Tuesday 1 March 2016

Pennington Flash



After our trip to Northumberland we headed down to Bolton for some family time. I managed to get to Pennington Flash a Country Park between Leigh and Wigan. I spent most of the time in the Bunting Hide at the feeding station and got excellent views of a water rail.  Having left the camera in the house the water rail photos were taken with an iPod, hence the poor quality, but it is a water rail. There were up to 8 moorhens around the feeders and suddenly I am looking at this bird and saying to myself, “Hang on, that’s not a moorhen?”  A quick look with the binoculars and I realised there is a water rail wandering round the area. Watched it for a good five minutes and it was one of the best views I have ever had. Normally you only see them when the frozen conditions push them into the open.
General view

That's not a moorhen

That's a water rail


As well as the rail I had good views of GSW, stock dove and bullfinch. 

About 2 metres from the hide

One of eight stock doves

GSW on the bottom of the nut feeder (should really get a better camera)
 I managed 39 species in just under two hours but only added the water rail to the 2016 list. All this as well as hearing a tawny owl from the bedroom window about 0430 

2016 list 
116 Tawny owl
117 Water rail 

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