Leigh Ornithological Society

Ynys-hir Trip Date Changes

Please note that the planned fieldtrip to Ynys-hir RSPN Nature Reserve has been changed to Wednesday 22nd May due to the proximity to the trip to Lesbos which only returns on the previous Saturday.

It's the place where a recent BBC Springwatch was filmed and should be a great day out. All are welcome but please remember it's an early start (7am) from Doctor's Nook Car Park.

Click this link for the Ynys-hir website: Ynys-hir Website
Click this link for a downloadable map of the Yyns Hir Reserve: Ynys-hir Nature Reserve Map

L.O.S. Young Birders' Club visits Lilford Park

On Monday 25th February the L.O.S. Young Birders' Club team (Tony, George, Brian and Martyn) accompanied two classes of young naturalists and their teachers from St. Thomas' C.E. Primary School to Lilford Park in Leigh as part of their school curriculum on the environment.

Atherton Wood and Bedford Wood (also known as Hough Wood) are part of the boundary plantations of Atherton Hall which had an 18th-century landscaped park. Bedford Wood was presented to Leigh by Lord Lilford in 1914 and became Lilford Park. There is now a volunteer group dedicated to ensuring the park's future who have their own website called The Friends of Lilford Park.

An artist's impression of the guided busway

In the Park the children wanted to see for themselves the effect the proposed £76,000,000 'Guided Busway' from Leigh to Manchester is having on the environment, as well as enjoying the experience of being in some of the oldest woodland in the area.

Back at school the children will be using this first hand experience to do some descriptive and persuasive writing about whether they think the guided busway is a good thing or not. Hopefully this trip will help them make up their own minds.

Unfortunately, the bird life in Lilford Park seems to have suffered a decline in recent years and so the LOSYBC Team came armed with identification sheets for trees, spring flowers and winter twigs, just in case there weren't so many birds about.

George's Group

Whilst we waited for the children's arrival at the main gates, we did see a Nuthatch high up in the trees as well as a Robin, some Magpies and a Crow. Although we couldn't see them, we could soon hear the enthusiastic chatter of the children from deep within the woods and so we made our way towards them, to meet at the top of the main pathway in the park. After handing out bird checklists and splitting the classes into four groups each with a teacher and an L.O.S. member, we set off to explore the woods.

Martyn and Brian's Group

George set off with his group first and spent a lot of time identifying the vegetation types as well as spotting the odd bird or two. Martyn stopped his and Brian's groups and asked all the children to be as quiet as possible. He explained that listening to the birds and hearing their calls and songs is as important as being able to see them. Whilst they were quiet a Blue Tit, Chaffinch and a Robin were heard, as well as the cawing of two Carrion Crows flying overhead.

Tony Talks to Everyone

We next stopped at the route of an old railway line which used to run through the park.

Tony explained that many railway lines were closed in the 1960's following the Beeching Reports and that the proposed guided busway follows the route of some former railway lines from Leigh to Manchester via Tyldesley, Ellenbrook and Salford.

The Route of the Old Railway Line

Here the children saw evidence of some of the many trees which have already been chopped down along stretch of the 13 mile route. He told the children that this was being done early in the year to avoid the breeding season when many birds would be nesting here, so as to cause as little disturbance as possible. And it seems that ecological surveys have already been carried out with some great crested newts relocated to a purpose-built pond somewhere along the route.

A Worker on the Guided Busway

Whilst we were near the proposed route we met a worker along the route who said that the trees being chopped down were being shredded into 'mulch' to put on gardens, and so they weren't being entirely wasted.

The busway is supposed to cut journey times by 45 minutes, with at least eight direct services on most of the route at peak times on weekdays.

Hugging a tree

We then went deeper into some of the older parts of Lilford Woods where the children used the sheets to identify the vegetation.

They found many beech (mast) nuts and acorns, some sycamore seeds, a pine cone or two and the remains of a few conkers. Some of the trees here are very old as can be told by their size and one group of children joined hands to encircle a tree and give it a hug!

Looking for Woodpecker holes

Martyn pointed out the many woodpecker holes, particularly in the softer bark of Silver Birch trees and he explained that the smaller holes were where the woodpecker was digging for insects whereas the larger holes were for nesting and rearing young.

He also said that the rotting tree stumps and branches were an important food source for insects, which in turn are an important food source for birds.

Identifying a Leaf

From the leaf litter, Brian's group identified birch, beech, oak, conifers, horse chestnut and sycamore as some of the important trees species here and the evergreen rhododendrons, holly and ivy as the dominant shrub species here.

The spring flowers weren't out (we didn't see any Snowdrops here today) yet but we did find some wild garlic leaves and a few fungi growing on the bark of dead trees.

Tony is given a Sycamore Seed

The children were very methodical in the process of identification, giving reasons for ruling out the species their specimens couldn't be, before choosing their best answer. They were constantly finding things of interest and were very keen to find out what they were.

Towards the end of the trip Tony also explained about the flood prevention mechanisms which have been put in place here to avoid flooding in the Lilford and Bedford areas of Leigh. A large flood storage basin has been created with a gate at one end which can be closed to hold back the floodwaters. With the gate closed, the water fills the basin and floods the meadows along one side of Atherton Wood, protecting the local houses.

To finish off the children had some time on the swings and slides in the playground area of the park. This was a really nice way to end what had been a very pleasant and successful morning for all of us. A big thanks must go to Mrs Currie, Mrs Chambers and all the support staff who made this such an enjoyable experience.

Martyn Jones

Bird ID Help Needed

Stephen Tebbott from Horwich in Bolton has sent us two photos of a bird he'd like identifying. I assume it has been seen locally, but I'm not sure.

If anyone can help please write your thoughts in the comments at the bottom of this post, or email me at leighos.webmaster@gmail.com.

Update:

The general consensus from the comments is that it is an albino House Sparrow - I for one have never seen one of these before!

Little Woolden Moss to become nature reserve

Further to our recent post on peat extraction being refused on Chat Moss, an area of peat-extraction damaged mossland in Salford is now being turned into a nature reserve. This article is from the BBC Website:

Little Woolden Moss is part of Chat Moss, a larger area of peat bog land - (c) BBC

Lancashire Wildlife Trust has bought the 100 hectare (247 acre) site at Little Woolden Moss, near Cadishead. The trust has used grants totalling around £1m from the Heritage Lottery Fund to buy the land and fund the conservation work.

By filling in the ditches, the Trust hopes cotton-grass and carpets of sphagnum mosses can be grown. The mosses store carbon, preventing it from entering the atmosphere and contributing to global warming.

This will obviously have a great impact on the birds and other wildlife in the area.

Read more about it from the BBC Website here: Little Woolden Moss to become nature reserve

Martyn's Live NestCam Video

Snapshot from 15 February 2013

I've currently got a Blue Tit roosting overnight in one of my nestboxes with a video camera. I'm now streaming the live video on my blog so you can have a look. Click here to go to my blog to see the live video.

The bird comes into roost at dusk between 5pm and 6pm every night and leaves between 6:30am and 7:30am in the morning when it's light.

Not much happens whilst it is roosting, but if you leave the video on screen for a while you will see the occasional flutter and bit of preening.

The video is obviously taken in the dark with an infra-red camera so don't expect any colour or much detail. It's much better during the daylight hours, but the bird isn't there for long at the moment. I'm hoping it will eventually find a mate and nest here in the spring.

To watch the video you need to have Java installed and running on your computer. You may need to update this but it's free and safe to do so. If any 'pop-up' windows appear you can safely click OK to install or update Java or to 'accept a connection' to my camera.

It would be great to see some feedback in the comments underneath the video on my blog.

Pauline and Ian Greenhalgh - A Shot at Wild Life Images 2011

Kingfisher at Pennington Flash

Well, I've just got back from an L.O.S. Friday night indoor presentation by Pauline and Ian Greenhalgh entitled 'A Shot a Wildlife Images 2011' and I feel like giving up bird photography now! Pauline has been a photographer for over 40 years and all that experience certainly shows in the quality and diversity of her and husband Ian's photographs.

From highly detailed close-up bird and animal shots, through multi-coloured fungi to breathtaking landscapes, Pauline's and Ian's photos were a simply stunning collection of wildlife images that would grace the pages of any book or magazine.

Short-eared Owl

Pauline had been coaxed out of 'presentation retirement' and was a little nervous before the start of the show - she needn't have been, as her photos did the talking for her. The audience could be heard to sigh with delight as each superb photograph appeared on screen season by season.

As well as iconic birds such as Kingfishers, Short-eared Owls, Red Kites and Capercaille, we saw animals such as Pine Martens and Badgers, lots of fungi and wild flowers and many beautiful landscapes from the Yorkshire Dales, the Lake District and Scotland.

At the end of the presentation Charlie Owen, another local well-respected birder and photographer and lifelong friend, did the honours of thanking Pauline and Ian and capped it all by saying that he was now going to sell his camera! You can view Pauline and Ian's photos online here: Pauline and Ian's Wildlife Images.

This truly splendid evening was enjoyed by everyone who attended and we're now all looking forward to the 2012 version next year!

Martyn Jones

Big Garden Birdwatch event at Pennington Flash - 27th January 2013

On Sunday 27 January, Wigan Leisure and Culture Trust (WLCT) held another birding event at Pennington Flash to coincide with the RSPB's 'Big Garden Birdwatch' weekend.

The event began at 11am on a bitterly cold and windy day, but that didn't seem to dampen the enthusiasm of the volunteers and families too much. There were still some remnants of the previous day's snowfall in some parts of the Country Park, but nothing that proved too much of a problem for access.

Eagle Owl (c) Alan Flavell

The RSPB had a stall to attract new members as well as selling a variety of bird books and related items and WLCT staff were on hand making fat feeders.

Matt Holker from the Greater Manchester Ecology Unit shared a stall with the L.O.S. and was engaging young people in birding and nature quiz games as well as asking their parents to complete a short survey.

Great Grey Owl - (c) Alan Flavell

Nestboxes could be bought and many families were seen later going home with youngsters carrying them. There was also a craft stall selling hand-made products, but for many the main attraction was the display of several stunning birds of prey by Vicky Jolley.

On display was an Eagle Owl, Barn Owl, Scops Owl, Great Grey Owl and Harris Hawk and the public could have their photograph taken holding one of the birds for a small charge.

Dave Wilson very kindly offered to take interested adults on a walk around the north western side of the Flash - as this would take an hour or so it was more suitable for adults and older children and a party set off around 11:30am.

Joan Disley and Jeff Hurst were based in Bunting Hide feeding station where the youngsters and families enjoyed looking at the smaller woodland birds such as Willow Tits, Bullfinches, Reed Buntings as well as the more common Chaffinches, Blue Tits, Great Tits, Dunnocks and Robins.

Bunting hide rarely disappoints even the most casual birdwatcher!

Joan said the youngsters really enjoyed identifying the birds and ticking them off on the checklist, and some of the adults did too!

Inside Bunting Hide (c) Martyn Jones

Scoping from Horrocks Hide (c) Shannon Shaw

George Pike, Brian Fawcett and Eric Munro were based in Horrocks Hide with a spotting scope overlooking the spit. The prospects weren't too good as the cold wind was blowing in through the hide windows and the birds were all taking shelter amongst the vegetation on the edges of the water. However they did manage to see some Goosanders, Cormorants, Teal, Coots, Moorhens, Black-headed Gulls and they were treated to a brief flypast by three Pintails. Once again the youngsters who visited the hide enjoyed identifying the birds using the photo sheets and checklists.

Keeping a checklist at Bunting Hide (c) Martyn Jones

A couple of days earlier, Roy Rhodes had very kindly pre-seeded the two bird tables sited just off the paths on the way to Horrocks and Ramsdales hides to ensure some birds along the way, and based himself at the Ramsdale's Hide end of the path.

The aim was to take people round to the reedbeds where it was presumed most of the water fowl would be sheltering from the harsh wind. However, the poor weather conditions meant that very little birdlife was in view here.

The L.O.S. Stall (c) Martyn Jones

Back on the stall Jim Disley did a sterling job of advertising the L.O.S. and handing out flyers and information sheets whilst Martyn Jones was busy moving about between the hides and the stalls checking that everything was going as smoothly as possible.

Some of the pupils from our recent visits to local primary schools turned up and took part and even one of the teachers brought her family, which was very nice to see.

On the whole it was a successful start for the L.O.S. Young Birders' Club and we hope to follow it up with another event soon, where we will take youngsters on a longer walk round the hides here with hopefully more waterfowl in view!

Thanks to all the L.O.S. members for turning out on such a cold and windy day when they could have stayed in bed - at least the snow had gone as quickly as it had arrived yesterday. And thanks must also go to Michelle and the WLCT staff team for organising the day and putting up the stalls in the wind, but most importantly for the tea and biscuits which were very well received!

See you all next year!

Did you see it ? (c) Shannon Shaw

Martyn Jones

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L.O.S. Young Birders' Club visits St.Thomas C.E. Primary School

The L.O.S. Young Birders' Club team paid a visit to St. Thomas' C.E. Primary School in Leigh last Wednesday to give some more presentations about birding to young people, with the aim of raising their awareness of the natural world around them.

We worked with two Year 4 classes and, building on the experience gained from our first session, the team offered a modified version of the initial presentation deciding to concentrate on just one practical activity with each class.

George introduced our presentation to the first class and covered such topics as why we need to feed the birds throughout the winter and spring and what sort of birds we are likely to see in our gardens.

There were a lot of questions and feedback from the children - as you can see from the photographs, they were very keen and enthusiastic and clearly interested in the subject.

Tony then demonstrated how to build a bird feeder out of a recycled clear plastic water bottle, some garden wire and a couple of sticks.

The children worked well in pairs to make the feeders and seemed to really like this activity. After the bottles were filled with seed they couldn't wait to hang them up and see what birds they attracted.

Finally the children did a word search about bird names to finish off the practical session, before Martyn told them about the L.O.S. Young Birders' Club and the 'Big Garden Birdwatch' event at Pennington Flash on Sunday 27 January.

He also mentioned the competition for designing a new logo for the L.O.S. Young Birders' Club, the details of which are on the website.

After the presentation had been given to the second class, the children worked in pairs to make some bird ID dials. Each person cut out a circular dial and then fastened it to their partner's dial.

When completed, the children used the ID dials to identify some birds from a colour photographs. There was also a slightly harder set of photographs showing only small parts of birds to ID for those who had finished.

Following a discussion with class teacher Mrs. S. Grant at the end of the session, we also volunteered to accompany the children on a fieldtrip to Lilford Park in Leigh, where they are looking at what impact the proposed guided busway from Leigh to Manchester will have on birds, wildlife and habitat in the area.

This is exactly the sort of project with which the L.O.S. is hoping to get involved in the future.

At the end of each session the class was presented with a metal bird feeder filled with either fat balls or seed for being such a great audience. Our thanks go out to the staff and pupils of St. Thomas' for making us feel so welcome and for working so well on this project - we hope to see you again soon.

Future primary schools lined up for our presentations include Bedford Hall Methodist Primary School in Leigh, St. Richards R.C. Primary School in Atherton and St. Catherine's Catholic Primary School in Lowton.

Big Garden Birdwatch Event at Pennington Flash

This weekend sees the start of the Big Garden Birdwatch organised by the RSPB and to coincide with this, Wigan Leisure and Cultural Trust (WLCT) are holding their own special event at Pennington Flash, on Sunday 27 January. The event runs from 11am to 3pm.

Members of our Society will be present to hold the inaugural meeting of our L.O.S. Young Birders' Club, where we shall be taking young people on an number of guided walks around the bird hides and giving tips and information about simple bird identification.

This is part of our campaign to get more young people interested in birding and nature, which we have started by giving presentation at local primary schools. A page on the website has been set up for youngsters to record their sightings seen on the walks or in their local area and they can also send photographs, written reports and even artwork for inclusion on the website to leighos.webmaster@gmail.com.

As well as the guided walks, the following activities will also taking place:

Snowy Owl from last year's event

Bird of Prey demonstration
Nestbox building and for sale
Willow weaving demonstration
Making apple juice with a press
Making recycled bird feeders and fat peckers
RSPB's Roger Hayes will be in attendance

We do hope that as many L.O.S. members as possible will be able to attend and help generate interest in the Society as well as the new L.O.S. Young Birders' Club.

Martyn Jones