Am visit
Cuckoo
Ring ouzel
Wheatear

Cuckoo calling in Greenfield valley 8.30 pm. Hard to locate from near Pots and Pans, but very clear. Two pair of curlew displaying and little owl on dry stone wall.

Literally freezing with a light flurry of snow as I got back to the car

Steve

.............................................................

Come on now Steve. What do you expect round our end ?

It is only the 5th of May you know.

More chance of finding a Penguin than a Chat.

Roger.

Sat May 5th 05.15 - 08.30 hrs.

Wader survey on "the tops" with Stephen Young: 6 Golden Plover (plus remains of one recently killed bird ). Also, plenty of Red Grouse and Meadow Pipits, 3 pairs Canada Geese and 1 Skylark. 2 Mountain Hares.

Literally freezing with a light flurry of snow as I got back to the car

Steve

Sat May 5th 06.30 - 07-45 hrs.

Bradbury Lane from Dovestones to Tanners.

Male Sparrowhawk flew across field in front of Hey Top cottages.
2 Mistle Thrush.
1 Song Thrush.

Roger.

around binngreen 10.45-11.15
blue tit
great tit
coal tit
greenfinch
chaffinch
robin
blackbird
dunnock
jay
willow warbler
wren
pheasant
lesser redpoll
goldfinch
wood pigeon
treecreeper on the fat balls
ashway gap 11.30-3.00
greenfinch
blue tit
great tit
dunnock
blackbird
mistle thrush
robin
meadow pipit
wheatear
carrion crow
pied wagtail
grey wagtail
willow warbler

-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Saturday 5th of May 2012 06:47:04 PM

-Ring Ouzel through again this morning.
-6+ Common Sandpiper
-Cuckoo, early

-Grey, Pied & White Wagtail around dam

Thanks to Mark Rigby for the call with further sightings of Ring Ouzel this afternoon.

Cheers all!

-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Friday 4th of May 2012 10:23:01 PM

2 - 3(?) Brambling still around at Binn Green.
Siskin in Good numbers
5-6 Lesser Redpoll
-
Ring ouzel pair around Bradbury lane earlier in the week.

Swallows x3 this morning - hunting around the edge of the reservoir near the car park.

Snipe x1 on flooded shoreline opposite the site of Ashway House.

>10 Brambling around car park area at Binn Green.Some in summer plumage.
Also approx same number of siskin

Ian McKerchar wrote:

---

Originally posted by Dave Agnew today:

...when weather's good.

---

And that's not very often

Yesterday evening looked promising from down in the valley but when I got onto the tops it was one degree above freezing and the only birds around were Red Grouse and a few Meadow Pipits. Oh, and several dozen Pheasants squashed on the road

Steve

Originally posted by Dave Agnew today:

Pots and pans above Dovestones today Friday 13.4.12. On way up from Tunstead saw male bullfinch, chiff chaff , 2 willow warblers, nuthatches nesting, woodpecker drumming. As I climbed higher, skylark and meadow pipit dispaying, little owl at nest site, 2 curlew and a newly arrived, exhausted looking male wheatear. Then finally, right below Pots and Pans where two ring ouzels feeding right on skyline. Always lots to see up there at this time of year when weather's good.

There was a black grouse on the Holme side of 'the moor' a few years ago and was reckoned to be a wanderer from the release programme in the Derwent valley (Peak District).

C.B

Mark Rigby wrote:

---

No worries Charles

The altitude can play tricks on the mind if you are not used to it!

---

Well that or a combination of the light and over-excitement at having seen something other than a Meadow Pipit move up there. Having checked a selection of photos I can now see how dark the Red Grouse can be.

Thanks also for the precision on the Redpoll. I was going to write 'Redpoll sp' because I was unsure. Re-reading various guides, the size factor (they seemed to be on the small size alongside some of the other finches) all points to Lesser Redpoll.

No worries Charles

The altitude can play tricks on the mind if you are not used to it!

If only they were Black Grouse although several street and road names suggest that they were abundant not that long ago

Sorry Mark, I'll bow to your greater knowledge/familiarity with the area, but at least one of the birds was very dark indeed and much darker than any Red Grouse that I've seen. I see that Dovestones is a bit far south of the normal range of Black Grouse, but my views were largely headshots and the birds appeared black.

It certainly wasn't one of the coloured Pheasants, as I saw one of those by the Binn Green carpark.

Charles Farrell wrote:

---

Sat 7th April 12:30 - 16:00.

- Common Redpoll

---

Lesser Redpoll?

Charles Farrell wrote:

---

Sat 7th April 12:30 - 16:00

Chew Reservoir:

2 Black Grouse

---

Are you sure

Sat 7th April 12:30 - 16:00

Binn Green Feeders:
- Goldfinch, Greenfinch, Chaffinch
- Blue, Coal, Great & Long-tailed Tit
- Great Spotted Woodpecker
- Common Redpoll (belated year tick)

Dovestones Reservoir:
4 Canada Goose
c40 Mallard
Kestrel over
5 Black-headed Gull over

Chew Reservoir:
8 Canada Goose
1 Pied Wagtail
2 Black Grouse
3 singing Wrens (I was a bit surprised to find them up so high)

In the fields around, many Pheasant, Pied Wagtail and lots of displaying Meadow Pipit. No Wheatear or any migrants.

4-7pm

2 ravens
2 kestrels
1 buzzard
2 oystercatchers
1 grey wagtail
4 pied wagtails
8 meadow pipits
2 curlews

oddly enough i too thought i was seeing things in the fields behind the sailing club,but it turned out to be the dark pheasants they were also at the feeders later on so i am guessing there are a few around.

binn green feeders...similar to charles

1 possibly 2 bramblings males
2 great spotted woodpeckers
lesser redpolls & siskins a plenty
usual finches & tits
and the dark pheasants.
also a flock off 50+ redwings in the trees on my way down from binn green along holmfirth rd.


-- Edited by steven burke on Sunday 8th of April 2012 12:15:04 AM

My first chiffchaff of the year at Fletcher's Mill. Plus a pair of dipper. Also peacock and small tortoiseshell butterflies.

Friday 4pm, a pair of Stonechat and a pair of Raven at Greenfield Reservoir (that's the upper one of the three) plus the usual birds on the feeders.

1130-1400

quite misty in places

50+ Siskin
3 Treecreeper
1 Great Spotted Woodpecker
Grey Wagtail
male Stonechat by Greenfield Res.
2 Curlew
3 Skylark
2 Meadow Pipit

usual finch's and tits at the feeders

Mid afternoon

2 Red-legged Partridge
Raven
Sparrowhawk
Mistle Thrush
6 Mallard
Magpie
Red Grouse
Curlew
100+ Fieldfare
Skylark
6 Pheasant

Well, according to the article Jonathon, some gamekeepers certainly do actively seek out these 'soft and lazy' black breeds. Why then is anybody's guess if it's not because they're soft and lazy? It seems apparent on reading further information on this subject ( which I know very little about I might add!) that gamekeepers desire different qualities in their Pheasants from time to time. Whilst some want birds which fly fast and high, others want birds which hug contours and I've no doubt there are many others. Perhaps those shoots with rich, lazy, poor shot businessmen want soft and lazy Pheasants which are far easier to shoot, probably because they can't be arsed flying off in the first place. Certainly the Rindle birds are soft and lazy as I've accidentally run two over the past few years as they couldn't be bothered getting out of the way of my car on the road

No keeper would want to deliberately breed 'slow and lazy' birds, he wants birds that fly fast and high as these are harder to hit. The black pheasants are simply colour mutations, or 'sports' as the cage bird fraternity might call them. Some hatcheries developed their own 'strain' of pheasant - Michigan Blueback were very popular at one time - presumably through line breeding. These strains were advertised as having various advantages over your bog-standard Ring-necked or Old English pheasant - high-flying capabilites, a propensity not to stray, etc. As I recall the original stock of black pheasants came from France. Initially they were used to check where released birds were wandering to. Half a dozen blacks would be put in a particular release pen with 'normal' pheasant (most decent-sized shoots have several release pens). If, a few weeks after release, black birds started to appear in another covert on the other side of the estate or, worse still, on someone else's shoot, then the keeper would know where they'd come from and could do something about preventing them from straying. This use is now redundant as there are so many black pheasant about, presumably some keepers simply liked the look of them!

Small numbers of white pheasant are occasionally released too, though these are often used to create a bit of revenue for the keepers! Guns are told not to shoot any white birds, anyone who shoots one is fined X amount of money. Sounds simple, but a high white cock pheasant looks very similar to a normal coloured bird when in silhouette.

Well, I'm glad Jonathon knows what he's on about and hopefully that has answered the original question! As for the article, that's the danger of bringing an ambiguous item to someone who doesn't understand it all

Oh and yes, I remember plenty of black cars a few years ago too.

-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Monday 27th of February 2012 02:54:36 PM

Johnathan's account is the correct one, Ian.
You are choosing to pick up on the two words ''Soft and lazy'' and then make a mega jump of logic.
I know shoots where ,at the start of the Season , guns are forbidden
to take Pheasant until the current years releases have ''got Sharp'' and Become good flyers.
Although shotguns work (with standard game cartriges) at near range
it is not advisable to shoot birds at very close range, as nobody wants to eat a bird full of pellets.
Certain birds suit different Terrains, and some hold their terrain better than others.
Survival rates up to the shooting age comes into it, resistance to disease etc. as, I suppose does fashion. Remember any Black cars a few years ago?



-- Edited by keith mills on Monday 27th of February 2012 02:08:18 PM

Roger Baker 3 wrote:

---

These melanistics may be put down to keep a check on any poaching.

Gamekeepers at one time would release a few black rabbits (called them "parsons" for some reason).

As one brown wild rabbit looks very much like another brown wild rabbit he would know that if the black ones began disappearing that he had poachers knocking about.

Same thing with a common ring-neck pheasant.

Hope this makes sense.

Roger

---

Interesting point Roger.

Had a stroll round the main reservoir today, plenty of black headed gulls on the reservoir a couple of Canada geese too. Around the edge great tits and coal tits and other usual common species. But it was nice to see a dipper or two, but I think the same bird moving along. Also raven around and Siskin
Nice walk

These melanistics may be put down to keep a check on any poaching.

Gamekeepers at one time would release a few black rabbits (called them "parsons" for some reason).

As one brown wild rabbit looks very much like another brown wild rabbit he would know that if the black ones began disappearing that he had poachers knocking about.

Same thing with a common ring-neck pheasant.

Hope this makes sense.

Roger

Cheers Keith. I have included the section from the article below, which actually says they are 'soft and lazy' on re-reading it . Whilst the gamekeeper in the article may not desire melanistic birds, note the last sentance, which clearly indicates some do actively seek them out. For whatever reason that is, some shoots in our county appear to fall into the latter category and the comment in the article on the softness and laziness of melanistic birds is just about the first evidence for why they may be preferred I have read (so thanks for raising it). Seeing as this discussion was originally about why 'local farmers breed dark birds' then this seems the only relatively hard evidence we currently have.

“Last season, I was shooting on a cocks-only day and the instruction was to make sure that all melanistic birds were shot,” he told me. “The headkeeper had [no] time for them at all and thought they were ‘soft and lazy’. There are other shoot managers who actively purchase melanistic birds, however.”

Ian,
I have a friend who runs a shoot albeit in Scotland ,so i will try to get to the facts and revert back.
With regard to the ''Slow and Lazy'' quote I assumed that you got it from the web link that I gave,, where the article has an obvious proof mistake.
That particular keeper did not want the Melanistic because he considers them slow and lazy....

Keith, I haven't quoted a sentance from the article

I have utilised the fact that it appears melanistic birds are slow and lazy which clearly means that some gamekeepers actively seek such birds which make for easier shooting. I cannot think why else they would be chosen in such high numbers at certain kept areas in our county.

I had presumed it was just easier for the shooters to pick out darker birds and therefore shoot but it appears there's much more to breeding Pheasants for shooting than meets the eye!

Melanistic Pheasants.
The sentence in the 'Article' you quote should read '' The headkeeper had
no time for them as they are slow and Lazy.

In actual fact Keith it appears shoots require different things and indeed melanistic birds are perhaps 'chosen' for their qualities (slow and lazy!). Whilst I'm not sure where these birds originate from, most (if not all?) are reared on the mosslands by the gamekeeper.

I was always told that the dark birds are French imports
But regularly reports of capercaillie have been passed to me

Steve Suttill wrote:

---

Dave Colton wrote:

---

Also 1 very dark Cock Pheasent on its own, I'm a bit unsure of this but would describe it as a Black Pheasent is it a breed or a hybrid?

---

You could call it a morph, a variant or melanistic, but it is the same species (Phasianus colchicus) as the usual Common Pheasants. The same bird can look black, dark green or dark blue depending on the light conditions. There do seem to be a lot of dark birds around Dove Stone recently.

Steve

---

Thanks for that Steve, interesting stuff. I am relatively new to this lark (pun intended) and am finding it so much more complex than I remember as a youngster, there really is so much to learn (including the spelling of PheasAnt).

Personally I had never seen or heard of such a bird before. Got to say though he was a very handsome specimen.

Also very pleasing to see that a sighting of mine, although not a rarity, can spark discussion.

-- Edited by Dave Colton on Saturday 25th of February 2012 01:17:26 PM

IAN,
Shoots want hardy ''sharp birds that are strong flyers'' ....see this link for more...

http://www.shootingtimes.co.uk/features/516504/Choosing_the_right_pheasant_for_your_shoot.html

I had always believed they were bred to be dark due to their high propensity in shooting areas and had wondered if the reason was simply so they were easier to see and therefore shoot?

Dave Colton wrote:

---

Also 1 very dark Cock Pheasent on its own, I'm a bit unsure of this but would describe it as a Black Pheasent is it a breed or a hybrid?

---

You could call it a morph, a variant or melanistic, but it is the same species (Phasianus colchicus) as the usual Common Pheasants. The same bird can look black, dark green or dark blue depending on the light conditions. There do seem to be a lot of dark birds around Dove Stone recently.

Steve

Quick visit to Binn Green car park this aftrenoon to see what was around the feeders.

Plenty Blue, Great and Coal Tits very busy feeding and Great Tit investigating nest box close to feeders.

2 Dunnock
Several Blackbird
Chaffinches
1 greater Spotted Woodpecker

2 Female Pheasent grubbing about the edge of car park.
Also 1 very dark Cock Pheasent on its own, I'm a bit unsure of this but would describe it as a Black Pheasent is it a breed or a hybrid?

Local farmers breed the birds dark,
Not completely sure of the reasoning, I guess so they can identify which are theirs?
Hope this helps.

J

-- Edited by JamieDunning on Friday 24th of February 2012 09:10:51 PM

Binn green car park, 2.30-3.30
Plenty going on,lots of the regulars.
Chaffinch
Goldfinch
Greenfinch
Tree creeper
Plenty tits,blue,coal,great & long tailed.
Pheasants all over. Including purple pheasant.

Highlights.
1xRedpoll
2xBrambling
20+siskin
7xCrossbill (1xmale 6xfemale) At last.
Not in flight, but in tree just off car park towards reservoir.

Binn Green feeder area, noon to 2.15 today:

Good activity, but birds often disturbed by Sunday people traffic.
The default birds were Tits and Chaffinches.
As in the previous post, Coal Tits were in the majority, also Long tail Tit, Great Tit and Blue Tit.
Chaffinches were everywhere.
A few Goldfinch and a Greenfinch showed.
Highlights
Regular views of a Treecreeper.
Great Spotted Woodpecker....2
Siskin...small flock c 12 feeding on Larch.
After a long wait, the pair of Brambling turned up, to give great views.

Several Pheasant, Blackbird and Dunnock also joined the show.



-- Edited by keith mills on Sunday 12th of February 2012 04:50:36 PM

11-3.30pm

very quiet around the res..
1 raven
2 pairs off stonechats, 1 pair east side near to gate close to the new log bench & 1 pair south/east corner off yeoman hey res.
plus usual birds around.

binn green feeders, lots off activity...
2 bramblings 1m 1f
at least 8 lesser redpolls
lots off siskins & goldfinches
most popular bird was coal tits,i have never seen so many before.
1 treecreeper
2 nuthatches
4 great spotted woodpeckers
1 sparrowhawk
plus lots off the usual birds

A walk from 10 until 12 this morning. All the usual around the feeders plus 1
brambling. One or two flocks of siskin plus a few redpoll mixed in and good views of a peregrine.

All usual tits and finches around the man feeding station, including a Great spotted woodpecker though he didn't settle.
4 Robin, three of which were fighting around feeders fora good half an hour.

c.24 Fieldfare over Bradburys' farm around 12.

Also a single wren feeding on flies by [a frozen] chew brook.

Mountain hare [I assume] tracks in the snow around wilderness, but obviously not seen! Mistle thrush heard.

Brambling in lower life for life by boat yard.

& a few snowmen.

Cheers all.


-- Edited by JamieDunning on Sunday 5th of February 2012 08:02:12 PM

Early pm (just before snow) with Iain Johnson

c20 Siskin
5+ Lesser Redpoll
2 Brambling
Great Spotted Woodpecker

Most birds were feeding high up in the gloom

1030-1300

fabulous walk around the main resevoir this morning in the crisp cold air and sunshine.

Usual tits and finches at Binn Green.
Below the car park good numbers of birds feeding in the tree tops:-

c30 Siskin
10 Lesser Redpoll
12 Goldfinch
20 Chaffinch
4 Brambling (2 brilliant males not quite in full summer plumage)
1 Great Spotted Woodpecker

Around the res.

2 Mistle Thrush
1 Goldcrest
2 Stonechat





-- Edited by Giselle Kennedy on Saturday 4th of February 2012 04:15:08 PM