MANCHESTER BIRDING 2010 TOURNAMENT RANKINGS BOARD

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 2010 RANKINGS BOARD

* denotes species withheld due to sensitive reasons

Update 01.01.11

Well, another year over and what a year it was. A massive effort by all the entrants in the Manchester Birding Tournament, absolutely regardless of how many points they found, yet again proved just what could be achieved in our little inland county. Years of bemoaning about it's geographical location and apparent lack of birds have now been well and truly put to bed. We can hold our own with the very best of the inland counties and don't fair too bad with any of the other either, all things considered. The intrepid Tournamenteers have gone some way to prove that point over the years and this year seemed to be the epitome of that.

The big freeze during the end of the year didn't help the accumulation of points in the competition though and only three entrants were fortunate enough to find anything at all! On the 12th of December Andy Isherwood found a Bittern at Bickershaw, deemed to be a different individual to the bird lingering at Pennington Flash, whilst also on the 12th, I found a second-winter (second calendar year) Yellow-legged Gull at Heaton Park Reservoir (photographed). On the 26th, Simon Warford discovered three Whooper Swans at Prestolee, another nice find and the final points of the year were found on the 29th with a quite remarkable first site record of Bittern at Hope Carr NR for me.

And so endeth the year. Frankly, the actual positions on the rankings board are absolutely immaterial. There is no winner of the Manchester Tournament but the county itself. So many entrants have, throughout it's four year run, singled out their participation in the competition as all too often the sole reason to get out birding at times when otherwise they might not, to venture out into areas they otherwise might ignore. It has been a fine four years and the productivity of the Tournament cannot be underestimated but all good things come to an end and end it must. It is therefore tinged with no small amount of sadness that the Manchester Birding Tournament is now finished for good. Like Phoenix Nights and Father Ted (though I realise it was Dermot Morgan's death which brought about the premature demise of the latter series in reality!), the best things quit while they're at the top of their game. Leave them remembering it whilst it was good (not like Only Fools and Horses which should have never gone on past the episode which saw them become millionaires!). I owe a colossal thanks to all the entrants who have supported it over the years. All those who have contributed and encouraged. I must also say thanks to those who had already pledged their allegiance for another crack at it in 2011 too. You mentalists! It's been a blast, an absolute, outright privilege but now I'm outta here...

Update 11.12.10

It's been generally quiet of late for the Tournamenteers and not for the want of trying either but there's still points left in it and still the chance of a change or two in the rankings. On the 19th of November I finally bumped into a Hen Harrier (ringtail) on Chat Moss whilst the 21st provided Simon Hitchen's beloved Hollingworth Lake and his Tournament total with another fine flock of Whooper Swans, though this time with no less than 20 individuals. A first winter drake Scaup at Pennington Flash for me on the 23rd was very much appreciated and enjoyed whilst the very first day of December supplied Henry Cook with three Common Redpolls at Hale Barns. Will any more points be added before the end of the year? Will there be that mythical big flock of Bewick's Swans for someone out there? Watch this space.

Update 17.11.10

Whilst there's not much movement in the rankings board as yet there are some very worthwhile additions to the Tournament of late and some serious points with them. Simon Johnson not only sets the ball rolling for this update but also accrues a huge points haul with Scaup at Heaton Park Reservoir on the 21st October , Merlin at Holcombe Moor on the 25th, Short-eared Owl and 17 Whooper Swans over Whitefield on the 10th November and best of all a Lapland Bunting over Heaton park Reservoir on the 7th! Geoff Hargreaves doubles up on his current points total thanks to a Pintail at Horrocks Flash on the 6th and a single Whooper Swan on Pearsons Flash the very next day. Simon Warford continues his good run with another Lapland Bunting over the Horwich Moors on the 7th and also 8 Whooper Swans over there too. Paul Wilson drops onto one of the best finds for some time (believe it or not!) with a very fine 7 Bar-tailed Godwits at Elton on the 6th, plus a single Twite on the Horwich Moors on the 24th October. I atleast keep my Tournament ticking over thanks to a Merlin at Rindle on the 2nd and very nice male Ring Ouzel at Rumworth on the 13th and finally, Simon Hitchen, whilst still rueing what could have/should have been, atleast makes do with 3 Whooper Swans at Hollingworth Lake on the 16th. With 100 points or so separating each of the top three Tournamenteers there's still plenty time left until the end of the year but the same can be said throughout the rankings board, although Elton's Paul Wilson and his four positions jump upwards fares best in this update. Marvellous!

Update 31.10.10

Lots of recent action has seen no small amount of tooing and froing up and down the rankings board and you know what? There's still a long way to go and hopefully much more to come! The 19th provided 13 Crossbills at Georges Lane, Horwich for Simon Warford whilst on the 19th, the lowland flashes bring Whooper Swans to myself and Rob Thorpe with 4 at Pennington Flash and two at Pearsons Flash respectively, with yet more on the 20th as 13 flew over the rather higher altitudinal Rumworth for me. Those Whooper Swans were easily eclipsed by the magnificent flock (herd, whatever...) of 40 individuals over Whitefield though, witnessed by Simon Johnson and sufficient points-wise to push him into  hard won fourth position overall. Simon Hitchen, for whom the other Simon, no, not Warford but Johnson again, had just leapfrogged on the rankings board, kept in touch thanks to 4 Whoopers for himself on the 21st, stolen magnificently yet again from someone else's patch, namely Watergrove Reservoir once more! Keeping up the Whooper Swan vibe, Mark Rigby got a piece of the action with 13 of his own at Castleshaw Reservoirs on the 22nd (pure coincidence that they were the same number as the group/herd/flock/kettle/pot/black that flew east over Rumworth two days previously, or had they been laid up somewhere in between?). The 24th saw a cracking day yet again for Simon Warford on the Horwich Moors with a further 14 Crossbills (out of a total flock of 27), a Ring Ouzel and three Twite, all easily enough to seemingly secure that second spot atleast. The 24th brought yet another Ring Ouzel for the right pair of Simons (Johnson and Warford) on the Horwich Moors yet again. Then, that other Simon, Simon Hitchen kept up the pressure on the 'other Simon' just above him (confused yet?), with 6 more Whoopers, this time on his own patch of Hollingworth Lake and Andy Isherwood saw fit to dig out his own couple with 2 at Hope Carr on the 30th yet another great site record to boot. Finally, 4 Common Scoter at Pennington Flash on the 31st for me rounded off this update, which was overall a very fine effort all round. Magic!  

Update 18.10.10

More good county birding continues one of the best autumns on record and with it the points continue to come. On the 14th Simon Hitchen executed a text book Tournament 'theft', stealing three Ring Ouzels from Steve Atkins' beloved Watergrove Reservoir whilst the man himself wasn't there! Steve hit back on the 16th with a Hen Harrier there whilst Simon Johnson managed two Rock Pipits at Heaton Park Reservoir on the 15th and four Ring Ouzels at Holcombe Hill on the16th, putting him in a joint fifth position. Simon Warford fared best though with a some fine birding which included three Whooper Swans over Elton Reservoir and a Common Scoter at High Rid Reservoir, both on the 14th and then on the 16th 'nailing' a Lapland Bunting over Burnt Edge, Horwich which finally saw him leapfrog into second position. It certainly isn't all over though, not by a long way and there's plenty more good birds to come and perhaps some more twists and turns in that rankings board.

Update 14.10.10

Not much change on the rankings board but some good birding to be had for those out and about. on the 2nd, Andy Isherwood adds two points with a Whinchat on Moss Lane, Astley which put him ahead of Paul Hammond. Paul though, struck right back with a Rock Pipit at Audenshaw Reservoirs on the 7th and regained his position above Andy once more! On the 2nd, an excellent record of a Snow Bunting over Heaton Park Reservoir for Simon Johnson was mirrored (though less impressive a find for the location) with one over Winter Hill for me on the 7th. On the 11th, Pennington Flash provided a Pintail for me with the 12th bringing me three Ring Ouzels along Georges Lane, Horwich and a Rock Pipit at Heaton Park Reservoir for Simon Johnson.

Update 01.10.10

With summer now passed and 'true' autumn upon us, what will the remaining three months of this year bring? Whatever they may be, I'm sure the ever vigilant Tournamenteers there to pick up on some of those special birds. Certainly the last few days of September proved to be very productive with Rob Thorpe kicking off this update with a splendid ringtail Hen Harrier over High Rid Reservoir on the 19th. The 22nd saw a little flurry of Pintail activity with Simon Johnson and Heaton Park Reservoir picking up two whilst Steve Atkins and Watergrove Reservoir managed a single. The Horwich Moors continued to provide the cream of county birding and the 25th brought five Crossbills for me at Wilderswood and seven over Winter Hill for Simon Warford, plus a superb female/immature Snow Bunting and Merlin over there for him too on the same date. The 26th was a particularly productive day for me with Little Egret and Grey Plover briefly at Pennington Flash in the early morning (the latter atleast pointed out to an unknown photographer!) and an adult Greenshank (photographed) at Astley Moss Pools East in the evening. On the 28th, Andy Isherwood continued to squeeze points out from Hope Carr NR, this time with three Pintail a very nice find for the site. Finally, on the 29th I dropped onto a further single Crossbill at Wilderswood (with probably the same individual still present the next day) and a Ring Ouzel on Winter Hill during very poor weather indeed!

Update 20.09.10

Some eagle-eyed readers (if anyone actually does!) may have noticed the disappearance of my Tournament total in previous weeks. Due to 'external pressure' I was no longer enjoying the competition and indeed felt so disappointed that I dropped out. However, thanks to many kind words of support from other Tournamenteers and some of the best birding in the county I've ever experienced in recent weeks I have decided to continue in this, my last ever Tournament. And with that onto the update.

Okay, so as said previously, Greater Manchester has experienced perhaps it's best autumn passerine migration ever, although much of that was on the Horwich Moors and I can only be glad that I was there to witness much of it. So my additional species are as follows, bearing in mind that all the Horwich Moors birds are self found and have been carefully considered to ensure there is no cross-counting (or poaching/make believing!) with verification as new birds with the site's regular watcher Andy Makin. There were in fact many other birds which were undoubtably new individuals but for the Tournament atleast they have been omitted from the total to ensure there was no possibility of cross-counting.

25/08- Horwich: 12x Spot Flycatcher (10 New Fields, 2 Georges Lane, some photographed and all also seen by Andy Makin), Pied Flycatcher (Georges Lane)

27/08- Horwich: 8x Spot Flycatcher (5 Colliers Row Quarry, 3 Bryan Hey Resr, many photographed, no birds were encountered anywhere on a very thorough search on the 26th), Knot (Georges Lane, co-found with Andy Makin)

29/08- Astley Moss Peat Pools: Curlew Sandpiper (juv), Marsh Harrier (juv, co-found with Mark Rigby)

30/08- Horwich: 3x Spotted Flycatcher (2 Colliers Row Quarry, which were photographed, 1 Wilderswood)

31/08 Horwich: 7x Spotted Flycatcher (5 Georges Lane, 2 Montcliffe Quarry, a few on Georges Lane photographed and also seen by subsequent birders, all locations well north of the previous days and agreed as different birds), Whinchat (Georges Lane, seen by subsequent birders), Redstart (Lomax Wife’s Plantation, photographed and also seen by several other birders)

02/09 Horwich: Redstart (New Fields, the Lomax Wife's Plantation bird was still present there on this date)

07/09 Horwich: 10x Spotted Flycatcher (8 Georges Lane, many atleast also seen by subsequent birders, 2 New Fields Plantation)

12/09 Pennington Flash: Yellow-legged Gull (1^st winter, photographed and witnessed by Pete Berry)

16/09 Pennington Flash: Little Gull (adult, also seen by several other birders)

17/09 Pennington Flash: Lesser Whitethroat, Black Tern (juv, seen and photographed by many other birders)

19/09 Astley Moss Peat Pools: Greenshank (juv, photographed)

21/09 Pennington Flash: Redstart (fem/imm)

Simon Warford added his points as follows:

27/08 - 3 Spotted Flycatcher Elton Reservoir
28/08 - 2 Pintail Pennington Flash
02/09 - 5 Spotted Flycatcher, 1 Redstart Elton Reservoir
12/09 - 2 Spotted Flycatcher Elton Reservoir, Garden Warbler Cutacre southern boundary
13/09 - Garden Warbler Cutacre (different bird to the 12th)

And the rest...

On the 10th Mark Rigby added a Merlin at an undisclosed site whilst the 12th saw three Spotted Flycatchers at Elton Reservoir for Paul Wilson. On the 14th Dave Broome found a nice juvenile Black Tern at Scotmans Flash only to find a second bird there the very next day plus on the 25th of August he also managed a first winter Yellow-legged Gull there! The 19th saw the Wigan Flashes produce yet again though this time for Rob Thorpe, with a Pintail on Horrock's Flash.

Update 09.09.10

The county's autumnal migrant passerine bonanza continues, adding some migrant waders for good value along the way and you know what? Yes, those valiant Tournamenteers were out and about t collect their fair share. Andy Isherwood carries on with his points-streak, picking up three more Spotted Flycatchers near the old Tyldesley sewage works on the 1st of September, a Whinchat along Nook Lane on the 3rd and another Greenshank at Hope Carr on the 8th. Rob Thorpe too continues his admirable effort and is rewarded along the way with another Garganey at Horrock's Flash on the 31st August with the same location also providing two more Black-tailed Godwits on the 3rd September to his already massive species total and a terrific little flock of three Greenshanks shortly after a thunderstorm there on the 8th. Simon Hitchen puts a little more daylight between himself and fourth place Dave Broome thanks to two Spotted Flycatchers and a single Lesser Whitethroat at Hollingworth Lake on the 3rd, although it's still a close run thing between the two currently. Finally, perseverance pays off once again for Simon Johnson whose flogging of Heaton Park Reservoir has brought usually only small reward but his second Osprey of the year there on the 9th was one of those red-letter moments that make all the hard work seem worthwhile!

Update 30.08.10

Greater Manchester continues one of it's best autumns on record for migrant passerines and the valiant Tournamenteers certainly know how to make hay whilst the sun shines! On the 24th Rob Thorpe added yet another Black-tailed Godwit to his already phenomenal total for the species though this one was at Horrocks Flash and not content with that also added Sandyforth points with a Whinchat on the 28th, Spotted Flycatcher also there on the 29th and last but by no means least, three more Spotted Flycatchers at High Rid Reservoir on the 30th. Mark Rigby finally gets some reward for all those hours spent looking at nothing, with first a Greenshank at Castleshaw Reservoirs on the 25th, then a Whinchat at Brun Clough Reservoir and finally a nice juvenile Marsh Harrier on Astley Moss East on the 29th. Steve Atkins continues his run of nose bleed inducing high altitude Tournamenteering with points in the form of two more Spotted Flycatchers at Watergrove Reservoir on the 27th and a species at a withheld location on the 30th. Simon Johnson rounds us off with two very smart Redstarts a good find indeed at Heaton Park Reservoir on the 30th, providing enough points to move him into the top six!

Update 24.08.10

It really is turning out to be a productive autumn so far (regardless of the Tournament) and we can only hope it continues to provide some very special county birding along the way. So far though, it has done just that and certain species, such as Spotted Flycatcher and Whinchat, seem to be occurring in almost unprecedented numbers throughout the county and are providing relatively easy points in lowland and upland areas. To start us off however, Steve Atkins brings us up to date on his moorland moochings with Lesser Whitethroat at Wardle (24/7), Whinchat at Piethorne Valley (1/08), two Greenshank at Watergrove Reservoir (15/08), Whinchats at Watergrove  (17/08) and Kingsway (19/08), Spotted Flycatcher at Watergrove and Whinchat at Chelburn Reservoirs (both 21/08). Back to August for the rest though and the 18th affords both Ruff and Greenshank at Hope Carr for Andy Isherwood with the very next day the same location providing Whinchat and Garden Warbler for him. Still on the 19th, Rob Thorpe adds another Ruff and Garganey both at Horrock's Flash whilst I manage Merlin and trios of Spotted Flycatcher and Whinchat on the Horwich Moors. The next points wait until the 21st when Paul Wilson find singles of Spotted Flycatcher, Lesser Whitethroat and Garden Warbler, all at Elton Reservoir and Simon Warford two Whinchat at Holdens Farm, Horwich. The next day, Andy Isherwood scores again at Hope Carr, this time with a Spotted Flycatcher as does Rob Thorpe with another of his own at Low Hall on the same date. The day continues in fine fashion too with the trio of Paul Wilson, Simon Warford and Simon Johnson adding singles each of Lesser Whitethoat and Garden Warbler at Elton plus the latter two managing to go one step better with three Spotted Flycatchers at Colliers Row Quarry and another Garden Warbler at Sugar Loaf Plantation aswell. Rounding off the day's fine points accrual, I add a single Crossbill at Wilderswood (because the probably small flock refused to show themselves and therefore couldn't be individually counted!), Whinchat at Burnt Edge and two Spotted Flycatchers at Allwood Farm, Moss Lane, Astley.

Update 17.08.10

Complain all you want about this county but recent hard effort from the Manchester Birding Tournamenteers produced some outstanding county birding and a memorable migration day. The 10th saw Simon Hitchen continue to pick up the points with a Whimbrel over Hollingworth Lake and Whinchat at nearby Clegg Hall. On the 12th, Simon Johnson got in on the seemingly county wide juvenile Yellow-legged Gull act with one at Heaton Park Reservoir perhaps the first ever such plumaged bird to be recorded in the county. Whimbrel once again scored points, this time for Simon Warford at Elton Reservoir where the very next day both he and Paul Wilson managed two Spotted Flycatchers and a single Garden Warbler. The 14th perhaps saw autumn migration really begin in the county as perfect 'drift migrant'  weather brought a Redstart and Lesser Whitethroat to Georges Lane for me and three Whinchat for Simon Warford on Winter Hill. A second-calendar Little Gull at Horrock's Flash for Rob and Terry Thorpe the same day was perhaps not a drift migrant though but a Whinchat and Garden Warbler on Carrington Moss for Paul Heaton were a little closer to the mark. The 15th brought one of those memorable county days when we do rather well indeed and Simon Warford was there to mop up the points with two Spotted Flycatchers plus a Garden Warbler along with Paul Wilson at Elton Reservoir in the morning and then a magical event at Georges Lane and Burnt Edge providing a total of twelve Spotted Flycatchers, two Pied Flycatchers, 3 Redstarts and a single Crossbill. Top Tournamenteering indeed worth a huge 41 points in total! The day's catch ended with my recent watching of Whitehead Landfill site in Astley finally producing the goods with two juvenile Yellow-legged Gulls and nearby at the Millennium field area in Astley village three Lesser Whitethroats. The pace continued over the next two days too, with the 16th bringing two Spotted Flycatchers and a Lesser Whitethroat at Morley's Hall, Astley for Andy Isherwood, two Pied Flycatchers at New Fields Plantation, Horwich and a single Whinchat at Barrow Bridge for me and two new Ruff plus a Greenshank at Horrock's Flash for Rob Thorpe. Finally, the 17th found two extra Lesser Whitethroats for Andy Isherwood at Morley's Hall, one for Dave Broome at the western end of Scotsmans Flash and a Spotted Flycatcher along the canal at Lightshaw for Rob Thorpe.

Update  09.08.10

A week or so on since the last update and it seems that return passage is well on it's way, bringing a fair old haul of points with it. The 16th of July turned up a Wood Sandpiper for Rob Thorpe at Horrock's Flash (forgotten by me!) and the 31st two Lesser Whitethroats for me at Hope Carr NR. July got off to a flyer with 28 Crossbills for me at Binn Green on the 1st, although only 14 were countable as the same amount had already been claimed by a non-Tournamenteer previously and the same day brought a Little Egret, a great find at Cutcacre for Simon Warford and a single Lesser Whitethroat at Hollingworth Lake for Simon Hitchen. The 3rd continued in the same vein with another Little Egret at Red Moss, this time for me and a splendid little fall of migrants at Elton Reservoir for Paul Wilson including 3 Lesser Whitethroats and singles of Garden Warbler and Spotted Flycatcher. Twelve breeding plumaged adult Black-tailed Godwits at Horrock's Flash on the 5th included a colour-ringed individual picked out by Rob Thorpe. Very careful consideration has been given to the activities of Blackwits in the county in relation to the Manchester Birding Tournament since their huge arrival in spring and their seemingly ever-present attendance a various county sites, specifically the Wigan Flashes. Whilst I will continue to carefully monitor their occurrences, for Rob's flock, the fact they seemed to be overwhelmingly new arrivals, not previously seen, could not be ignored. So, for the time being atleast, subject to that careful consideration, Black-tailed Godwits are again countable. Simon Warford continued to accrue points and 7 Crossbills (3 at over Georges Lane, Horwich and 4 over Gale Brook Plantation) proved testimony to that whilst the same day found a very rare autumnal Whimbrel at Astley Moss Peat Pools for me. Further points were added on the 9th with a Merlin over Sandyforth for Dave Broome, single Black-tailed Godwit at Abram for Ian Woosey and male Redstart at Barrow Bridge for me. Can this pace continue? I can only hope so for the sake of county birding!

Update 31.07.10

It's been a while since the last update but well worth it and the guys (for there are no ladies entered!) have gotten busy with the points! On the 14th current 2010 leader Rob Thorpe adds a Greenshank at Horrock's Flash along with his dad Terry, meanwhile, waiting-in-the-wings-wee-Warford managed a Whimbrel at Rumworth on the 17th. On the 20th, the still publically inaccessible Astley Moss Peat Pools turned up not one but two very fine juvenile Wood Sandpipers for me (also witnessed by the only other authorised visitor, Pete Berry) and the 21st more Common Scoters for the points hungry Hollingworth Lake regular Simon Hitchen with further seven there! The pace continued relentlessly and whilst others bemoaned the apparent lack of birds, the Tournamenteers would have none of it and got off their arses to find those pointsworthy prizes. The 23rd found a family party of four Whinchat just by Bill O'Jacks Plantation near Dovestones for me plus a Garden Warbler from Georges Lane, Horwich a few days earlier which I hadn't realised was new in until it was pointed out to me by the gentleman wee-Warford ☺. The very next day brought a nice selection to the county with a Ruff at Horrock's Flash for Dave 'the poacher' Broome, three Garden Warblers plus a Spotted Flycatcher from the Horwich Moors area for wee-Wilderswood-whacker-Warford and a very much appreciated Twite for Simon Johnson at Holcombe Moor. The current apparent national Crossbill influx wasn't to escape the sharp-eyed entrants either and cashing in were wee-Warford with an excellent fourteen over Wildersmoor on the 31st and Dave 'on his own turf' Broome with four over Billinge Higher End a very good record indeed.

Update 12.07.10

Manchester Tournament participants wait like coiled springs for the return passage to arrive in full force and meanwhile do very nicely picking up the odds and sods which wind their weary way in through the county boundary. The 2nd of July produced a 'bit of a turn-up' for Hollingworth Lake and it's relentless observer as Simon Hitchen picked up 11 Common Scoters and elevation into a current 4th position along with them. Rob Thorpe continued his reign at the top, reinforcing it with a fine Ruff at Horrock's Flash on the 6th whilst in an admirable display of 'gentlemaneering' (what the....?) he pointed out to me that a Garden Warbler I found there on the 17th June was in fact new and countable. Marvellous! Henry Cook also suffered a similar episode of the catching 'gentlemaneering' when Paul Heaton pointed out his (Henry's) high count of 6 Garden Warblers on Carrington Moss on the 18th of June meant that 4 where also new and countable. Gentlemen, our hats off to you and your selfless honesty and decent Tournament spirit (you'll never win with attitudes like that ☺!). Finishing off this little update, Simon Johnson adds his second Greenshank of the year, this time at Ringley on the 11th of July.

Update 29.06.10

Typically, county birding and the Manchester Birding Tournament with it, take a bit of a lull during this time of year but for those wanting, those who don't believe in 'a lull', there are still points to be had. On the 5th, a Spotted Flycatcher at Astley Moss East for me was swiftly followed by two Garden Warbler for Simon Warford at Egerton on the very next day. The 16th brought a further crop of Spotted Flycatcher points with two for Henry Cook at Sunbank Wood and also two for me on Chat/Irlam Moss, whilst on the same date Simon Hitchen found 4 Twite at Chelburn Reservoirs (and also a omitted Lesser Whitethroat from his total)! Towards the end of the month and perhaps optimistically the points-fest of a return passage starting in July, a Marsh Harrier on Astley Moss East was a nice find for me on the 25th whilst three Black-tailed Godwits at Red Moss for Simon Warford on the 27th were undoubtably much appreciated amongst the current several-site Blackwit embargo!

Update 02.06.10

The pace of late has atleast slowed a little although Black-tailed Godwits still feature highly on the Tournament scene. Three give themselves to Simon Warford at Rumworth on the 28th whilst Astley Moss Pools East finally gets in on the action with 37 there for myself on the 29th. On the 30th, Steve Suttill locates a further Spotted Flycatcher at Greenfield and the 31st brought a true county rarity to Ian Woosey, a species illustrating the sad sign of the times perhaps but a county rarity no less with a very fine Turtle Dove at Haigh Country Park. The first day in the month of June presented a fine drake Garganey to current leader Rob Thorpe at Horrock's Flash and last but by no means least Paul Wilson adds his two Sanderlings which he co-found with Simon Warford at Elton Reservoir on the 22nd, which manages to bump him up the board a place or two.

Update 27.05.10

Some birders no doubt wonder what's the point of being in the Manchester Birding Tournament. Some don't realise the enjoyment gained by finding your own birds, no matter how apparently common they might seem. Some don't appreciate just how occasionally it can be all the extra impetus you need to get out in the field when otherwise you might not bother. Some, of course, simply wonder that they'd never have a chance of doing well anyway so what's the point of bothering? Well, had you been walking along the canal at Dover Basin on the 25th and bearing in mind that no particular expert eye or field craft was called for, you could have stumbled upon the largest flock of Black-tailed Godwits Greater Manchester has ever seen by a long way. Unfortunately, 'we' weren't there but Rob Thorpe was, faithfully checking his local patch as he has done pretty much day in day out this year regardless of weather or apparent available time. With it Rob scored the largest single points haul of the Tournament probably over the entire competition to date and well deserved too. You've gotta be in it to win it and out there looking to score points, of which Rob picked up 101 in a single binocular sweep. Not content with this (and why should he be?) he also picked up another Lesser Whitethroat at Lightshaw the same day and on the 26th continued to pile on the points in a frankly spectacular piece of Tournamenteering. With the Black-tailed Godwits seemingly on the move from Abram a swift relocation to the Wigan Flashes was called for and unsurprisingly coincided with small (comparatively) flocks of the species heading over from the Abram direction and out across the county in a roughly north-westerly passage. Seventy individuals passed through, accumulating yet more points and a considerable lead over all the chasing pack in the competition for Thorpe junior. But it's not over yet, not by a long way and with seven months yet to come anything can happen and if you don't believe me then I suggest you read the above summary once more ☺.

Update 25.05.10

Late May has been all about one species in the county really, godwits, Black-tailed to be specific and their remarkable invasion of the Abram Flashes. Of course the Tournamenteers were on hand to secure their arrival and what a difference a day makes! The godwit fluctuations at the latter sites have been something of a pain in the arse Tournament wise and so it was  without recourse that Rob Thorpe's 54 at Lightshaw on the 23rd meant that 32 were atleast countable, of course his finding of a Greenshank there on the same date was equally as important. The very next day however, Tournament poacher and nomad Dave Broome visited both Lightshaw and Dover Basin and consummately booted the old county record for the species well and truly into orbit with his magnificent count of 139 Black-tailed Godwits and with it a fourth place boosting 85 points, easily the highest single points score of the year so far. The rest of us had to make do with scraps with Henry Cook a Garden Warbler at Davenport Green on the 9th and Simon Hitchen a Lesser Whitethroat at Hollingworth Lake on the 18th. The 22nd found two Sanderlings at Elton Reservoir for Simon Warford and three Lesser Whitethroats at the possibly never before birded area north of Tyldesley and another Garden Warbler at Barrow Bridge. All on the 23rd, Simon Hitchen scored again with a Lesser Whitethroat at Captain Fold, Heywood, Andy Isherwood hit gold with a Marsh Harrier over his garden in Astley and two Garden Warblers were secured at Red Moss by Simon Warford with a Lesser Whitethroat at Rumworth on the 21st and another single at Elton on the 22nd whilst Dave ('the nomadic poaching git') Broome managed one at Amberswood on the 24th.

Update 18.05.10

My will there ever be an end to the relentless points accrual currently and my never ending usage of post-it notes and time spent updating the points? I'm certainly not grumbling mind as the Manchester Birding Tournament reinforces it's undoubtably positive and effective purpose of getting more county birders out there searching for their own birds. Frankly, it's working at treat and as if to prove the point...

A belated Garden Warbler from Hollingworth Lake on the 6th was another point for Simon Hitchen but on the 13th there were two Garden Warblers at Amberswood for Dave Broome and an excellent Wood Sandpiper at Lightshaw Hall Flash and extra five Black-tailed Godwits for Rob Thorpe who finally secures his current third place. Still on the 13th, Andy Isherwood adds his third Whinchat of the year with another at Rindle whilst 19 Black-tailed Godwits heading west straight through Hope Carr serve as reward for my combined survey work and Manchester May-hem there on that date! The 14th brought a further two points for me thanks to a Sanderling at Pennington and the 15th provided points for Simon Warford with a Lesser Whitethroat at Doffcocker and Garden Warbler at Clifton CP. Also on the 15th Steve Suttill added his first points of the year so far, perhaps ringing the bells for the start of his assault on the title with a Spotted Flycatcher at Heron Lane Mossley and half a dozen points for Tim Wilcox and his marvellous Dover Basin Osprey were well deserved and very good value. The final two days of the update too brought high scoring birds with a very nice Black Redstart a great find at Heaton Park Reservoir on the 16th for Simon Johnson and another, unfortunately more typically fly-through Osprey at Rumworth for Simon Warford on the 17th.

Update 13.05.10

The Manchester Tournament shines on the brave, proved by this round-up's top bird finding and much leaping of places on the rankings board! Henry Cook grinds out yet another Whinchat at Davenport Green but Rob Thorpe starts off the big points accrual with 24 fine Black-tailed Godwits at Lightshaw on the 8th. Also on the 8th a drake Garganey at Pennington Flash was nice points for me but was hugely eclipsed by Mark Rigby who, first up to Brown Wardle Hill to check out six Dotterel there the day before, located no less than nine! The first Tournament rarity triple of the year. The 10th saw Rob Thorpe continue his points with a Lesser Whitethroat by Morton's Dairy at Viridor Wood, Simon Johnson finally rewarded with four Common Scoter and a Sanderling at Heaton Park Reservoir, Ian Woosey a Whinchat at Haigh CP and Paul Heaton another Lesser Whitethroat, this one at Crossford Bridge Stretford. The 11th maintained the points production with two Whinchat for me along Moss Lane, Astley, Rob Thorpe and Ian Woosey manage a joint Whinchat at Dover Marsh and six more Black-tailed Godwits at Lightshaw (extending the total there to thirty) plus a Garden Warbler for Andy Isherwood at Scot Lane, Blackrod. A male Redstart on Astley Moss for me was the only points for the 12th though.

Update 08.05.10

The tireless pace of the Tournamenteers continues with aplomb as another round of points are bagged by several competitors. Steve Atkins adds another Watergrove Whimbrel to his tally on the 27th April and Dave Broome a Lesser Whitethroat near Bolton Hall Road in Bickershaw on the 28th but all the other points scored come from May. On the 1st, Steve Collins scores his first point of the year so far with a Lesser Whitethroat at Stakehill, closely followed by Simon Hitchen with one of his own at Pilsworth. Ian Woosey makes his way to the middle of the rankings board with a Garden Warbler at Haigh CP on the 2nd with Mark Rigby nudging up a couple of places with a Greenshank at Rumworth on the 4th whilst I add one at a site with no current access also on the 4th. On the 5th Henry Cook locates a further Lesser Whitethroat from Davenport Green whilst I locate one along Hand Lane in Pennington (whilst rugby training!). The 6th finds two Garden Warblers for Simon Warford at Walker Fold Wood, two for me along the southern most edge of Botany Bay Wood along with a further two in Barrow Bridge on the 6th. Simon Warford makes another great find on the 7th with a pair of fine Red-breasted Mergansers at Elton Reservoir worth every one of their ten points.

Update 02.05.10

The last few days has proven something of a blur in the Manchester Birding Tournament as points have been added by so many different birders with such haste it's been difficult to keep up. My desk is now literally strewn with post it notes scribbles with the various points but putting them all together shows just how productive the competition is. Can this electric pace be maintained? Can the county continue to produce such good birds and birding? Can I continue going through post-it notes at this rate? One thing is for sure, this is the sole remaining competition of it's kind in the UK (nay, world?) and for keeping it so very much alive and kicking all the entrants, those with or without points at this point, should be well and truly congratulated. There's no easy way to put all this down in one go, so here goes...

Simon Warford- continues his burn up of the Bolton borough with magnificent results. The 29th of April reveals two marvellous Grey Plovers at Rumworth during an exiting evening of wader passage through the county and the 1st of May produces two Garden Warblers in Redisher Woods. The 2nd of May continues the surprise find trend with an exploratory excursion into less well watched areas revealing a Lesser Whitethroat and Whimbrel in the Wingates/Westhaughton area and a Marsh Harrier at Red Moss.

Simon Johnson- perhaps disadvantages by a lack of personal transport his excursion to Redisher Wood on the 1st deservedly served him four Garden Warblers whilst a closer-to-home visit to his patch of Ringley on the 2nd brought him a further single individual.

Paul Wilson- desperately trying to avoid the dreaded wooden spoon his two Garden Warblers in Redisher Wood (with Simon Johnson) on the 1st take him away from the current bottom spot.

Simon Hitchen- Hollingworth Lake persists with providing him with great birds and the Sandwich Tern he found there on the 30th April was no exception to that!

Me- standard nomadic birding proves typically rewarding if not increasingly expensive but the recompense comes with a Whimbrel at Georges Lane, Wilderswood on the 29th April, two Garden Warblers at Pennington Flash also on the 29th and whilst cashing in on the wader passage action at the same location on the same evening, no less than ten Sanderling! I seem to be continually unable to avoid Whimbrel, that or they're following me and five close to Worsley Filtration Lagoons on the 1st were a surprise though a Lesser Whitethroat by Collier's Wood on the 2nd was less so.

Rob Thorpe- yet another Lesser Whitethroat, this one in Ashton-in-Makerfield, keeps the rankings board ticking over.

Terry Thorpe- the same Lesser Whitethroat as son Rob above assists in lifting him another place up the board,

Henry Cook- plugging away at the most local of local patches he nabs yet another Lesser Whitethroat whilst wringing his site of Newall Greens, Hale Barns dry of all points in emphatic style.

Paul Hammond- he always find something good during his annual pre-dawn spring assaults on Audenshaw Reservoirs and this year is no different. No, not the single Lesser Whitethroat he found the on the 1st but the pair of wonderful Avocets which he discovered on the 2nd. The first double county rarity find of the year so far, well done!

Update 28.04.10

The 22nd brings two Black-tailed Godwits for Ian Woosey, raising the total at Dover Basin to a six bird high whilst on the on the 25th Jimmy Meadows adds a Lesser Whitethroat to his total, at Haigh CP. The 26th brings points for five observers with a haul of three Lesser Whitethroats (my garden in Astley, Windy Bank and an extra bird at Lightshaw) and Garden Warbler at Windy Bank Wood for me, Whinchat at Viridor Wood for Rob Thorpe, Merlin (location withheld) for Paul Cliff, two Whimbrel at Pennington Flash for Ian Woosey and a Black Redstart at Chorlton Water Park for Tim Wilcox. The 27th continues the points trend with a Garden Warbler for Rob and Terry Thorpe at Dover and the 28th brings a new influx of points. Another Garden Warbler gets chalked up for Rob Thorpe at Rainsford's Tip, Andy Isherwood plunders Hope Carr NR for singles of Garden Warbler and Lesser Whitethroat, Henry Cook's scouring of Davenport Green continues to provide, this time with a fine female Redstart, Paul Heaton adds a Lesser Whitethroat at Jack Lane NR and I manage a decent day with 4 Whimbrel at Pennington Flash in the morning, then a single at Rindle, Astley Moss in the afternoon (bringing the current total flock there to a high of seven birds) but best of all a magnificent male Ring Ouzel hops into view and into the Tournament!

Update 25.04.10

In only the past few days the Tournament has amassed a further 68 points such is the rate with which the intrepid entrants seek out those passage migrants. Such has been the velocity with which points have been added it's been difficult to keep up but deep breath and here goes...

On the 19th Henry Cook digs out another Lesser Whitethroat from Davenport Greens whilst Rob Thorpe digs out his own with two more in the Low Hall area on the 25th and along with dad Terry on the 23rd, a further single from Abram. The 20th provided Steve Atkins with a Watergrove Reservoir Whimbrel whilst I fared rather well with a marvellous eight off Rindle Road, Astley on the 25th, Paul Hammond found one at Audenshaw Reservoirs on the 25th and Rob Thorpe six at Horrock's Flash on the 23rd and a further two there on the 25th. Ring Ouzels continued to delight those scouring the county with two for Mark Rigby along Blackstone Edge near Light Hazzles on the 23rd and two for Simon Warford on those Horwich Moors on the 25th. Garden Warblers begin to find their way into the Tournament with a single for Paul Cliff on Carrington Moss on the 23rd, two for Paul Heaton at Bank Meadow on the 24th and a single for Rob Thorpe near Bryn Marsh on the 5th who also collected another Black-tailed Godwit from Pennington Flash on the 22nd.

Phew! That's just cleared my desk of a large quantity of post-it notes with all those points on ☺.

Update 22.04.10

As the summer migrants flood into the county the Tournamenteers make hay whilst the sun shines and shines it does! The rarest bird of the year in the county so far, a superb Red-rumped Swallow, fell to a non-Tournament entrant however but I'm sure there'll be bigger and better along the way?

On the 10th, David Winnard jump starts his 2010 points scoring effort with 9 fine Crossbills at Dovestones and then a Whimbrel at Ashworth Moor Reservoir on the 20th. Terry Thorpe boots his Tournament into life too with a Black-tailed Godwit at Abram on the 11th and along with son Rob, adds to it thanks to a couple of Lesser Whitethroats in the Pennington to Lightshaw area on the 21st. Lesser Whitethroats were also found in Davenport Green by Henry Cook on the 18th and Astley on the 21st by Andy Isherwood who also managed a Whinchat along Moss Lane on the same date. Simon Hitchen hits the moorland jackpot thanks to 6 Ring Ouzels at Piethorne on the 19th, whipping him into a serious top spot contention. Simon Warford continues to pull out all the exhaustive stops with another Ring Ouzel at Holdens Farm on the 19th and along with Simon Johnson on the 21st, a nice male Redstart at Holcombe. The latter Johnson along with Mark Rigby also manages a Whimbrel at Rindle on the 20th, what is it with all this double-teaming all of a sudden? Simon Warford goes it alone on the 21st with a couple of Black-tailed Godwits at Rumworth and I a Whimbrel at Pennington Flash on the same date.

Update 18.04.10

It's Ring Ouzels galore this week with six being found by Tournamenteers, three at Burnt Edge on the 13th for me, two there for Simon Warford on the 17th and a nice lowland bird for Henry Cook at Davenport Greens on the 18th the first points for his 2010 Tournament. Other than that Whimbrels begin to feature with five birds for me consisting of one near Georges Lane, Wilderswood on the 13th and four on Worsley Moss on the 17th and Black-tailed Godwits continue to supply points with five for Simon Hitchen at Kingsway on the 18th.

Update 12.04.10

With spring almost in full stride, the Tournamenteers collect points worthy species in their vigilant search across the county. Simon Johnson continues to plunder Heaton Park Reservoir to good effect with a Greenshank on the 9th fair value and a Pintail at Ringley on the 10th not exactly shoddy. Paul Hammonds spring hammering of Audenshaw Reservoirs also provides suitable recompense with his own Greenshank there on the 10th. Also on the 10th Rob Thorpe doubles his current points with two Black-tailed Godwits on the Abram Flashes whilst Simon Warford and Paul Cliff search out a splendid Black Redstart on the Horwich Moors, a very nice piece of bird finding indeed. Still on the 10th (obviously a good day for the points then!), Simon Hitchen's altitude birding high in them hills brings him three very much appreciated Twite near Littleborough. Last year's Tournament winner, Steve Atkins, starts this years effort late but better late than never! On the 9th his beloved Watergrove Reservoir provides him his first points thanks to a pair of Pintail, the 10th saw him cash in on the same Twite as Simon Hitchen although adding a further four along the way and on the 11th he managed a species withheld due to sensitive reasons.

Update 05.04.10

The onset of spring finally brings it's trickle of migrants and with them Tournament points. Paul Hammond, now fully out of his winter hibernation, begins his annual spring sojourn at Audenshaw Reservoirs that so inevitably brings him home the bacon and if not, atleast the points! On the 24th March he connects with another Rock Pipit there whilst on the 9th, a Kittiwake and two Black-tailed Godwits. The Lord only knows how he'd fare if he could maintain that effort for a full twelve months☺. Cashing in on Audenshaw's annual spring bonanza saw Mark Rigby too manage his own Rock Pipit there on the 24th also. Simon Johnson's perseverance at the all too often 'always the bridesmaid, never the bride' location of Heaton Park Reservoir saw him rewarded on the 1st April with a fine Osprey though and well deserved too, whilst an uncharacteristically early start at Pennington Flash on the 4th from myself was atleast compensated by a pair of Pintail.

Update 23.03.10

As the summer migrants begin to filter back through the county the Tournamenteers 'mop up' those points left over from winter just gone as many of the winter species move back through the county on their way back to their own breeding grounds. Simon Hitchen however lands a 'big one' on the 11th with a Red Kite over Brownhouse Wham Reservoir. How many county birders were reaching for their maps when they heard that site mentioned? On the 21st Paul Hammond begins his usual flurry of points with his annual Audenshaw Reservoir spring assault and manages a timely Rock Pipit for his effort thus far. Also on the 21st, I dig out another Yellow-legged Gull at Heaton Park Reservoir, this time a first winter individual. Finally, Mark Rigby plugs away with Castleshaw and is rewarded with a very fine Merlin on the 22nd

Update 19.03.10

Ian Woosey kicks off our latest update and his 2010 Tournament with a single Black-tailed Godwit at Abram on the 7th and then another or perhaps the same at Pennington Flash on the 9th, either way worth points. On the 12th, Simon Warford continued his points streak after a Common Crane had the audacity to fly over his car whilst he was waiting in traffic in Swinton! Clearly with luck like that this could very easily be his year. On the 14th Paul Heaton doubled his tally of points so far this year with another Merlin, this time a male on Vicars Hall Lane, Boothstown. Not content with finding a second winter Yellow-legged Gull at Heaton Park Reservoir on the 14th, I found another similarly aged individual alongside for good measure too! On the 19th I had my own stroke of good fortune in being in the right place at the right time when a flock of 24 Black-tailed Godwits made landfall at Rumworth for all of two minutes!

With spring finally here we can surely expect a decent flurry of points from all corners of the county and perhaps Simon Warford to maintain his liaisons with county rarities as clearly he is currently exuding a sweet smelling pheromone which attracts county megas and if only I knew where he got it from...

Update 01.03.10

My, February was hard work for those gallant Tournamenteers and points were certainly hard to come by, in the last two weeks of the month only three entrants found countable species despite diligent scouring by all. On the 20th Simon Johnson claimed second spot with his second Scaup of the year so far, this drake being at Elton Reservoir. The very next day I literally stumbled across half a dozen Whooper Swans at Pennington Flash and four days later on the 25th, Dave Broome dug another Common Redpoll from the roaming band of polls on Ince Landfill. Now winter is well out of the way (honest...please...) bring on the spring migrants and with them the plethora of points they bring. I am sharpening the Tournament update pencil as we speak!

Update 14.02.10

After the excitement of the early Tournament rarity things settled back into the usual monotony of winter county birding but out of the gloom of February, some found their way to countable species. Simon Johnson managed two Pintail at Pennington Flash on the 6th and on the same date Simon Hitchen pulled an immature Yellow-legged Gull (the Audenshaw/Heaton Park bird) out of the roost at Hollingworth Lake. There was a wait of seven days until the next points were scored however, as Paul Wilson found two Whooper Swans at Elton Reservoir on the 13th. With spring just around the corner though (it's a long corner I know!) expect to see the points come in a hurry as March brings it set of surprises and just how much longer will we wait for our next county biggy to be scored?

Update 02.02.10

Ding dang doo, who said it was all a load of old crap anyway? The Manchester Tournament blasts into action with a single magnificent find and with the rankings board has a new leader. Firstly though, other Tournamenteers made their mark with Jimmy Meadows sneaking in a Whooper Swan at Giants Hall on the 30th and Simon Johnson wringing Heaton Park Reservoir of early points with a Scaup there on the 31st. It was on the 31st though that the Tournament's first 'biggy' was found, in the seemingly uninspiring location of Cutacre and it's spoil heaps. Some may well ask what possesses apparently sane birder to venture to such a seemingly bleak and humdrum spot, especially in freezing conditions and after a blanket of snow but Simon Warford, sane or not, ventured to that lonely locality and stumbled upon a Shorelark. He may well have questioned his own sanity when faced with the vision of black, brown and yellow but nevertheless, not only does it prove two of the Tournament declarations 'anything is possible' and 'you've gotta be out there looking in order to find anything' but it rightly puts him in first place at this current time. Magnificent indeed!

Update 29.01.10

It's been tough going finding any countable species out there at the moment. Sure they're somewhere, lurking around and trying their best not to be discovered but two Tournamenteers atleast managed some rewards for their efforts. On the 26th Mark Rigby's attentive watching of  Castleshaw Reservoirs paid off with a second winter Iceland Gull whilst Geoff Hargreaves appearance on this years rankings board came by the way of two Whooper Swans at Horrocks Flash on the 27th.

Update 10.10.10

And they are off...

A marvellous twenty-three entrants to this year's Manchester Birding Tournament went under starters orders at midnight on the 1st January and it took all but half a day for the very first points to be scored. Don't forget, it is never too late to enter, but points cannot be added retrospectively so if you're intending to join then do it now before you stumble across that big flock of substantial county points! It is also worth bearing in mind that it really is all about fun and hopefully encouraging more birding throughout the year along the way, perhaps in areas you might normally not visit.

On the 1st then the first points fell to the New Year's Day listing team of Paul Heaton, Paul Cliff, Simon Johnson and Simon Warford who were all (apparently!) involved in finding the same Merlin at the same time at the same location! The 2nd brought the second round of points with two Common Redpolls a quality find by Andy Isherwood at Hope Carr. The 3rd did indeed deliver our third batch of points with Rob Thorpe finding a Merlin at Hope Carr, an excellent site bird and well worth those important opening points.

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