This is the occasional blog of my wildlife watching and recording efforts. If you get half as much pleasure as I do from reading the wildlife blogs of others, you might enjoy this too. You can’t leave comments because I don’t have time for spam and trolls but if you want to contact me or find me online you can find out how on the About Me page. I post some limited stuff to social media sites as it’s hard to avoid these days for sharing wildlife related info, but I dislike most social media sites intently, so I’m prepared to go through the (minor) hassle of hosting my own website.
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First Garden and Grasshopper Warblers of the year
A garden warbler skulking was one of three in the woodland at Dean Clough on May 5, along with a briefly reeling Grasshopper warbler which were both my first of the year. The Whimbrel of earlier in the week appear … Continued
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Orange-winged Dropwing, Ibiza April 2026
This is my first Orange-winged Dropwing which gave me an identification challenge. I’m in Ibiza with no dragonfly id guides or apps, so I’m relying on my own sketchy knowledge of southern European species. My first thoughts were a female … Continued
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Overwintering Stonechats at Dean Clough
Nov 7 2025 There’s still a pair of Stonechats around the upper res which are likely to overwinter. Here’s the male. There wasn’t much else of note. I’ve not checked for Jack Snipe or Woodcock yet but will later this … Continued
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Whooper Swans over Mellor, 23 October 2025
I recorded the calls of Whooper Swans at 06:50 (while still dark) and later saw four flying east followed by two skeins of Pink-footed Geese. Here’s the recording of the Whoopers.
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Little Egrets at Dean Clough -13 and 22 October 2025
Two Little Egrets were on lower Dean Clough reservoir on 22 October following a single bird on the 13th. These are the first I’ve seen on the ground here although I’ve had them flying over previously and had numerous sightings … Continued
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Nocturnal Migration 15-16 October 2026, Mellor, East Lancashire
Some highlights from last nights nocturnal migration over my garden: Common Scoter calling so low you can hear its wingbeats European Golden Plover flight call Common Snipe Dunlin flight call Recordings processed with BirdNet-Analyzer
