Very glad to hear it, Mark.

No sign of the lone Whooper at 1030am. Looks like it has joined its mates in Norfolk

No need for the boat after all Judith

8 whoopers flew off south east at 0925hrs leaving a lone adult that could not get airborne after several attempts.

9 whooper swans (6ad, 3juv) on top res at 0910 hrs.

Today, 12:30:

On feeders (brief count):
1 Reed Bunting
4 Greenfinch
3 House Sparrow
1 Dunnock
1 Chaffinch
4 Blue Tits
3 Great Tits
1 Goldfinch

On bottom res:
4 Cormorant
1 Tufted Duck
c. 40 Mallard
60 Canada Geese
2 Common Gull
17 BH Gull

Nothing visible on top res!

Lone pinkfoot with canada geese at 1030hrs.

Very quiet this am in poor weather but Bullfinch on the feeders at 1010hrs.

On Saturday at approx. 11am:

One pinkfoot still, among approx 70 Canada geese (grazing in field adjacent to lower res).

5 cormorants
approx 50 BH Gull & 10 LBB

not much on top res except 2 gc grebes & 5 BH gulls.

v. windy!

No sign of pochard this am but rock pipit on lower dam and single pinkfoot with canadas.

4 Pochard(2m) still present on top res at dusk

Also

2 Great-crested Grebe
Goosander

otherwise a bird free zone!

stuartherring wrote:

---

20 mallard on top plus 1 male goldeneye and 2 g/c grebe not much on bottom res and a family having a picnic near feeding station

---

Well it is supposed to be a picnic site - until Riggers decided otherwise

On bottom res today at 10:00

4 Pochard (2 male; 2 female)
70 Canada Geese (+ 2 feral geese)
3 cormorants
2 GBB gulls
15 LBB gulls
c. 100 BH gulls
1 HG

Top res:
4 pochards moved onto top res
2 great crested grebe
15 mallard
4 BH gull
1 male goosander

+ more LBB, GBB & BH gulls flew onto bottom res as I was leaving.

20 mallard on top plus 1 male goldeneye and 2 g/c grebe not much on bottom res and a family having a picnic near feeding station

c120 Pinkfeet over at 0940. Circled the res for 10 minutes until the mist cleared and flew off SE.

Very quiet this week.

A quick circuit the afternoon 1445-1600 produced

on the Res'

3 Cormorant
3 Great-crested Grebe
145 Canada Goose
5 Mallard
Lapwing
Goldeneye(m)
Grey Heron

Feeders

Jay
2 Pheasant
5 Dunnock
2 House Sparrow
5 Jackdaw
17 Greenfinch
2 Chaffinch
Robin

and a rabbit!

No Bullfinch

07.15 - 09.45 very wet and windy

mistle thrush 2
magpie 5
jackdaw 10
bullfinch m
blackbird
chaffinch 10
greenfinch 2
dunnock
cormorant
canada geese 70
feral doves
grey heron
mallard 10
meadow pipit4
pied wagtail
kestral
black headed gulls 100
lesser black backed gulls 15
common gull
wood pigeon 2
blue tit robin house sparrow 4
great crested grebe 3

0800-1245hrs

Ad YELLOW-LEGGED GULL
250+ LBB Gull
300+ BH Gull
3 Herring Gull
GBB Gull

More gulls on top res but didnt count them-but over 1000 gulls present in total

5 Great crested Grebe
51 Mallard
5 Cormorants

175+ Redwing over
50+ Fieldfare over
5 Magpie
27 Jackdaw
10 Carrion Crow
Rook
Grey Heron

At the feeding station

20+Greenfinch
2 Reed Bunting
3 Great Tit
Redpoll
5 Blue Tit
3 Blackbird
27 Starling
7 Chaffinch
31 Goldfinch
3 House Sparrow
Coal Tit
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Sparrowhawk


-- Edited by Mark Rigby on Thursday 22nd of October 2009 08:20:07 PM

Ad yellow-legged gull at 1100hrs on lower res with 250 lbb gull.

Late news sat 17/10/09 male goldeneye flew in to top res at 1130hrs. First record this autumn.

Saturday 08.30 - 10.30

Fieldfare 50 +
redwing 20
great spotted woodpecker
jackdaw
goldfinch
magpie
blackbird
blue tit
dunnock
coal tit
green finch
chaffinch
starling
rook
canada geese 80+
BH gulls
stonechat m + F
carrion crow
reed bunting
robin
mallard
cormorant 3
g c grebe 4
long tail tits 9
great tit
house sparrow
sparrowhawk

Sunday 08.15 - 10.30
all above plus
bullfinch f
meadow pipits 2
goldeneye m
pied wagtails
mistle thrush
moorhen
coot
pheasant
wren
heron
snipe 4
lapwing 5
no fieldfare or redwing today but large number of thrushes in distance heading east

Single crossbill flew south over at 0925hrs. Also 5 snipe dropped in before flying east and single wigeon on the res.

0930-1445hrs Foggy till 1145hrs then lifted.

On the res.

6 Teal
2 Wigeon
27 Mallard
123 Canada Goose
4 Great Crested Grebe
Grey Heron
27 Black Headed Gull
17 LBB Gull

Feeder Station (Thanks to Tony for replenishing the nut feeders)

21 Greenfinch
56 Chaffinch
20 Blackbird
3 House Sparrow
Pheasant
2 Dunnock
4 Blue Tit
5 Great Tit
15 Robin

Vis Mig all in S/SE direction.

3000+ Redwing and 250+ Fieldfare (a conservative estimate as many could not be seen early on due to the fog but a massive passage between 1030-1145 a flock of 300, 400 and 500 but mostly in 40-50. Passage stopped when the fog lifted.

50 Blackbird
12 Greenfinch
2 Great spotted Woodpecker
30 Meadow Pipit
5 Pied Wagtail
2 Reed Bunting
10 Chaffinch
6 Mistle Thrush
4 Song Thrush

0700hrs-0930hrs and 1715hrs-1830hrs

Too foggy to see anything on the reservoirs this morning

Feeding station

Great Spotted Woodpecker on the nut feeders

Thanks to whoever refilled the nut feeders-its much appreciated

Then a quick trip to Surrey to see the Brown Shrike.

Fog had lifted when I returned

51 Mallard
101 Canada Goose
5 Great-crested Grebe
Cormorant
7 Fielfare (first for the autumn here)

Very quiet

0700hrs-1620hrs(with a quick trip to Buxton for 3 sacks of seed)

3 Teal
5 Cormorants
1 Mallard
165 Canada Goose
2 Great crested grebe


Feeding Station

20+ Greenfinch
3 Blue Tit
14 Chaffinch
2 House Sparrow
80+ Starling
Blackbird
Dunnock
3 Magpie
2 Pheasant
Great Tit

The feeding station now has a proper seed tray to the right of the picnic area. If you are going up there, please feel free to take some seed/nuts to replenish the feeders. It is costing me a bleeding fortune

But at least you are guaranteed of seeing some birds

Been very quiet of late.

Today 1400-1545

7 Goosander (first record for a few months)
5 Tufted Duck
5 Mallard
67 Canada Goose
5 Great Crested Grebe

Feeding Station

6 Greenfinch
4 Great Tit
3 Blue Tit
Robin
House Sparrow
Wren
5 Chaffinch
7 Goldfinch

1400-1600hrs

2 Stonechat
3 Great Crested Grebe
2 Cormorant
7 Tufted Duck
28 Mallard
176 Canada Goose

Feeding station update..

2 Nut feeders have replaced the plastic mesh bags and a fat ball feeder has been put up. All have survived since Thursday last week so next on the agenda is a seed tray.

There are more passerines in the car park than before I started feeding and the Reed Buntings have started to visit on a regular basis. Heres hoping for a rarer Bunting or two..........................

Pretty quiet for the last couple of days.

Same Blue Tit on my nuts but not a lot else!

Will put some more feeders around the picnic area as the 2 nut feeders have survived for at least a week.

That explains the funny walk on Sunday

Mark Rigby wrote:

---

The feeding station was a hive of activity

---

when I left Castleshaw on Saturday afternooon, there was just 1 Blue Tit pecking at Riggers' nuts and a Kath & Phil pair nibbling their butties!

I'd gone up there because I always get Whinchat at this time of year (needed to get out of "wooden spoon" position in the Tournament!) and following Mr Rigby's excellent season, I felt sure of at least one Oldham borough tick. Failed on both counts

Nothing of great interest bird-wise, though there was a most confiding Weasel (Phil should have some good pictures of it's tail disappearing into a hole in a wall!)

Steve

Quiet around the reservoirs today, 7 Cormorants to annoy the fishermen.

The feeding station was a hive of activity with:-

Reed Bunting
2 Dunnock
2 Robin
31 Linnet
14 Greenfinch
4 Goldfinch
5 Chaffinch
c30 Starling
2 Great Tit
3 Blue Tit
Blackbird
Wren

and a Snipe doing several flypasts on the marsh opposite and 2 Moorhen.

No sign of any Bullfinch yet

Cheers Rob,

A good record for Castleshaw. Not seen one myself at the res but with the feeder station up and running, it may tempt one back

Mark, I visited Castleshaw a week ago last Monday (7th Sept) and had 3 Bullfinches in the bushes by the picnic tables in the car park, didn't think much of it at the time but I've just noticed that you've not mentioned the species on this thread, so maybe a good record for the site. Nothing on the Reservoirs that day though!

Thats moorland birding Geoff Now you know why I get so exited when I find summat

The feeders are in the car park near the picnic tables.

We three were there today. Not knowing there was a feeder, we missed it!! Anyway, not much about. Tufties,Mallard and a GCG on the bottom res, and a single GCG on the upper res.
A few swallows,greenfinch and meadow pipits. Regret no curlew to be seen or heard, but heard a stonechat, but did not see it.
Then went to Dovestones where there was even less.

Castleshaw Feeding Station (update)

Seed and peanut feeders have been put around the car park and up to now have not been trashed by the local youths who use the car park at night as a meeting point in thier fancy hotrods (1L Nova's etc)

Todays birds

18 Greenfinch
3 Blue Tit
2 Great Tit
37 Goldfinch
2 Robin
Chiffchaff
Dunnock
5 Chaffinch
17 Starling
Wren

More birds than you can "shake a stick at"

3 shelduck (ad fem + 2 1st sum) and teal on lower res at 1045.

-- Edited by Mark Rigby on Tuesday 15th of September 2009 11:03:01 AM

Common Buzzard flew west over Heights Lane, Delph at 1310hrs.

Green sandpiper and dunlin at 0750 hrs but flew off at 0830.

-- Edited by Mark Rigby on Saturday 12th of September 2009 08:45:22 AM

Male wheatear tonight on stone wall opposite car park, otherwise very quiet.

0645-1545hrs

Migration is well under way!

2 Whinchat
3 Wheatear
2 'White' Wagtail
Sand Martin
60+ House Martin through west
200+ Swallow through west
Several flocks of Starling over
3 Stonechat (all juvs)
2 Willow Warbler (juv)
Chiffchaff

Put some seed down today in the picnic area at the car park and by the wooden gate at lower res. Goldfinch, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Dunnock and Robin found it immediatley

-- Edited by Mark Rigby on Saturday 5th of September 2009 04:13:49 PM

1430-1615hrs

2 Teal (fem+juv)
56 Mallard
9 Tufted Duck
2 Great crested Grebe
Swallows still but no House Martins

1400-1630hrs before the heavens opened

8 Curlew flying high NW
202 Canada Goose
Raven
11 Tufted Duck
4 Blue Tit
Grey Wagtail
loads of Swallow/Mipits/Pied Wags

Another stint (i wish ) at Castleshaw 0645-1615hrs

Should have stayed in bed!

Green Sandpiper till 1230pm when flushed by Geo-surveyors! and not re-located.
Common Sandpiper
3 Raven
2 Kestrel
Sparrowhawk
2 Sand Martin
40+ House Martin late morning only
Swallow(s)
5 Linnet (on their way to the gathering at Piethorne)
2 Curlew
43 Mallard
106 Canada Goose
17 Mistle Thrush
Woodpigeon(s)
Stock Dove
Grey Wagtail
Pied Wagtail
Carrion Crow
Jackdaw
Rook
4 Grey Heron
Moorhen +Juv
Robin
Wren
2 Great Crested Grebe
30 Goldfinch
Meadow Pipit
19 Tufted Duck
Blue Tit
Great Tit
Blackbird
Magpie

32 species (thats 3.37 species an hour)

Early am till 1100hrs.

Green Sandpiper
Common Sandpiper
Grey Wagtail
3 Kestrel
47 Mallard
106 Canada Goose
Loads of Mipits/Pied Wagtail/Goldfinch
2 Great crested Grebe
Curlew

Common sandpiper and 19 tufted duck were todays highlights

-- Edited by Mark Rigby on Wednesday 26th of August 2009 05:50:10 PM

You are getting nicely rewarded for all the time you have spent there! Well done Riggy Pops!

GREEN SANDPIPER at 1750 hrs at north end of Lower Res.

Also

15 Meadow Pipit
Great Crested Grebe
Sparrowhawk
11 Tufted Duck
3 Heron

Greenshank still present at 1800hrs today.

It's a different bird from the 15th (from photographs taken)

Just cause it wasn't at Elton Mr Warfy

Riggers, it will be the same bird i reckon

Another GREENSHANK this afternoon.

First seen flying in from the north-west after a very heavy downpour at 1440hrs. Still present at 1605hrs on Lower Res near to the wooden gate.