Goldeneye and Tufted Duck where Mark left them, but Goosanders had gone by 1430.

Flock of 40 Lapwing on the fort hill.

Otherwise, only the usual Mallards and Canadas and a couple of hundred gulls - mixture of Common, Black-headed, Lesser and Greater Black-backed.

-- Edited by Steve Suttill on Friday 30th of November 2012 04:50:10 PM

Goldeneye(fem) on Upper Res
2 Tufted Duck on Lower

2 Goosander dropped in at 1300hrs

Otherwise it has been very quiet of late.

-- Edited by Mark Rigby on Friday 30th of November 2012 02:03:43 PM

3pm
buzzard
kestrel
goosander
goldeneye
cormorant
100 canada geese with one greylag cross
mistle thrush
lapwing
mallard

3pm today 23/11

Buzzard (on his usual tree behind farm)
Goosander
30+ fieldfare with some redwing, also in field behind farm
Great crested grebe
Canada goose, about 100

Originally posted by John Bernard:



Tuesday 20th November 2pm

Buzzard
Grey Wagtail in lower run-off
Great crested grebes x 2
4 cormorant
Tufted Duck

Sunday morning

1 Male Pochard on Lower Res but flew off down the valley
1 Great crested grebe
50 Lapwing a good number for Castleshaw
1 Goldcrest at the feeders plus all the usual suspects

Information for anybody planning to visit on 16th November onwards

The car park area will be closed for 4 weeks to for allow work on the car park and groundworks (whatever that is they have planned). As a result I will be removing the feeders from Thursday 11th November until the work is finished. Parking will be very limited during this time so any rarities will be suppressed (as if!)

15.00
Kingfisher lower

Lesser Redpoll at the feeding station briefly mid morning with good numbers of commoner birds.

Reservoirs were very quiet though!

Goldeneye (female) on Lower Res at 1100hrs but not much else.

Three Whooper swans in Upper reservoir 10am, two adult, one juvenile.

13.20
Lesser Redpoll in car park

Brambling (male) on feeders at 1630hrs

Info per Tony Mather

This morning
Goldeneye f top
Raven
Fieldfare 1
Redwing 15+
Wigeon 3
Jay
Buzzard
Dipper below lower
Reed bunting on feeders

Redwing 10+ on bushes next to feeders

Fieldfare 10
Redwing 1
Bullfinch m on feeders

Dipper in overflow adjacent to upper reservoir for most of the morning then flew towards lower reservoir.

Good numbers of common birds at the feeders.
Otherwise very quiet in poor weather

Early morning in the fog

Buzzard
Goosander
Fieldfare and Redwing over but unable to see them!
Lone Fieldfare landed briefly at the feeders then flew south back into the fog!
181 Canada Goose
2 Moorhen
Tufted Duck
2 Stonechat (pair) and 3 more reported at Hull Lodge
21 Starling
Kestrel
Usuals at the feeders

-- Edited by Mark Rigby on Sunday 14th of October 2012 03:23:46 PM

Friday, later afternoon (very cold ):

couldn't see any Teal.
100+ Canada Geese
2 Greenfinch at Mark's feeders
Kestrel hunting near car park.

0830-1030

2 Dipper (site tick!)
Kingfisher
2 Coal Tit
Raven

Masses of common birds at the feeders

late afternoon

6 Teal
2 Great Crested Grebe
Cormorant
Jay
Great Tit

The feeders that haven't been destroyed by plebs with air guns have been re-stocked.

Back down to earth with a bump

9 Teal (a good count for here)
2 Great Crested Grebe
Tufted Duck
3 Mallard
5 Common Gull
4 Herring Gull
90 Black-headed Gull
175 Lesser Black-backed Gull

Ian McKerchar wrote:

---

Immature Gannet at Castleshaw Reservoirs at 4.30pm today, circled but slowly drifted off north over the Pennine way at 4.38. Remarkably, a Red Kite also then seen at the latter time slowly drifting low in a similar direction!

Info thanks to Mark Rigby

---

It surely cant get any better than this!

Immature Gannet at Castleshaw Reservoirs at 4.30pm today, circled but slowly drifted off north over the Pennine way at 4.38. Remarkably, a Red Kite also then seen at the latter time slowly drifting low in a similar direction!

Info thanks to Mark Rigby

15 Wigeon on lower res at 1730hrs
2 Great Crested Grebe
Tufted Duck
Cormorant

The feeding station is back in action with the small number of feeders that haven't been destroyed by plebs (and that's being polite!) with air rifles!

2 Dunnock
Reed Bunting
Blue Tit
Goldcrest
12 Long-tailed Tit
Wren
Robin

-- Edited by Mark Rigby on Monday 8th of October 2012 07:14:45 PM

First light till 1020hrs

Very wet and windy

3 Great Crested Grebe
8 Mallard
2 Cormorant
2 Tufted Duck
75 Black-headed Gull

As the rain stopped
50+ Meadow Pipit (sw)

Grounded flock of birds including 40+ Meadow Pipit, Chaffinch, Willow Warbler and Whinchat

-- Edited by Mark Rigby on Tuesday 2nd of October 2012 11:29:52 AM

Late evening

2 Pintail (Ecl pair)
9 Wigeon

-- Edited by Mark Rigby on Friday 28th of September 2012 07:24:50 PM

Midday

2 Buzzard
10 Tufted Duck
3 Teal
2 Great Crested Grebe
5 Cormorant top res
50+ Meadow Pipit
Swallow

Also 3 Buzzard circling over High Moor Tip

0730-1620

Merlin (juv fem)
3 Common Buzzard
Kestrel
Peregrine
Sparrowhawk
6 White Wagtail with 55+ Meadow Pipit all departed south as the mist lifted.
2 Moorhen
3 Tufted Duck
2 Great Crested Grebe
3 Cormorant
228 Canada Goose

Single Common Scoter (male) at the far end of lower Res. Showing well at 18.30 hrs.
Also the usual Tufted Duck and Mallard.

Lastly- great views of female kestrel hunting (and catching mice) over the fields between Castleshaw and Brunclough.

late afternoon

2 Teal
Common Buzzard
2 Cormorant
Grey Heron

Kingfisher this morning on far side of lower reservoir, fishing from the fence viewed from the gate.

1410

Redstart still present in hedge between top and bottom reservoir. Best viewed from the barn looking a cross the field to the hedge. Bird favours the fence that runs adjacent to the hedge about 1/2 way along.

Redstart (imm male) still in the hedge adjacent to the road between the bottom and top reservoir.

Am visit
Very quiet
Great crested grebe 2 bottom res
Grey wagtail
Swallows
Kestrel
Tufted ducks
Cormorant
Jay
Grey heron 3
Moorhen
Coot

Juv Little Grebe the only addition to recent days sightings

24th August PM

100 ish Swallows
4 House Martins
50 Goldfinch
14 Linnets
3 Greenfinch
1 Chaffinch
1 Wheatear (f)
1 Sparrowhawk (f)
1 Kestrel (m)
15-16 Tufted Duck chick doing well
2 Heron
1 Cormorant
2 Coot
2 Moorhen
1 Great crested Grebe near the nest looking very forlorn - brings a tear to your eye.

The Great Crested Grebes that had nested on the Upper Reservoir have failed again. After getting washed out on 3 occasions this spring/summer, at least 1 egg was seen on their 4th attempt on 26/7.
The egg/s should have hatched around 21-24/8 (any time now basically)
The water level has dropped about 2 1/2 feet since they built the nest and yesterday both birds were seen in the middle of the reservoir. Fearing the worst, a check of the nest, at least one egg could be seen.This morning Andy Platt saw an adult make its way to the nest and start brooding. The 2-3 metres or so to the nest were like 'a drunk wobbling home from the pub'.
Today on my first visit, both birds were again in the middle of the reservoir and I was unable to see an egg (Grebes do cover their eggs when they leave the nest though)
Tonight, both birds were again in the middle of the reservoir but could be heard 'wailing' at each other. I still couldn't see any eggs on the nest and on closer inspection it became apparent that the nest had been predated
Not surprising really given the distance the nest was from the water. Tonight, both birds swam near to the nest site, still wailing to each other-very sad!

Early evening

Redstart (imm male) in hedge adjacent to the road between top and bottom reservoir favouring the top end, though mobile.

Just been walking the dog over there this morning...pretty sure I had a juvenile kittiwake on the top res but didn't have my bins (typical..the one day something different turns up)!

mid afternoon

3 Teal (2 eclipse drake)
17+1 duckling Tufted Duck
Grey Heron
26 Mallard
2 Great Crested Grebe still on nest but a little isolated now as the water level had dropped by a foot in the last week. Should be hatching at any time now if they don't get predated.
2 Moorhen
2 Coot

You did not fill the feeders for us Mark

We had a nice morning stoll around the two ponds; it's a lovely area, and then on to Dovestones.

2 Common Whitethroat in the trees to the left of the feeders.

Loads of Meadow Pipit all around

2 or 3 (perhaps a family) of Winchat - you might be able to help us here please Mark. We deliberated if they were Winchat or Stonechat
(on the far side of the top Reservoir) and came down on Winchat.

A Curlew calling

On the Reservior - bottom only.

6-8 or so Tufted duck
1 Great crested grebe
Loads of Canada geese
Loads of Lesser black-backed gulls
a few Coot
1 Grey heron
1 Swallow flying around

9/8/12 late evening

The 6 Tufted Duckling are now down to just 1

17+1 Tufted Duck
3 Coot
3 Grey Heron
Cormorant
2 Great Crested Grebe (still sitting)
200+ Swallow over the lower res then flew high north-west
Kestrel

Immature Redstart present at 1.30 pm showing well perching on fence on other side of road to hedge

1800-2030

Great Spotted Woodpecker
19 Mistle Thrush
Sparrowhawk
14 Tufted Duck and 6 duckling (first breeding record for Castleshaw)
Willow Warbler
2 Reed Bunting
2 Robin
Moorhen
2 Coot
No sign of Redstart

12-1400

No sign of Redstart

3 Great Crested Grebe
12 Tufted Duck
Kestrel
House Martin
Coot
2 Robin
2 Goldfinch
Cormorant

Redstart still present in same location at 09-30.

Immature Redstart still in the same section of hedgerow/wall, and showing well at 19.00 hrs (thanks Mark) Lovely evening - lots of activity. Linnets, hen Pheasant (with chicks). Plus the castleshaw usuals.

Imm Redstart still present this morning in same location.

Also lots of young birds about including Swallow, Linnet, Goldfinch, Meadow Pipit, Mallard and Canada Goose

Early afternoon

Imm Redstart along hedge adjacent to Dirty Lane between lower and upper reservoir though elusive.