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| Sage Thrasher (c) Dave Wilson |
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| Gray Flycatcher (c) Dave Wilson |
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| Great Horned Owl fledgling (c) Dave Wilson |
WE'RE WAITING !
Dave Wilson
Flycatchers and Tales of the Unexpected - Part 2 by Dave Wilson
An interest in the history of the American West brought us to the Oregon Trail Centre on a fine early June morning in 2011, and, within a short space of time, a third thread entered this tale of the unexpected – what might be called a series of isolated incidents where one led to another and ended in an astonishing encounter.
Before entering the Centre, which was perched on a high point among fairly inhospitable sagebrush habitat, I happened to hear a lovely sustained warbling song coming from a slope behind the centre. This was being delivered by a Sage Thrasher, a fairly common summer visitor to arid zones in this part of North America, vaguely similar (at distance) and about the same size as our Song Thrush and in this instance, one which tolerated a close approach for a snapshot. As soon as I'd taken the picture, I noticed, about fifty yards down a rocky slope, a small grey bird flitting about by an ancient, barbed-wire fence.
Again I took a picture, but this time unknowing of its species, or even that it was a flycatcher. Later that day, I looked closely at pictures of all the very similar-looking 'Empidonax' species in my sole field guide and deduced that this bird was a Gray Flycatcher, similar to the Dungeness Acadian Flycatcher, but with a few barely discernible differences, including bill length and colour, an occasional olive tinge on the upperparts and, uniquely, the habit of dipping its tail slowly when perched. Its preferred breeding haunts are the dry habitats if the interior of the states of the West, identical to the sagebrush slope where we were. This incident was certainly unexpected, but there was something more to come.
The brief encounter led to the concluding surprise, when Carole, a keen knitter, noticed, during the climb back through prickly vegetation, what appeared to be a large bundle of discarded wool of various shades of grey, a very curious place for litter-dumping! A closer look revealed that the bundle was, in fact, a Great Horned Owl youngster which had probably just embarked upon its first flight; minutes later, in the large entrance hall to the Oregon Trail Centre, we came across one of the adults close to, I presumed, a concealed nest site.
What an interesting, unforgettable sequence of events – the delightful strains from the Sage Thrasher; the tiny Gray Flycatcher feeding among the sagebrush; and one young and one adult Great Horned Owl enabling me to include the experience among my memories of joyful unpredictability when birdwatching. And, to conclude, surely all three of us – Meg, Martin and myself – will hope that every reader will, at some time in the future, be able to relate to us all his or her own “tale of the unexpected”.
WE'RE WAITING !
WE'RE WAITING !
Pennington Flash Issues and Concerns
A real positivity about the Greenheart Forum meeting today regarding habitat management at Pennington Flash. Whilst a return to a full and meaningful Ranger Service of old, when Charlie Owen and Pauline Mellor-Greenhalgh worked there is a way off. Myself, Dave Wilson and George Pike pressed for the desperate situation at Pennington to be resolved a.s.a.p. We all understand that money is tight and the Council even now has to make further cutbacks.
Meanwhile the reserve falls into disrepair and people flout the law, fish wherever they fancy, let their dogs run a mock in the designated reserve and in front of hides. It's an appalling state of affairs and an insult to the pioneers of conservation that founded our Society to preserve this wildlife wonder (The Flash). Therefore I'm now looking at a programme of funding the site, mutually with the council to apply to various grant bodies to help us preserve this nationally important wildlife area. Your individual help on volunteer days is vital for this site to hold its own until funding can be allocated, and I suspect that's not too far away.
Meanwhile the reserve falls into disrepair and people flout the law, fish wherever they fancy, let their dogs run a mock in the designated reserve and in front of hides. It's an appalling state of affairs and an insult to the pioneers of conservation that founded our Society to preserve this wildlife wonder (The Flash). Therefore I'm now looking at a programme of funding the site, mutually with the council to apply to various grant bodies to help us preserve this nationally important wildlife area. Your individual help on volunteer days is vital for this site to hold its own until funding can be allocated, and I suspect that's not too far away.
Please spread the word and let me know your interest in being part of a survival strategy team.
email: leighos.chairman@gmail.com
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There are many problems arising at the Flash in recent times, the diminished staffing over the last few years has lead to a free for all of poor behaviour and respect for wildlife by the public, drinking, vandalism, trespass and fishing in the Nature Reserve is appalling, dogs on the loose and soiling of even the children's play areas are not beyond the animal lovers limits. and little is being done by the Council to counter this.
This band of brothers "L.O.S." is trying alone to resolve these issues and we have raised these points recently and received this reply:
Hello David,
Please find below the bullet points from last week’s meeting.
Illegal angling has reared its head again, even though the ‘No Angling’ signage is still in place, I will pick this up with the EA and the angling club.
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There are many problems arising at the Flash in recent times, the diminished staffing over the last few years has lead to a free for all of poor behaviour and respect for wildlife by the public, drinking, vandalism, trespass and fishing in the Nature Reserve is appalling, dogs on the loose and soiling of even the children's play areas are not beyond the animal lovers limits. and little is being done by the Council to counter this.
This band of brothers "L.O.S." is trying alone to resolve these issues and we have raised these points recently and received this reply:
Hello David,
Please find below the bullet points from last week’s meeting.
- Supply LOS with litter pickers, high viz vests, gloves, bin bags and RA for ad hoc litter picks.
- Supply LOS with stock netting, fencing pliers, gloves, safety glasses and RA for ongoing minor fence repairs.
- Review bird feeding locations within the reserve with LOS preferring a phased reduction to one feeding location (Bunting Hide).
- Return cages over feeders to deter squirrels.
- Propose Bunting hide tidy up as Council Volunteer project in partnership with LOS.
- Look at s106 (public open space) monies for habitat management.
- Discuss Pennington Flash projects with Community Reparation.
- Work on the screen has started.
- Only use whole peanuts within the feeders.
Illegal angling has reared its head again, even though the ‘No Angling’ signage is still in place, I will pick this up with the EA and the angling club.
Regards
Michael
Michael Fishwick
Greenspace Development Officer
We will be holding some work parties in the future, if you can help (nothing too strenuous ) please reply to this notice.
Michael
Michael Fishwick
Greenspace Development Officer
We will be holding some work parties in the future, if you can help (nothing too strenuous ) please reply to this notice.
Thankyou, David Shallcross
L.O.S. Fieldtrip to Hilbre Island - Sunday 10 April
We will be meeting at Doctors Nook car park (WN1 1SX) at 7:00am for a strict 7:10am departure and will be parking up on South Parade (CH48 0QG) in West Kirby at approximately 8:15am.
PLAN A
We are governed by the tides today. Low tide is at 8:21am when we can start walking out to the island. If the weather is kind we will stay on the main island over high tide, which I believe is around 10 metres at 1:50pm and we can leave at about 4:20pm to head back to the mainland.
We should see seals, waders, ducks and gulls galore, with our eyes especially peeled for Osprey and Red Kite.
PLAN B ( in case of bad weather)
We'll still walk over to the island but at 10:40am we'll head back to the mainland. Then we'll take in some of the Wirral's other areas of natural beauty to be decided on the day.
There should be plenty of seats available for lifts, but it's a very strict departure time this week, so please make sure you're on time.
If you're planning on joining us please advise either by accepting the invite on Facebook, emailing me on leighos.trips@gmail.com or 'phoning me on 07930948392.
Steve Scrimgeour
Acting Fieldtrips Officer
The L.O.S. Sponsored Bird Watch - 15 May 2016
We are having our sponsored bird watch day again this year. Teams can be up to 4 adults or more if there is a youngster present. Please register your team with either Eddie King or Joan Disley by using the email address below or at the Derby Room Meetings and we will supply the forms needed to record your birds and a sponsor form. Sponsorship by friends and work colleagues can take any form; per bird, per a number of birds or just a fixed amount for the day. All funds raised go to the society.
It is usually a wonderful day out just bird watching with friends and some friendly rivalry too. Please give your team a name, something with birds in the title, e.g., one group are the “Feather Brains” and “Jackdaws and Teals” so something in that line would be good.
There will be an evening meal at the end of the day, giving teams time to go home and get changed before returning to hand in their results later and have a good chat about what they did and saw. It’s a good day out so please come and join in. Once we have numbers we will advise all of the meal destination, time and further information.
If you wish to come for the meal, please advise Eddie or Joan as soon as possible as booking will have to be arranged. If you can’t join in then please sponsor someone or join us for the meal at the end of the day.
There will be an evening meal at the end of the day, giving teams time to go home and get changed before returning to hand in their results later and have a good chat about what they did and saw. It’s a good day out so please come and join in. Once we have numbers we will advise all of the meal destination, time and further information.
If you wish to come for the meal, please advise Eddie or Joan as soon as possible as booking will have to be arranged. If you can’t join in then please sponsor someone or join us for the meal at the end of the day.
Eddie King
L.O.S. Presentation - Friday 1 April 2016
A Journey in Front and Behind the Lens of A Bird Photographer
John Barlow
John's images are mainly from around his home patch of Turton and Edgworth and he will be passing on some tips and information as to how he achieved these images. This is John's third visit to the L.O.S. and I'm sure we're in for another great evening with spectacular photographs and a very interesting commentary.
So please come and join us at the Derby Room in Leigh Library at 7:15pm
All are welcome, members, friends and non-members.
Tom Edmondson (1922 - 2016)
Few who visit Pennington Flash nowadays knew Tom Edmondson, the true pioneer of local conservation, but many visit and enjoy the hide there named in his honour and probably wonder who he actually was. Unfortunately, Tom passed away recently and the following tribute is reproduced with the kind permission of its author and friend of Tom, David Wilson:
For the past several days, the first sounds of the outside world, well before first light, have been delivered loud and clear, and with gusto, by our garden Blackbird, but this morning, under a heavy grey sky, all was quiet until the plaintive notes of a distant Mistle Thrush heralded a new day. It was appropriate that the solo should have been delivered from somewhere in the Pennington Flash Country Park, for it was this very special site that had drawn Tom Edmondson into nearly a lifelong involvement in nature conservation, and today was the day of his funeral in Chester.
I suspect that I was the only person from Leigh, his home town, among the thirty or forty who had gathered to bid farewell in a service which included screens showing pictures of Tom with friends and family during a long and fruitful lifetime. The occasion, from beginning to end, was highly dignified, with spoken contributions by his son and two grandchildren and a fine selection of music and poems. The informal procession into the chapel was to the accompaniment of a fine rendition by Amanda Roocroft of Puccini's aria "O mia bambino caro"; the centrepiece was Edward Elgar's masterpiece 'Nimrod' played by the Halle Orchestra; and Tom's last farewell was to the strains of "Abide with Me."
"Tom" and "The Kingfisher" were fitting titles for two of the poems, the third one, remarkably, being one of the favourites of his near-contemporary, Frank Horrocks - "Happy the Man" by John Dryden:-
"Happy the man, and happy he alone,
He who can call today his own:
He who, secure within, can say,
Tomorrow do thy worst, for I have lived today.
Be fair or fowl or rain or shine
The joys I have possessed, in spite of fate, are mine.
Not heaven itself upon the past has power,
But what has been, has been, and I have had my hour"
Upon my return to Leigh, I went to the Flash and pinned copies of the funeral service leaflet to the notice boards outside the hide named in his honour and in the information centre.
Tom often expressed his delight that a small, once-upon-a-time industrial town in Lancashire should have managed to produce and foster a Society which, through its commitment, industry and love of our natural heritage, has had a huge influence in shaping our green habitats for wildlife and human appreciation and enjoyment alike.
I'm certain that Tom's greatest wish would be for all of us to recognize the importance of continuing to promote nature conservation into an increasingly uncertain future. We owe it as much to our natural environment and all its dependent creatures, and the spiritual wellbeing of those who follow us, just as much as we owe it to the memory of a great man.
Rest in peace, dear friend.
For the past several days, the first sounds of the outside world, well before first light, have been delivered loud and clear, and with gusto, by our garden Blackbird, but this morning, under a heavy grey sky, all was quiet until the plaintive notes of a distant Mistle Thrush heralded a new day. It was appropriate that the solo should have been delivered from somewhere in the Pennington Flash Country Park, for it was this very special site that had drawn Tom Edmondson into nearly a lifelong involvement in nature conservation, and today was the day of his funeral in Chester.
I suspect that I was the only person from Leigh, his home town, among the thirty or forty who had gathered to bid farewell in a service which included screens showing pictures of Tom with friends and family during a long and fruitful lifetime. The occasion, from beginning to end, was highly dignified, with spoken contributions by his son and two grandchildren and a fine selection of music and poems. The informal procession into the chapel was to the accompaniment of a fine rendition by Amanda Roocroft of Puccini's aria "O mia bambino caro"; the centrepiece was Edward Elgar's masterpiece 'Nimrod' played by the Halle Orchestra; and Tom's last farewell was to the strains of "Abide with Me."
"Tom" and "The Kingfisher" were fitting titles for two of the poems, the third one, remarkably, being one of the favourites of his near-contemporary, Frank Horrocks - "Happy the Man" by John Dryden:-
"Happy the man, and happy he alone,
He who can call today his own:
He who, secure within, can say,
Tomorrow do thy worst, for I have lived today.
Be fair or fowl or rain or shine
The joys I have possessed, in spite of fate, are mine.
Not heaven itself upon the past has power,
But what has been, has been, and I have had my hour"
Upon my return to Leigh, I went to the Flash and pinned copies of the funeral service leaflet to the notice boards outside the hide named in his honour and in the information centre.
Tom often expressed his delight that a small, once-upon-a-time industrial town in Lancashire should have managed to produce and foster a Society which, through its commitment, industry and love of our natural heritage, has had a huge influence in shaping our green habitats for wildlife and human appreciation and enjoyment alike.
I'm certain that Tom's greatest wish would be for all of us to recognize the importance of continuing to promote nature conservation into an increasingly uncertain future. We owe it as much to our natural environment and all its dependent creatures, and the spiritual wellbeing of those who follow us, just as much as we owe it to the memory of a great man.
Rest in peace, dear friend.
Dave Wilson
L.O.S. Fieldtrip to Woolston Eyes and Moore Nature Reserves
As usual we are meeting at Doctors Nook car park facing Leigh Library (WN1 1SX) for an 08:30 hours departure. We'll be parking up on Weir Lane in Woolston at approximately 09:00 hours (WA1 4QH) and walking down the path to the main entrance on the bridge takes approximately 20 minutes.
We'll be spending a couple of hours on site before departing for Moore Nature Reserve (WA4 6XE) where we are meeting the warden at around 13:00 hours for a 1 hour guided walk with a little local knowledge thrown in. Then we can try and pin down the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker ourselves.
There is a small charge of £2.00 per person for this trip, which is for the upkeep of Woolston Eyes.
If you are planning on joining us please email me leighos.trips@gmail.com or telephone me on 07930948392 to give some idea of numbers.
We'll be spending a couple of hours on site before departing for Moore Nature Reserve (WA4 6XE) where we are meeting the warden at around 13:00 hours for a 1 hour guided walk with a little local knowledge thrown in. Then we can try and pin down the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker ourselves.
There is a small charge of £2.00 per person for this trip, which is for the upkeep of Woolston Eyes.
If you are planning on joining us please email me leighos.trips@gmail.com or telephone me on 07930948392 to give some idea of numbers.
Steve Scrimgeour
Acting L.O.S. Field Trips Officer
L.O.S. Presentation - Friday 4th March 2016
Shetland
The wildlife and sights of Shetland, starting on Fair Isle and finishing with a view of Out Stack, the most northerly part of Britain. Photographs include birds, wild flowers, butterflies and mammals.Everyone is welcome and entrance is free, although we'd really appreciate a small donation on the door in the form of buying a couple of raffle tickets.
Willow Tit Survey - Free Training
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| Willow Tit at Pennington Flash (c) Martyn Jones 2016 |
The first two dates of the 18th and 29th of February have been fully booked and so a third date is being planned depending on the interest. Please register your interest with Cheryl Knott at the email address or telephone number below.
Willow Tits can easily be found at Pennington Flash, Three Sisters N.R. and the Wigan Flashes as well as on Astley Moss and Atherton Meadows.
The course is being run by Lancashire Wildlife Trust (LWT)in partnership with the GM Ecology Unit.
The course is being run by Lancashire Wildlife Trust (LWT)in partnership with the GM Ecology Unit.
If you enjoy watching Willow Tits and would like to contribute to their conservation in Greater Manchester then this is an opportunity not to be missed.
Lancashire Wildlife Trust would like to invite you to be involved in a Willow Tit Survey Training Day which aims to standardise recording methodologies and gain habitat data from across our region. This will benefit long term planning for species recovery.
Willow Tits are suffering an alarming decline, with around 3,400 pairs remaining in the UK. The Great Manchester Wetlands Nature Improvement Area which extends across Wigan, Salford, Bolton and into Cheshire, holds around 10% of this number. We want to learn more about the population in our area. This will involve identifying suitable habitat and recording the presence or absence of Willow Tit. The aim is to build up a better picture of the region's populations. This will be done in conjunction with The Carbon Landscape Project and Greater Manchester Ecology Unit. The survey results will inform some very targeted habitat development work on existing Willow tit sites, and also be used to develop neighbouring sites, allowing populations to spread.
The training day is to be held at Three Sisters Lakeside Office, at a date still to be arranged between 10am-3pm. You will need to bring a packed lunch, and suitable clothing for the weather on the day.
If you are interested please contact LWT at The Lakeside office to book, on 01942 726214 or email Cheryl Knott on cknott@lancswt.org.uk
L.O.S. Open Day Video Slideshow
Just to finish off all our recent Open Day stuff, here's a video slideshow made from photographs taken by Alan Wilcox and myself: