool
117. Bar tailed godwit @ Conder estuary whilst viewing spotted redshank coming into plumage
118. Wheatear @ Pendle hill but no ring ouzels
119. Barn owl - Pair hunting 7am @ Hesketh Out Marsh
120. Grey partridge also @ HOM
121. Avocet @ Marshside
122. Ruff @ Marshside
123. Linnet also @ Marshside
124. House martin @ home!
125. Hen harrier undisclosed location due to it being a breeding area
126. Stock dove @ home 1st sighting ever around here!
127. Swift arrived back on breeding territory yesterday