I had the pleasure of seeing an otter and kingfisher at Samlesbury Bottoms this morning. This is just in the Chorley District area the other side of the River Darwen at this point is South Ribble.

I have a pair nest in a mature hawthorn in the garden every year, they use it as a roost. We also have plenty of House Sparrows including a couple of nests every year behind the guttering. A house at the bottom of the brow have extended their garage and have a built in house sparrow nest box on each...

1 Roe Deer
1 Sparrowhawk
1 Heron
2 Common Snipe
Numerous mallard
Numerous mole hills
1 GS Woodpecker on my bird feeder
2 Nuthatch on my bird feeder
2 Jay gorging on crab apple tree

4 Dippers adjacent to the Weir early this morning. 2 had returned to this site to breed this year so I am assuming they successfully raised two chicks which is good news.

Driving back from the excellent AGM talk by Phil Kirk last night I had the bonus of a Barn Owl flying in my headlights on Blackburn Old Rd heading in the direction of Hoghton Tower between The Royal Oak and the Sandy Lane turn off.

This morning: GS Woodpecker in garden 2 Nuthatch in garden 2 Buzzards above field opposite my house 3 coot on pond near Chapel Lane 2 Roe Deer near Highfields Farm 3 Roe Deer in Hidden Valley, Hoghton Bottoms Peregrine near Hoghton Tower quarry Shaggy Ink Cap fungus close to footpath off Chapel Lane...

Just witnessed an amazing sight..... Above a field adjacent to the Hoghton Bottoms railway footpath were hundreds (500+) of House Martins interspersed with some Swallows. I was watching them with a neighbour who works for the RSPB in the Forest of Bowland. He pointed out two Hobbies (I would not hav...

Stunning dog walk this morning as the mist was rising from Hidden Valley.

Kingfisher
X4 Roe Deer
X5 Snipe on marshy land adjacent to open grassland
Heron
Cormorant
Peregrine

Thanks gents, the responses are much appreciated. I had an early, and very wet, walk out early this morning and recorded the song which matches the green sandpiper song on the RSPB site; there were 3 of them this morning and they flew off before I could get the best sighting to check the beak shape....

For the last few mornings at a shallow pond near me there has a been a bird (sometimes 2 or 3) that I have struggled to identify. When I get near the mallards take fright and alert the elusive bird(s) to tak off. It is slightly larger than a staring, it is dark brown / black with a white underside b...

Yes....sorry.

Lovely dog walk in the rain this morning! Kingfisher on a pond (as seen twice last week). Flock of 14 Goldfinch flying between trees by the same pond. Barn Owl literally 5m away from me sat on a gate post, I surprised it and it flew over me at close range. 4 Yellow Wagtail at usual spot on River Dar...

Another Kingfisher spotted last two mornings on a pond near to my home. I have never seen them on still water before.

6 Buzzards over the house at 8am this morning and 2 Peregrines also darted over.

Thanks.

Fires reported this afternoon (Sunday) at Healey Nab. Let’s hope the impact on wildlife is minimal.