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NAME	POINTS TOTAL	COUNTABLE SPECIES FOUND LIST

Ian McKerchar	275	Pintail (9), Little Egret, Caspian Gull, Merlin (2), Mealy Redpoll (3), Common Scoter (2), Greenshank (3), Ring Ouzel (8), Garden Warbler (3), Spotted Flycatcher (4), Lesser Whitethroat (6), Whimbrel (10), Whinchat, Redstart (3), Ruff (4), Turnstone (6), Grey Phalarope, Rock Pipit, Hen Harrier, Crossbill (5), Whooper Swan (12), Yellow-legged Gull (immature)

David Winnard	212	Short-eared Owl (2), Merlin (4), Knot (2), Twite (31), Kittiwakes (4), Scandinavian Rock Pipit (2), Bar-tailed Godwit (5), Osprey, Garden Warbler (3), Whimbrel (13), Sanderling (2), Redstart, Common Scoter, Whinchat (2), Pintail (2), Common Scoter, Snow Bunting (8), Whooper Swan

Paul Hammond	157	Common Scoter (14), Red-breasted Merganser (2), Little Gull, Whimbrel (15), Short-eared Owl, Marsh Harrier, Garden Warbler, Sandwich Tern, Blue-headed Wagtail, Garganey, Greenshank, Turnstone (2), Sanderling (11), Knot, Spotted Flycatcher (4), Hen Harrier, Rock Pipit, Merlin

Steve Atkins	150	Kittiwake, Ring Ouzel (4), Bar-tailed Godwit (2), Whimbrel (7), Twite, Gannet, Redstart, Spotted Flycatcher (2), Merlin (3), Pintail (11), Crossbill (17), Whooper Swan (7)

Ian Woosey	130	Scaup, Pintail (4), Hen Harrier, Osprey, Rock Pipit, Kittiwake, Whooper Swan (2), Ring Ouzel (8), Little Gull, Black Tern, Lesser Whitethroat, Garden Warbler (2), Turnstone, Spotted Flycatcher, Whinchat (5), Common Scoter (15), Long-tailed Duck

Simon Johnson	117	Pintail (2), Iceland Gull, Common Scoter (2), Red-breasted Merganser, Rock Pipit (3), Kittiwake, Osprey, Whimbrel (5), Sanderling, Garden Warbler (3), Turnstone (2), Black Tern (5), Spotted Flycatcher, Knot, Slavonian Grebe, Scaup, Whooper Swan (18), Glaucous Gull

Pete Hines	41	Goshawk, Garden Warbler, Leach's Petrel

Geoff Hargreaves	38	Smew, Black-tailed Godwit (4), Garganey (2), Ring Ouzel, Whinchat (2)

Andy Isherwood	35	Scaup, Pintail (3), Whooper Swan (9), Whimbrel (2), Ring Ouzel, Lesser Whitethroat (2), Marsh Harrier, Garganey

Jimmy Meadows	29	Garden Warbler (5), Lesser Whitethroat (4), Pintail, Ring Ouzel, Mealy Redpoll (2)

Steve Collins	19	Short-eared Owl, Bar-tailed Godwit (3), Whimbrel (2)

Andy Bissitt	12	Little Tern, Garden Warbler (4), Pied Flycatcher, Lesser Whitethoat

Steve Suttill	12	Merlin, Spotted Flycatcher, Whinchat (4)

Tom McKinney	9	Iceland Gull, Little Gull, Whinchat

Jeff Clarke	4	Merlin, Common Scoter

Steven Astley
Gill Houghton
James Hutchinson
Tom Morton

Scroll down to the bottom of the page to read the updates starting in order from the beginning of the year

And on the final day of the 2007 Manchester Tournament come the final points as Ian Woosey finds a Whooper Swan on Scotmans Flash and with that the 'fat lady' sings at last and the very first Tournament is over.

As for the winner, well, he's a shy kind of guy not one for gloating or blowing his own trumpe...oh hang on, it's me isn't it! Get in! 2007 Manchester Tournament Champion, easy it was and I wasn't even trying, I am the champion, all hail the new Tournament Champion, I am the champion, I am the champion. Of course, I'm not really 'going for it' next year you know ☺

Well, there's still points out there but few are ever this easy as two adult Whooper Swans fly low west just south of my garden on the 26th, proving Steve's Pintail points not to be the very last ones of the 2007 Tournament but neither, I surmise, will be mine!

Steve Atkins manages more points with half a dozen Pintail at Watergrove on the 21st, pulling him to within 7 points of 3rd placed Paul Hammond. The only question now is can Steve find those extra points or will these latest additions be the very last points of the 2007 Manchester Tournament?

Determined not to go down without a fight, second place entrant David Winnard takes a large bite out of my lead courtesy of a very fine flock of 8 Snow Buntings on the moors near Ashworth Moor Reservoir on the 16th with a belated Whooper Swan at the latter site on the 23rd of November. It ain't over 'till it's over...

With Glaucous Gull points going begging at Audenshaw, Simon Johnson strike it lucky when it pops into Heaton Park Reservoir for a quick 'wash and brush up' whilst he is there (witnessed by Sean Sweeney) but still leaves him short of points to overtake Woosey who now remains twelve points in front of him.

Has the 'fat lady sung' and the 'final curtain drawn' for the 2007 Manchester Tournament? I doubt it as there's still a couple of weeks left yet but 8 Whooper Swans briefly at Astley Moss East Pools (a site with still no public access yet due to major construction work all around it) on the 9th might just secure my first place, then again the Wigan Flashes might just be full of Cetti's Warblers waiting to be found by Tournamenteers eager to topple me off my spot!

Ian Woosey continues the Manchester Tournament entrants finding fortunes with a well deserved and well-watched Long-tailed Duck on High Rid Reservoir, with it's 20 points lifting him clear of Simon Johnson, back into 5th place and once again, seriously threatening 4th place holder Steve Atkins.

On the 25th Jimmy Meadows doubles his Tournament points in one go and jumps up a place in the rankings thanks to finding 2 Mealy Redpolls in a large Lesser Redpoll flock on the Ince Landfill site at the Wigan Flashes. It's never over 'till it's over!

With an obvious slowing of Tournament progress over the past week or so, some fortune was found by myself and Ian Woosey (along with 'non-Tournamenteer' Pete Berry) when Heaton Park Reservoir on the 18th produced a female Common Scoter and best of all a 1st-winter Yellow-legged Gull, which is quite rightly classed as a county rarity (those requiring a description to be provided to the county rarities committee) in being less than annual and well worth the 20 points. Woosey however very admirably declined the offer of any points for this latter species, after having no part in the birds finding or identification, admirable indeed!

Another flurry of Tournament activity finds me add 6 points via 2 Whooper Swans over Astley Moss East and 2 Pintail through Heaton Park Reservoir all on the 11th, Steve Atkins yet another Crossbill at Watergrove also on the 11th whilst Paul Hammond managed a male Merlin on Astley Moss on the 12th and Pete Hines eclipses us all with his identification of the Leach's Petrel at Sale Water Park also on the 12th, earning him a well deserved 20 points and boosting his current ranking up two positions to a fine 7th place.

As if Woosey's battle with Atkins wasn't enough for him to content with, up pops Simon Johnson again with a nice Common Scoter at Heaton Park Reservoir on the 8th and promptly knocks Mr. Woosey off 5th position and dumps him into 6th! What will Woosey's response be, contend or concede and can Steve Atkins continue his 'golden run' and open up his gap further?

With the belated addition of the four Whooper Swans Simon Johnson found at Heaton Park Reservoir on the 18th of October he now ties with Ian Woosey in 5th place, I'm sure Woosey won't take that lying down, so let point-finding battle commence! On the 6th of November a Merlin over Chat Moss adds another two points to my total but nothing is safe as there's almost two more months still yet to go and plenty of time for 'trouble up 'top'.

Afraid? Moorland moocher Steve Atkins obviously doesn't know the meaning of the word and his response to Simon Johnson's run of finds is not only swift but more importantly, points laden! Steve amassed a total of 32 points with finds of Merlin at Watergrove on 27th October, 3 Crossbill in Piethorne Valley on 29th October, 5 Whooper Swans at Watergrove on 2nd November, Ring Ouzel and 6 Crossbills at Watergrove plus 2 Whoopers over Brown Wardle on the 3rd and finally another Crossbill over Watergrove on the 4th. His 'purple patch' not only thrusts him into a clear 4th position but perhaps more importantly places him within striking distance of 3rd, trouble is, if the Tournament has proved anything so far, it's that you're never safe and you're position on the rankings board is only as good as you're next find!

On the 30th and 31st of October, Simon Johnson finds a Scaup at Ringley Sewage Works and 14 Whooper Swans over his flat in Whitefield respectively proving just what the Tournament is all about, the ability to alter your competition fortunes in just a couple of finds or in a couple of days. His two finds, despite not actually altering his position on this occasion, place him firmly and seriously in the running for 4th place and coupled with his recent point finding fortunes (or should that be hard work and determination?) Woosey and Atkins should be very afraid! Also on the 31st, Geoff Hargreaves finds two late Whinchats on the Abram Flashes and with the four points earned jumps up a place in the rankings to a dizzy 7th position!

The battle for 4th and 5th position continues it's to and fro as Ian Woosey's regular sojourns to the Horwich Moors pay off again with 2 Ring Ouzels at Burnt Edge Moor on the 21st lifting him to 4th yet again, no doubt Steve Atkins, now relegated to 5th will be looking for a timely response! On the 20th, Paul Hammond's early mornings at Audenshaw Reservoirs also pay dividends yet again with another Rock Pipit there continuing to keep him in touch with the top 2 positions.

With both recent county Yellow-browed Warblers being found by non-Tournamenteers (should've entered now, eh!) there were slim pickings for those who had entered with Paul Hammond adding another Rock Pipit at Audenshaw on the 12th to his list and also another Pintail there on the 13th, I on the other hand managed afew more points with 6 Pintail at Hope Carr on the 17th little compensation for failing miserably to find my own county Yellow-browed!

Relentless in their quest for countable species, the Manchester 'Tournamenteers' continue to find the best the county can offer with Ian ("what do you mean I get no points for a Black-necked Grebe"?) Woosey finding a nice female Ring Ouzel near Wilderswood, Steve ("I'm bound to come last in this competition") Atkins going one better and finding two at Watergrove and my ("I'm really not going to go all out for this you know") good self going one better still, finding first a ringtail Hen Harrier on Smithills Moor and then 5 Crossbills at Wilderswood, all on the 10th. Simon ('finally nailed something that wasn't whizzing past') Johnson however, managed to 'top trump' everyone on the 11th, re-finding what was probably the Audenshaw Slavonian Grebe at a permit only site in the county which he covers very regularly, earning himself the worthy 20 points plus another 2 for a Pintail present at the same time!

With no sign of letting up, the Manchester Tournament surges on with David Winnard's 17 Twite at Ashworth Moor on the 6th strongly bolstering his current second place and Steve Atkins' six Crossbill at Watergrove Reservoir also on the 6th just pushing him infront of Ian Woosey yet again and into fourth place.

The high proportion of good county birds being found by those entered in the Manchester Tournament continues in good form with Steve Atkins finding another Merlin at Ashworth Moor Reservoir, I (along with Pete Berry) find a Rock Pipit at the still publicly inaccessible Astley Moss East Pools and Ian Woosey does himself and his Tournament proud with no less than four Ring Ouzels at Burnt Edge Moor, Horwich on the 5th worth an excellent 16 points and enough to propel him into a hard fought fourth position.

On the 27th I dropped upon a Whimbrel flying over Pennington (calling), whilst David Winnard adds yet another Merlin to his list of countables with a female this time at Ashworth Moor Reservoir on the 22nd but it is Jimmy meadows who fares best with a very well deserved male Ring Ouzel at Upperwood Farm, Standish on the 29th lifting him another two places on the rankings board.

David Winnard breaks the 150 points barrier and slips into second place yet again, thanks to a Merlin at Ashworth Moor Reservoir on the 22nd but there's still plenty of time left for changes of position to come throughout the rankings.

On what was to be a hectic county birding day, the 18th produced one of the biggest surprises of the year by far. After the presence of a Red-necked Phalarope at Pennington in the morning it was then reported at Hope Carr NR in the afternoon and as a potential site tick (and the possibilities of great views) I duly went to take a look but on arrival and after only a very quick glance re-identified it (along with Simon Warford) as a Grey Phalarope! A superb little bird, in extraordinary circumstances but well worth it's 35 points as only the 9th county record.

On the 14th, Simon Johnson snatches a Knot from under the noses of the Elton Reservoir regulars and gains a well deserved 4 points for it whilst Jimmy Meadows jumps up a position on the rankings board with a Pintail at Worthington Lakes on the 15th and David Winnard ties for second place yet again with a Common Scoter on Spring Mill Reservoir on the 4th of September,

Paul Hammond added yet another Spotted Flycatcher on the 7th, this one at Walkers Fold, which for the first time in a while, nudged him beyond David Winnard and into 2nd place. Simon Johnson too added a Spotted Flycatcher, this bird at Elton on the 8th but it was Geoff Hargreaves who did best, finding a fine male Ring Ouzel at Burnt Edge on the 9th and leaving himself within striking distance of 7th place.

No sooner said than done! Paul Hammond claws back that 2 points to now lie in joint second place with the addition of another Spotted Flycatcher, this one at Brownstone Quarry, Horwich on the 7th with Steve Atkins launching himself into a fine fourth place with five Pintails an excellent Watergrove record and worth 10 points to boot.

'Moorland moocher' Steve Atkins continues his excellent addition of points with a Merlin, the first of the year at Watergrove, on the 4th whilst third place Paul Hammond continues to reel in second position with a fine male Hen Harrier on Smithills Moor on the 7th, a great find and one now reducing his deficit to only 2 points.

The morning of the 1st saw yet another Lesser Whitethroat added to my total, this time a good find at Hope Carr NR whilst an evening visit to Heaton Park Reservoir (strictly permit only) on the 2nd produced a very surprising flock of 6 Turnstones circling low over the reservoir before heading off high west (witnessed by Pete Berry)- nice points indeed but I really ought to have made them worth more than 2 a piece!

And still they come...! Paul Hammond continues his close pursuit of second place in the rankings board with 2 Spotted Flycatchers at Elton Reservoir on the 28th, so reducing the gap between himself and David Winnard to a narrow six points and with first place only a very precarious seven points infront of that, things have never been so close.

The Tournament's 'little purple patch' continues, certainly at the head of the rankings board anyway, with David Winnard' s total stretching again into a clear second place courtesy of some fine 'fettling' (I only added 12 of his 14 Twite on the other day!) and 2 Whinchats and a Pintail at Ashworth Moor Reservoir on the 29th. I couldn't grumble either with a Redstart at Rumworth also on the 29th and an invitation by Elton Reservoir regular, Simon Warford to cash in on the site's current 'migrant fest' also on the 29th resulting in another single Redstart (a cracking male this time) and 3 Lesser Whitethroats fresh in and well worth their points.

Ian 'Whinchat' Woosey adds another 4 points to his Tournament courtesy of 2 more of the aforementioned species at Smithills Moor and Rumworth, the latter on the 26th the former some time earlier, as I forgot to add it on and he's never stopped reminding me since ☺ whilst Paul Hammonds manages another Common Scoter at Audenshaw on the 26th to currently tie in second place with David Winnard and Simon Johnson two points more with a Garden Warbler at Ringley on the 28th.

Who said points were in short supply as five entrants add a total of 45 points to the rankings board with a concerted effort all round! Andy Isherwood finds a Garganey at Hope Carr on the 21st, Steve Suttill a Whinchat at Greenfield on the 22nd and then another 3 at Castleshaw earning him enough points to lift him off bottom place. On the 23rd, David Winnard finds a nice little flock of 14 Twite at Ashworth Moor Reservoir and accumulates sufficient points to thrust himself back into second place, no doubt Paul Hammond will put in extra graft in an attempt win it back though and on the 24th Steve Atkins finds another Spotted Flycatcher, this time at Watergrove, whilst on the same date I find 4 Ruff at the Astley Peat Pools, a site with still strictly no general public access.

With 'countables' seeming hard to come by three entrants do well in adding points with Steve Suttill rewarding hard effort in finding a Spotted Flycatcher at Dovestones on the 8th, Paul Hammond still pursuing top spot finding a Knot at Audenshaw on the 21st and Simon Johnson a Turnstone over his flat in Whitefield on the 22nd.

The race between fourth and fifth hots up as Steve Atkins claws another 2 points back on Ian Woosey with a Spotted Flycatcher near Hollingworth Lake on the 30th of July and I try my hardest to extend my lead with a Redstart at Barrow Bridge on the 1st of August.

A break from the rain brings new hope and points as David Winnard adds 4 points thanks to a Redstart (juvenile) at Birch on the 23rd and Common Scoter at Ashworth Moor Reservoir on the 30th, Steve Atkins also adds the Birch Redstart, co-finding it with David, while Ian Woosey adds another 2 points courtesy of a Whinchat at Rumworth on the 31st and I add 4 points with another Spotted Flycatcher and a Whinchat on Chat Moss also on the 31st.

With the recent appalling weather conditions hampering birding for many of those in the Tournament atleast two entrants make some headway with Simon Johnson adding 12 points courtesy of 5 fine Black Terns on the 20th and a Whimbrel on the 22nd all at Heaton Park Reservoir and Paul Hammond makes a serious move for the top spot with 2 Whimbrel at Audenshaw on the 21st leaving him just 5 points shy of the long-standing 'numero uno'- namely, me!

Yet more points on the board for David Winnard with 2 Whimbrel at Ashworth Moor Reservoir on the 8th, whilst another 2 Whimbrel on the 19th of May along with 2 Sanderling are late additions.

Just like buses, you wait ages for some points in the tournament and then they all come at once! After the recent 'lull' was broken with yesterday's Gannet and it's county mega points it brought to Steve Atkins, his fourth position was very short lived due Ian Woosey finally scoring it big on the 8th with 14 Common Scoter at Scotsman Flash worth a hefty 28 points, pushing him into the dizzy heights of fourth on the rankings board. Now lets see if he can sustain it, improve it or just collapse ☺

On the 7th of July, dedicated Watergrove Reservoir patch worker and ManchesterBirding Tournament 'hopeful' Steve Atkins leaps five places on the ranking board in one go and into a comfortable 4th position with his fantastic finding of a sub-adult Gannet there, proof that 'patch watching' and the belief that there's always hope can pay dividends, and how! Meanwhile, Paul Hammond's continued early morning 'thrashing' of Audenshaw serves him yet another Whimbrel, bolstering his current second place.

In the apparent quite times upon us, Jimmy Meadows does well 'digging out' a Lesser Whitethroat near the railway bridge on Bolton Road, in Atherton.

With the current (partially expected!) quiet period continuing, countable species maintain their scarcity but Geoff Hargreaves' s Black-tailed Godwit at Horrock's on the 7th and Ian Woosey's pair of Whinchat at Burnt Edge (not a known breeding location) on the 6th prove they're still out there if you look hard enough.

Well it had to slow down sooner or later and with a shortage of new birds comes a shortage of new points, though not for the want of trying! It seems I was the only entrant to claim new points over the recent days with another Whimbrel at Astley Peat Pools on the 25th of May and with the onset of summer we'll all have to try that much harder ☺

Paul Hammond's 'Audenshaw onslaught' continues as he jumps in on the excellent Sanderling passage there over the past few days adding no less than 8 of his own and a single Turnstone on the 24th, Pete Hines adds Garden Warbler to his Tournament with a single at Chorlton Water Park on the 22nd and I add my third with a single bird singing away on my BBS near Boothstown (seen with Pete Berry).

As the pace in the Tournament continues to appear to slow Jimmy Meadows homes in on another Lesser Whitethroat, this one on Chaddock Lane Astley on the 21st, whilst on the very same date Andy Isherwood goes one better with a fine Marsh Harrier viewed quartering fields only a hundred yards from Jimmy's Lesser Whitethroat!

Considering the ferocity with which points have been added in the past weeks, these past few days have been relatively quiet despite continued eager searching by all involved. Nevertheless, Andy Bissit added another point with a Lesser Whitethroat on Middlewood Way, High Lane on the 17th, Steve Atkins secured his best spring ever for Whimbrel passage at Watergrove with yet another bird there also on the 17th (bringing his total so far there to 7!), whilst I add possibly the easiest point of the year so far with a Lesser Whitethroat singing in it's annual spot behind my house, enjoyed from the patio with a nice cup of tea!

Paul Hammond lands another Sanderling at Audenshaw on the 13th and on the same day the Peat Pools are kind to me again with yet another all too brief Greenshank and 4 very obliging Whimbrel (photo'd), whilst Ian Woosey adds a very nice Spotted Flycatcher at Dunscar on the 14th to his growing list of Tournament species, Andy Bissitt adds another Garden Warbler, this time at Marple Bridge, to his on the 13th and Simon Johnson another Garden Warbler too, on the 14th at Red Moss.

My apologies to those hardworking Tournamenteers whose points I inadvertently omitted to add on the board for yesterdays update, here they come! Could I remind all entrants to email, text or ring me with your additions as I don't utilise postings on the forum to work out whose found what, anyway...

Paul Hammond continues his self found May marathon with a Turnstone and 2 Sanderlings at Audenshaw on the 11th, Steve Atkins adds another 2 Watergrove Whimbrel to his tally on the 10th and a Twite at Chelburn on the 29th of April and Ian Woosey turns-up his own Turnstone at Scotsman Flash on the 12th.

Paul Hammond's relentless early morning 'pounding' of Audenshaw pays off heavily again with an impressive 8 Whimbrel and a single Greenshank on the 11th netting him sufficient points to catapult him into very well deserved second place, although only 2 points infront of David Winnard makes that position very vulnerable. After a rather quiet patch, Simon Johnson finds himself in the points once more with a Garden Warbler and Turnstone at Heaton Park on the 10th, whilst Steve Collins adds another Whimbrel to his Tournament, this time at Ashworth Moor Reservoir on the 10th.

A new day brings new points! Geoff Hargreaves finds 2 Garganey on Dover Basin (and what were probably the same on Glovers Pool shortly afterwards?), David Winnard another 4 Whimbrel with singles at Ashworth Moor Reservoir on the 5th and 9th, with 2 at Greenbooth on the 9th and 2 more Garden Warblers at Piethorne on the 9th, Ian Woosey finds another Garden Warbler too by the canal at Bryn and I find another Spotted Flycatcher along Moss Lane on the 9th. It has also transpired (see the update for 29.03.07) that I only awarded myself 15 points for 3 Mealy Redpolls when they are actually worth 21 (check the Tournament rules and species list, which is obviously what I didn't), what a plonker!

Ian Woosey finds his very own Garden Warbler at Pennington Flash on the 7th (behind Teal Hide area), Andy Isherwood another Lesser Whitethroat in Hindsford on the 6th, daily visits to the Astley Peat Pools finally bring in the Whimbrel for me with 4 there on the 7th but it is Paul Hammond who steals the show with a bumper few days of county self-founds at Audenshaw including single Whimbrel on the 3rd, Sandwich Tern on the 4th, drake Garganey on the 7th (a very good site record indeed) and best of all a fine male Blue-headed Wagtail on the 6th worth the full 20 points, in total a haul netting him 27 points and seriously pressurising David Winnard' s current 2nd place.

David Winnard continues to add good points to his Tournament with Ashworth Moor turning up 2 Whimbrel on the 29th of April, Osprey on the 3rd of May and 3 Bar-tailed Godwits and another 2 Whimbrel on the 4th of May with a Garden Warbler in Ashworth Valley on the 3rd of May and another Whimbrel on Rooley Moor Road on the 5th. Jimmy Meadows and Ian Woosey both find Lesser Whitethroats, with Jimmy's second for the Tournament on Edge Green Road and Ian's at Moss Bridge, Steve Collins co-finds the 3 Bar-wits at Ashworth Moor with David Winnard on the 4th and the Whimbrel on Rooley Moor Road on the 5th, whilst Steve Atkins locates 4 Whimbrel on Crook Moor on the 4th. Also on the 4th, I manage 2 Spotted Flycatchers at Barrow Bridge and Lesser Whitethroat and Garden Warbler at Pennington Flash thus breaching the 100 point milestone and Pete Hines, after exhausting his investigations into his Goshawk at Turn Moss/Ivy Green on the 26th of March, finally gets to add it to his Tournament with a worthy 20 points which sees his finally off the mark.

While the sun still shines, Tournamenteers 'make hay' with Jimmy Meadows adding yet another Garden Warbler at Giants Hall on the 30th of April, Andy Isherwood a singing Lesser Whitethroat in Astley (near the old Astley Hospital, probably heard while he was in the nearby Bulls Head Pub!) also on the 30th of April, Paul Hammond also adds a Garden Warbler this time at Chorlton Water Park on the 26th of April and Ian Woosey becomes the first in the Tournament to cash in on the current Black Tern bonanza with a single bird on Scotsman Flash on the 2nd of May.

Another bumper day for the Tournament as Paul Hammond drops lucky with a flyover Marsh Harrier on Astley Moss, Steve Atkins locates 2 Bar-tailed Godwits on Watergrove Reservoir but lacking a scope to positively identify them, David Winnard comes along, clinches the ID and his share of the points, Andy Bissit finds a male Pied Flycatcher in Great Wood, Hattersley and 3 singing Garden Warblers in Middlewood Way, I find another Greenshank and a singing Garden Warbler at Astley Peat Pools and finally, Jimmy Meadows gets off the mark with 4 singing Garden Warblers and a Lesser Whitethroat at Giants Hall.

On the 25th Paul Hammond finds yet another Whimbrel at Audenshaw and the very next day Tom McKinney adds 2 points with a female Whinchat at Chorlton, whilst on the 28th Simon Johnson's superb run of countable species rolls on with 4 Whimbrel and a nice breeding plumaged Sanderling at Heaton Park Reservoir new additions. Simon has now elevated his position to 4th behind Paul Hammond who now seriously threatens David Winnard' s 2nd place and there's still so much of spring to come!

Simon Johnson's daily coverage of Heaton Park Reservoir pays off yet again, as an Osprey flies over on the 25th and adds it's way deservedly onto his Tournament total, whilst Andy Bissitt makes his 'move' and gets his Tournament going with a co-found Little Tern at Audenshaw on the 23rd, a very nice start indeed!

His relentless 'pounding' of Audenshaw Reservoirs pays off again as Paul Hammond finds not only 2 Whimbrel there but a very impressive Short-eared Owl extending his 3rd place and leaving himself within a couple of good finds away from 2nd!

With such an unprecedented 'Ouzel-fest' in the county, Tournamenteers cash in with Andy Isherwood finding a lowland bird on Rindle Road on the 19th (pushing him into 5th) and myself with 8 on Watergrove on the 20th. With atleast 40 Ring Ouzels being found by birders not in the Tournament just how long can this glut last, how long can we cash in for and how much are those who've found really big flocks kicking themselves for not joining in now (the biggest would have been worth 76 points alone!)?

On the 15th Andy Isherwood typically slips in a couple of decent birds with 2 Whimbrel over Hope Carr, whilst on the same day Ian Woosey finds an adult Little Gull on the Astley Peat Pools worth 2 points, perhaps too little for what was a first site record (witnessed by Paul Hammond, Ian McKerchar, Judith Smith). On the 16th Simon Johnson continues his intensive birding and is rewarded with a Kittiwake on a permit only site, whilst earlier in the week Geoff (now far from just 'the Smew') Hargreaves adds another Black-tailed Godwit to the 6 birds already in the Lightshaw/Dover area and manages to keep his head just infront of the others and in 5th place.

What a saga! On the 14th Ian Woosey visits Burnt Edge, Horwich in an attempt to see the 2 Ring Ouzels (county lifers for him) seen there on the morning of the 13th (even though both Ian and I had independently been up there in the afternoon of the 13th and seen nothing each!) and texts me early to say he's managed a female, unbeknown that I'm on the other side of the moor checking the Two Lads area. I bump into Ken Haydock who informs me he had 4 on Burnt Edge in the evening of the 13th just as Ian rings me delighted that he's now found 3, which means one must be his to claim for the Tournament, of course I gently (through fits of laughter) let him know that he can't have any 'cos Ken's already found the 4! A little later on Woosey strikes back though, increasing his efforts and the size of the flock to an impressive 5, so he can count one afterall and well deserved it was too ☺Realising I'd made the wrong choice of location but managing to see 3 of them with Ian anyway I head down to Astley Peat Pools in the afternoon and find a Greenshank, only worth half a Ring Ouzel but appreciated all the same.

Steve Atkins, having only just got his Tournament up and running, keeps his momentum going with a brief but timely Ring Ouzel at Watergrove Reservoir on the 12th, which leapfrogged him 3 places higher on the rankings board. Can the 'moorland moocher' maintain his run of countables?

Whilst I've been away in Cyprus it seems Manchester Tournamenteers have been getting busy with 4 of them adding 9 points!

Simon Johnson found another Rock Pipit (presumed petrosus) at Heaton Park Reservoir on the 30th of March, with Steve Atkins getting his Tournament off the mark with a well deserved Kittiwake at Watergrove on the 3rd of April (much more to come methinks Steve). Ian Woosey continues his concerted effort and finds a Kittiwake at Pennington on the 3rd and Whooper Swan at Horrock's Flash on the 11th of April as his reward, whilst Jeff Clarke joins in with a Common Scoter at Sale Water Park on the 6th of April.

In a busy weeks for the Tournament, 6 entrants find 17 countable species with Geoff (proving he's not just a Smew) Hargreaves finding 2 Black-wits at Dover Flash, Paul Hammond a 1st-summer Little Gull and a nice pair of Red-breasted Mergansers on Audenshaw on the 25th and 29th respectively, Ian Woosey dropping lucky on a Rock Pipit at Audenshaw whilst twitching the Mergansers there on the 29th, Simon Johnson's regular watching of Heaton Park rewarding him with 2 Rock Pipits on the 25th and a male Red-breasted Merganser on the 29th, David Winnard finds 4 adult Kittiwakes at Ashworth Moor reservoir then has a hand in the identification of the Scandinavian Rock Pipit at Blackstone Edge Reservoir and my fortunate finding of 3 Mealy Redpolls (which, after realising the Aspull birds at 20 points a piece could have been worth a potentially Tournament winning 160 points alone for someone, I reduced them to only 5 a piece- what a mistake eh!) and a female Common Scoter at Pennington on the 29th. The result is that two Tournamenteers break the 50 points mark at this very early stage and the rest of the chasing pack is not far behind, whilst those yet to score still have plenty of time left.

In a Common Scoter 'fest', Simon Johnson finds one for himself at Pennington Flash on the 17th whilst proving just how easy it is to upset the rankings board in one find, Paul Hammond leaps from zero to 26 points after locating 13 of them at Audenshaw on the 22nd (there were actually 15 present but 2 of these has been present for some time), launching himself into a commanding 2nd place overall!

Typically, Andy Isherwood quietly and inconspicuously finds more good birds with 9 Whooper Swans over Haigh on the 10th of March worth a point each and 9 in total, keeping him well and truly in touch with the front runners at this (still) early stage.

Steve Suttill has lift off, as he adds his first points of the Tournament with a well found Merlin chasing Meadow Pipits at Chew Valley on the 14th, whilst Ian Woosey goes 'the full distance' on the 15th bagging himself a tremendous fly-over Osprey at Bryn Marsh proving there's no substitute for being out in the field.

A bumper day in Rochdale sees David Winnard add 2 Knot and 2 Twite all at Ashworth Moor Reservoir to his Tournament total, elevating himself to a mighty second place- not bad going! The question now is, can he continue his run of countable pairs?

On the 26th of February Simon Johnson connected with a 2nd winter Iceland Gull at Heaton Park (witnessed Pete Berry and myself), which despite being almost certainly the same bird as seen in January, is countable again as the bird has certainly not been seen in the county since the 21st of that month and has infact been found touring a couple of sites outside the county. It's short visit back to our county gives Simon a well deserved 5 points and Tom McKinney too, as reward for continued 'gulling' at Audenshaw, find an excellent Little Gull there on the 2nd of March worth 2 points.

Doubling up yet again, David Winnard adds another 2 points to his total with a female Merlin (location withheld, but witnessed by 2 other local birders) in the north of the county, just edging himself past Andy Isherwood and into 4th position at this early stage.

With birding a little slow of late Tom McKinney did very well finding a second Iceland Gull in the county (witnessed by Pete Berry) thus catapulting himself into a well deserved second position in the rankings as current Tournament leader Geoff Hargreaves still clings onto his first spot by a fair few points.

Also, Ian Woosey has very generously donated a brand new, unread copy of Ian Wallace's superb new book Beguiled by Birds, as a prize for first position in the Tournament at the end of the year. So a big thanks to Ian and, as if we needed it, there's a little more incentive to get out there and find those birds that count!

A brace of Tournament entrants manage to get off the mark with Simon Johnson finding a female Pintail over Ringley and David Winnard a very nice Short-eared Owl at Ashworth Moor Reservoir, earning themselves 2 and 3 points respectively. 7 of the 17 so far entered have scored at this very early stage of the Tournament, which isn't bad for what is generally considered a quiet period!

Jeff Clarke jump starts his Tournament with a belated Merlin (my fault and not his!) on Carrington Moss on the 23rd of January which would appear to have pretty much covered most of the 'lowland mosslands' for this species, which has already been added by 3 entrants, with another close to my home being found by someone not in the Tournament, how inconsiderate! ☺

Ian Woosey closes in further on (still) second placed Geoff Hargreaves, finding a fine male Hen Harrier (witnessed by many others) near Knowl Moor, worth a well deserved 4 points. Not to be outdone by some 'lowland oik' on their local patch, David Winnard and Steve Collins strike back immediately with a second Short-eared Owl 'in the area', boosting David to 5th and giving Steve his first points of the Tournament.

David Winnard comes across a Merlin (location withheld for necessary reasons) and earns himself 2 points, boosting his position to 5th overall, whilst Andy Isherwood comes up trumps at Hope Carr yet again with 3 Pintail (2 drakes and a duck), blasting him into 4th position! I'll be very carefully monitoring the Pintail situation between Hope Carr/Pennington/Lightshaw and Dover from now on to make sure we're not breaching the rules and counting 'refinds' as there may well be some overlap in sightings between the sites in the near future ☺

The vice like grip with which Geoff 'the Smew' has held on the top of the rankings board has finally succumbed after I found an adult Caspian Gull in a county gull roost last week (witnessed by Pete Berry). Although this sighting is of course subject to acceptance by the relevant rarities committee it's current county status as only the second record ever merits 35 points and this was bolstered with a further 2 points from a much appreciated Merlin on Irlam/Chat Moss on the 15th.

Ian Woosey also improved his rankings position with 5 Pintails at Lightshaw, although a single had been present previously the extra 4 were countable and earned him 8 points (more than a Little Egret!?).

With little movement of birds lately, the surprise discovery of a very brief Little Egret at Heaton Park Reservoir by me (witnessed by Pete Berry and Ian Woosey) added another 7 points to my total (only 7 points for a Little Egret? Who on earth decided that! Oh yes.........me!) and loosened, atleast ever so slightly, the tight grip Geoff 'the Smew' Hargreaves still maintains at the top of the rankings board.

In typical fashion, Andy Isherwood continues to find good birds on what has been my patch for 15 years (perhaps I should look a bit harder?) as he bags an immature drake Scaup at Hope Carr Reserve on the 14th and gets his Tournament off to a start .

Ian Woosey manages to muster a female Scaup from Pennington Flash (confirmed as his), thus rocketing himself into the high altitude of an early second place but can he sustain his new found position? After pulling such a good bird from a relatively quite patch the outlook's good but only time will tell!

The ManchesterBirding Tournament was finally underway and off to a fantastic start after Geoff (the dark-horse) Hargreaves pulled a county rarity out of the bag on New Years day when he found a redhead Smew on Horrock's Flash and earned himself a nice 20 points, so much for being a 'rank outsider' Geoff! On the 4th I finally kick started my tournament with a drake Pintail through Pennington, worth a mighty 2 points! After having it confirmed it was indeed my find, it made up for finding 2 there on the 3rd, which after a little investigation found they had earlier been reported to the wardens and so I couldn't count them as my own- pah!