Pennington Flash Volunteers Update
Fieldtrip to RSPB Burton Mere Wetlands - 24th January 2026
Owls anyone, not today!
Traditionally, January does not have a pre-assigned destination for the field trip, instead it is decided as we meet on Dr’s Nook car park at 8am, however, this year due to the car park being out of action the venue was set on the Thursday before. With a limited amount of light, travelling more than an hour would eat too much into the day and as it is winter the weather also needs to be taken into consideration with hides preferable for respite if the weather turns inclement. Luckily, we had a dry day though it was cloudy with a wind chill that froze you to the bone.
Our day started with a 9am meet at RSPB Burton Mere car park, a 50-minute ride from Leigh with several hides and a café, not to mention a plethora of birds, so ticks every box. A noisy Nuthatch was first on the list and then the ‘kik’ call of a Great Spotted Woodpecker was heard and then seen above as we tied our laces, a great start to the day. We next moved into the Visitor Hub with its large panoramic windows looking over a large part of the reserve. By the time we left the Visitor Hub, 31 species had been seen, this included a single Redshank, seven Ruff and many Lapwings. Pintail, Wigeon, Teal, Gadwall, Shelduck, Mallard, Shoveler and a single Tufted Duck were the wildfowl contingent along with Canada, Greylag and Pink-footed Geese. Three Marsh Harriers, one male and two female, quartered the reedbeds at the back of the scrape, flushing all below as they hunted breakfast.
As we left the hide a Kestrel gave great views as it toyed in the chilly wind searching the pool side for a meal. We continued to the Visitor Hub and passed through towards the Bunker Hide along the Wetland Trail. The Bunker Hide produced nothing new so we continued to the Wetland Viewpoint. There is a large feeder near the Viewpoint however, disappointingly, this was empty though many small passerines littered the hedges nearby but not our hoped-for Greenfinch quarry. Time was now pressing so we headed back to the car park and set off for RSPB Parkgate in search of Short-eared Owls, Barn Owls and Hen Harrier. It was not to be though we added Starling, Oystercatcher, Great Black-backed Gull, Goldfinch, Linnet, Meadow Pipit and Jay.
An excellent tally of 71 species plus Brown Rat and Grey Squirrel.
I hope to see you on the next field trip.
Keith Williams
Field Trips Officer
Traditionally, January does not have a pre-assigned destination for the field trip, instead it is decided as we meet on Dr’s Nook car park at 8am, however, this year due to the car park being out of action the venue was set on the Thursday before. With a limited amount of light, travelling more than an hour would eat too much into the day and as it is winter the weather also needs to be taken into consideration with hides preferable for respite if the weather turns inclement. Luckily, we had a dry day though it was cloudy with a wind chill that froze you to the bone.
Our day started with a 9am meet at RSPB Burton Mere car park, a 50-minute ride from Leigh with several hides and a café, not to mention a plethora of birds, so ticks every box. A noisy Nuthatch was first on the list and then the ‘kik’ call of a Great Spotted Woodpecker was heard and then seen above as we tied our laces, a great start to the day. We next moved into the Visitor Hub with its large panoramic windows looking over a large part of the reserve. By the time we left the Visitor Hub, 31 species had been seen, this included a single Redshank, seven Ruff and many Lapwings. Pintail, Wigeon, Teal, Gadwall, Shelduck, Mallard, Shoveler and a single Tufted Duck were the wildfowl contingent along with Canada, Greylag and Pink-footed Geese. Three Marsh Harriers, one male and two female, quartered the reedbeds at the back of the scrape, flushing all below as they hunted breakfast.
Just outside the Visitor Hub as you enter the reserve is a single large feeder, this played host to many Long-tailed, Blue and Great Tits along with a lone Chaffinch giving an opportunity for the photographers amongst the group. Walking through the woodland passed the café towards the Mere added Goldcrest, Fieldfare, Redwing and Treecreeper to the tally for the day, and we were only 15 minutes in. As we arrived at the Mere a Kingfisher was seen catching a Roach by a couple of the group, on the right-hand body of water a couple of Egyptian Geese could be seen and heard. The calling a precursor to lift off but not before a quick though distant snap could be taken. Siskin and Lesser Redpoll could not settle as they flitted from Alder to Alder on the water’s edge in search of a meal. Dropping down a few steps on our way to the Reedbed Screen brought us to a third pool that played host to a drake Goosander with a cock Pheasant along its right-hand flank.
Not a bird was seen at the Reedbed Screen so we quickly moved to the Marsh Covert Hide, on arrival we were greeted by ten Curlew on the grassy outcrop to the west of the hide looking towards Bridge Pool. A Herring Gull drifted by and a Kestrel was seen in the distance to the left of the Hillfort. A Marsh Harrier kept the enthusiast entertained hunting over the reedbed to the south of the hide drifting backwards and forwards in search of that meal. Many waterfowl were in the distance but these were better seen as we moved to the Bridge Screen that overlooks Bridge Pool. A single sleeping Wigeon, head tucked on its back, a single Pink-footed Goose, Teal, many Tufted Duck and a sleeping drake Shoveler drifted towards the screen, only to be awakened in a startle and quickly swam back to the outcrop. A walk up to the top Viewpoint at the side of the railway, overlooking the set-a-side field produced Rook, Stonechat, Stock Dove, Collared Dove and a “gronking” Raven. However, it did not produce the expected Dunnock, a species we would dip today.
Dropping down the hill we crossed the railway and headed towards Burton Point, part way across the field a Green Woodpecker lifted into the Hillfort trees then drifted down the field and out of sight, an excellent addition. A look across the marsh from Burton Point added Great White Egret to the list but the field we crossed did not produce the hoped for Little Owl. We continued our amble to Border Hide, scanning the undergrowth at the side of the boardwalk that in years gone by has produced Woodcock, not today however, Border hide overlooks Centenary Pool and Border Pool, here we took lunch whilst watching a prayer of Black-tailed Godwits with Knot, Ruff, Redshank and a solitary Spotted Redshank intermingled. A scan of the far bank whilst eating lunch produced a single Snipe buried in the vegetation as it probed for a worm for its lunch. A marauding Marsh Harrier lifted the wader flock a couple of times but each time they soon resettled across from the hide making finding the Spotted Redshank the game for the next ten minutes.
As we left the hide a Kestrel gave great views as it toyed in the chilly wind searching the pool side for a meal. We continued to the Visitor Hub and passed through towards the Bunker Hide along the Wetland Trail. The Bunker Hide produced nothing new so we continued to the Wetland Viewpoint. There is a large feeder near the Viewpoint however, disappointingly, this was empty though many small passerines littered the hedges nearby but not our hoped-for Greenfinch quarry. Time was now pressing so we headed back to the car park and set off for RSPB Parkgate in search of Short-eared Owls, Barn Owls and Hen Harrier. It was not to be though we added Starling, Oystercatcher, Great Black-backed Gull, Goldfinch, Linnet, Meadow Pipit and Jay.
An excellent tally of 71 species plus Brown Rat and Grey Squirrel.
I hope to see you on the next field trip.
Keith Williams
Field Trips Officer
Pennington Flash Volunteer Update
Tony Bishop - L.O.S. Deputy Chairperson
Dear Members, for your information the funeral for Tony Bishop will be at Howe Bridge Crematorium M46 0PZ on
THURSDAY 8TH JANUARY AT 3PM should you wish to attend.
Tony Bishop - L.O.S. Deputy Chairperson and long time L.O.S. member
We are saddened to share the news of the passing of Tony Bishop – a dedicated member of the Leigh Ornithological Society, our Vice Chairman and a passionate conservationist. We give thanks for his life, his friendship and his unwavering commitment to the natural world. Tony’s love of birds, wildlife, music, football and cricket enriched our community and inspired many. His legacy lives on in the habitats he helped to protect and in all who were encouraged by his quiet wisdom and gentle leadership.
We hold his memory with gratitude and will continue the work he cared for so deeply.
May he Rest in Peace.
Pennington Flash Volunteers Update
Next Wednesday is our last before our Christmas Break. Should you like to become involved, even if it is just for one day then please attend the main car park for 09:30am on 17/12/2025. Part of Leigh Ornithological Society.
L.O.S. Fieldtrip to RSPB Old Moor - Saturday 6th December 2025
Is that a Seahorse?
The fourth field trip of the season took us again across the Pennines into Yorkshire, this time south of the M62 to RSPB Old Moor near Barnsley. Another old mining site with the Visitor Hub, once part of Old Moor Farm, dating back to 1755. Old Moor became the flagship site in the Dearne Valley post mining restoration project and was originally used by birdwatching ex-miners over 30 years ago.
Ten hardy souls made the trip, even with the threat of a wet day, arriving in the car park at 9:15am, giving plenty of time for a brew and to be ready for the site opening at 9:30am. A Cormorant was our first flyby of the day, later followed by a Herring Gull, the trees flanking the car park were adorned with many passerines including a trembling of Greenfinch, Goldfinch and Chaffinch.
Our first destination was by the Visitor Hub as an early pitstop was taken, here we added Blue, Great and Long-tailed Tits to the tally. As the forecast had changed from the previous day with rain now forecast for the afternoon we decided to head along the western side of the reserve as there are fewer hides in which to shelter from the rain. We set off along the Discovery Trail and quickly encountered a distant flock of small birds; an inspection of the Alder trees they adorned revealed them to be Goldfinch with a single Siskin left sat atop an Alder as the Goldfinches alighted. Next a deceit of forty or so Lapwings passed by, the noun originating from the Lapwings tendency to feign injury when threatened. Surprisingly, this our only wader of the day.
We soon arrived at the first hide, the Bittern Hide, where we were greeted by an early downpour so we camped down until the shower passed. The hide giving great views over the northern half of the reserve added twenty species to the trip list, including three Marsh Harriers, forty plus Great Black-backed Gulls with a sprinkling of Lesser Black-backed Gulls. Wildfowl included Gadwall, Shoveler, Pochard, Wigeon and a flyby pair of Greylag Geese.
Next, we headed past the Bittern Bus Stop onto the Reedbed Path towards the Reedbed hide in search of Bearded Tit, it was not to be our day though they had been seen in previous days. The Reedbed hide whilst giving close views of wildfowl and a great view of a perched female Marsh Harrier that was joined by a male only added Little Grebe to the days total. The return journey along the same path however proved far more fruitful, first we had a male Stonechat at the clearing in the reedbed where on our previous visit a screen was in place. Whilst watching this active passerine we were entertained by a pair of Kingfishers and a showy though distant Cetti’s Warbler.
Lunch was calling so we headed back towards the Visitor Hub as a dark cloud moved in, calling in at the Bird Garden Hide, an octagonal open hide giving great views of garden birds especially for photographing, with some of the group consuming lunch in the presence of our feathered friends. Here we added Song Thrush, Reed Bunting, Dunnock and Wren to boost the numbers, these joined by Pheasant, Greenfinch, Redwing, Chaffinch, Blue Tit, Long-tailed Tit to name a few.
Lunch soon passed and the rain abated so it was time to explore the eastern side of the reserve, our first port of call was the Lookout, this proved a disappointment as the large windows were full of condensation and so opaque. We quickly moved to our next stop, the hide overlooking Field Pools West, here we added Sparrowhawk, Pied Wagtail and surprisingly Moorhen.
A valuable skill of birdwatching in a group is the ability to describe where a bird you have seen is, “it’s over there in that tree” with a forest opposite is not that helpful, so when it was proclaimed that there were several Lapwings on the opposite side of the Mere, a better description was needed as a quick scan with the binoculars produced no Lapwing. When the words “they’re below the seahorse in the trees” were uttered, everyone new exactly where to look, “genius description” was proclaimed, if only the ornithology was as good as the description, they were Teal!
A move back to the windows overlooking Wath Ings with its small island in front contained four gull species, Great Black-backed, Lesser Black-backed, Black-headed and a new one for the list, a single Common Gull, that was not there five minutes before. An excellent time to admire the sheer size differential of the world’s largest Gull. At this point, even with all the water and reeds on the reserve we had not yet seen a Grey Heron, a scan of the far bank of Wath Ings produced six in a row stood in the reed bed.
It was now time to make a retreat to the car park as the light was fading and the car park closed at 4pm, so we headed along the southern path of the Green Lane Loop passing the Field Pools East and the Field Pools West. Field Pools West are flooded fields managed with waders in mind; a wide patch of landscaped mud separates the path from the pools and contained several hawking Pied Wagtail. Bullfinch, Coal Tit and passing Jackdaw were the final additions to the list that totalled 54 species.
I hope you have enjoyed reading about our day out and if you fancy a walk with like-minded folk of differing birding experience, why not join us on a future outing, for more information get in touch at the email address below or ask any of the Committee members.
Keith Williams
Fieldtrips Organiser
Pennington Flash Volunteers Update
Pennington Flash Volunteer Group meet each Wednesday on the main car park at 09:30 am.
Tasks include general maintenance of the site, this includes fence building, dead hedging, pond clearance and route clearance that all go to create areas for the conservation of wildlife. It's good for the mind and spirit. We would like to extend a welcome to Hannah Pennington who joined us for the first time.
Pennington Flash Volunteers Update
New scenary next week as we move on to an area close to Charlie Owen's Hide. Nice to recieve compliments as visitors recognise the work we are carring out, which is good for both mind and soul.
Should you wish to get involved, we meet each Wednesday at 09:30 am on the Car Park of Pennington Flash.
Pennington Flash Volunteers Update
On Wednesday 26th Nov 2025, Pennington Flash Volunteer Group brought onboard our latest recruit. Seen here in the photo enjoying a short tea break is Nom.
Nom is orgionally from Vietnam where she worked as a Tourist Guide in the Jungle close to her home. Elephants and bears were mentioned in our conversation, something we saw at Pennington Flash during The Hides earlier this year, only difference is, the animals Nom saw were real.