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England Greater Manchester

Dunlin Calidris alpina ŠSue & Andy Tranter http://www.suesbirdphotos.co.uk/

The central part of the metropolitan area is made up of urban sprawl and industrial areas criss-crossed with canals and the River Mersey. There are one or two pairs of Black Redstarts in the city centre and nationally important numbers of Pochard and Tufted Duck are found in Salford Docks in winter.
<>br>However the main areas of interest for the birdwatcher are on the fringes of the region.

In the north are several reservoirs, in the east there is moor-land and the Peak District. In the south there is the Mersey valley and there are remnants of moss-land and flooded mine-workings in the west. Typically around 200 species are seen each year and the county list stands at 299.

Below are some of the top sites within the area and within easy reach of the city centre.

top sites

Audenshaw Reservoir

(SJ915965)Permit required (Dan Tomes tel.01457 864187). Currently a lot of disruption due to the M60 road building scheme but a large Gull roost and a lot of passage migrants drop in, often only for an hour or two so this is an ideal patch.

City Centre

Breeding Grey Wagtail, Peregrine and Black Redstart all in the very heart of the city centre!

Elton Reservoir

(SD790095)A well-watched patch with waterfowl in winter and a selection of passage migrants.

Etherow Country Park

(SJ972908)Ignore the feral wildfowl and head up to the weir for Dipper and Grey Wagtail. In summer roding Woodcock, Cuckoo, Redstarts and Pied Flycatcher. Small car park fee.

Hollingworth Lake

(SD937150)Large numbers of Goosander in winter, also various passage migrants. Car park fee.

Hope Carr

(SJ663986)A new reserve built on the site of Leigh sewage works. Favourite haunt of Water Pipit in the winter.

Mersey Valley

(SJ805924)The visitor centre has a notice-board with recent sightings. A small reserve at Broad Ees Dole (SJ801931) holds Snipe and Jack Snipe in winter but it has become overgrown. Nearby Chorlton Water Park (SJ820915) used to hold large numbers of duck in winter but these now seem to favour Salford Docks. All these areas are favourites with dog-walkers and day trippers so again an early visit is recommended.

Pennington Flash

(SJ640990)The premier site in the area with over 230 species recorded. A 200ha country park with diverse habitats including a large flooded lake used for various leisure activities so an early visit is recommended. Small car park fee. In winter large numbers of waterfowl including the rarer Grebes and Smew, also Long-eared Owl, Water Rail, and Willow Tit can be seen daily. Passage birds include various waders, Little Gull and Black Tern. Summer brings nesting Common Terns. The top rarity here was a Black-faced Bunting - the first for Britain.

Wigan Flashes

(SJ578046)Similar to Pennington and birds interchange between the two. Bittern have been seen in winter in more secluded spots. Top rarity was a River Warbler which stayed for 32 days in the summer of 1995.

contributor

Tony Coatsworth
(Withington., Manchester)
tonybirdtrip@hotmail.com

county recorder

Ian McKerchar
Assistant County Bird Recorder (Rarities), Greater Manchester
ian@mckerchar1.freeserve.co.uk

Judith Smith
12 Edge Green Street, Ashton-in-Makerfield, Wigan, Lancs. WN4 7HZ.
01942 712615
judith@gmbirds.freeserve.co.uk

numbers

Number of bird species: 303
County Bird - Whiskered Tern Chlidonias hybridus

useful reading

Where to watch birds in Cumbria, Lancashire & Cheshire

Jonathan Guest and Malcolm Hutcheson Christopher Helm due October 2007
ISBN: 9780713664218
Buy this book from NHBS.com

useful information

Proact

Coordinator: none (why not apply?)
see http://www.proact-campaigns.net/coordinators
Members: 1
Join us at http://www.proact-campaigns.net/team

WEA Adult Education classes

Local libraries or WEA District Office (0161 273 7652). Aimed at beginners but a chance to get out birdwatching with an experienced leader and useful if you dont have transport.

clubs

Leigh Ornithological Society

http://www.leighos.org.uk/
The society was formed in 1971 by a group of enthusiasts, some of whom had been observing and recording bird life in the area since the early part of the last century. They submitted records annually from the late 1940s to regional bodies, initially to the Lancashire & Cheshire fauna Society for possible inclusion in Lancashire bird reports and, since 1976, to the editor(s) of the Greater Manchester Bird Report.

Manchester Bird Club

Peter Wolstenholme (0161 428 2175). Program of events.

Manchester Birding

http://www.manchesterbirding.com
Welcome to my Greater Manchester County birding website, owned, designed, built and maintained by me, Ian McKerchar with the ever generous contributions from many county birders. I would welcome photographs, articles or other items of interest about birds and birding for the possible inclusion in this site...

North West Swan Study Group

http://www.northwestswanstudy.org.uk
The North West Swan Study was formed in 1988 to study the Mute Swan (Cygnus olor) population of the North West of England. This area encompasses Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Cumbria, Merseyside (north of the River Mersey) and the Isle of Man, a total of approximately 12,250 sq km.

RSPB Greater Manchester Members Groups

http://www.rspb.org.uk/nearyou/index.asp?c=Greater%20Manchester
Contact details, etc...

RSPB Manchester Members Group

http://www.rspbmanchester.org.uk/
Sheila Rydz (0161 434 2720). Quarterly newsletter and program of events. NB The RSPB was founded in Manchester as a protest against the use of Great Crested Grebe feathers in Victorian ladies hats - not a lot of people know that!

St. Helens Wildlife Recording Group

http://www.sthelenswildlife.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/BirdsMain.htm
The St. Helens Wildlife Recording Group is a group of wildlife enthusiasts whose main aim is to co-ordinate wildlife records throughout the borough, with a view to helping raise awareness of the wildlife in St. Helens and help preserve habitat...

reserves

Bird Sanctuaries & Nature Reserves

http://www.manchester2002-uk.com/zoos/birds.html
Annotated List of the reserves in the area...

trip reports

Travelling Birder
http://www.travellingbirder.com
The Travellingbirder.com birding trip report search engine guides you to 7,000+ birding trip reports on the Internet. You can search for trip reports from a specific country and time of year. Not all these reports are in English. So, if you cant find the trip report you want on this Fatbirder page give them a try!

tour operators

Birding Pal

http://www.birdingpal.org/Unitedkingdom.htm
Local birders willing to show visiting birders around their area...

North West Birds

http://www.nwbirds.co.uk/
Welcome to our web site. We have a passion for birds and we would like to share it with you - by taking you birdwatching on the edge of the English Lake District. We run minibreaks for very small groups with all in accommodation on a house party basis, with guests joining us at our home, Barn Close.

places to stay

The Poplars

http://www.v-b-elec.u-net.com/
Patricia and Gerry Van Breemen`s lovely bed and breakfast accommodation is situated in the heart of Bromley Cross, Bolton. The spacious family home is within easy walking distance of the surrounding moors and Jumbles Country Park. Dutch and German are spoken.

Gardenbirdfeeder

http://gardenbirdfeeder.co.uk
Many of our staff come from conservation backgrounds so know what environments and products your garden birds and wildlife will thrive with. Therefore we will only source the very best products for you. We will only source our wooden products from "FSC" (Forestry Stewardship Council) certified suppliers while reducing our carbon footprint on the environment as best we can by buying locally and British...

Greater Manchester Biodiversity Action Plan

http://www.ukbap.org.uk/lbap.aspx?id=437
Action plans etc...

Mersey Birders

http://www.freewebs.com/merseybirders/
Birders Diaries, Bird news Bird sites, Weather and Travel, Photo Gallery, Gulls Page, Quick Reference, Bird Lists, articles...

Real Birding

http://www.birdphotos.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/
The real world of birding and photography - These are my opinions and if you don't like them then obviously one or two have hit home. The section is mixed from likes and dislikes of various things with a lot to do with people and wildlife... by Andy Tranter

artists

Photographer - Annette Cutts - Psilos Wildlifew & Nature Photography

http://www.psiloswildlifephotography.co.uk
My real passion for photography began over 3 years ago when I was introduced to digital for the very first time. Anyone familiar with this site will know that for the first two years I used the Minolta Dimage Z1 to photograph mainly wildfowl. Back in March 2005 I was introduced to the dslr and I have never looked back since. For a while I used the 300mm and the 170-500mm apo dg lenses. Now I have recently upgraded again and shoot almost exclusively with the Canon 400mm f/5.6L. And so my journey to improve my skills continues. If you would like to view my work then please feel free to click on the photos below to enter my galleries...

Photographers - Greg & Barbara Evans - Focus & Click

http://www.focusandclick.co.uk/
We are both fairly new to photography only taking a serious interest in March this year. Our website will be featuring our various amatuer photographic images. Our gallery consists of wild birds, waders, waterfowl, wildlife, animals, landscapes, black and white and misc images...

Photographers - Sue Tranter

http://www.suesbirdphotos.co.uk/
Some really crisp and clean images of birds - Fatbirder recommended.

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