This isn’t about some rare bird species but a visit from
Professor Heather Bateman, field ecologist at
Arizona State University, Phoenix, USA. Heather was over in Britain for a week attending an ecology conference in Manchester. She had spontaneously contacted
Joan Disley, LOS Editor, via the LOS website and asked if it would be possible to meet with some members for a day’s birdwatching. Joan arranged it all from this end; she collected Heather from Leigh Bus Station and brought her along to
Pennington Flash shortly before 9.00 a.m. to be joined by
Dave Wilson and myself (
George Pike).
A leisurely tour of the hides gave us
43 species including a
Common Tern, one
Common Sandpiper, two
Willow Tits and a pair of
Blackcaps. There was a very brief glimpse of a
Cetti’s Warbler at Tom Edmondson’s hide and fine views of a colourful
Kingfisher. Dave’s excellent knowledge of American birds helped Heather compare all these somewhat strange British birds with related species in the States.
Dave left us shortly after midday and then, after lunch, we were joined by
Angela Pike to go to
Risley Moss. Its reputation as an excellent raptor viewing area is well founded – the first bird we saw was a
Hobby chasing dragonflies in a marvellous flying display. A second
Hobby appeared and joined in the fun – they are the sort of bird I could watch all day! It was then a short drive back into Leigh and a stroll along the canal where notable birds included a
Grey Wagtail, spotted by Heather, and then a female
Sparrowhawk chasing feral pigeons. All this activity was carefully watched by one of our local
Peregrines, perched high above.
Luckily the weather remained fine throughout the day and it was soon time to drop Heather back at the bus station and say goodbye. A thoroughly relaxed and enjoyable day’s birding in the local area gave us
50 species in total, including five types of
raptor. It was a pleasure to meet up with our charming American visitor.
George Pike
