Pennington Flash (1 Viewer)

James

I'm losing it!

• Jul 3, 2003

• #1

My local patch is Pennington Flash, a stretch of water surrounded by a golf course, some mixed woodland, parkland and a local canal. It is near Leigh and well inland.

Last night it did it again for me producing a great new patch bird - Lesser Scaup. Brings my patch list to about 110 with some easy ones still missing. I am amazed at what has turned up on this patch in the last few years. The ones I have caught up with include:

Black-faced Bunting.
Little Auk.
Blue-winged Teal.
Wilsons Petrel.
Glaucous Gull.
Lesser Scaup (now to add).

All this and I have missed several goodies.

Regulars include:

Black-necked Grebe.
Black Tern.
Smew.
Little Ringed Plover.
Etc.

I really should spend less time twitching and more on my local patch and one day it might be me who finds these things!

James.

 

HokkaidoStu

occasional moderator

Staff member

Supporter

• Jul 3, 2003

• #2

Wow�|you saw Black Faced Bunting there? They are dirt common over here but I din't think any would make it over Wigan way.

From your "regulars" list I also get all of those except Black Tern. I'm from near that neck of the woods originally ( where I saw Black tern by the way )-do you ever go birding near Preston?

 

James

I'm losing it!

• Jul 3, 2003

• #3

Hi Stu

Black faced Bunting was a first for Britain when it turned up @ Pennington, I had to queue for an hour and a half and some people even came from Germany to see it (miserable little brown thing like a gone-off dunnock!)
Usually bypass Preston on my way to Leighton Moss, am I missing something good?

Regards James

 

N

Nick-on

Well-known member

• Jul 3, 2003

• #4

Morning James
Brings back the old memories. Pennington Flash was where I did all my early birding (mid 80's), sitting in the hide looking out at the 'spit' trying to ID whatever turned up. There used to be a pretty good wader passage for an inland site as well as a winter roost of Long-eared Owls. Didn't get many of the birds on your rarity list (although I did twitch the Black-faced Bunting) but there were plenty of good birds to keep the interest going - Grey Phal, Smew, Wood Sand, Red-necked Grebe etc.. The only problem back then was local idiots wrecking the hides! Not been there for years, must remember to drop in next time I'm passing.

 

James

I'm losing it!

• Jul 3, 2003

• #5

Happy days Nick-on, never had Grey Phal there! but the LEO's are good. The hide was burned down again not so long ago and has now been replaced by a brick one so hopefully even idiots can't wreck it. Still a wooden one on the far side not often visited, I once saw some interesting animal behaviour there when I walked in on a teenage couple, It was right when..........no better not.

James.

 

James

I'm losing it!

• Jul 3, 2003

• #6

Oops!!! Just realised my big mistake NOT Wilsons petrel, it should have been Leechs petrel.
Also forgot to mention Canvassback.

James

 

Swift

Well-known member

• Jul 3, 2003

• #7

Iceland Gull and Water Pipit are another couple of good birds that ive seen at Penny Flash as well as the ones on your list.

 

James

I'm losing it!

• Jul 3, 2003

• #8

Nice ones - I need to go back and check whether they are on it or not. Really is an amazing patch isn't it?

James

 

Jasonbirder

Jason-occasional-twitcher

• Jul 3, 2003

• #9

A great site you`ve got up there! I wasn`t birding when the Black-faced Bunting turned up, but was up last year to see the Canvasback and caught up with some lovely summer plumaged Black-headed Grebes at the same time.
Also the feeding station you have there is one of the easiest place I know to see Willow Tit.

 

Pie Face

Well-known member

• Jul 3, 2003

• #10

I remember seeing my first Grey Phal' at Pennington some 15 years ago. Did you forget last years Whiskered Tern? Pennington Flash is similar to my local patch, Rother Valley Country Park, though the main lake at Pennington is much bigger. We average around 160 species each year recent highlights have been Buff-breasted Sand', Broad-billed Sand, White-winged Black Tern and Wilson's Phal' infact we've recorded 34 wader species.

Mark