Bury - North Manchester - UK (2 Viewers)

[rezMole]

Pennington Flash has the potential to be one of the best birdwatching spots in the North West, yet Wigan Met. are unwilling to put any money into the place (have you seen the so-called hide overlooking the new islands? It's a disgrace!) preferring to spend it on other projects within the Wigan area.saluki

Personally i think the council have done and still do a great job with Pennington! Bury council spend sod all - we've got the Burrs Country Park, but that only gets money for canoeing! Seen a few half decent birds there, but nothing much. Give me Pennington anyday!

And the feeding station (Bunting Hide) is one of the best feeding stations i've ever seen anywhere! Most of the finches are there - also the Water Rails show well there, and you nearly always get GS Woodpecker (2 today - an adult and a youngster), plus Jays (none today), sparrowhawk often flies through. I was pleased with the siskins and redpolls today - there were planty around - a bit further on from Bunting hide. Didn't bother going looking for the Bitterns.

 

[Rob Smallwood]

20 waxwings today on henry street in offerton,nr stockport.This is a traditional site so good chance of connecting there.The green woodpeckers at Pennington are usually on the far side of the ruck which is the green area which is visable from horrocks hide.Bramblings are usually at the feeding station.Whooper swan still at castleshaw res today

Not many berries left at Henry Street so make it soon if you plan to visit. The flock are mobile around that area, also try Higher Hillgate near Dutchman(?) pub as they've been there too.

 

[psilo]

Hi Chris
Yes if the weather is any good I would certainly recommend pennington flash over waxwings anyday. As has already been listed there is a huge variety of birds to see there and it is a very pleasant walk too.
Saluki ahhh common gulls gottcha. Saw plenty of those on crosby beach the other day. Thanks for that. yes the hide you mention is rather pathetic but many of the other hides are excellent and the park management is excellent too.
On the fields over the right of the information centre towards the golf course you can also get good views of redwing and occassionally fieldfare.
There seems to be alot of siskin and redpolls about this winter. The siskins especially I have seen everywhere I go and in hindley plantation which isnt far from pf there was a flock of 200+ over the xmas holiday.

 

[craynerd]

I know i keep changing my mind but i`ve decided to go to Pennington on Monday or Tuesday depending on which is reported to have best weather.

As i keep ranting on this is my first proper trip out so were exactly do i go and were what about when i get there. I`m slightly confused, are there hides or is it a walk and a case of spotting as you walk?

Any suggestions and specific instructions of where exactly to go and what i need to take.....

 

[psilo]

Chris pennington flash is a nature reserve which has many paths and quite a few hides that overlook inner lagoons. When you get there follow the road to the very end where there is a large carpark and a very large lake to your left. On the lake you can expect to see plenty of swans, geese, great crested grebes, some goldeneye and sometimes goosander fly past though they are found more up towards the top end. The carpark is pay and display which costs £1. From the car park walk up. At the top end on the right is an information centre with toilets. Inside they record on a board what is around. If you walk up a bit further you can either keep on going straight alongside the lake or you will see an intersection of two paths with a giant wooden woodpecker at the side. This path is a huge loop that goes round the whole of the reserve. If you go to the right the second hide up is the bunting hide which has one of the best feeding stations you will ever see. Just follow the paths. As long as it is freezing then you should see quite alot of wildfowl on the lagoons.
It is quite a long walk around so sandwiches and a drink are recommended though there is a van selling sausage butties etc in the car park.
I hope you have a great time. Over the three years or so that I have been going there I have seen and photographed some great things.

 

[rezMole]

You can also pick up a map showing all the areas of water, paths and hides. There isn't a great deal of walking between hides - unless you decide to pop up to the one on the other side of the large lake.

When you get to the Bunting hide, stick around a bit - give it a good half an hour at least - sometimes not much seems to be happening, but suddenly it'll burst forth with loads of birds. Keep an eye out for the brambling - they take a bit of spotting as there are a lot of chaffinches about. When we were there though, they were hanging about with the greenfinches and the reed buntings.

And don't forget to look on the main body of water, at first glance it seems to just have the usual swans and geese on it, but there are a couple of goldeneye and grebes hanging around.

Enjoy it. Pennington is a great place - all the more so because it is easy to get to.

 

[dave365]

bolton & bury birders

good idea to exchange emails to stay in touch re uncommon stuff. try using this site to send private messages to people to start with???

as regards seeing decent birds in this "county" the only way is to spend time in the field - eventually you will be rewarded.

good luck - and let me know if you get lucky!

Dave

 

[dave365]

lancs

could you please give me directions to where you saw the crossbill and let me know if you see it again

i think this is the wrong side of the border mate

 

[psilo]

Counldnt agree more Dave. I spend hundreds of hours out in the field which hugely increases my chances of seeing something special. The times when there is nothing much to see are often compensation by the times you see something quite magical.

 

[saluki]

Personally i think the council have done and still do a great job with Pennington! Bury council spend sod all - we've got the Burrs Country Park, but that only gets money for canoeing! Seen a few half decent birds there, but nothing much. Give me Pennington anyday!

We'll have to agree to differ on that one Psilo and rezMole! The natural wader scrapes that existed between Moss Industrial Estate and Sorrowcow Farm are now woodland! The golf course used to be an excellent marsh (that's why it floods every winter!). They've destroyed valuable habitat (The Rucks) that held nesting Partridge, Skylarks, Meadow Pipits and Brown Hares and turned it into an area for joggers and dog-walkers. They've allowed the sailing club to use more of the Flash and sail virtually every day, so now we don't get the huge rafts of Pochard, Tuffted and other duck that used it as a daytime roost - Wigeon are almost non-existant these days. The new pools they've constructed on the Rucks are pretty useless as anyone can simply walk around the edges of them so nothing feels safe. The largest reedbeds are at the Plank Lane/Slag Lane (don't we pick wonderful names in Leigh!) end of the Flash, yet nothing is done to protect them or increase their size. The East Bay reedbed used to be ten times the size it is now - again nothing was done to protect it. The tern rafts are a joke - they spend more time washed up on the shore than they do in the water! Why is there no artificial Sand Martin or Kingfisher bank? I could go on . . .

I'm not blaming the guys who work there, I've known several of them in the past - in fact I was in Argyll with one of them last weekend - and I think they do a decent job. It's the lack of funding and any interest whatsoever from Wigan Met. that irritates me.

saluki

 

[psilo]

Saluki I guess with me its a case of you dont miss what you have never known. I have only been going to pennington for 3 years so do not know any of what you speak of. It does sound a real shame though as it sounds like some excellent habitats have been lost. I have to say for me though pennington has provided some excellent days birdings in the past and although it does get rather too busy for my liking I still enjoy going there very much.

 

[Steven Astley]

Was at penninigton today and the bunting hide had4 bramblings 2 male and 2 female also 2 great spotted woodpeckers male and female. Plus lots of goosander but the goldeneyes prooved elusive until eventual i managed to spot a female and a male ( says on the board theres 16 about). How they know that is pretty amazing? Perhaps they roost together.

 

[AJDH]

Fellow Bolton birders, my home in the UK is in Bolton, well Harwood to be exact. I'll be home on the 24th Jan and would be very interested in good sites to visit. Thanks in advance.

Adrian

 

[craynerd]

What a fantastic place, absolutely amazing! Bunting hide is spectacular especially for a begginer like my self since there is so much to see!! I enjoyed it so much i went the next day as well lol, ended up going Tuesday on my own and then Wednesday for a short session with my girlfriend. On the first day, Tuesday concentrated on what i knew or could easily identify (not got my exact list with me but will post it next few days). I think i saw a siskin and brambling on the first day as well a creasted greeb on the hide further up looking over the lake(sp?)
Second day i saw a phesant and also Spotted Woodpecker flew onto one of the large feeders in the bunting hide. Also saw a thrush on the first day but didnt have time to identify what type, like i said, i keep having to refer to my book and half the time they fly of before you have time to have a second look!

i`ll post the exact list when i get home.

Two birds i saw and cant identify are:
1) Small (bluetit size maybe touch bigger) but black with vivid white stripes along its wings. Only got a glimpse and then it flew of and so could identify it properly using my books.
2) Secondly i`m having trouble with a frequent bird i keep seeing, quite non-descript, brown with black/darker brown specks on its wings.

Any ideas?

Thanks again for recommending it! Excelent!

Chris

 

[Rob Smallwood]

Could the first have been a Long-tailed tit, the second a Dunnock?

Dont worry about having to use your guide all the time - even the most experienced birders do (or should!).

One solution is to make notes of what you see then use them to check in the book later, either when you get home or in a lull in the birds. This can help you to work out what you need to look for in future, details such as shape and size of bill, mannerisms, comparisons to known birds etc.

Pennington is a great place to learn, develop your hobby, and you will still enjoy it in many years to come.

 

[Steven Astley]

Fellow Bolton birders, my home in the UK is in Bolton, well Harwood to be exact. I'll be home on the 24th Jan and would be very interested in good sites to visit. Thanks in advance.

Adrian

Hi Adrian
Rivington Reservior - Good chance of Nuthatch, Green Woodpecker and treecreeper especially around the old barn
Pennington Flash - Greater Mancesters top birding site with over 5 hides and always plenty to see.
I suppose also it depends how far you want to travel and how long your stay is but you can go wrong with pennington flash
all the best Ste

 

[Osprey_watcher]

Could the first have been a Long-tailed tit, the second a Dunnock?

Dont worry about having to use your guide all the time - even the most experienced birders do (or should!).

One solution is to make notes of what you see then use them to check in the book later, either when you get home or in a lull in the birds. This can help you to work out what you need to look for in future, details such as shape and size of bill, mannerisms, comparisons to known birds etc.

Pennington is a great place to learn, develop your hobby, and you will still enjoy it in many years to come.

Agree with Dunnock, but even a split second glance of a Long Tailed Tit would have the tail stand out as one the biggest identifying feature, wouldn't it.
Incidentally when I first started watching birds the way I confirmed identity of a dunnock was by the characteristic flicking of the tail.

 

[Osprey_watcher]

Hi Adrian
Rivington Reservior - Good chance of Nuthatch, Green Woodpecker and treecreeper especially around the old barn
Pennington Flash - Greater Mancesters top birding site with over 5 hides and always plenty to see.
I suppose also it depends how far you want to travel and how long your stay is but you can go wrong with pennington flash
all the best Ste

I lived for a while in Bickershaw, nr Wigan and Rivington was one of my favourite places.

 

[AJDH]

Thanks for the information, I'll certainly give Rivington and Pennington flash a look. :t:

 

[rezMole]

Outside my front door this morning were TWELVE goosander - 9 male and 3 female. That's the most i've seen on the small lodge next to where i live. I was transfixed for ages watching them, until the all flew off in the direction of Elton Res.