p.m. Greave end of the Low.

30+ meadow pipits were the only sign that migration is under way (apart from the odd Red Admiral flying through). c10 swallows continue to hang around their breeding area. 

Between the visitor centre and Windy Harbour. A pair of Linnets flitting around Gorse bushes near the cenotaph. Not many years ago would have hardly been worth a mention as up to half a dozen pairs would have been on territory in this area. Sadly not

anymore. Willow Warblers in good numbers - at least 7 singing birds and appear to be increasing again after falling numbers over a period of years. 3 probably 4 singing Whitethroats. A sighting for me, the first time in many years, of a pair of Spotted

Flycatchers  flitting around about 50 yards below the path. Good but brief view of one bird. Didn't appear to hang about - had gone in a few minutes. Certainly not breeding habitat - no mature trees so probably just passing through. 

Vic C

Male Whinchat on the wall to the horse track this morning, also female wheatear and a pair of meadow pipits. Approx 6 pairs of skylark so far this year I estimate.

p.m. 

2 wheatear (1m, 1f) on the rabbit warren, but the rabbits were of more interest to what was eventually 9 buzzards over the spot. One tried a couple of half-hearted swoops on them. A skylark was songflighting nearby, not a recent occurrence outside the Country Park. Other then this, 1 kestrel & 1 chiffchaff were of some interest.

3:10 p.m. today. A hobby flew in from the SW and over the hedgerow running west from the Hare & Hounds pub. Obviously it is interested in the remaining 40 swallows which were around. Last seen heading towards Gee Cross.

A spotted flycatcher was on the sheltered side of hedgerow running west, from path south of Hare & Hounds, about 100m down (towards West Park). First I've seen on the west side of the Low for perhaps 20 years.

A whinchat was in the hedgerow running west from Top O'th Low Cottage (beneath the telephone wires, which it sat on briefly), towards the Greave end of the 'Low', until 4.35p.m. at least. A site first for me, and only the second I have ever seen locally when on foot. 

Estimate of warblers singing on the NE facing slope this p.m. Willow warbler 5-6 (an improvement on recent years), Whitethroat 3-4, Chiffchaff 2-3, Blackcap 2-3, Garden warbler 1. A singing linnet was the only other thing to grab my attention, apart from the fact that not a single swallow, martin or swift was recorded. What have we done!

Superb close-up (c50ft) views of certainly one hobby, and maybe two, over the Greave end of the Low at 4.30 p.m. Alerted by alarm calls of the swallow 'flock' (12+), looked up from my spot on the 'Lucky Bench' where I was sat, and one came right overhead from behind me (I would be unseen as there is a screen of trees). I wonder if these were the birds over Horwich Moor from earlier in the afternoon. My brother also saw one at Disley at c2.30 p.m. so a few about at the moment it seems. Apart from them, 2 sparrowhawks, a male kestrel and a tatty buzzard were the other highlights of the few birds to be seen.

Walk from Bredbury St. Marks cricket ground to the Country Park (southern half), brough little excitement. Best was a grasshopper warbler heard twice briefly from in the C.P. Otherwise, up to 5 whitethroats, a few swallows, 1 swift, and 1 chiffchaff were all that gave even a slight impression of migration.

First local whitethroat this p.m. in the Country Park. Also 3+ willow warblers, 2+ chiffchaffs, pr swallows. Overhead migration was nil.

Having failed, last weekend, to track down down Andy's ring ouzel, went up again this afternoon. Only a handful of redwings up near the the top (lots more people), but perhaps the same flock of redwings (50+) on the South side (below Uplands Farm). Relatively little otherwise (very active jays among all 5 corvids), though a cormorant heading purposefully East above the Low towards the peaks was a bit odd.

Apart from 65 redwings feeding in the 'ouzel' hedgerow (with c12 blackbirds), and my first fieldfares of the Winter (16-17) in flight nearby, it was not really too interesting. Lets hope for an invasion of something unusual in the near future.

A ring ouzel, probably 1st Winter, was with a small party of redwings and blackbirds mid p.m. It was in the hedgerow and scrub running west from c50 meters short of the Hare and Hounds pub (approaching from Greave).

Nice mornings vis mig 06:30-10:00, highlights of 345 meadow pipit, 139 swallow, 112 lapwing, 77 siskin, 7 crossbill, 11 lesser redpoll.

Full counts;

https://ebird.org/checklist/S73618567

11 siskin, 4 swallow, 1 oystercatcher south through Werneth Low this evening, plus at least 6 willlow warblers in the bushes around the memorial.

Could just about make out 341 lapwing roosting on the solar panels on Godley reservoir.

Grasshopper Warbler still in same area today at 1.15 pm. Reeled on several occasions and seen fleetingly on a couple of occasions.

10 crossbill over south, a grasshopper warbler reeling to the south-west of the cenotaph, 16 meadow pipits in the same area and 20+ mistle thrush in one flock.

4 wheatears present today (there were up to 6 yesterday) between the Hare & Hounds and Greave, including a stonking male. Only ever had one previous record of one bird as I recall (althought the site is not on my radar in Spring usually), so this cheered me up no end. Also 10+ swallows around a couple of stables were good to see (and hear). Other sightings included 2 willow warblers, 6 linnets and just over 30 starlings looking for food for young no doubt. That's probably the total breeding population of Gee Cross. 1 meadow pipit was heard song-flighting. 

Walking from home to the Country Park (I'm a fast walker!). Not a lot going on until 2 curlew were seen flying low from the C.P. over Joel Lane towards Hyde cricket club, possibly a first for me up here. 1 lapwing was a sad reminder of better times past, whilst 2 singing skylarks was just about what might be expected (but appreciated all the same). Apart from a couple of small flocks of meadow pipits, it was dead for smaller stuff - no aerial activity to speak of. 1 kestrel also in the C.P.

Nice afternoon for a walk, and that would have been all it was good for until a merlin (presumed male as was tiny) was seen flying towards Gee Cross away from the Low. Seemed to veer back towards the Country Park before was lost to sight, but a search there was fruitless, probably because a buffoon was using one of the 'wild' areas to fly his Harris's Hawk. So not only was there no merlin, but nothing else either!! Elsewhere, the usual winter thrushes were seen, and a raven heard as I made my way back to Greave.

Afternoon walk from home (Romiley) to the Country Park. The first of the Autumn's fieldfare locally (60+) were over the Greave end of the Low, going west. About 30 minutes later, about half that number flew back from that direction: different ones? A scattering of redwings (c10) included one with no tail feathers, which would have made life difficult (in flight) had it not been with others. Next best sighting was of 4 golden plover heard overhead which went NW quite high. Two flocks of 30+ goldfinches, 8 rooks, 2 ravens, kestrel, and buzzard were amongst other things seen.

A redstart (prob female, it was a little distant) was flycatching from bushes in a field south of the Hare and Hounds pub (Tameside). A major find up here, as anything rarer than a chiffchaff always will be. Still 10+ of locally bred swallows around, 2 ravens, 2 kestrels (Country Park), sparrowhawk, reed bunting (C.P.) and a small scattering of meadow pipits throughout.

A garden warbler in song was my first record for the park in 20-odd years visiting. Also common whitethroats, willow warblers, chiffchaff, blackcap, skylark, and linnets seen or heard amongst others.

Greave end of the 'Low'. Hobby again, looking for prey in low-level flight. Also buzzard, kestrel, sparrowhawk and 2 ravens around which might help explain the paucity of smaller birds!!

Greave end of the 'Low'. 2 hobbies showed very well for a couple of minutes at 4:00 p.m. before making off, one behind the other, towards Higher Bredbury (where they appeared to drop in height). First time I've ever had a multiple sighting in the county.

Yesterday 18.30-19.30 and 21.00-21.30 'Stockport,  side.

Lesser Redpoll, Kestrel, Common Buzzard, 40 Swallow, 20 Swift, 4 House Martin, Chiffchaff, 7 Mistle Thrush .

Not really here for birds (see other wildlife), but seeing/hearing no less than 3 whitethroats, 4 willow warblers, blackcap and chiffchaff was unavoidable! One skylark heard and (when I actually looked up from ground level) kestrel seen. Did seem quiet, but it was a sunny, warm, mid-afternoon so not the best time for birds.

Brief visit this afternoon: 

Minimum 5 Skylark, 4 Linnet, Lapwing, 4 Common Whitethroat, 4 Willow Warbler, 2 Chiffchaff, 8 Swift, 3 Swallow, House Martin, Pied Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, Goldcrest. 

1 singing Linnet , 4 Lesser Redpolls in circular display song flights, 1 Raven, 1 Common Buzzard and 2 Swallows.

Still no Wheatears and sadly no Lapwings attempting to breed.

My first swallow of the year late afternoon yesterday near Low Top Farm, unfortunately didn't hang around; singing chiffchaffs close by.

Autumn used to be considered the season of plenty when flocks of birds gathered at the end of the breeding season at what would be their greatest numbers of the year. Fast forward to 2016: 5 lapwings and about half a dozen meadow pipits kind of says it all. Only a nice little flock of 14 linnets gave me a small lift in mood.

This am 9.30 - 1230pm  

2 Tree Pipits - first for quite a few years on the Low. Heard calling then spotted circling high o/head. Very obligingly both birds landed in hawthorns nearby with one particularly close. Any hopes of them hanging around to breed were soon dashed when after 4 or 5 mins. they disappeared  high into the distance.

A Goldcrest flitting around singing was unusual fare for the Low for this time of year. A very active Redpoll by Windy Harbour. 4 Whitethroats, Blackcaps, Chiffchaffs, Willow Warblers. 2 Lapwings.

A Common Buzzard was being mobbed by 10 or 12 corvids.

Just found out what's on Aud. Res. - typical wrong choice again! At least I saw the Kentish Plover last week and have seen Little Stint there a long time in the past.

10.30 am to 12.30pm - Felt like January, Spring has not yet reached Werneth Low - at least from a birding view. No Wheatears at all yet and for the first time ever by this date no Chiffchaffs on the slopes below the War Memorial in the near 40 years I've been birding this site 

The most interesting sighting was a male Blackbird in normal plumage except for strikingly white outer tail feathers. It looked really unusual in flight. It was in the quarry car park and then in the large patch of brambles on the opposite side of the road.

Goldfinches everywhere but Greenfinches in decline. Sadly just a single Lapwing noted. 

3 Common Buzzards, 1 Kestrel (m).

Werneth Low 2pm - 5pm

1 Sparrowhawk , Pair of Bullfinches, 4 Goldfinches.

A large flock of birds feeding on the ground near Beacom Cottages consisted of large numbers of Carrion Crows and Jackdaws but also contained 55 Redwings, 7 Fieldfares and 4 Rooks (Rooks are quite scarce on the Low now with flocks of well over 100 a long time in the past)

At least 72 lapwing flying around the top (SW of Hare and Hounds) this afternoon, just before the snow came in the most I've seen there.