Walk over early doors before work..0520..0810..
Grants Wood.
1 Blackcap (h)
4 Willow Warbler
2 Chiffchaff

Moorbottom Road.
2 Goosander (mf) over Saplin Wood
1 m Stonechat below Red Brook gully
8 Wheatear (4 m)
1 Kestrel
2 f Ring Ouzel up the Glen near Cinder Hill Farm remains..
Poss 6 Green Woodpeckers heard throughout the local woodlands.
6 Linnet

Rob Archer

Great day on`t moors. 0545 till 1630.. Saw the following;
5 Grey Partridge in usual spot.
4 Green Woodpeckers(2 h)
10 Linnet
2 Blackcap
1 Chiffchaff
6 Willow warblers.
7 Wheatear (3m)
3 Red Grouse top of Red Brook
21 Golden Plover on`t border near Black Moss
1 f Ring Ouzel Red Brook. flew north towards Wet Moss
2 Kestrel
1 Peregrine soaring so high into the sky I could hardly see it.. Superb
4 Little Owl in regular spots
4 Stock Dove
2 Raven carrying food
Skylarks, Curlews and Meadow Pipits galore
4 Swallow
1 Buzzard
2 Grey Heron high over Bull Hill.

A great day.. Rob Archer

Early morning walk up moorbottom road

Wheatear 14
Grey Partridge 2
Kestrel 2
Raven
Little Owl
Green Woodpecker 2
Lesser Redpoll 6 - 3 of whch went north
Pied wag 10 NE one of which looked like a White Wag
Linnet 6 singing males
Stock Dove 5

Reddisher Woods
Green Woodpecker 2
Nuthatch 3
Chiffchaff 6
Willow Warbler 10
Blackcap 3


-- Edited by Simon Johnson on Saturday 9th of April 2011 01:28:49 PM

This afternoon . Shortish walk, up to the Firing Ranges and back, on the main path/road.
Willow Warbler : At least 12 seen. Most vocal.
Oh and I nearly forgot:
One very red Linnet.

-- Edited by keith mills on Friday 8th of April 2011 07:38:02 PM

Thank you very much Rob for the info.Looking forward to exploring a new area.

Morning Brian. Re your posting for info on walking in the Holcombe area Ian has described a couple of the best walks around the Holcombe area ,through Redisher, Moorbottom Road and up to Pilgrims Cross and back over the tops via Harcles..A great walk , as Ians says with a variety of habitat.. ( can get very busy on sunny weekends though) If you have the OS Explorer map 287 you can see that the Firing range area only covers a small section of the countryside here and that even when the flags are flying there is still loads to go at. Lots of folk avoid the Ranges even when the flags are down and it is always noticably quieter as soon as you enter the MOD Property.. West of the ranges ( and into Lancs) there are miles of brilliant footpaths towards Quarlton that you can walk all day even on weekends and see hardly a soul..(Good chance of a Buzzard around here too) Going north over the Moors (again into Lancs) towards Black Moss and Bull Hill its a proper bleak northern moorland ( I love it!) with few defined paths, but Red Grouse are in the area along with Golden Plover near Wet Moss.. If you take a look on the Rossendale Ornithologists website a couple of their birders are regularly on these moors and describe whats about and areas they go. Basically, if you have the Map and follow you nose you cant go wrong.. Its a great area.. Just depends how far you want to walk really!! Good Luck. Rob Archer

Thanks for the reply Ian , will try and take a look up there next week. Thanx again

good walk through redisher woods follow the path straight bit of a climb through to moor bottom road follow that right around to the other side of the valley then a path cuts back across the rifle range past the other side of reddisher woods to the start. Gives quite a few different habitats. Alternate instead of going around take the right fork at the end of moorbottom road and get onto the moors. Don't worry about the range, flags fly if you are in danger and its well marked to avoid. Times can be checked on the net for the range. cheers ian

Hi , Could either Simon or Rob or for that matter anyone who knows this area well please give me a little information on the best walks around it.Have just moved to Bury and aswell as Elton this looks a decent birding area.Having looked on the OS maps it looks like there is a rifle range up there and didnt want to be wandering through that !!! Thanks .

11.30 -15.30 A bit of Vis Mig at lunch time 70 Meadow Pipit , 6 Sand Martin, 10 Chaffinch & Swallowall NW. Raptors inc 3 Sperate Spahawks, 2 Kestrel 2 Buzzard Peregrine 3 Raven knocking about also On the moors well over 100 Mpipit 31 Skylark, 3 Wheatear - red brook - 2 male displaying and singing with a female. Stonechat - female - top track near the pony field Little Owl - on farm ruin near red brook Stock Dove 3 Saplin Wood Chiffchaff 2 Jay Green Woodpecker Reddisher Woods Grey Wag 2

Morning walk on the Moors, Ranges to Red Brook. 0915to 1400. 1 f Sparrowhawk over Saplin 4 Green Woodpecker thoughout the area 3 f Wheatear 1 m Stonechat 2 Raven ( the pair with missing primaries on right wing) Peregrine over Harcles Hill Lots of Meadow Pipits/Skylark 1 Red Grouse top of Red Brook 4 Curlew above Red Brook 2 Stock Dove, Red Brook 3 Chiffchaff, Redisher Rob Archer

Walked over first light.. Saw the following; Pair of Grey Wagtails on the Irwell, Nuttall Park 1 Swallow by Hollingrove Farm 3 Redwing 1 f Wheatear 2 Kestrel displaying 2 Green Woodpecker 4 Stock Dove 1 Little Owl 2 Chiffchaff 1 Raven 1 m Peregrine causing havoc along the hill top from Red Brook to Top o the Moor Farm. 6 Linnet back in the hillside gorse Loads of Meadow Pipits/Skylarks Pair of Goldcrest , Moorbottom Road Rob Archer

Short walk over... 1500 till 1700..Saw the following; Great views of Little Owl in Harcles Quarry 1 Kestrel Green Woodpecker 1 f Stonechat back in Pony field.. Willow Tit in Grants Wood Rob Archer

Early walk round moors and Ranges..0700 till 1030. 2 f Wheatear 2 Chiffchaff in Redisher 2 Treecreeper in Saplin 1 Little Owl near Red Brook 2 Raven Green Woodpecker/GS Woodpecker drumming in several areas early doors 1 Kestrel Many singing Skylark,Curlew and Meadow Pipits. 1 f Sparrowhawk Fletcher Bank 1 Swallow over Fletcher Bank Quarry flying west 1 Moor on fire....Hardern Moor in Lancs was ablaze c1230hrs Rob Archer

Mountain bike ride 4-5pm:

Mooorbottom Road:
Skylark
1 Wheatear
1 Stonechat
Calling Green Woodpecker

On the moor:
Meadow Pipit
Curlew x2

Rammy weir:
Dipperx2

Walked over early doors... 0515 till 0745.. Think I need to start drinking more..Saw the following;
2 Grey Partridge off Moorbottom Road.. Not so common up here.
Green and GS Woodpeckers tapping away in several places in Redisher and Saplin Woods
1 Kestrel
1 Little Owl (Harcles Quarry)
3 Goldcrest..2 in Redisher and 1 on Moorbottom Road.. Not seen them in these spots through the winter so good to see them here.
Lots of Stock Dove around..Seemed much more vocal at this time of day
Roe Deer all over..

Rob Archer

Some light movement up here this morning

Meadow Pipit 29 N
Woodpigeon 30 N
Goldfinch 10 NW
Siskin (heard) over moor
Pied Wag 2 N
Grey Heron 3 single birds NE
Curlew 1 NE plus 3 on moor top
LBBG 27 N

Green Woodpecker 2 in valley,
Nuthatch 2,
Meadow Pipit 20 back on territory,
Skylarks 11
Buzzard
Kesterl
Spahawk
Stock Dove 5

Couple of hours up here this afternoon

Peregrine male in an arial battle with a Spahawk and making a few stoops at it
Raven 2

Not much up on the tops just

Skylark 2 flushed
Fieldfare 80
Starling 100

a tit flock in Sapplin Wood had
Treecreeper, Goldcrest, 7 Coal Tit, 30 Blue tit and 10 Long-tailed tit.
2 GSW also in woods

reddisher woods and rifle range
Large flocks of redwing, goldfinch, LT tit
One nuthatch, Coal tit, few Jays goldcrest two bullfinch

moor bottom road very little
lots of carrion crows 2 bullfinch 1 meadow pippit

11.30 - 1600

Gyr type falcon or Hybird seen on the moors this afternoon.
I had walked along moor bottom road and up onto the moor top looking down into the Irwell Valley, the bird was soaring round above the moor, using the thermals from the ridge along moor bottom road, it was mobbed by a Raven & Merlin - and flew east over the valley towards the wind farm and Ashworth moor res.

It was very bright up there and hard to get any plumage detail, it looked white from below including the head (no hood or anything) and it had dark tips to the primaries, it was also the same size as the Raven that mobbed it!

Also up here
Merlin
Spahawk at least 5 different birds inc 3 together
Kestrel 2
Raven 5
Feildfare 964 NW
Bullfinch 3 NW
Skylark 3
Starling 78 west
Little Owl 2
Green Woodpecker 2
Treecreeper 2

7.30 - 10.30 am

Ring Ouzel 4 - 3 Birds flew over the riffle range and looked to land on the far hill. Another bird flew west tailing a large flock of fieldfare

Golden Pover 4 SE and 2 sperate calling birds SW (not seen)
Fieldfare 255 NW
Redwing 55 SW
Woodpigeon 88 SW
Chaffinch 30 SW (mainly heard going over)
Siskin 3 south
Redpoll 2 south
Meadow pipit 29 NW also 50 on the tops
Skylark 1 south 2 on the tops

Snipe, Red Grouse, & Raven seen on the moors

Not much most sightings Hawkshaw side of riflerange

Kestrel
Raven
Meadow Pipitts
Pretty sure two late wheatear
12 redwing
one nuthatch few jays reddisher woods

One my best days birding in greater manchester.
on the lower farmland

2 Weatears

soaring over the hills was 2 raven

100s of hirundines flying on the hill top around peel tower etc.

In the same bushes from my last visit
1 male Redstart as opposed to the female type seen last time
3 spotted flycatchers
5+ willow warblers associating and acting like spotted flycatchers, also feeding on the ground
1 kestrel
2 sparrowhawks persuing each other
3 snipe/woodcock type birds seen too breifly flying down on the top of holcombe (looked more like woodcock, ie broad winged but habitat was more snipe like)

on the road going upto Peel Tower, lots of birds in the trees that form a line with telephone lines going up slope. Theres a rough path running parallel.
More spotted flycatchers, the same batch as seen at the top but counted at least 4
also 1 Tree Pipit

2 juvenile Stonechats in lower slopes of the heather

And a sore back carrying my spotting scope!

mark seen Andrew flintoff doing a fast walk and crush a grape stu francis on boltons moors.

Back to better stuff to see. today
4-5 kestrels
sparrowhawk
1 wheatear
1-2 redstart
2 ravens

Morning and Afternoon Sessions - Lovely sunny day

Wheatear
Linnet
Meadow Pipit
Stonechat
Little Owl
Kestrel ( 11 in sky all at once!)
Buzzard
Peregrine
Swallow
House Martin
Magpie
Crow
Willow Warbler
Green Woodpecker (heard)
Will Young walking his dog ( honestly - quite a nice chap too)

Must be the most unlikely famous person I have ever met while out birding. Does this happen to other people?

Cheers

Mark

Hi Mark
No sign of any Whinchat so far up here

Good 4 hours up here this morning
The fields with the miniture ponies along moor bottom road had lots of birds
Willow Warbler -30 at least,
Whitethroat
Blackcap 2
Goldfinch 15
Bullfinch 2
GSW
Little Owl
Nuthatch 2
and best of all Stonechat 2 juv

On the moors
Tree Pipit flew west
Wheatear 4
Kestrel 5
Swallow 100+
House Martin 3
Raven (heard)

Hi there,

Has anybody come across Whinchat on Holcombe Moor? Passage birds or whatever. Just interested cheers.

Thanks Mark

Reddisher wood
Jay
GS Wood
Nuthatch
two grey wagtails

Holcombe Hill/moor 7-8 Kestral assume one family
lots of M Pippits some with flies feeding young
Quite a few wheatears some juvenile
wren
willow warbler
family of coal tits
swallows
carrion crow
Green Woody
pheasant

cheers

ian

Couple of hours up here today

Best bird was a single Twite which flew over calling on the moors.

Other than than quieter than what would have expected a few young birds about though.

Kestrel 7
Buzzard
Little Owl 2 juv
Green Woodpecker 3 juv
GSW 2 juv
Willow Warbler 10
Blackcap
Whitethroat
Coal Tit 12 juv
Treecreeper 3
Jay 3
Swallow 114 SW
Mistle Thrush 10 SW

very pleasant but not much about
In Reddisher wood
Mallard and ducklings walking/falling down the lodge outlet
GS wood pecker
Chiff Chaff
Moor
1 curlew 1 wheatear few skylarks more M pippit
Hawkshaw lane
family of jays

Pretty much the same as Ian today, Heard a few green woodys over the day but saw none, also saw a young wheatear and a little owl near the farm, lots of swifts and swallows, jackdaws, ravens....

Windy Sunny day

Two wheatears
meadow pipits skylarks
heard one green wood
pheasant
GS wood
chiff chaff willow warbler
and that was about it

bolton rspb visit today through the woods onto the moor,

woods...

Great spotted woody heard, jay, other than the usual willow warblers and chiffchaffs there is a great singing wood warbler, blackcaps, dipper on the brook

moor..

loads of jackdaws, green woody flying over, skylarks, linnets, swallows, wheatears, rook, curlew heard,

no luck for little owls or ring ouzels, no stonechats neither

Reddisher wood
Heard Green Wpecker
Saw and heard GS Wood pecker Jay Chiffchaff Grasshopper Warbler Gold Crest nuthatch
Moor bottom rd
2 Wheatear Skylark M Pipit pheasant curlew
Riftle Range
Curlew Pheasant 22 Rooks swallow swifts

Wood Warbler still present in Redisher Woods this afternoon.

Info thanks to Mark Rigby and those young guns. Go for it you crazy kids!

Fantastic Wood Warbler today, a County tick for me, thanks to Paul Wilsons directions and, Mike Horwood( I think, the original finder), also great to see Dipper on the stream and good to meet Phil Owen and his niece who with young eyes is an excellent bird finder.
Cheers Ian

Decided to go to Redisher Wood with my niece today to look for the Wood Warbler.

After walking an hour or so listening out through the woods with no joy and our luck seemingly not in, we were on our way back to the car when we bumped into Ian Campbell who kindly took us to the exact spot where it has been showing.

After a short hailstone shower!!, the sun finally decided to come out and so did the Wood Warbler which thankfully sang a couple of times from the canopy.

Also seen were Dipper, Green Woodpecker, Lesser Redpoll, Blackcap, Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff, Treecreeper amongst others and also we heard a Garden Warbler towards the far end of the wood.

After a walk round we decided to return to have a last look at the Wood Warbler which was singing just before we decided to leave around 3.30pm.

Thanks for pointing the spot out Ian and also thanks to the original finder who was there today (we have seen each other many times out and about and we still don't know each other's names!!)

A cracking place to visit, even though the walk through the woods is a tough one!!!

In addition on the other side of the range
a lot of wheatears over 15. At one point they were every few metres
curlew heard green wood pecker heard skylarks
meadow pipit



-- Edited by Ian Boote on Saturday 1st of May 2010 01:54:43 PM

At least 6 Garden Warblers in the Holcombe area this morning with a further 2 in Saplin wood on top of the ones already mentioned.

Also good numbers of Chiff chaff, Willow Warbler, at least 8 Blackcap and 2 Whitethroat.

7 Wheatears up on the moors.

2 Tawny Owls were seen along with 2 Spahawk, 2 Raven, 2 Little Owl, 2 Kestrel and male peregrine

2 Garden Warblers singing at the start of Moorbottom road this morning.

Wood Warbler singing at the northern end of Redisher Wood at Holcombe this morning.

Info thanks to Simon Johnson

1200- 1400

Green woodies on steroids - loud & showy!!

No Ouzals BUT heard Cuckoo and found Wood Warbler both at top of Reddisher

Woods

3.30-6.30pm

Peregrine
Raven 2
kestrel
Wheatear 13
House Martin
Swallow 12 north
Red Grouse
Curlew 4
Green Woodpecker 3

Redstarts and Ouzels seem to have moved on

6.30pm - 8pm Moorbottom Road

2 Ring Ouzels(1m & 1f) seen. At least 1 other heard calling in the valley.
2 Curlew over.
1 Red Grouse
c15 Wheatears
2 Green Woodpeckers
2 Little Owls

Very pleasant stroll with Simon Johnson this evening up Moorbottom Road, well until the sun went down!

Highlights, a male Redstart perched up briefly near the start of the valley before flying off high north towards the moor!

5 Ring Ouzels(2 males) half way a long showing well with 2 Blackbirds.

Wheatears everywhere, at least 35 birds counted.

Green Wood pecker heard.



-- Edited by Simon Warford on Wednesday 21st of April 2010 09:54:52 PM

Up there this a.m. with Paul W & Peter J, Wheatears in double figures also many Meadow Pipits, Curlew over, 2 calling Green Woodpeckers, good views of Treecreeper nest building, Red Grouse but no Stonechat. Glad to read that Ian Boote saw them here today. Also did not see any Ring Ouzel
Cheers Ian

walk up through redisher wood onto moor and back hrough rifle range
Woods 2 GS Wodpecker Nuthatch and heard kestral
Moor
Skylarks, Meadow Pipits, several Curlew calling, Stonechat, 3 wheatear males singing
working back
Green wood pecker 2 pheasant
No ousels seen so I'm envious of those that have in other areas

Another couple of hours spent up here this morning with Mark Ribgy looking for Ouzels but no joy here.

Little Owl 3
Green Woodpecker 3
Curlew 3
Fieldfare
Linnet 10
Redpoll couple heard
Wheatear Male and female
Grey Partridge 2
Stock Dove 4
Treecreeper 2
Skylark at least 15 birds
Kestrel

Good few hours up here looking for Ouzels (no such luck) with Warfy.

Highlight was Warfy being asked if he could lend his bins to the local Scally so he could perv on girls!

other than that :

Green Woodpecker 3 very vocal birds, later a pair together
Wheatear 8
Redpoll 3
Curlew
Skylark 3+ singing
Buzzard
Mpipit 20+

and a very high Grey Heron which was soaring around on the thermals!