1st of all 2 nut feeders pinched from binngreen. hopefully they realized that we have wrote binngreen/dovestones on them in permanent marker so left the rest
415 to 6.50.walk from dovestones carpark to heys top along to chew piece plantation seen the following in no order...
blue tit
great tit
coal tit
greenfinch
chaffinch
robin
blackbird
magpie
sparrow hawk
crow
jackdaw
pied wagtail
siskin
nuthatch
curlew
lesser redpoll
pheasant
great spotted woodpecker
meadow pipit
skylark
oster catcher 2 in field facing sail club at 6,35
mallard
canada geese
also seen what i thought was a wheatear sat on a wall but couldnt get a proper id due to light fading
cheers lee

At Binn Green 10.15-11.30
Plenty going on,
chaffinch
greenfinch
goldfinch
siskin
pheasant
jay
pied wag
tree creeper
g s woodpecker (heard)
redpoll (first)
brambling
usuals

Hi Mike P,

i hope you have better luck than me, i keep mising um though there is now definatly a male and a female bird both seen over the weekend, only little extra nugget i can pass on that might come in usefull is on the lower level bottom carpark, as you go to the bottom end of the small car park the left hand corner, keep walking straight about 20ft and there is a nice small bolder on the floor there that holds a nice amount of water, a small trough shape if you like, i recently filled it up, take down a few gallon of water and empty there, a great little drinking station, i saw other birds drinking there but no crossbills but i have heard crossbills need to drink a lot and could be a good spot to also keep your eyes on when you visit, the female bird was seen in the large larch tree to the right of the previously mentioned bench with writings carved on it, the same area as the previous male bird,

Good luck, Best Dennis, Ps keep yours eyes open for that mealy to

Concerning Crossbill sightings: prompt updates/postings through the next week would be much appreciated as I may be spending a day or two in G. M. (Wednesday onwards).

With thanks to Mark Rigby and Ian McKerchar for kind directions as to car parking etc.

Regards,
Mike P.

Me too Jason, all afternoon, hunting for crossbill and mealy to get a a photo but no joy, a female crossbill was seen this morning by the warden, only new bird to add to the birds already seen is 1 treecreeper

just returned no sign of crossbill.

masses of siskin
redpoll
brambling

plus other common garden birds.

1 great spotted woodpecker on feeders.

didn't venture far as the ice had still not thawed off me forehead from audenshaw resser

Hi Judith,

i can fill a form if you like though like i said i did not get a great view and when i tried to move position for a photo the bird flew off, 4-5 lesser redpolls flew in together and one of them was very very light grey in colour compared to all the usually brown coloured lesser redpols it was with, i stayed for a furthur two hours but did not see the mealy or crossbill, i have seen this a few times before when mealy and lesser fly in together and for me you get a even better comparison when these birds are together as these were, this bird was strickingly lighter, greyer and brighter in colour than the duller looking lessers, i also mentioned this bird to a friend of mine Ian from the bolton rspb who just turned up as i was leaving so i will ask him when i see him if he managed to see it and i also mentioned it to rachael, one of the rspb wardens up there, she mentioned that other sightings of a mealy have been mentioned to her recently though she had not seen one herself,

Best Dennis

Mealy (Common) Redpoll is a description bird in Greater Manchester - rarity forms can be downloaded on this website.

I should of stayed longer, i had no sightings in the morning though i did see a mealy mixed in with nice flocks of lesser redpols knocking around, i was only 95% on my mealy sighting as i did not get a great view so nice to see someone else saw it too,

Graham Beverley wrote:

---

14.00
Male crossbill showing well in binn green car park- reports of possible female and others but not confirmed
Mealy redpoll at bottom of steps on road

---

14.00
Male crossbill showing well in binn green car park- reports of possible female and others but not confirmed
Mealy redpoll at bottom of steps on road

Thank you Ian will be visiting very soon.

Cheers Danny.(Not seen crossbill)

Binn Green is an area just north of Dovestones at the southern end of Yeoman Hey Plantation. Access is by continuing along the B635 up the hill past the access road to Dovestones and the small RSPB car park is on the right approximately a mile further up.

The Crossbill currently seems to like the open area just right by the car park which has a few large boulders in it and Larch around it. There are usually puddles for it/them to drink in but previous Crossbills have ranged between this area and along the length of Yeoman Hey Reservoir though they have always favoured the area around the car park.

A site guide is currently in preparation.

Were is Binn Green?Were are the crossbills.
Went to Dovestones 2 weeks ago.
Regards Danny

P S Sorry for my lack of knowledge.

Lovely in the sun today. We three walked around the two res. and then drove up to the top car park,
There we had the best ever view of the Crossbill(after we found the carved bench) Loads od Siskin,Chaff.Tits and a Brambling and a Redpoll.

1 Peregrine
1 Raven
3 Pheasant

P.S. Forgot the Treecreeper and Nutcatch in the same complex as the Siskin etc.



-- Edited by Geoff Walton on Friday 18th of March 2011 10:49:51 PM

1300hrs - 10 x Grouse on moorland above Yeomans Res between the stone cross and Greenfield Brook. Sadly could have seen more, however the weather closed in on the tops and visibility became poor.

Andy

1300 - 1430

Male Crossbill present around 1355 showing for a good 20 mins at least in larches near carved bench. Could be very difficult to see at times.

Also present

3 Brambling (f)
2-3 Lesser Redpoll including male singing at top of larch
30-40 Siskin
Pair Treecreeper
Pair Great Spotted Woodpecker
20+ Coal Tit
Chaffinch
Greenfinch
Goldfinch
Blue Tit
Great Tit
Long Tailed Tit
Blackbird
Pheasant

Raven heard only across valley

Hi Keith , yes , the crossbill was definitely taking buds off the tree, we were stood about 15' away . We must have just missed you , because we also met the female rspb worker ,as we were going down the steps to the reservoir .


Cheers Chris

Interested to read your comments,CHRIS, that the Crossbill was feeding on leaf buds. I could not quite make out exactly what it was taking but I was surprised it was not on the pines or larches for the cones.
Surprised that I missed you as I was there 12 to 1.30!
An RSPB Warden(fem.) told me that the feeders had been stolen at least 4 TIMES.

-- Edited by keith mills on Thursday 17th of March 2011 08:54:44 AM

Late post for yesterday 16/03/11 @ 12:00hrs...
Much the same as the previous post , amazing numbers of siskin , on and around feeders, also cracking undisturbed views of a stunning male crossbill , which appeared to be feeding on leaf-buds , in a small tree at the far corner of Binn Green car park..Also two redpolls in trees near toilets... the ones left standing , that is !!!
Also four pied wags and two mistle thrush around res .
Five male and four female red grouse ,single sex parties,( coveys ?? ) about 10 yards apart , seen on hillside above the old - house ruins , during a break in the mist ...


Cheers Chris

BINN GREEN RSPB. Arrived for a first visit at noon today.
Mist streaming through the trees . Cold.
Difficult to quantify the frenetic activity round the feeders and adjacent trees but here goes:
Siskin 80 to100
Chaffinch 30
Coal Tits 25
LT Tits 4
G Tits 15
B Tits 10
Goldfinch 2
Blackbirds 8
Brambling (fem) 2 sightings
At 1pm a weak Sun appeared and so did the CROSSBILL ( Male).
Viewed down to 25 feet in the small deciduous group of trees to the left of the track leading to the carved bench seat.
Suberb views for a very sociable 10 minutes often being halfway down the tree pecking on the bark.
All very good stuff



-- Edited by keith mills on Wednesday 16th of March 2011 02:59:07 PM



-- Edited by keith mills on Wednesday 16th of March 2011 03:39:11 PM

-- Edited by keith mills on Wednesday 16th of March 2011 06:15:58 PM

Binn green Managed to get mark Rigby up and he got some good photos

-- Edited by Graham Beverley on Tuesday 15th of March 2011 05:31:48 PM

Graham Beverley wrote:

---

13.25-15.15
Single male crossbill around car park and puddles still present and as been for last forty-five mins
Lesser redpoll present all time
Siskins lots
Brambling 1f
Bullfinch m/f
Nuthatch
GS wood m/f
Blue/great/long tail/coal tits
Robin blackbird chaff gold green finchs
late post
Two curlews see at upperwood farm Monday

---

which carpark did you see the crossbill in ? Cheers lee

13.25-15.15
Single male crossbill around car park and puddles still present and as been for last forty-five mins
Lesser redpoll present all time
Siskins lots
Brambling 1f
Bullfinch m/f
Nuthatch
GS wood m/f
Blue/great/long tail/coal tits
Robin blackbird chaff gold green finchs
late post
Two curlews see at upperwood farm Monday

Tues 15th March. 07.00 - 08.00 Hrs.

Dovestones.

Curlew circling and calling for a good 10 mins. Landed in field between Yaught Club and farm.

Roger.

Binn Green feeders 14.45-15.45
Brambling 
Siskin
Nuthatch 
Greenfinch
Chaffinch
Blue tit
Great tit
Coal tit
Long tail tit
Goldfinch
Treecreeper 
Woodpigeon 
Blackbird
Greater spotted woodpecker

A Rough-legged Buzzard was seen well by Dave O'Hara (RSPB reserve manager) and 3 others on the A635 Holmforth Rd above Upperwood House yesterday morning about 11am. Upperwood House is about half a mile further up the road from Binn Green car park.

-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Monday 7th of March 2011 11:37:59 AM

I am informed that this apparently random and entirely unauthorised tree felling has not been restricted to Binn Green either and has also occurred very recently at Dovestones too.

-- Edited by Ian McKerchar on Monday 7th of March 2011 09:35:35 AM

just to let visitors know the tree felling in the car park (two mature trees) at binn green is not part of the plantation clearing but due to the night visitors/feeder removal crew, what next ??

Cheers Graham! Went up there today, up the chew road, across from chew res to the peregrine quarry and back again. Relatively quiet, but a nice sunny with a few birds:

Dove Stone:
8 Red Grouse (2 seen, 6 heard)
2 Peregrine
4 Raven
1 Dipper (in Greenfield near the kingfisher pub, nice treat on way from train)
Not strictly relevant, but cracking views of 3 near fully white mountain hares from the chew road

Binn Green:
4+ Siskin
1 GS Woodpecker
2 Bullfinch (a pair)
5 Greenfinch
1 Nuthatch
4 Goldfinch
loads of tits, chaffinches, etc.

By the way, the dipper seen in Greenfield was colour ringed, with a red and a grey ring on the right leg (red above grey), and a white on the left


-- Edited by Joe Wynn on Sunday 6th of March 2011 08:52:43 PM

Loads of info on RSPB web - reserves - dove stone - have fun it's a great spot

Hi, I was going to go up to dove stones and on to the moors there (if this good weather holds!) and was just looking at the os map and realised there were loads of paths up there. I was going to walk up the chew road to the reservoir, and then across dove stone moss, and down through the forest on the lakeside. Is this a good route, and what would be up there, about this time of year (could it be called early spring?)? Also, if all else fails, is the binn green feeding station the one down bank lane, its been ages since i went!
Cheers,
Joe

14.20
Two ravens at crowthers farm above binn green

Weather: Sunny and clear but increase in cloud as the day progressed.

WED 16/02/2011 12:00 17:00

Hey Farm Mossley to Binn Green

Hey Farm to Dovestones Reservoir

1 Fieldfare
4 Pheasant: one pair and single male and female
Others noted mainly around the farms Greenfinch, Blue and Great Tit, Blackbird, Robin, Woodpigeon, Carrion Crow, Magpie and Black-Headed Gull.

Dovestones Reservoir

Canada Geese, Mallard and Black-headed-Gull

Binn Green: on feeders 15:50 - 16:30

2 Goldfinch
1 Nuthatch
2 Robin
2 Pheasent one male and a very exotic puple (male ?) this bird has to be seen to be believed. Watching a male Pheasent at very close quarters and admiring its plumage is one thing, and then a metallic purple one arrives along side.

Also present: in large numbers Coal Tit and in less numbers Chaffinch, Blue and Great Tit.

Whilst watching the frenzey of activity Lee Griffiths arrived to restock the many feeders. It is always a pleasure to meet fellow bird watchers and especially people like Lee and others. Who go out of their way and spend time and money to stock feeders in areas other than their homes. This is a great responsibilty and they are to be commended for their commitment. Also to be singled out for praise are the birders who stock the feeders on Coopers Ride and Bank Top on my local patch.

Heads up and many thanks from me and all the well feed birds to all concerned.

Regards David

bleedin scumbags

went up today at 1.30 to fill them altogether 6 seed 4 nut 3 fatball and 1 suet feeder were pinched bloody gutted !!!!
i have just put up another 2 seed and a fat ball feeder at binngreen and 1seed and fatball up at dovestones lets see how long these last

I am sad to report that they have indeed been stolen!

Fu$¥ng lowlife!

Think feeders been stolen........... what nice people !

Probably end up on a car-boot sale.

Roger B.

-- Edited by Roger Baker 3 on Monday 14th of February 2011 03:10:29 PM

Monday 10 am, where have all the feeders gone, all those in the main Dovestones car park and the Binn Green car park have disappeared. Is this RSPB policy at this time of year or is there another explanation. Otherwise very little to report.

Friday 11.2.11-14.15/16.20
Siskin
Blue tit
Great tit
Coal tit
Chaffinch
Blackbird
Goldfinch
Robin
Brambling
GSWoodpecker
Woodpigeon
Pheasant
Nuthatch 
Long Tail Tit
Treecreeper 
Magpie
Mistle thrush
Any RSPB members visiting Binn Green car park, parking is free if membership card is displayed in car window this does not apply to the main DoveStone car park

14.00-15.00
Siskin large numbers in first half hour
Goldfinch
Coal tits
blue tits
Great tits
Long tail tits
Chaffinch
Woodpigeon
Blackbird
GSWoodpecker
Treecreeper
Nuthatch
Sparrowhawk

3.30 till 4
sisken
g s woodpecker m / f male drumming
bullfinchs 1 m 1 f
longtailed tits
great tits
blue tits
coal tits
goldfinchs
chaffinchs 3 m 1 f
Pheasant.
treecreepers
Brambling 2 m
robin 1
sparrowhawk over
also i have put a couple of suet square feeders up now to







-- Edited by Lee Griffiths on Sunday 30th of January 2011 08:43:21 PM

Sat 29th Jan 08.10 hrs - 09.00 hrs.

Binn Green feeders.

Goldfinch.
Siskin
Bullfinch
Chaffinch
Blue Tit
Great Tit
Coal Tit
L/Tail Tit
G S Woodpecker
Pheasant.

The feeders were heaving with Siskin & Goldfinches when I arrived, began to tail off as the dog walkers and mountain bikers began to put in an appearance.


Roger.

I've sent you a private message Graham

Binn Green feeders 14.45-15.45
Absolutely sure of a marsh tit only a brief look but having been watching them at Leighton moss last weekend I was sure.
I stayed for one hour but it didn't return.
Siskins
Bramblings
Chaffinchs
Goldfinchs
Blue tits
Great tits
Long tail tits
Coal tits
Nuthatch
Blackbird



-- Edited by Graham Beverley on Thursday 27th of January 2011 08:35:58 PM

Late post for yesterday ,Wednesday 26/01/11 , between 12:00 and 13:45 hrs ...
Very lazy birding session , sat in car , in Binn Green car park ...constant rain/ drizzle ,cool breeze ...Put some seed ,nuts etc on flat rock and watched ...
Chaffich 40 + (including up to 9 males on the rock , 6 feet away , at any one time ! )
Siskin 30 +
Coal Tits 15 +
Blue Tits
Great Tits
Flock of 12 Long Tailed Tits
2 Nuthatch
3 Treecreepers
3 Brambling ( including a cracking male ! )
Up to seven male blackbirds at once
Five cock Pheasants ( including one purple form )
One Robin
20+ Goldfinch
4 Greenfinch
woodpigeons
One male sparrowhawk through ....missed everything, birds returned to feed within a minute !!!
Cheers Chris

Started quite early this morning [2nd car there] from Binn Green - at that time there were circa 12 Greenfinch, 20 Goldfinch and many Chaffinch but the light was a bit poor and I didn't pick out any Siskin or Brambling. Then walked up the Chew Valley in the fog and rain, Mistle Thrushes and Coal Tits in the memorial woods - heard four of five grouse higher up calling but couldn't find any Dippers.

The best thing [and why I'd gone TBH] was the six to nine Mountain Hares - six in view at once and I think nine all together but some may have been on the move. All bar one on the western facing side of the valley and all above 350m. Main concentration around Charnel Clough up to Dish Stone. Very pleasant walk around the edges completed a good day - I was so pleased to see the Hares I kept asking other walkers if they'd seen them and lending my bins out to show them!

The car park was slightly busier on my return so the feeders were less populated. One other interesting item was Chew Reservoir was 90% frozen but windblown water over the ice was making the whole lot very noisy.

Binn green 14.45-15.15
Clear blue sky above the mist
Nuthatch
Brambling
Chaffinch
Blackbirds
Mistle thrush
G S woodpecker
Siskin large numbers
Goldfinch also large numbers
Ltt/bt/gt/ctits

Tues 18th Jan 15-45 hrs.

Managed 25 minutes on Binn Green car-park watching the feeders.

Pair Bullfinches on car-park Larches.
Treecreeper. (possibly 2)
Coal & Great Tits.
2 cock Pheasant under feeders.
Light fading fast when a party ( c 14 ) of Longtails turned up for turns on the fat-ball feeder.
Siskins heard but not seen.

Roger

-- Edited by Roger Baker 3 on Tuesday 18th of January 2011 09:37:14 PM

Binn green 14.50-15.20
Lesser redpoll
Bullfinch 1m 1 f
Siskin
Goldfinch
G S woodpecker
Chaffinch
Brambling
Long tail tits
Blue coal great tits
Blackbird
Woodpigeons
Pheasants

Short visit to feeders at binn green this morning
Plenty of brambling and Siskin
Greater spotted woodpecker
Loads of finches and tits