On a fine Autumn morning, 14 of us set off from the car park in Marles Wood to the sound of woodland birds calling in the treetops above us. Upon reaching the 'Sale Wheel' bend in the River Ribble we saw a Grey Heron braving the flow of the river in search of his breakfast, whilst Black-headed Gulls and Carrion Crows occupied the fields beyond. A calling Buzzard had us all searching above the treeline with us all getting great views of the bird. Carrying on along the River Ribble, the views of the autumnal colours in the trees were fantastic. Both Pied and Grey wagtails were spotted hunting together along the rocky edge of the river, blending in very well.
A highlight of the walk was the many female Goosanders that we saw congregating together, a very nice bird to have seen. We had lunch at Dinkley Bridge, watching a Jay fly between trees across the river, before retracing our steps back to the car park. A Kingfisher was briefly seen and heard at the Sale Wheel but unfortunately had flown on before many of us had gotten to see it. A full list of species seen can be found below:
Mallard 10+
Goosander 4+ (female)
Grey Heron
Common Buzzard
Moorhen
Black Headed Gull
Herring Gull 2
Wood Pigeon 5+
Kingfisher 1
Carrion Crow 30+
Jackdaw 30+
Rook 10+
Magpie 2
Jay 1
Blue Tit h
Nuthatch h
Wren h
Robin h
Blackbird 1
Pied Wagtail 4+
Grey Wagtail 1
Chaffinch h
Grey Squirrel 1
Red Admiral 1
h=heard only
A highlight of the walk was the many female Goosanders that we saw congregating together, a very nice bird to have seen. We had lunch at Dinkley Bridge, watching a Jay fly between trees across the river, before retracing our steps back to the car park. A Kingfisher was briefly seen and heard at the Sale Wheel but unfortunately had flown on before many of us had gotten to see it. A full list of species seen can be found below:
Mallard 10+
Goosander 4+ (female)
Grey Heron
Common Buzzard
Moorhen
Black Headed Gull
Herring Gull 2
Wood Pigeon 5+
Kingfisher 1
Carrion Crow 30+
Jackdaw 30+
Rook 10+
Magpie 2
Jay 1
Blue Tit h
Nuthatch h
Wren h
Robin h
Blackbird 1
Pied Wagtail 4+
Grey Wagtail 1
Chaffinch h
Grey Squirrel 1
Red Admiral 1
h=heard only