Raven in corvid flock (mobbed by Carrion Crows)
Green Woodpecker (heard)
Buzzard 1
Kestrel 1
Nuthatch 1
Reed Bunting back on territory singing

Cheers John

Quite busy today (p.m.) Best of which were...

Roving flocks of lapwing, 130 biggest in one, and 225 in all. A good number for these days.
Loads of gulls. 200+ black headed. Many commons, but no count as too dispersed.
8 stock doves
pr bullfinch
1 curlew over calling
3 tree sparrow (but more could be heard)
Peregrine flushed all the gulls and biggest lapwing flock. Quite a sight.
Kestrel
Buzzard.

Good to see so much life.

2 Green Woodpeckers (1 apparently excavating a nest hole)
Large mixed gull flock of approx 130 Black-headed and 90 Common
42 Redwing
Skylark & Grey Wagtail (single flyovers)

Cheers John

Lapwing 38
Buzzard 2
Kestrel 1
Golden Plover and Skylark heard

Cheers, John

Not a lot of note

Green Woodpecker near Cloughend Farm
Only 2 Tree Sparrows on feeders at Larkhill

Cheers, John

A pleasant walk in crisp snow and sunshine.

Larkhill Cottage (noticeably fewer birds around):
Tree Sparrow 6
Reed Bunting 3
Greenfinch 3
Usual Tits, Dunnocks, Robins, Chaffinches etc.

Cloughend/quarry area:
Nuthatch 1
Kestrel 1m
Fieldfare 1
Mistle Thrush 1
Reed Bunting 1
Goldfinch 5

Cheers John

Larkhill Cottage area:
Brambling 1
Tree Sparrow 10
Greenfinch 8
Chaffinch 12
Bullfinch 1

In fields opposite:
Canada Goose 80
Rook 7

Cloughend:
Redwing 10
Buzzard 1

And some very early lambs.

Cheers John

-- Edited by John Rayner on Sunday 11th of January 2015 07:20:11 PM

Larkhill Cottage area:
Tree Sparrow 10
Pheasant 3 under feeders
Stock Dove 1
Common Gull 72

Quarry area:
Green Woodpecker 2
Buzzard 2

Cheers John

Crisp, bright, lovely views, but few birds with most of the action at Larkhill:

Larkhill Cottage:
Mixed finch flock on feeders
Tree Sparrow 9
Reed Bunting 2
Pheasant 1

Cloughend Farm:
Sparrowhawk 1m

Cheers John

Fieldfare c150
Redwing c25
Meadow Pipit 3
Lapwing 8
Tree Sparrow 5
Snipe - zero

Cheers John

Dec 1st:

Snipe 7
Jack Snipe 1
Raven 1 (heard)
Meadow Pipit 12
Kestrel 1
Little Owl 1
Fieldfare c70
Redwing c20
Tree Sparrow 2

Cheers John

Green Woodpecker behind Cloughend Farm
Redwing 4
Lesser Redpoll 1
Greenfinch 4
Kestrel 1

Cheers John

Green Woodpecker 1 (Quarry pool area then moved to Brown Low, where calling. My first of the year up here)
Redwing 74 (Small parties passing through but pausing to feed on Holly & Hawthorn berries)
Song Thrush 2
Blackbird 12
Lesser Redpoll 1
Great Spotted Woodpecker 1
Reed Bunting 1

Cheers John

John Rayner wrote:
BTW. Who was the birder that did a runner (literally) as soon as he saw me? I always dreamt of having a magnetic personality but had hoped for 'attract' rather than 'repel'

Cheers John

---

Anybody owe you money John?

John Rayner wrote:

---

01/10/2014. A quick look around the quarry area from Gun Road to Cloughend. Then persistent rain set in.

Sparrowhawk circled and was mobbed by c35 Goldfinches, 2 Greenfinches and a Pied Wagtail
Little Owl
A completely snow white Pheasant has been lucky to last into October - just in time to be shot.

BTW. Who was the birder that did a runner (literally) as soon as he saw me? I always dreamt of having a magnetic personality but had hoped for 'attract' rather than 'repel'

Cheers John

---

I can vouch for John, he's an A1* ok guy, if the runner is reading this!

Phil

01/10/2014. A quick look around the quarry area from Gun Road to Cloughend. Then persistent rain set in.

Sparrowhawk circled and was mobbed by c35 Goldfinches, 2 Greenfinches and a Pied Wagtail
Little Owl
A completely snow white Pheasant has been lucky to last into October - just in time to be shot.

BTW. Who was the birder that did a runner (literally) as soon as he saw me? I always dreamt of having a magnetic personality but had hoped for 'attract' rather than 'repel'

Cheers John

27/09/14. SBI/Far Bradshaw/Gun Farm/Picking Rods

24 Lapwings
6 Snipe
12 Common Gulls
7 Lesser Black-backed Gull
1 Buzzard

Red Admiral

Cheers John

26/09/2014. A quick look round Picking Rods and Quarry with Rick Hall. Not much doing anyway but then the weather closed in.

1 Raven
4 Linnets
2 Reed Buntings
and mixed corvids

Cheers John

24/09/2014: Evening visit

STONECHAT on the fence/wall immediately to the east of the quarry. This is quite a scarcity here nowadays with an average of just over 1 per year. The dates are quite consistent with no spring sightings - perhaps birds dispersing from higher ground (Cown Edge?) All my recent records are:

2014 24th Sep (1)
2013 23rd Sep (1)
2012 17th Oct (1)
2012 23rd Oct (joined by a 2nd bird)
2011 17th Sep (1)
2010 30th Aug (1)

Cheers John

Picking Rods/SBI/Quarry and surrounding fields

Skylark 3 (east)
Meadow Pipit 18 (milling around and not moving through)
Snipe 6 (inadvertently flushed on SBI)
Little Owl 1
Mallard 5
Teal 1
Kestrel mobbing a Buzzard
Reed Bunting 3

A JCB in the quarry spreading hard core over the rubble to make what looks like a more permanent base. The sheets of corrugated iron I placed down to monitor small mammals/amphibians have been moved.

Cheers, John

SBI/Quarry area only - extremely quiet!

c85 Meadow Pipits
6 Linnets
4 Goldfinches
Buzzard heard

Cheers John

Another good thrash around Far Bradshaw (dogs barking but enclosed), SBI, Quarry, Cloughend, Sandy Lane.

Similar species to yesterday (no Snipe, Goldcrest or Golden Plover) and in addition:

Linnets 6
Stock Dove 1
Skylarks 2
Chiffchaffs 4
Nuthatch 1
Blackcap female
Kestrels 3

Cheers John

8.00 - 10.45: Early fog - looked hopeful for grounded migrants but I couldn't find any in a wide area (Picking Rods, SBI, Quarry, Gun Farm, Pistol Farm, Cloughend Farm, Sandhill Lane)

Golden Plover 2
Snipe 2
Blackcap 1
Willow Warbler 4
Goldcrest 1 (April Cottage)
Pheasant 11 (100 released so far this year, another 30 to go. 130 released in 2013 as well)
Lesser Black-backed Gull 11
Black-headed Gull 24
Swallow 11
Meadow Pipit 47 (steady stream NW)
Pied Wagtail 2
Reed Bunting 5
Kestrel 1
Great Spotted Woodpecker 1
Goldfinch 31
Greenfinch 5
Starling 110

Cheers, John

1 Redstart (on Sandhill Lane)
14 Linnets
1 Stock Dove
4 Swallows
4 Willow Warblers
2 Chiffchaffs
1 Buzzard

Cheers John

Steve Suttill wrote:

---

John Rayner wrote:

---

22 Pheasants (leftovers from the Glorious 12th?)

---

Sorry John, Pheasant shooting season doesn't start until October - better put that shotgun away

---

Good! That will give them some time to grow some flight feathers. A butterfly net would have been just as effective as a shotgun today.

Cheers John

John Rayner wrote:

---

22 Pheasants (leftovers from the Glorious 12th?)

---

Sorry John, Pheasant shooting season doesn't start until October - better put that shotgun away

Best bird was a dark fem/imm Merlin that dashed straight through only breaking flight to have a brief tilt at a grounded passerine
Unseen Curlews calling high overhead during hail storm
22 Pheasants (leftovers from the Glorious 12th?)
38 Meadow Pipits
8 Willow Warblers
2 Moorhens
5 Swallows
1 Swift
1 Snipe
1 Kestrel
1 Reed Bunting

Cheers John

-- Edited by John Rayner on Monday 18th of August 2014 09:17:40 PM

Dodged some hefty showers but little of note:

Willow Warblers 9
Swifts 2
Stock Doves 2
Grey Heron 1
Reed Bunting 1

Cheers John

Yes John, but did anyone object when the council notice was on show maybe a year ago? I presume not as the plan was to build a large shed or similar for sheep there (as I understood it). I don't think that SBI status affords much protection anyway. There's another near Brown Low which the owner told me (during a heated exchange) they could do whatever they wished to it.

30th July: Quarry area.

2 juv Whitethroats
1 juv Dunnock
3 Reed Buntings (1 juv)
1 male Kestrel hunting

Loads of bricks and rubble dumped in the quarry and I thought this was supposed to have SBI status.

Cheers John

Had a good long wander yesterday from 5 - 9:30pm

The quarry area held most birds of note with;

2 Linnet
3 Whitethroat
Several Reed Bunting
1 low flying Hobby
1 Possible Redstart (reddish rump as the bird flew, unfortunately I couldn't keep track of it and lost it)

Elsewhere;

1 Kestrel
several chiffchaff and Willow Warbler


Cheers

Mark

I've had the chance to get up to the quarry on several occasions and managed to see the Redstart each time. While up there today I bumped into John Raynor and we both managed to get views though John, with more patience, had better views after I left.

The bird is quite elusive mostly hiding in the bracken rather than perched in the open.

Regards

Mark

Late post for yesterday;

A quick walk round the quarry area produced a male Redstart in amongst the Bracken on the right hand side as you walk up towards the quarry, there was also a whitethroat present along with several Dunnocks and a Lesser Whitethroat singing opposite Cloughend.

Returned early morning with Mr Raynor in the hope the Redstart might still be present however it appeared to at least have moved either permanently or temporarily from the quarry area, of note was a male Linnet and the Lesser Whitethroat again.

Cheers

Mark

Late evening:

11 Curlew feeding in field near quarry
Grasshopper Warbler reeling just outside the county boundary

Cheers John

A decent walk covering Larkhill - Hillside farm - picking rods - pistol farm - quarry - Larkhill

11 Curlew
26 Golden Plover
5 Willow Warbler
6 Chiffchaff
1 Snipe
1 m Reed Bunting
8 Meadow Pipit
8 Skylark
1 Kestrel
1 Hobby near where the picking rods path starts from the road


c100 Lapwing Debyshire

Cheers

Mark

early morning visit

1 Spotted Flycatcher at Clough End.

Other birds included singing male Blackcap and Whitethroat, 3 Chiffchaffs, 8 Willow Warblers, a female Wheatear and 5 Lesser Redpolls.

I tried the Far Bradshaw area 19.30 - 21.00 then walked on to the quarry, hoping for owls but no luck.

I approached Far Bradshaw with some trepidation as the dogs were barking wildly (see Mark Walsh's report from Nov 7th). I also armed myself with a wooden club but the 2 dogs were confined.

Best sightings were non-avian. A close Weasel and a confident daytime hunting Badger. Also:

3 Swifts
2 Wheatears
5 Reed Buntings
3 Skylarks still singing

Cheers John

Thurs 15th May. 14.00 - 15.00 hrs.

Larkhill.

3 Tree Sparrow.
2 Willow Warbler.
3 Greenfinch seen but seemed to be plenty more "wheezing".
1 Kestrel (m) perched up on the wires.

Roger.

Not the best day for quiet birding with a continuous stream of walkers doing the 'Mellor March'.

Cloughend area:
Tree Sparrow 2
Lesser Redpoll 4
Whitethroat 2
Linnet 5
Swallow 5
Willow Warbler 4

Quarry area:
Wheatear 4

Cheers John

27th April, evening:

No sign of Golden Plover flock
4 Wheatears
3 Linnets

28th April, 06.45-08.15:

5 Golden Plovers - Derbyshire
5 Wheatears
1 Whitethroat - Quarry area
1 Lesser Whitethroat - Cloughend

Cheers John

Around the picking rods today a flock of 30-40 golden plover with a Male Bar Tailed Godwit. The Godwit stayed with the flock, flitting from field to field.

Picking Rods Fields - Quarry (all within SBI boundary)

Wheatear 15 (8m, 7f)
Golden Plover 43 (minimum)
Skylark 7
Lapwing 8
Willow Warbler 1
Heron 1
Reed Bunting 1

Cheers John

A circular walk: Gun Road - Robin Hoods Picking Rods - Pistol Farm - Gun Farm - towards Far Bradshaw (but not as far as the ferocious dog. Has it attacked anyone else?) - Quarry - Gun Road.

Highlights were increasing numbers of Wheatears and Golden Plovers.

Wheatear 23
Golden Plover 51 (in 2 flocks of 19 & 32)
Skylark 11
Meadow Pipit 15
Curlew 4
Swallow 4
Willow Warbler 1
Lapwing 14
Buzzard 2
Kestrel 1
Sparrowhawk 1
Stock Dove 2

But an absence of any Chiffchaffs, Reed Buntings, Snipe, Linnets or Little Owls

Cheers John

Loads of Wheatears today around the track to Picking Stones and either side of Gun Lane.

13 Wheatears minimum (8m,5f)
48 Golden Plovers
9 Skylarks
1 White Wagtail
3 Swallows

Cheers John

9/4/14...early am

Greylag Goose - 3
Snipe - 1
Swallow - 1
Wheatear - 3 males
Redwing - 1
Fieldfare - 14
Willow Warbler - 4
Chiffchaff - 4
Lesser Redpoll - 5
Bullfinch - 1
Reed Bunting - 2


-- Edited by Robert Adderley on Wednesday 9th of April 2014 04:14:53 PM

9th April pm:

Similar to Mark's sightings but now 4 Wheatears (3m, 1f)
Signs of Meadow Pipit passage with a loose flock of 72
A circling flock of 28 Golden Plover

Cheers John

A stroll early afternoon yesterday produced a few good birds. Mainly up around the picking rods and along the path to pistol farm. 3 Wheatear were the highlight flitting from Manchester to Derbyshire and back. 6 curlew along said path and 11 skylark in the area, at one point there were 3 singing at once within close proximity. A nice few hours out. Mark

A 2 hour stroll yesterday from the layby up to Brownlow woods and back via Larkhill, then on up to the plantation and back, starting at 1ish.

It was lovely weather though a touch hazy, bird of note;

4 Buzzard
1 m Kestrel
4 Skylark
3 Meadow Pipits
4 Redpoll
4 Chiffchaff seen though more heard
At least 2 Curlew heard though they sounded further up past the quarry area.

No Wheatear as yet.

Cheers

Mark

29th March (late afternoon):

Plenty of bird song from Greenfinch, Goldfinch (9), Chaffinch, Meadow Pipits (11 with some in parachute display) Skylark (3) and Curlew.

Also Reed Bunting (2), Pheasant (2) and Buzzard (1)

Cheers John

A couple of hours spent wandering from Larkhill up to the kennels then back through the quarry area;

At Larkhill I was pleased to see at least 8 tree sparrows however the highlight came in the form of a single Brambling with a few chaffinches.

Other than that;

Tit flock as well as Nuthatch and Treecreeper at April Cottage
1 Chiffchaff around Cloughend Bungalow
Upwards of 70 Fieldfare over the bungalow
3 Buzzards
1 Reed Bunting
A small flock of 43 Starling

In Derbyshire

13 Lapwings and 2 Pied Wagtail.

Cheers

Mark