Birtle, sparrowhawk, in a tree, viewing some garden feeders. 20 redwing over
castle hill rd rook, jackdaw & carrion crow in the fields with some rookies showing interest in the rookery.
-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Sunday 31st of January 2021 04:40:33 PM
fredford said
Fri Aug 14 10:28 AM, 2020
Many mistle thrushes in flocks . Counted twenty-one in one flock . Two wheatears on wall near chicken farm .
fredford said
Mon Aug 3 7:25 AM, 2020
Amazing sight yesterday afternoon . Seventeen , beautiful , juvenile mistle thrushes feeding in a horse field. Sun reflecting from their plumage . Hurrah !
Ian Campbell said
Tue Jan 30 1:17 PM, 2018
No sign at 12.50, unfortunately. Cheers Ian
Steven Higginbottom said
Tue Jan 30 12:17 PM, 2018
Adult Iceland Gull in field of Castlehill Road at 12:15 Cheers Steven
Ian McKerchar said
Mon Apr 11 9:03 AM, 2016
Originally posted today by Fred Ford:
A group of Three pairs of crossbills in trees by the golf course 11am. Lifer for me. Anyone else seen them here? Rookery busy with fourteen nests thus far. The other rookery,behind Robinson's farm has approximately twenty nests.
Mike Cooper said
Sun Jan 31 4:26 PM, 2016
Sun 31/1 14:30-15:00 in dreary persistent rain
white ash res
canada goose c. 100
mute swan 2 ad 1 imm
goosander c 16 at least 6 males
Joe Sandiford said
Wed Feb 4 8:33 AM, 2015
Thanks Colin,
Yes it was alone in a field. There were a couple of crows in a nearby tree but I didn't stick around long enough to see if they would join the white one.
Was quite a nice surprise on what had been a quiet afternoon walk.
Joe
Colin Ramsden said
Mon Feb 2 7:50 PM, 2015
Joe
Two or three months ago one of the local residents pointed it out to me in a field and said it had been around about four years. I noted at the time it was on its own and wondered whether it had been shunned by the others.
Regards
Colin
Joe Sandiford said
Mon Feb 2 3:57 PM, 2015
Afternoon,
1st post on the forum! Glad to be here.
Took an inaugural trip to Birtle Lane (the pack horse area, for a walk and a pint) and saw what I thought was a leucistic carrion crow?!
I have some (grainy) photo's of it if anyone is interested?? (where do I post them?!)
Oddly enough it had an extremely feathery abdomen (hanging down in front of the feet!), not seen this before?
Thanks,
Joe
Mike c cooper said
Sun Nov 30 2:21 PM, 2014
Sun 30/11 13:00
Large loose thrush flock in field next to pack horse inn silent unusually?
Fieldfare 120+ Redwing c 40 Chaffinch Goldfinch c 10
-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Sunday 30th of November 2014 04:27:57 PM
Bill Myerscough said
Sun Mar 3 10:30 PM, 2013
3rd March.
Whilst sat at the side of the scenic reservoir at Birtle this morning I could hear a Curlew callling from land somewhere to the north. My first of the spring.
Also two Ravens put on a quite spectacular aerial acrobatic display, sometimes appearing synchronised and at other times doing their own thing, soaring, tumbling and twisting, rolling over and diving as they got higher and higher in the air before appearing to drift off eastwards. At one stage they appeared to interact with what might have been another two Ravens but by this time they were very distant. At one fortunate time I had these two Ravens in view at the same time as a pair of displaying Kestrels. Absolutely thrilling bird watching.
Cheers,
Bill.
Bill Myerscough said
Fri Nov 25 7:35 PM, 2011
Birtle Brook/White Ash Resr am.
1 Kingfisher , 1 Little Grebe, 2 Mute Swan, 31 Canada Geese, 1 Tufted Duck, 5 Moorhen, c70 Black-headed Gull hassling 6 Goosander that were trying to feed.
In surrounding area - 40 Fieldfare over, 1+ Meadow Pipit over, 1 Sparrowhawk, 2 Bullfinch, 2 Goldfinch, 1 Grey Heron and 1 Jay.
Little Owl and Green Woodpecker here 31/8.
Cheers,
Bill.
Paul Cliff said
Tue May 4 12:40 PM, 2010
Whiteash on it - 4 mallard 3m 1 coot 1 moorhen
singing round it 1 whitethroat 5 willow warblers chaffinch goldfinch greenfinch linnet robin blackbird wren dunnock house sparrow starling great tit blue tit
over it
stock dove 5 house martin 2 sand martin 12 swallow 10 swift 4 kestrel 1m
-- Edited by Paul Cliff on Tuesday 4th of May 2010 01:27:47 PM
1 jay 2 swallow 12+ sand martin 3 sparrowhawk (1 male 2 female - possibly the same bird twice) male and female great spotted woodpecker copulating 6 blue tit 3 great tit 2 chaffinch 6 bullfinch 2 willow warbler 1 chiffchaff 1 wren 4 blackbird
1 stag roe deer
Paul Cliff said
Fri Apr 9 3:57 PM, 2010
From smethurst hall.
Over the roch
5 sand martin hawking toegether 2 f 1 m goosander 2 willow warbler coal and great tit, wren, chaffinch all in song. Edit to add 1 snipe accidentally flushed 2 male bullfinch
-- Edited by Paul Cliff on Friday 9th of April 2010 04:23:56 PM
Paul Cliff said
Fri Apr 9 1:41 PM, 2010
2 willow warblers singing in White ash 6 linnet in the gorse 4 stockdove over 2 swallow 1 wren
Paul Cliff said
Mon Apr 5 3:08 PM, 2010
oystercatcher flew west calling as i ate a sandwich and had a pint outside the pack horse.
a female wheatear 2 metres out of county off scotland ln above cuckoo narr.
Paul Cliff said
Sun Apr 4 4:30 PM, 2010
2 swallow over a pair of tufted ducks on White ash 1 heron 3 stock dove
Colin Ramsden said
Fri Apr 2 9:12 AM, 2010
Albino carrion crow near Harefield Hall, Heywood about two years ago.
Judith Smith said
Thu Apr 1 8:45 PM, 2010
Philip Gee had that Swallow on 30th, Paul!
Paul Cliff said
Thu Apr 1 6:27 PM, 2010
A single swallow sat on a power wire beside White ash. 1 day later than last year, 3 days earlier than the previous year. 2 linnet 2 kestrel 1 heron 4 mallard 6 Canada geese 1 robin
-- Edited by Paul Cliff on Thursday 1st of April 2010 06:47:11 PM
David Winnard said
Wed Mar 31 9:43 AM, 2010
Rose had one the other day Paul near Hopwood Woods
Dave
Paul Cliff said
Wed Mar 31 8:35 AM, 2010
a friend of mine saw what she's described as a white carrion crow locally. didn't we have a report of one in the borough recently?
Paul Cliff said
Tue Mar 23 2:34 PM, 2010
41 fieldfare through heading ENE
Paul Cliff said
Mon Mar 8 8:23 PM, 2010
1 jay 1 stock dove over when out walking the dog. 11 stock dove over in one flock later at teatime.
Paul Cliff said
Sun Mar 7 5:54 PM, 2010
what a lovely day for a walk over your local patch!
a bit of the walk was out of county so i'll stick an ooc next to them...
robin 9 wood pigeon 43 house sparrow 15 goldfinch 28 blackbird 5 magpie 23 a further 8 ooc collared dove 5 great tit 9 blue tit 13 carrion crow 27 a further 6 ooc dunnock 6 treecreeper 2 cormorant 1 kestrel 2 goosander 3 canada geese 19 black headed gull 6 mallard 11 meadow pipit 3 lesser black backed gull 11 chaffinch 9 pied wagtail 2 wren 3 greenfinch 5 mistle thrush 4 coal tit 2 siskin 7 lesser redpoll 3 lapwing 7 ooc little owl 1 and a further 2 ooc skylark 1 jackdaw 4 long tail tit 4 pheasant 1 starling 3 buzzard 1
really disappointed to miss out on sparrowhawk, moorhen, great spotted and green woodpecker, bull finch, goldcrest, rook and not a single winter thrush
David Winnard said
Sun Feb 7 3:38 PM, 2010
male Brambling behind Smethurst this afternoon. Dipper and Kingfisher on the river below.
plus that very rare fungi. More on Wildlife Forum.
Dave
-- Edited by David Winnard on Sunday 7th of February 2010 03:45:55 PM
Paul Cliff said
Thu Jan 21 12:22 PM, 2010
White ash still almost all of it iced over 8 mallard 2 mistle thrush 78 fieldfare over in a single flock handful of redwing amongst them. 8 mipits 1 bh gull sat on the ice 2 collared dove 1 wren 4 stock dove over 5 wood pigeon over
-- Edited by Paul Cliff on Thursday 21st of January 2010 12:50:11 PM
Paul Cliff said
Thu Jan 14 11:11 AM, 2010
Iam sat above whiteash in the snow and all around dancing above the exposed clumps of heather are hundreds of midges!
Paul Cliff said
Sun Jan 10 10:57 PM, 2010
the roch this afternoon from smethurst back to the plastics factory
1 snipe 2 goosander 1 dipper 17 mallard 8 moorhen
Paul Cliff said
Fri Jan 8 7:33 PM, 2010
a mooch today...
2 meadow pipits 1 reed bunting 1 GSW 1 sparrowhawk 2 kestrel chaffinches goldfinches starlings house sparrows collared doves 1 buzzard in the roch valley with food, mobbed by 3 magpie blue tits coal tits great tits long tail tits wood pigeons jackdaws carrion crows 1 cormorant over 1 f bullfinch
-- Edited by Paul Cliff on Friday 8th of January 2010 07:34:09 PM
Pete Astles said
Sun Jan 3 3:30 PM, 2010
I never thought I would see it but here it is. Gordon Brown is so woeful even the Greenfinches are planning to vote for Cameron. Well done Greenfinches just shows you dont need a high IQ to see the obvious.
Paul Cliff said
Sun Jan 3 2:34 PM, 2010
Just had a female kestrel fly by with a vole in her talons - heartening considering how much snow is on the ground. 10 lt tits and wren is all else so far.
Henry Cook said
Thu Dec 24 4:56 PM, 2009
If Greenfinches were to have political allegiances Paul, i'd have thought it would be the Green party or at worst the Lib Dems! Good count these days though. Numbers seem to have plummeted in many parts following on from the trichomoniasis epidemic. Henry.
Paul Cliff said
Thu Dec 24 4:35 PM, 2009
c120 (conservative) greenfinch in a single flighty flock in the trees above white ash. impressive when they all took flight at once.
Paul Cliff said
Wed Dec 16 10:24 PM, 2009
today. snipe circling high over the lodge calling.
4 goosander on whiteash
possible jack snipe as i crossed billy trickets field - couldn't relocate it when it went down...
Paul Cliff said
Mon Dec 14 9:04 PM, 2009
water level very low this morning brought in a dunlin feeding in the newly exposed mud. very nice. 30 or so goosander and a couple of cormorants and a heron also.
-- Edited by Paul Cliff on Monday 16th of November 2009 11:46:30 AM
Paul Cliff said
Sat Nov 14 11:52 PM, 2009
totally nerded into the nerdpad, totally.
Rob Thorpe said
Sat Nov 14 10:02 PM, 2009
Paul Cliff wrote:
possible judith, they were heading SE as they tussled and tumbled.
it was an amazing and vocal performance.
Did you log it in your nerdy notepad?
Paul Cliff said
Sat Nov 14 9:27 PM, 2009
possible judith, they were heading SE as they tussled and tumbled.
it was an amazing and vocal performance.
Judith Smith said
Sat Nov 14 8:42 PM, 2009
This pair of Peregrines possibly the same as on St Luke's Church Heywood today and also 2 weeks ago.
Paul Cliff said
Sat Nov 14 11:46 AM, 2009
Mallardfest still in full swing on White ash still 60+ birds 2 goosander male and female sparrowhawk thro female amazing ariel assault by a male peregrine on a female peregrine! Diving bombing talons and calling. Pied wagtail over heron over
Paul Cliff said
Thu Nov 12 12:55 PM, 2009
64 mallard on White ash 2 canada geese 1 coot 2 moorhen 1 goosander 1 tufted duck yeah! First in ages! Kestrel f sparrowhawk over 1 jay 5 blackbirds
23 rd March 21. Whimbrel calling and heading north at 6.25am today.
Nice but chilly walk up Elbut Lane/Birtle Rd to the top
- 1 Fem Sparrowhawk over the Pack Horse Inn
at the very top
- 1 Kestrel Over
- 1 Buzzard being mobbed by Carrion Crows
- Mixed flock of Common and Black-headed Gulls
Easy when you know how. ( or at least your daughter does! )
deep moss (from Sotland lane) 50+ starlings, 2x fieldfares, Raven over.
Birtle, sparrowhawk, in a tree, viewing some garden feeders. 20 redwing over
castle hill rd rook, jackdaw & carrion crow in the fields with some rookies showing interest in the rookery.
-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Sunday 31st of January 2021 04:40:33 PM
Cheers Ian
Cheers Steven
A group of Three pairs of crossbills in trees by the golf course 11am. Lifer for me. Anyone else seen them here? Rookery busy with fourteen nests thus far. The other rookery,behind Robinson's farm has approximately twenty nests.
Sun 31/1 14:30-15:00 in dreary persistent rain
white ash res
canada goose c. 100
mute swan 2 ad 1 imm
goosander c 16 at least 6 males
Yes it was alone in a field. There were a couple of crows in a nearby tree but I didn't stick around long enough to see if they would join the white one.
Was quite a nice surprise on what had been a quiet afternoon walk.
Joe
Two or three months ago one of the local residents pointed it out to me in a field and said it had been around about four years. I noted at the time it was on its own and wondered whether it had been shunned by the others.
Regards
Colin
1st post on the forum! Glad to be here.
Took an inaugural trip to Birtle Lane (the pack horse area, for a walk and a pint) and saw what I thought was a leucistic carrion crow?!
I have some (grainy) photo's of it if anyone is interested?? (where do I post them?!)
Oddly enough it had an extremely feathery abdomen (hanging down in front of the feet!), not seen this before?
Thanks,
Joe
Large loose thrush flock in field next to pack horse inn silent unusually?
Fieldfare 120+
Redwing c 40
Chaffinch
Goldfinch c 10
-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Sunday 30th of November 2014 04:27:57 PM
Whilst sat at the side of the scenic reservoir at Birtle this morning I could hear a Curlew callling from land somewhere to the north. My first of the spring.
Also two Ravens put on a quite spectacular aerial acrobatic display, sometimes appearing synchronised and at other times doing their own thing, soaring, tumbling and twisting, rolling over and diving as they got higher and higher in the air before appearing to drift off eastwards. At one stage they appeared to interact with what might have been another two Ravens but by this time they were very distant. At one fortunate time I had these two Ravens in view at the same time as a pair of displaying Kestrels. Absolutely thrilling bird watching.
Cheers,
Bill.
1 Kingfisher , 1 Little Grebe, 2 Mute Swan, 31 Canada Geese, 1 Tufted Duck, 5 Moorhen, c70 Black-headed Gull hassling 6 Goosander that were trying to feed.
In surrounding area - 40 Fieldfare over, 1+ Meadow Pipit over, 1 Sparrowhawk, 2 Bullfinch, 2 Goldfinch, 1 Grey Heron and 1 Jay.
Little Owl and Green Woodpecker here 31/8.
Cheers,
Bill.
on it - 4 mallard 3m
1 coot
1 moorhen
singing round it
1 whitethroat
5 willow warblers
chaffinch
goldfinch
greenfinch
linnet
robin
blackbird
wren
dunnock
house sparrow
starling
great tit
blue tit
over it
stock dove 5
house martin 2
sand martin 12
swallow 10
swift 4
kestrel 1m
-- Edited by Paul Cliff on Tuesday 4th of May 2010 01:27:47 PM
2 sand martin
3 swallow
2 mistle thrush
11 starling
4 wood pigeon
2 pied wagtails
1 meadow pipit
2 linnet
1 wren
2 dunnock
2 reed bunting
2 chaffinch
1 willow warbler
1 chiffchaff
2 canada geese
4 mallard
1 moorhen
4 greenfinch
2 goldfinch
4 blue tit
2 great tit
2 long tailed tits
usual magpie, crow and jackdaw flyovers
smethurst hall/roch valley this afternoon
1 jay
2 swallow
12+ sand martin
3 sparrowhawk (1 male 2 female - possibly the same bird twice)
male and female great spotted woodpecker copulating
6 blue tit
3 great tit
2 chaffinch
6 bullfinch
2 willow warbler
1 chiffchaff
1 wren
4 blackbird
1 stag roe deer
Over the roch
5 sand martin hawking toegether
2 f 1 m goosander
2 willow warbler
coal and great tit, wren, chaffinch all in song.
Edit to add 1 snipe accidentally flushed
2 male bullfinch
-- Edited by Paul Cliff on Friday 9th of April 2010 04:23:56 PM
6 linnet in the gorse
4 stockdove over
2 swallow
1 wren
a female wheatear 2 metres out of county off scotland ln above cuckoo narr.
a pair of tufted ducks on White ash
1 heron
3 stock dove
2 linnet
2 kestrel
1 heron
4 mallard
6 Canada geese
1 robin
-- Edited by Paul Cliff on Thursday 1st of April 2010 06:47:11 PM
Dave
1 stock dove over when out walking the dog.
11 stock dove over in one flock later at teatime.
a bit of the walk was out of county so i'll stick an ooc next to them...
robin 9
wood pigeon 43
house sparrow 15
goldfinch 28
blackbird 5
magpie 23 a further 8 ooc
collared dove 5
great tit 9
blue tit 13
carrion crow 27 a further 6 ooc
dunnock 6
treecreeper 2
cormorant 1
kestrel 2
goosander 3
canada geese 19
black headed gull 6
mallard 11
meadow pipit 3
lesser black backed gull 11
chaffinch 9
pied wagtail 2
wren 3
greenfinch 5
mistle thrush 4
coal tit 2
siskin 7
lesser redpoll 3
lapwing 7 ooc
little owl 1 and a further 2 ooc
skylark 1
jackdaw 4
long tail tit 4
pheasant 1
starling 3
buzzard 1
really disappointed to miss out on sparrowhawk, moorhen, great spotted and green woodpecker, bull finch, goldcrest, rook and not a single winter thrush
plus that very rare fungi. More on Wildlife Forum.
Dave
-- Edited by David Winnard on Sunday 7th of February 2010 03:45:55 PM
8 mallard
2 mistle thrush
78 fieldfare over in a single flock handful of redwing amongst them.
8 mipits
1 bh gull sat on the ice
2 collared dove
1 wren
4 stock dove over
5 wood pigeon over
-- Edited by Paul Cliff on Thursday 21st of January 2010 12:50:11 PM
1 snipe
2 goosander
1 dipper
17 mallard
8 moorhen
2 meadow pipits
1 reed bunting
1 GSW
1 sparrowhawk
2 kestrel
chaffinches
goldfinches
starlings
house sparrows
collared doves
1 buzzard in the roch valley with food, mobbed by 3 magpie
blue tits
coal tits
great tits
long tail tits
wood pigeons
jackdaws
carrion crows
1 cormorant over
1 f bullfinch
-- Edited by Paul Cliff on Friday 8th of January 2010 07:34:09 PM
10 lt tits and wren is all else so far.
Good count these days though. Numbers seem to have plummeted in many parts following on from the trichomoniasis epidemic.
Henry.
4 goosander on whiteash
possible jack snipe as i crossed billy trickets field - couldn't relocate it when it went down...
30 or so goosander and a couple of cormorants and a heron also.
45 goosander
1 little grebe
1 heron
1 coot
3 moorhen
162 Canada geese
60 mallad
22 goosander (5 males)
1 kestrel
1 heron
2 mistle thrush over
-- Edited by Paul Cliff on Monday 30th of November 2009 05:03:03 PM
7 goosander - 5 f/imm 1 adult male and 1 moulting into adult male - 2nd winter bird?
3 bh gull
2 morrhen
1 coot.
16 mallard
2 tufted duck
4 goosander 1m 3f
1 coot
2moorhen
1 heron
2 bh gulls
1 stock dove over southerly
-- Edited by Paul Cliff on Monday 16th of November 2009 11:46:30 AM
Did you log it in your nerdy notepad?
it was an amazing and vocal performance.
2 goosander male and female
sparrowhawk thro female
amazing ariel assault by a male peregrine on a female peregrine! Diving bombing talons and calling.
Pied wagtail over
heron over
2 canada geese
1 coot
2 moorhen
1 goosander
1 tufted duck yeah! First in ages!
Kestrel
f sparrowhawk over
1 jay
5 blackbirds