L.O.S. Presentation - Friday 5th January 2018


This is the premier showing and the sixth in the series of 'A Shot at Wildlife' presentations by Pauline and Ian Greenhalgh. As with the previous five presentations it includes their favourite images of British wildlife photographed during 2015 including birds, mammals, flora, insects and fungi.

We meet around 7:15pm for a 7:30pm start. Do come and join us, bring a friend, become a member. Just ask one of us on the door for information on how to join.

PLEASE NOTE THAT DUE TO UNFORESEEN CIRCUMSTANCES THERE IS A CHANGE OF VENUE FOR JUST THIS PRESENTATION

It will be held at:

Chowbent Unitarian Chapel
Alder Fold Street,
off Bolton Old Road,
Atherton
M46 9DS


There is parking close to the hall for 15 cars, plus street parking around the Chapel and hall.
There is disabled persons access and toilet facilities

NORMAL SERVICE AT LEIGH LIBRARY WILL BE RESUMED IN FEBRUARY 2018.


Friday 5th January 2018

PLEASE NOTE THAT THERE IS A CHANGE FROM OUR NORMAL VENUE 
FOR THE PRESENTATION ON FRIDAY 5th OF JANUARY 2018

Unfortunately Wigan Council have found it necessary to close Leigh Library for the first week in January for repairs to heating. This means the LOS will be unable to hold their presentation there on 5th January. The presentation will now be held at Chowbent Unitarian Chapel in Atherton as shown on the map below. The presentation will be in the hall next to the chapel. 








NORMAL SERVICE AT LEIGH LIBRARY WILL BE RESUMED IN FEBRUARY 2018.

LOS Pennington Flash Volunteers - 18th December 2017

Thank you to the 13 volunteers who called in today, litter picking, cleaning seed feeders, planting Bluebells and Wild Garlic, spreading bark chippings and erecting fencing. ðŸ‘·‍♀️🔨⛏️🔧









Henry Dresser and Victorian Ornithology: Birds, Books and Business

Henry McGhie, who some L.O.S. members met on a recent trip to Manchester Museum, has written a new book about the museum's main bird collector entitled:

Henry Dresser and Victorian Ornithology: Birds, Books and Business

It's due for publication on 30 November 2017 by the Manchester University Press:
http://www.manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk/9781784994136/

Henry wrote this post about it on the Manchester Birding Forum:
I’ve written a book about Manchester Museum’s main bird collector (Henry Dresser), one of the most important ornithologists of the late 19th and early 20th centuries , and used his life to explore transformations in scientific society and the whole collecting endeavour, from wealthy people in the west to a vast variety of lighthouse keepers, travellers, speculators and explorers farther afield. I saw the first hard copy yesterday and it looks really nice, if I say so myself.

The book will be launched in the beautiful John Rylands Historic Reading Room at 6pm on 30th November, with a very short talk from me, and no need to book in advance. I’d be very grateful if you could forward this date to your contacts, as it would be great to see as many people there as possible; I’ll be signing copies for anyone who wants one (don’t feel obliged).
 
The book would make a nice Christmas present for anyone interested in natural history, beautiful 19th century illustrated books, history, travel and exploration, or who is really fond of museums (especially Manchester Museum).

Of course, everyone is very welcome to come along. Some of you will know a lot of the story already, as I’ve talked more or less endlessly about it for years, but it was a lot of fun to write.
I hope you can come along.
Best wishes,
Henry
Henry McGhie BSc MA AMA
Head of Collections and Curator of Zoology
Manchester Museum

L.O.S. Presentation - Friday 8th December 2017


Due to unforeseen circumstances there is now a change of date and topic from the one originally advertised on 1st December 2017Ian Newton will now be presenting a talk on Friday 8th December entitled:

"Ecuador, a Birding Heaven"

Ian's presentation, is about a trip to Northern Ecuador in January 2013 visiting many of the famous lodges, Tandyapa, Guango, San Isidro and Napo Wildlife Centre in the Amazon jungle. This talk is mainly images of birds including multi flash flight shots of some of the many hummingbirds seen, but much more besides.

We meet in the Derby Room upstairs at Leigh Library at around 7:15pm for a 7:30 start. Do come and join us, bring a friend, become a member. Just ask one of us on the door for information on how to join.

L.O.S. Fieldtrip to the Wigan Flashes - Sunday 3 December 2017


December's L.O.S. Fieldtrip to the Wigan Flashes is just about as local as it can be. There is a good chance of seeing Kingfishers, Goldeneye, Pochard and Willow Tits and we'll almost certainly hear the Cetti's Warbler even if we don't see it. Who knows, perhaps we'll even get a view of the Bittern which frequents the reed beds. 

Meet at Doctors Nook car park facing Leigh Library at 8am or at the entrance to the Flashes on Welham Road near to Hawkley Hall School on Carr Lane (WN3 5NY) at about 8:30am. Our first stop will be the Hawkley Hall Feeding Station. See you there!



L.O.S. Members and Friends' Evening - Friday 24th November 2017

Our annual Members and Friends' Social Evening will be held at Leigh Rugby Union Club, Hand Lane, Leigh WN7 3NA on Friday 24th November.

There will be a slideshow presentation by Anne Johnson and David Shallcross entitled:

"Costa Blanca - An L.O.S. Summer Fieldtrip"

There will also be the usual entertainment, a raffle and quiz and food will be served for a small charge. Any prizes for the raffle will be gratefully accepted.

Everyone is welcome and if you are coming please could you let Tony Bishop know via email:

leighos.vicechairman@gmail.com

Leigh Rotary Club Christmas Collections - 25 November to 20 December 2017

Leigh Rotary Club, a well-respected local charity who have given major support to both the L.O.S. Young Birders' Club and to the main society, need collectors to assist Santa in his rounds and at local supermarkets. The collections will be made from 25 November to 25 December.

Various dates are available (see link below), so if you can spare a little festive time please contact Rob Garner direct on 01925 764710 or 0773564850.

Leigh Rotary Club Christmas Collections Dates and Places (Facebook login needed)

L.O.S. Presentation - Friday 10 November 2017


Maxwell Law will present some theories on ways of seeing nature, travel and landscape beyond the photographic ‘record’ shot. He has travelled extensively from the north of Scotland and on occasions to the Algarve and many places in between.

We meet in the Derby Room upstairs at Leigh Library at around 7:15pm for a 7:30 start. Do come and join us, bring a friend, become a member. Just ask one of us on the door for information on how to join.

L.O.S. Fieldtrip to Marshside and Lunt Meadows - Sunday 5 November

Our next L.O.S. field trip is to Marshside RSPB and Lunt Meadows on Sunday 5 November.

Please meet us on Doctors Nook car park in Leigh at 8:00am or at Marshside at about 8:45am. This is a full day out, so please come prepared for cold or poor weather and bring all you need to sustain your day. There are toilets at Marshside RSPB.

The exact destinations in the area are liable to change if something special is about and close to our planned route.

We will leave Lunt Meadows, where we hope to see Short-eared and Barn Owls, in the late afternoon which is an hour away from Leigh.

If you are attending please call or text and say where you intend meeting the group. As usual, all are welcome.

David Shallcross and Anne Johnson

For any further information please contact us on:

Mobile: 07885077819
Email: leighos.chairman@gmail.com



Charity Concert - Friday 3 November 2017


Proceeds of the ticket sales from this charity concert will go to L.O.S. funds.

Manchester Museum

Some members of the L.O.S. are visiting Manchester Museum on Wednesday 18 October.  We are meeting a museum curator who will speak about the ornithological collection and the process of preserving species as well as the science gained from the process. We will then view the museum collection at our leisure and return to Leigh early afternoon.

We will take the 9:35am bus from Holden Road at this time and if you have a bus pass the ride is free.

Tony has investigated the timing and says the bus leaves Leigh bus station at 9-35am and stops at Holden Road shortly after.

Parking is free where the Lancastrian squash club was in East Bond Street -  go round the back of the building which is next to College Street Doctors Surgery, and then park as far down the car park as possible (close to Holden Road). Walk to Holden Road and across to the bus stop on the left.

David Shallcross
Chairman

L.O.S. Presentation - Friday 6 October


Our Chairman, David Shallcross, will be presenting his images from two recent holiday visits to these fabulous islands. David's photography always impresses, so don't miss this one. Our AGM will be held first, followed by the presentation.

We meet in the Derby Room, upstairs at Leigh Library, at around 7:15pm for a 7:30 start. So come and join us, bring a friend, everybody is welcome and there is no entrance fee (donations welcome of course). If you would like to become a member, just ask one of us on the door for information on how to join.

L.O.S. Fieldtrip to Spurn - Sunday 1st October


For our next fieldtrip on Sunday 1st October we will be visiting some of the well-known birding areas on the Spurn peninsula such as the Kilnsea Wetlands, Sammy's Point, the Blue Bell Cafe, the Crown & Anchor Pub, Kew Villa and the Kilnsea Triangle walk.

Spurn is well-known for its passage migrant birds and almost anything can turn up here, so be prepared for a few surprises and even a rarity.

It's a early start at 7am from Doctors Nook car park in Leigh for this one, or you can meet us at the Blue Bell car park in Kilnsea at around 9:30am.

Here's a couple of useful links to the area:
Hope to see you there.

LOS Fieldtrip - Sunday 17 September 2017


The first fieldtrip of the new season will be on Sunday 17 September 2017 to the Wirral coast

The exact itinerary is still to be decided depending on what's about and the tides, but the party will set off at 8:00am from Doctors Nook car park just across the road from Leigh Library. Burton Mere Wetlands RSPB will almost certainly be inlcuded in the trip. 

Everyone is welcome and car-sharing groups to be decided on the car park.

L.O.S. Presentation - Friday 1 September 2017


In other words ... Birding on land and out at sea in California!

This presentation talk will be by Dennis Atherton, one of our long time members, who presents wonderful images, useful information on how he obtains them and also helpful tips on identifying his subjects, not forgetting his humorous way of presenting.

We meet in the Derby Room upstairs at Leigh Library at around 7:15pm for a 7:30 start. 

So come and join us, bring a friend, everybody is welcome and there is no entrance fee (donations welcome of course). If you would like to become a member just ask one of us on the door for information on how to join.

The New L.O.S. Season Kicks Off

Hello to all new readers of the Leigh Ornithological Society's website. The 2017-18 season starts on Friday 1st September with a presentation talk by Dennis Atherton in the Derby Room at Leigh Library. Full details are here:

www.leighos.org.uk/p/meetings.html

Everyone is welcome to come to our free presentation talks, although we would appreciate a donation to our funds in the form of buying a raffle ticket on the door. Or you can join for a whole year for just £15 single or £20 joint membership.

The 2017-18 field trip programme has now been finalised and is available here:

http://www.leighos.org.uk/p/fieldtrips.html

We also have three Facebook groups here for posting reports, photographs and information about forthcoming events:

HS 2 consultation 2017

Mr David Shallcross
Chairman
Leigh Ornithological Society
28 Surrey Avenue
Leigh
NN7 2NN

17th July 2017

Dear Sir,

HS2 Phase 2b: Crewe to Manchester and West Midlands to Leeds — Consultations on the draft Environmental Impact Assessment and draft Equality Impact Assessment Scope and Methodology Reports

I am writing to inform you of the launch of two consultations for the next phase of High Speed Two (HS2), from Crewe to Manchester and the West Midlands to Leeds — known as Phase 2b.

These consultations are on draft Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and draft Equality Impact Assessment (EQIA) Scope and Methodology Reports (SMRs), which inform the way in which the EIA and EQIA are undertaken.

The Secretary of State for Transport recently announced the Government's decision on the route for the next phase of HS2: Crewe to Manchester and the West Midlands to Leeds. Construction of Phase 2b is expected to start in 2023 ready for the railway to begin operations by 2033. To obtain the legal powers to build and operate this part of the railway, the Government intends to deposit a hybrid Bill in Parliament during 2019.

To prepare for the hybrid Bill, the Government has commissioned consultants to undertake an EIA and prepare an Environmental Statement (ES). The EIA will identify the likely significant environmental effects and appropriate measures to mitigate such effects. The draft EIA SMR consultation document is available online at www.gov.uk/hs2

At the same time, to inform the development of the Phase 2b scheme, the Government has commissioned consultants to undertake an EQIA and prepare an EOIA report. The EOIA will identify any particular groups with protected characteristics that may be disproportionately affected, and actions that may be necessary to limit such effects if they arise. The draft EOIA SMR consultation document is also available online at www.gov.uk/hs2

High Speed Two (HS2) Limited Two Snowhill, Snow Hill Queensway, Birmingham B4 6GA T: 08081434 434 E: hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk www.gov.uk/h

We are now asking local authorities, relevant statutory bodies and national interest groups along the route to comment on the draft EIA SMR and draft EOIA SMRI to inform the way in which the EIA and EQIA are undertaken.

Responding to the consultations

Arup is co-ordinating the analysis of responses to these consultations. There are separate online and email response mechanisms for each consultation. Please use the correct response channels for each consultation you respond to. The FREEPOST address is the same for both consultations.

To respond to the draft EIA SMR consultation you can:
  • Use the dedicated online response form available at https://ipsos.uk/HS2Phase2bElASMR
  • Email your response to HS2ElASMRPhase2B@arup.com
  • Post your response to the following FREEPOST address (no additional address information is required and you do not need a stamp):
          FREEPOST HS2 SMR PHASE 2

To respond to the draft EQIA SMR consultation you can:
  • Use the dedicated online response form available at https://ipsos.uk/HS2Phase2bEQlASMR
  • Email your response to HS2EQlASMRPhase2B@arup.com
  • Post your response to the following FREEPOST address (no additional address information is required and you do not need a stamp):
          FREEPOST HS2 SMR PHASE 2B

Both consultations close at 23-45 on 29 September 2017. Please clearly mark on your response which consultation you are responding to.

Can we help?

If you have any further questions about these consultations, please contact our
Helpdesk on 08081434 434 (available 24/7),

by email at hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk

or by using the MINICOM service on 08081 456 472.

Yours faithfully,

Paul Griffiths Phase 2b Director
High Speed Two (HS2) Limited

Open Green Spaces Need to be Appreciated

L.O.S. founder member and champion of so-called 'brownfield sites' Dave Wilson had a letter published in the Leigh Journal last week in which he puts the case to our newly elected MP for them to renamed as 'open green spaces' in order for them to be better appreciated by all concerned. 

You can read it here:

http://www.leighjournal.co.uk/yoursay/leighetters/

L.O.S.Trips and Private Trips

There seems to be some confusion over L.O.S. trips and private trips - L.O.S. Trips are those published on your membership card, on this website or in the newsletter. Any others that a group of friends go on are their own private trips and nothing to do with the society.

I don't want members and friends thinking there is a clique at this club.

There most certainly isn't.

Yours, David

New Ideas for Fieldtrips Needed


The L.O.S. Committee are meeting on 12 June (next Monday) to discuss the birding field trips for the 2017-18 season which start in September. We're looking to find some new places to visit within an hour and a half travelling time of Leigh if possible. 

So it would be great if L.O.S. members could suggest some places they've been or would like to go to help us decide on a programme. The best time of year and target birds in the location would also be very helpful. Looking forward to reading your suggestions in the comments below. 

Thanks, Martyn

Bickershaw Masterplan with Amendments - November 2015

New funding has been awarded to the Bickershaw site and further consultation will take place prior to a final adoption of the Bickershaw Masterplan which is now available to download or read online.

You can download the document in Word format here:
Bickershaw Masterplan

or just follow this online link:
Bickershaw Masterplan

Comments please to David Shallcross,
L.O.S. Chairman: leighos.chairman@gmail.com

Funding Secured for Bickershaw

Wildflower Meadow at Bickershaw (c) Dave Wilson
Having been involved with a few other Society members since 2003 in trying to acquire protective status for the Bickershaw site, I was delighted to receive an e-mail from Martin Purcell, Wigan Council's Greenheart Project Officer, informing me that
"funding has been secured from 'The Deal' to help reclaim the 247-hectare former Bickershaw Colliery site as a green haven .... "
Narrow-bordered Five-spot Burnet Moth (c) Dave Wilson
This is the most encouraging piece of local wildlife conservation news to emerge for many a day, and I wish to point out that members owe a huge debt to Roy Rhodes, the Society's former Conservation Officer for his enormous commitment to the project over recent years, our Chairman David Shallcross, and one our two others, for attending umpteen meetings with me to fly the flag for this hugely important, predominantly grassy 'brownfield' site.

Female Four-spotted Chaser (c) Dave Wilson
Hopefully, David and I will continue to be involved in meetings to ensure that wildlife considerations remain paramount and that the site achieves its full habitat potential. Other members may wish to support us in the continuing venture to help shape our green environment for its present and potential wildlife benefit and for the enjoyment of our fellow citizens.

Grasshopper Warbler at Bickershaw - May 2017 (c) Martyn Jones

Bickershaw Birding Walk - Wednesday 24 May 2017

L.O.S. founder member Dave Wilson will be leading another 'Warbler Walk' around Bickershaw on Wednesday 24 May starting at 9:30am.  

There will good chances of seeing Grasshopper Warbler, Reed Warbler, Sedge Warbler, Stonechat and possibly Garden Warbler and Cuckoo too along with the regulars of Whitethroat, Blackcap and others.

We are meeting at the top of the 'road to nowhere', just off the Leigh end of Bickershaw Lane.  Everyone is welcome.

Another Season Over

Well that's it, another L.O.S. season has come to a close this week with our final field trip and Friday night presentation talk.  Doesn't the time pass so quickly when you're having fun?

We had a great day out at RSPB Blacktoft Sands and North Cave on Sunday 7 May with a nice sized group of 14 L.O.S. members turning up on a cloudy day with sunny intervals.


Highlights included a female Montagu's Harrier, male and female Marsh Harriers, a flying Bittern, many Avocets, some Bearded Tits, Cetti's, Reed, Sedge, Willow and Grasshopper Warblers, Blackcap, countless Swifts and Sand Martins and few Swallows, four summer plumaged (black) Spotted Redshanks, two Greenshanks, Black-tailed Godwits in summer plumage, Ringed and Little-Ringed Plovers, Common Sandpiper, Whimbrel, Common Terns, Yellow, Grey and Pied Wagtails, Reed Bunting, Ruffs coming into summer plumage, a single Wigeon, Redshank, Tree Sparrows galore, as well as many of the usuals including Little Egrets, Little Grebes, Great Crested Grebes, Shelducks, Tufted Ducks, Greylag Geese, Mute Swans, Mallards, Gadwalls, Robins, Blackbirds, Blue Tits, Great Tits, Chaffinches, Goldfinches, Lesser Black-backed Gulls, Black-headed Gulls, Herring Gulls, Moorhens, Coots, Grey Herons, Carrion Crows, Kestrels and Dunnocks.

And then last night (Friday 12 May) we had an excellent talk by the 'Shropshire Birder' Jim Almond entitled 'Shropshire's Peregrines' with a host of other birds of prey thrown in for comparison.

Jim took us through the complete lifecycle of the Peregrine Falcon from eggs to fledglings and adults using his superb closeup photographs taken under a Schedule 1 license and he gave us a lot of interesting information about these stunning birds.

Jim's a great birder and speaker and a very professional presenter -  we hope to see him again.

So that's it for another year. We hope you have a great summer break and we'll see you all again in September with another programme of talks and field trips.

Spring is Sprung

And Spring is sprung again this morning, as it was on Monday when I bathed in the joys of watching the comings and goings in my garden and the brookside close to the flash. At just gone eight o'clock, a male Bullfinch offered the same three-noted phrase of its weak "song" from the top of a hawthorn where a pair nested successfully a few years ago and a pair of Long-tailed Tits flitted here, there and everywhere in agitated fashion.

Later in the morning, both birds carried nesting material into the upper reaches of a leylandii - next to the tree where a conspicuous one had been predated in the past. And, as nest-building goes, and hopeful that the Bullfinches would return to the hawthorn, what a world of difference their structures would be - the tits' marvellous oval-shaped masterpiece and the Bullfinches' seemingly precarious twiggy scaffold-like offering. Within minutes of moving away from the brook bank, a fine Grey Wagtail alighted in my corner rowan and began calling, as did a Kingfisher from further down the brook.

Later a Goldfinch twittered away from my roof-top, close to one of its past preferred nest sites, and both Coal and Willow Tits flitted between my neighbours' feeding station and the sanctuary of our hawthorns. And, to crown a wonderful little interlude, a gorgeous sunlit male Sparrowhawk traced an oval-shaped course as it flapped briefly and glided over a traditional territory. What makes this small collection of encouraging events so special is that there have been huge positive changes in recent times in the local status of all eight species, due to both natural and man-made factors.

Milder winters have boosted Kingfisher populations everywhere and Grey Wagtails, once confined to moorland streams for breeding purposes, have extended their range to include lowland sites; Sparrowhawks have recovered well from the agricultural chemical abuses of half-a-century ago; Bullfinch, Goldfinch and Long-Tailed Tit, virtually unknown at the flash in the past, are now fairly common breeders; and Coal and Willow Tit have benefited from the maturing of trees in gardens and at the flash.

If there is a downside to these and other habitat changes at the flash, it is that our wonderful grasslands were sacrificed to the whims of those addicted to an inexplicable tree-planting frenzy, for it is their actions which almost eliminated previous successful tenants - Skylarks, Meadow Pipits, Linnets, Lapwings, Partridges and others. At six o'clock this morning, a back garden Blackbird began the dawn chorus. In the next two or three weeks, first Chiffchaff, then Blackcap and Willow Warbler are sure to enrich nature's sounds, and all will be well with the world as another season blossoms forth.
Dave Wilson

L.O.S. Presentation - Friday 3rd March 2017


PLEASE NOTE WE ARE IN THE GALLERY TONIGHT WHICH IS OPPOSITE 
THE DERBY ROOMS UPSTAIRS IN THE LIBRARY




Tonight we have Stephen Culley presenting 'My Family and Other Animals - Birding in Blighty'

This  presentation talk is about Stephen's bird and wildlife watching around the UK with friends and family in 2015, from Land's End to John o' Groats. 

Stephen has been to the L.O.S. before and his talk went down really well, so why not join us for what should be a wonderful evening's entertainment .

Everybody is welcome, both members and non-members.

L.O.S. Open Day - Saturday 28th January 2017 at Leigh Library


We are pleased to announce that we are having our second Open Day on Saturday 28th January 2017 from 11am until 3pm upstairs in the Derby Room at Leigh Library.

It will be very similar to last year's successful event with displays and stalls by the RSPB, British Trust for Ornithology, Lancashire Wildlife Trust, Bolton and Bury Swifts, Lowton Hedgehog Rescue as well as local conservation and friends groups such as Low Hall and Amberswood.

There will also be projected displays by several local photographers, as well as a range of second hand birding and other books and some bird food on sale.

The event will be attended by the Mayor of Wigan and local M.P. and prospective Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham.

Refreshments will be available so why not come along and put a few names to the faces that you've read about on Facebook?

Everyone is welcome and admission is free.

The Jack Critchley Book Collection Sale

The remaining books from Jack's collection will be on sale at our Open Day at Leigh Library on Saturday 28th January 2017. Please note that some have already been sold.

Here's the original post:

Members and other readers are informed that Jack Critchley, a Society stalwart for many years, has decided (for personal reasons) to dispose of his collection of bird books. He and Doris have asked me to arrange to sell several books in the collection by means of advertising the sale through the pages of this site, the Society's November newsletter and the Manchester Birding Forum.

Once interested buyers have seen the attached list of about half the collection, I will receive bids by telephone on 01942 605627 between 7.00 and 9.00 p.m. on Wednesday 23rd and Thursday 24th November. To ensure that everybody has an equal opportunity to express an interest in purchasing books, there will be no preferential arrangement for anybody to make bids before those days, but potential buyers may examine the full collection at my house and at my convenience. All the proceeds from the sale will go to the Society.

Individual books will be sold to the highest bidder, but the prize item - all nine volumes of 'Handbook of the Birds of Europe, the Middle East and North Africa : The Birds of the Western Palearctic' in excellent condition - will not be sold piecemeal.


Other selected titles from Jack's collection are:-

Local and Regional:
Dean, T - 'The Natural History of Walney Island' (1990)
Hardy, E - 'Birdwatching in Lancashire' (1979). Loose pages!
Holland, P. et al - 'Breeding Birds in Greater Manchester' (1984)
Mellor, P (LOS member) - 'North West Nature' (1987)
Wilson, J.D. (LOS member) - 'Birds and Birdwatching at Pennington Flash' (1985).

Other British:
C.G.Booth - 'Birds in Islay' (1975)
C.G.Booth - 'Birds in Jura' (1976) Only 7 pages of text!
R.E.Elliott - 'Birds of Islay' (1989)
R.J.Fuller - 'Bird Habitats in Britain' (1982)
J.Gooders - 'Where to Watch Birds' (1974)
C.Hutchinson - 'Watching Birds in Ireland' (1986)
R.Lovegrove - 'RSPB Guide to Birdwatching in Snowdonia' (1987)
A.J.Prater - 'Estuary Birds of Britain and Ireland' (1981)
N.Redman and S.Harrap - 'Birdwatching in Britain - A Site by Site Guide' (1987)
D.Saunders - 'A Guide to the Birds of Wales' (1974)
D.Saunders - 'Where to Watch Birds in Wales' (1987).

Miscellaneous:
T.A.Coward - 'Bird and Other Nature Problems' (1931)
J.H.Elgood - 'Birds of the West African Town and Garden' (1982)
N.Elkins - 'Weather and Bird Behaviour (1983)
R.Engvik - 'The Birds of Runde and Norway's Western Seaboard' (1986)
J.Fisher - 'Bird Recognition' - Vol 1 (1947); Vol 2 (1951); Vol 3 (1955)
P.J.Grant - 'Gulls: A Guide to Identification' (1982)
J.T.R.Sharrock - 'The Atlas of Breeding Birds in Britain and Ireland' (1976)


Unsold books, and twenty other unlisted ones, will be available for viewing at the L.O.S. Open Day at Leigh Library on 28th January 2017.

Happy perusing, thinking and spending !!!

L.O.S. Field trip to Marbury Country Park


Today's trip to Marbury Country Park with the (almost!) impeccable navigation of Alan Wilcox took in Budworth Mere, a lot of fine and varied woodland, some meadow and scrubland, Neumann's Flash and Haydn's Pool.

Those of us who hadn't been before were pretty impressed by the variety of habitat, though the murk and mist didn't help the viewing over the various pools. I recorded a total of 39 species (Geoff Hurst might have had more) including impressive numbers of Great Crested Grebe on the Mere, some of which were displaying already, Wigeon, Little Egret and a Common Gull on Neumann's, and woodland species including Goldcrest, Treecreeper and Great Spotted Woodpecker

A Raven called from somewhere in the canopy, and was glimpsed by some of us. The Lesser Spotted Woodpecker and Bittern did NOT show themselves, but the photo of Budworth Mere will explain the problem of Bittern-spotting today!

A really good trip in great company as ever, and thanks to everybody who came along. 

Leigh Journal 'Picture of the Week'

Congratulations to L.O.S. member Anne Johnson whose Coal Tit photograph from the Three Sisters Nature Reserve got 'Picture of the Week' in the current edition of the Leigh Journal.


Click the link below to see the full article on the Leigh Journal website.

L.O.S. Presentation - Friday 6 January 2017


Just a reminder that we have our first talk of 2017 on Friday 6th January at 7:30pm in the Derby Rooms, Leigh Library. 

This is the K&J Gallimore Memorial Meeting when our very own local wildlife photographers Pauline and Ian Greenhalgh will present 'A Shot at Wildlife Images 2014' which is a compilation of images taken on their travels around Britain in that year. 

So do come and join us, all are welcome for what I am sure will be a great evening's entertainment.