Chorley Bird Race

The Chorley NATS's Bird Race took place at weekend. Four teams of two people had 24 hours to search the borough for as many different bird species as we could find. It provides a snapshot of species in the borough and their whereabouts. 93 species were spotted which isn't bad since we were a bit early to catch some migrants such as cuckoo and whitethroat. It's also a social activity when team members pool their knowledge so everyone benefits.

My favourite moments? Watching a buzzard chasing a barn owl just a few feet from where we were standing, a swan displaying in the first rising mists, a peregrine perched in a quarry, a little owl on cliffs, and just happening to see a pair of little ringed plover land on a huge gravelled site so we could tick them off straight away. Least favourite moment? Scanning Belmont reservoir for a Mediterranean gull in the freezing cold! I might have enjoyed it more if I'd found one... It was also a great day for butterflies.

Barn owl photo by David J Slater