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.