As you predicted Neil, though a little early - Common Darter seen on Cuerden Thursday July19

If you click on the link in the green area below that says " Annual Reports and Newsletters" You should be able to find the bird report for 2005. This may answer some of your questions

Meadow Brown, Green veined white, small skipper, buterflies; Brown hawker, Southern Hawker and Emperor dragonflies; Kingfisher, little grebe, chiffchaff, whitethroat, raven flying over and calling. Lots of rest harrow, meadow sweet, great willowherb, rosebay wilowherb, purple loosestrife, and less H...

The Bee Orchid has now gone, If you look under " Flowers first dates" on June 12th you should find directions where the plant was. I will put a photo on the photo page

Thanks for these reports Nora.

Two juvenile kestrels with an adult in Wigan Rd field. Southern Hawker in Stag Lodge field.

The sowbread (a flower) mentioned in the flora report last year has not been seen in flower this year only the leaves

Glad to see you found the pond and the emeror

Not stricly a sighting but after taking some cub scouts pond dipping we heard a female tawny owl calling

Have hardly seen anything for three weeks due to the incessant rain. However on Monday 2nd very briefly in the twenty minutes of sun, I did see several honey bees in the walled orchard on Cuerden. I wonder where the hive is?

I have been analusing the map and do I park up on the wigan road car park and then go over the motorway bridge? where is it from there? Do not go over the motorway footbridge. The breeding pond is just on the right before there. Weather has an important bearing on whether (no pun intended) dragonfl...

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also. is stag lodge the car park that is just before the crossroads that lead to Bamber Bridge and Sainsburys?[/quote]

Yes

[quote][/quote]The pond is before the footbridge over the motorway

See my reply about the breeding pond

We have three pairs this year. 1) Sit quietly near the stone bridge SD5623 early mornings before eight 2) Stand on the bridge at Town brow as the river flows underneath except at school start and finish 3) sit on the bench by the pond at the top of the flower meadow early morning and search the lowe...